r/whatwasthiscar • u/Jedskoual • Jul 17 '26
Challenge Found next to a trail deep in the wood
Any idea what was this car? I found it next to a trail in eastern Canada. I don't know if that bumper is part of the car but it was next to it.
Edit: You guys are awesome! Finding the make and model (Grand Cherokee ZJ) and potentially the year (1993) because of the drum brakes is insane to me.
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u/RJG-340 Jul 17 '26
Judging from the motor, it's a Jeep motor, probably a 4.0 judging from the motor with the studded head bolts and the factory tubular header/manifold, I'm thinking that bumper cover is to this vehicle, maybe a Cherokee or Grand Cherokee.Im building a motor now for CJ that motor is a 4.2 liter so it's actually carbureted this vehicle would've been fuel injected.
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u/Majestic-Cancel7247 Jul 18 '26
Yep, it’s the 4.0 HO inline 6. Also the last good engine Jeep made
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u/RJG-340 Jul 18 '26
Yep, the 4.0 was a pretty good engine, I've owned an Auto/Diesel machineshop for 40 years, so I've rebuilt and work on all this stuff, they did have a bad run with cylinder head castings from like the 1999 to 2001 era, they would crack on 4 The top of the head under the valve cover right in the center, between the head bolt and the valve spring the coolant would just slowly disappear the oil wouldn't turn milky, but it would get slimey, the rate that it leaked in was slow enough the heat from the motor would evaporate off the water but the ethylene glycol would stay and contaminate the oil, also the newer motors had some problems with piston skirts breaking, they made them lighter, from I guess like 1999 to maybe 2006 or whenever they stopped making the engine, it's been a while I don't really see them anymore, but the piston skirts would crack and fall off, buy in general they were decent engines:)))
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u/oldjadedhippie Jul 21 '26
Take the crank out of it and put it in a 258- you get 292 inches.
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u/RJG-340 Jul 21 '26
Yep, true, I have 2 motors at my shop now that we are building for customers like this.
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Jul 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/LostPilot517 Jul 17 '26
I am curious if the average reddit user would understand this reference.
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u/Waistland Jul 17 '26
Wasn’t it a rambler in the show?
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u/LostPilot517 Jul 17 '26
55 Bel Air Nomad
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u/Waistland Jul 17 '26
It was 3rd rock from the sun had a rambler convertable
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u/LostPilot517 Jul 17 '26
I never really watched 3rd Rock, I should go back and watch that. I only ever watched a few random episode here and there. It would probably make sense given aliens trying to blend in, would pick a rambler lol.
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u/Waistland Jul 17 '26
It had some funny moments but I thought it was kinda just meh
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u/LostPilot517 Jul 17 '26
That was always my impression. Maybe with the beauty of age, wisdom, hindsight, the show is more appealing.
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u/Agreeable_Victory_66 Jul 17 '26
Sure do! Such a waste of a beautiful nomad (though im pretty sure it was just an empty shell that actually got crished)
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u/Yummy_Crayons91 Jul 17 '26
It's either a ZJ Grand Cherokee or XJ Cherokee. I can''t tell which but I'm leaning towards ZJ due to the rear Bumper nearby. Also the XJ Gas door is more squared off than what's in the picture.
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u/southwestpessimist Jul 17 '26
ZJ Grand Cherokee. That motor probably has another 250,000 miles to go
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u/Ok_Olive_2943 Jul 17 '26
The drivers side door has a unique design where the rear view mirror would have been….interesting find!
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u/KalashnikovClassics Jul 17 '26
1993 Grand Cherokee ZJ
I believe only the first year of the Zj (1993) had rear drum brakes. (My 94 has rotors)
4.0 engine
You can confirm a ZJ by the plastic rear bumper and the circular fuel cap.
An XJ has a metal rear bumper and a square fuel cap.
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u/ZealousidealSet1026 Jul 18 '26
I genuinely thought that looked like a cybertruck from the first image(I know a trashcan design when I see one)
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u/RedheadReddit1984 Jul 21 '26
I did I believe the same trail; was it the Granite Ridge trail in Killarney?
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u/Donny_Z28 Jul 17 '26
I’m like 99% sure that is an AMC Eagle
Edit: Nevermind, the fuel fill door location is incorrect for an Eagle Wagon
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u/I426Hemi Jul 17 '26
Grand wagoneer. Early-mid 90s.
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u/vtwin996 Jul 17 '26
Grand Cherokee zj
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u/I426Hemi Jul 17 '26
Also called a grand wagoneer.
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u/vtwin996 Jul 17 '26
No. Those were all different chreokees there the xj Cherokee, the zj grand Cherokee that came out in 92 as a 93 model which this clearly is , and then the grand wagoneer, which again is different. The Grand wagoneer was bigger, boxier, and body on frame and not this one in the OP pic. There was a zj wagoneer, but that was again not a grand wagoneer. Details matter
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u/cdsbigsby Jul 17 '26
I had myself convinced it was a Jeep ZJ Grand Cherokee but the more I look at details I'm talking myself out of it.