Betti- 89 Grand Wagoneer

[surfwagoneer]

Looking really good Matt, i might have to get you to make me a template of your front bumper mounts.

anytime. Just let me know. I did cut off the frame horns in the front so I could flush mount it so you would need to do the same if you used it.

[lobie]

The wife is getting into the spirit too. She made these today

A shirt for one of the girls


And a koozie

That koozie is sweet!

[surfwagoneer]

Lobie..... You bring that fuel sender to Uwharrie and I'll make sure you end up with one of these in your hands!

[lobie]

Lobie..... You bring that fuel sender to Uwharrie and I'll make sure you end up with one of these in your hands!

Sounds like a good trade!

[surfwagoneer]

So after the recent fall ride in Uwharrie hosted by CFSJC and seeing another vortec build I have been sold. So even though I would love to have a diesel I don't think that the wagon is the right project for it. I'll keep dreaming of a 6bt flat bed toy hauler FC though, maybe one day! So the new plan is a 2004-2007 5.3. There have been a ton of LS swaps on here lately and its easy to see why. I'll look for a low mileage donor, swap in a low lift mild cam (approx 212/218 low lift) for good torque and upgrade a few other things while the engine is out. A few of the internal parts will be upgraded for strenght b/c the eventual hope is to build and add a turbo. Not looking for 800 HP or trying to drag race it. Basically I jsut think a turbo would be super fun to build and run but that could be added later on. After seeing the Wilderness Gladiator and the 4 link on coilovers I am sold. Hauling my small little pop up to uwharrie reminded me how squirily the front suspension is. The part that gets me is I geared for a diesel when I did my axle swap. I've played around with the grim jeeper calculator and it looks like some 4.56 CUCV axles will run nicely with my planned set up. It will be cheaper to buy a pair of CUCV axles then to regear my current axles and the CUCV axles comes with a detroit in the rear (at some point will be changed over to an ARB since this is a DD.) That will also upgrade my front to a dana 60 and passenger drop which gives me more options for tcases. The best thing about all this is I have the cherokee chief now that I can hopefully d/d at some point and do the majority of this build myself vs outsourcing a lot of the fab work required for the bigger diesel (major space limitations in my garage.) So current plan- Mild 5.3 to start with, cam, cold air intake and long tube headers. Back that up with a rebuilt 700r4 from monster transmissions and possibly an atlas or lomax 205 with matching CUCV axles. Supsension upgrades will include a 4 link front with coilovers and centered chevy springs in the rear. In the end any body work/interior will be out-sourced. My build plans have already changed a million times so who knows were this will really go. This will all be done as money/time allows so things will happen slowly.

[racerx12003r1]

Alright there Surf. Your starting to sound like Zack with the turbo stuff, but hey, is that a bad thing? I really like that winch mount too. I wish I would have made it out to Uwharrie. That dang fueling problem is still kicking me in the butt.

[lobie]

Matt, why not a 4l60e instead of the 700? You will already have the computer to control it and be able to set shift points and much more.
Go ahead and throw HP Tunners or efi live in the budget. It's fun (I think) to be able to tweak things in my own garage.

[surfwagoneer]

Matt, why not a 4l60e instead of the 700? You will already have the computer to control it and be able to set shift points and much more.
Go ahead and throw HP Tunners or efi live in the budget. It's fun (I think) to be able to tweak things in my own garage.

yea the 700r4 is something that Im not 100% sure on, I like the mechanical vs computerized aspect of it but you do make a good point. And if that's the case I might as well throw in a 4l80. Good thing I have plenty of time to think about it!

[bwwhaler]

Dibs on your 360 unless I find a 401.

[surfwagoneer]

Dibs on your 360 unless I find a 401.

Betti's 360 is going into the new chief but the chief also has a 360 in it that will be up for grabs!

[bwwhaler]

Sounds good, I really want to build an engine. Btw, I just spent another week at your work,but I am home and recovering nicely.

[surfwagoneer]

Sounds good, I really want to build an engine. Btw, I just spent another week at your work,but I am home and recovering nicely.

Sorry to hear that, you make sure and let me know if you ever need anything. You know were to find me.

[bbuenger71]

What method did you use to get the correct arch and shape when cutting the rear quarters? I'm about to tackle this tomorrow....

[surfwagoneer]

What method did you use to get the correct arch and shape when cutting the rear quarters? I'm about to tackle this tomorrow....

I used a measuring tape and litterally marked a dot every inch or so all the way around and then connected the dots. I taped over the fender with painters tape first. Took a little while to mark out but my line came out very smooth. I used a cut off wheel, comes out much smoother than a saw zaw. Just take your time!

[bbuenger71]

Sounds simple enough, and very time consuming. But looks great. You did a good job. How much did you cut off?

[surfwagoneer]

Sounds simple enough, and very time consuming. But looks great. You did a good job. How much did you cut off?

I took 3-4" off the front. Only took about 2" off the rear but am going back to cut another 1 1/2" off. After putting on 35's and taking it on the trail I stuffed the tires into the rear fender really bad. I'll need to add new bumpstops also but with no one in the back seat I should still have a good 4-5" of up travel which is plenty for this rig.

[bbuenger71]

I took 3-4" off the front. Only took about 2" off the rear but am going back to cut another 1 1/2" off. After putting on 35's and taking it on the trail I stuffed the tires into the rear fender really bad. I'll need to add new bumpstops also but with no one in the back seat I should still have a good 4-5" of up travel which is plenty for this rig.

I went ahead and chopped 2" off the rear this weekend. I think I did a decent job. My hopes are to get it to a stance like yours eventually after I lift it a little. Would you mind posting a pic of the inner fenders after you cut them?

[surfwagoneer]

Not a problem. It'll be a few days until I can get a picture. I work the next couple and I leave when its dark and get home when its dark. My rear fenders are full of a temporary concoction of spray foam and sealant. This is of course temporary, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to need to cut anymore before I spent the time welding in a patch panel. That being said it has held up very well until I shoved my tire into the fender on the trail. And if you use spray foam be aware! That stuff is a mess and is super hard to get off.

[surfwagoneer]

I haven't done much on the 'ol girl lately but got out and did a little work today. Finally installed my warn premium hubs that have been sitting in the bedroom since christmas. These things are much beefier.






I also got a new aluminum radiator off of ebay the other day and need to get around to installing it. Still have a good handful of stuff that I would like to get done before ECI this year.

[surfwagoneer]

well found out that my water pump is shot today when it started pissing radiator fluid all over. Gonna order a high flow water pump, new thermostat and gasket set from BJ's tonight. Partially good timing since my new aluminum radiator (number 2 from fleebay) arrives tomorrow. Hopefully this radiator wont be crushed. Once everything is pulled off I'll give everything a good look over and replace anything else that may look suspect.