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TOY STORY |
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D' WAG is a 1977 Wagoneer. I bought it in original state in 1990 and then started a endless modification process. It had a AMC 360 V8 with a 2bbl Motorcraft carb, TH400 transmission, Borg-Warner QuadraTrac with no low range and Dana 44 axles with 3,07:1 front and rear. The first thing I did was changing the parts who were in desperate need of replacement. I got new ball-joints and a new ignition. The transmission and the transfer-case also needed a rebuild at that time among other small parts witch the former owner had neglected. I converted the Q-Trac to part-time using a MileMarker kit at the same time.
Then the need for a better off-road vehicle led to other modifications. The most obvious thing were ground clearance . I installed a TrailMaster 4" lift kit with new front leafs and add-a-leafs and blocks in the rear. With that setup I mounted 33 x 12,5 x 15" tires on 10 x 15" wheels. But 4" wasn't enough lift too clear the wheels on suspension movement so I also installed a 3" body lift. Now the rubbing in the front stopped, but it still rubbed in the rear. Nothing was done to correct it at that moment. I stumbled across a low-range unit for my Q-trac so it was now beginning to act like a real off-road vehicle.
Drove the Jeep all around England one summer and began to realize that the engine needed replacement. The Jeep was my daily driver so I couldn't pull the engine to rebuild it so I bought a used engine from a wrecked 79' Cherokee.
I decided to build an engine with a little more power than the original one and since I still had the Jeep running I had the time to build it right. The block was aligned, decked and bored 030 over using honing-plates to simulate the shifting from the heads. Then I shootpeened the rods and had the rotating assembly balanced. I decided to use an Edelbrock Performer manifold with a Holley carb along with a PAW camshaft. The cylinder heads were rebuilt with new valves and springs, they were also slightly ported and decked for higher compression. I built a new exhaust system with headers and double 2 1/2" pipes for the new engine. That engine was rebuilt during one year.
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When I switched engines I also rebuilt the TH400. Only after the Jeep got the new engine I realized just how bad the old one was. Now I could really move the big Jeep. So good in fact that the Q-Trac chain soon needed replacement.
The vacuum actuator in Q-Trac vent bad and no-one here in Norway could get me a replacement so I borrowed a friends actuator (Thanks, Egil) while I figured out what to do. I ended up with a conversion to air-activated shifting using my AC compressor as a source for on-board air supply and a lot of pneumatic bits and pieces from another friend (Thanks, Håvard). The result was a 4WD shift setup which is much more stable than the vacuum unit.
The differential gearing was too high so I got a pair of 3,73:1 R&P's and installed together with Lock-Right locker in the rear. It's still to high for my liking but without changing the carrier it's just so low I could go.
I also built new wheelwells in the rear to stop the tire rubbing. Another problem was that the add-a-leaf and block setup in the rear had ruined my rear springs and that had to be looked into very soon.
Oh yeah, I painted the Jeep black.
Winter 96/97:
When I parked the Jeep I had several goals for this winter: New tires and bumpers. New rear spring setup was also desperately needed. The bumpers were at the drawing board for a long time before I decided on the design. I ended up making them out of 3" tubes with build in shackles for towing and rescue. The attaching points for the bumpers and the shackles was made as an extension to the frame so that the load would be equal distributed and nothing would bend. At the back I also built myself a swing-away spare tire holder (so now all I need is a spare tire!). The bumper setup got it's test when I needed two trucks with two Warn 9000 winches too drag me out of a waist-deep mud-pit the following summer. When I got the welder out I also relocated the fuel filler , that's because I always spilled a lot of fuel each time I got into some extreme angles.
I got myself a pair of original rear springs from a 1979 Cherokee which I rebuilt and added one leaf from the Wagoneer spring pack. I then flipped the shackles on the rear and built a set of new blocks to level the truck and correct the drive line angle. The blocks are not yet perfect but I'll look into that very soon. This spring setup has proven to be superior to the add-a-leaf setup both on the street and (especially) on the trail.
I also relocated the battery to the rear of the truck and added a second battery with a switched relay setup so I can either have the second battery switch in when I turn the ignition key, turn it completely off or switch it in manually if the main battery is gone dead. I also relocated the air-compressor and alternator to have the alternator as high as possible for that river crossing. When it was time to get the new tires I got such a good deal on four BF Goodrich 35x12,5x15" Mud-Terrains that I continued to go crazy with the plastic and ordered myself a Jacobs Ultra-Team ignition setup. Installing the Ultra-Team was a breeze, the most difficult thing to do was deciding on where to put it all.
With the battery moved to the rear, the control module was put where the battery used to be. I just fastened it on the front right next to the radiator, this way it could use the hole where the air-intake hose used to go for cooling. The coil was placed on the right side fender where the horns was. I put the horns behind the grill instead. Now it was ready for a test drive with new plugs and new plug wires installed. I must truly admit that I was amazed by the Jacobs setup. The 360 started and idles like never before and the added top-end power are clearly recognized. I can start it in the winter without using the choke. As far as fuel savings goes I think it's using a little less fuel but I haven't had the change to measure it correctly.
Click on the left picture to see a overview of my engine compartment. On the right there is a pic off the very start of the hydraulic winch project..
'97-98
The 35's were a useful addition to my rig, but they rub the front fenders so I will need to do something about it. I also found out that the leaf-springs was a limiting factor in the terrain. Evil voices in the back of my head said: Do A Coil-Spring Conversion, Frank. Also during the summer I've developed a rather nasty noise in the front axle. Something had to be done. Not to mention, I wanted bigger tires. So when I parked it in the garage for the winter off '98 I had decided to do a coil-spring conversion. I originally planned to do it all during the winter, but I got another truck that took me the best part off the winter to get ready for inspection. So the work on the Wagoneer didn't start until summer. And with one thing leading to another D'WAG is still in the garage. I've installed a totally new electric system, shortened the rear overhang, cut the roof, installed coils, new wheelwells to have space for the swampers without too much lift and painted it again. Right now (november 2001) I only have to do the brake system and the exhaust and I'm ready. So this time I really hope to drive it in the spring:-)
'02 - 03
At the moment all my planned modifications on the Wagoneer
is done. And I've had a change to actually drive it both off- and
on-road. It was so long since last time I drove it , it felt almost
like driving a new car. The first problem that came, was some really
bad shaking in the front end around 30-40 mph. I suspected my Swampers
beeing a big part of this, so I put on some BFG 33's to see if my
suspicions where right. The 33's where tires I've been using before and
I knew they where balanced and without any shaking. I still had some
vibrations and shaking at the same speeds. I then changed my caster to
6 degrees intead of 9. Then the wooble went away and I could drive it
at any speed without vibrations. Let's try the Swampers:-) I got to
say. The Swampers is the worst tires I've ever driven on pavement. They
shake and vibrate, and no one seems to have the ability to balance
them. But, they are very good off-road, so I'll think I'll keep them
for now.....
Beeing done with the planned mods don't leave me without anything to do:-) I have some interesting sound in my transmission and a broken rear axle yoke. Also the oil pressure is too low for my comfort, so I guess I have some minor things too look into this winter. I've not given up on the plans to make it street legal.
This is were it is right now, but see future plans for what I'm dreaming of.
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