Full Size Jeep Network

Hi ya'll!

I'm still very new to the Grand Wagoneer scene but I've wanted one for a long time and I finally got her! However, I will be moving to Colorado next year from growing up in Alabama. I'm not used to the kind of weather and roads there and wanted some advice as to what modifications would be a good idea to prepare my Grand Wagoneer for the change in scenery.

I have an 86 Grand Wagoneer with the V8 360. I've already converted it to fuel injection and put HEI distributor on it. I already plan to convert the rear drum brakes to discs as well as reworking the front and rear suspension and steering components. I have already started replacing a lot of the rubber parts with prothane pieces i.e. the body mounts.

I appreciate any information you guys can give me as I'm very new to all this.

EFI will be a huge help with the altitude change, so cool that you already have that. Otherwise a working heater and defroster will be nice to have.

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

No personal experience, but previous posters have suggested advancing the timing for operation at high altitude.

As mentioned, EFI will adjust the air-fuel mixture to compensate for the altitude. Depending on how fancy your EFI is, it may handle the timing advance on its own. Depends on whether it has spark control or not. If you installed an aftermarket HEI distributor, I would guess it does not.

If you want to keep moving in a blizzard, a set of chains might be worthwhile. You are 4WD, but chains will help. You can even chain up the front wheels. Seems to me this would be a good option if you want to keep moving in deep snow, but don't want to run narrow, noisy deep-lug tires.

My experience - if you live in the big city (like me), the cities and towns will plow the roads so effectively that you won't even need 4WD to get to work. However, if you want to traverse the mountain passes in heavy snow, chains may be worthwhile. Winter tires might also be an option - I have DM-V2s on my Cherokee https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.js ... zzak+DM-V2 but they came with the car. This will change with your personal needs, and where you live.

Lots of pretty country (and opportunities for trail driving) in Colorado - enjoy!

timing can be increased 1 degree per 1000feet after 3000feet, so in your case 17degrees is a good ballpark figure, depending on the county you will have smog check

Thanks for the advice guys. Thankfully when I bought the Jeep the guy actually threw in an extra set of original rims. So, I was thinking I would get winter tires put on those and then I would just need to pull the other tires off and put those on in prep for bad weather. The emissions test is something that I worry about but that's really just a bridge I'll need to cross when I get there. I've seen other threads that have talked about it though and it seems like there are plenty of people with experience getting them to pass.

I ran my carb'd waggy in Colorado for 3 or 4 years without issue. I had all the stock emissions equipment in place and it passed every time. For tires, I ran the Yokohama AT/S tires and never got stuck on the road. I lived in unincorporated county so roads weren't plowed unless there were at least 3 or 4 inches on them... never an issue. It is one of the best vehicles I have ever driven in the snow. In fact, when having our baby, my wife insisted we use the Waggy to get to/from the hospital because we were in blizzard conditions. It did great.

My suggestion would be to make sure the cooling system is clean/working properly. There are a lot of steep mountain passes that you won't see in the east. The 360/727 combo is awesome but you'll end up winding it out in 2nd for long stretches up I70.

You'll have a good group there in Colorado, if you run into issues. I can't wait to see pictures of your rig in the wild out there.

Where are you moving to? If it is the Colorado springs to Fort Collins area, you will have to deal with the emission Nazis. Other than that there are no required mods. Well, make sure your AC and heat work.

The IM240 E-test will be SUPER easy to pass if your EFI is working correctly. Just don't brag to them about all your modifications. Just let them take it and do their thing.

Some people leave snow tires on year round. I have been out here 20+ years and have NEVER had to chain up on a regular road. They will usually close the roads before regular passenger cars need chains. LOL!!

I'm not positive where I will end up in Colorado yet. It all depends on the job I land and the housing prices. But, that is good info to know! Thanks again guys!