Full Size Jeep Network

Well, I may very well keep this thing and not give it to her, we'll see.



1985 Wagoneer, $1200. Non running, and two windows didn;t work. Spent $100 on a cam gear, distributor gear, and timing gasket set. Ran like a champ. However, with the Edelbrock 4 barrel on it it only got 8mpg. Won't work with only a 21 gallon tank. So out the dinosaur comes.

In goes a Magnum 5.2 and 44RE from a 97 ZJ. Keeping the NP229 transfer case.

Bringing it home:


Washed up


Awesome interior




Stripped PDC and harness

Transgo TFOD-JR shift kit


Since the Wagoneer had the 727, the column shift bracketry bolts on with a little modification, and the vacuum line bracketry bolts on also.


Replacement motor mounts fron Napa. Note the extra reinforcement.



The middle block mounts on the 5.2 (Thanks Rainman for the idea) sit right where the factory frame horns are for the 360. The snout on the Magnum is around an inch longer than the AMC from the middle of the motor mounts. This frame was made for this swap. The rear part of the manifolds are pretty close to the heater bo and brake booster. IF you used an electric fan you'd be able to push it an inch or so farther forward to help the clearance. Could also rework the radiator to make a little more room.

The forward trans mount holes are also directly above the crossmember. Going to use a standard YJ rubber mount adapted to the factory crossmember to keep it simple.


Modified AMC block brackets on plates to mount the Dodge block.


5.2 Mounted




Close to the heater box. Got a metal one from a friend, I'll to see how much I can chop off when I get the heater core out.


ALso about an inch from the brake booster.




Also added BJs 4 inch springs, drop pitman arm, and Crown extended brake lines front and rear.


Next is to fab the trans mount bracket, mount the PDC and adapt the wiring to the Wagoneer body harness.

That looks like it's going along pretty good!

Nice work! I thought my heater box was too close to my headers in the same place yours is.

The replacement heater core from BJs is smaller down in that area, so I sliced off that corner and patched it with epoxy fiberglass to get more clearance.

Awesome, a smaller heater core would be great. It actually touches, and the metal box is worse because of the sharp corner there. The fiberglass box pictured (that I broke a little) is rounded a little and actually mounts at least.

How much smaller is the core from BJS?

It's narrower, and it's a different design. This is how much I sliced off the corner.



Might have gotten away with a little more. If you get the heater core from BJs, you can put it together and see how much you can trim it. Looks like you might have to trim more along the horizontal for yours, and the smaller core will let you do that. It's not as thick towards the engine side.

Cool build you got going, thanks for posting

Cool, thanks for the info. I'm certainly hoping to get more than that. I'm thinking since I have an extra metal box I can also cut it all up and swing the whole core an inch or so to the passenger. We'll see about the doors when I open it up. Be a neat project, anyway.

Decided not to try and move the core over. I decided to cut the metal box. I'll be moving all of the gaskets, the core, and the door over from the 85 box to the older metal box. All the old weatherstripping and foam are hashed on the metal box. Note that the metal box is actually a little larger, plus has sharp corners so it physically takes up more space than the fiberglass box.

Another option is to move the mounting studs down 3/8-1/2 inch to effectively raise the box. I'll either have to use wider rubber gaskets or cut/weld the openings to match the blower and body holes.

With it cut I have around 3/8 clearance to the manifold, and I can probably cut another 1/4 inch before I reach the core. This will probably be enough, but the metal box could also potentially get way hotter than the fiberglass. I wish I was more comfortable with fiberglassing.

Paul, cool. I was looking at your other thread for the motor pics, looks like its gona work out pretty well with minor mods. looking forward to the progress.

Been plugging away at the little stuff, accesories, linkages, and cables. Now to install the front clip on and integrate it into the Wagoneer wiring. Really not looking forward to that part...

Also was interested on the power ratings of the AMC versus the 5.2. The Wagoneer felt pretty zippy the two weeks I owned it, but didn't know how much power lost or added the 5.2 would give me.

85 AMC 144 hp 280 lb/ft 11/13 mpg
97 5.2 225 hp 300 lb/ft 12/14 mpg
98 5.9 245 hp 345 lb/ft (my TJ has a 5.9)

TF727 ratios: 2.45, 1.45, 1.00
44RE ratios: 2.74, 1.54, 1.00, 0.69

So with 50 more hp, a touch more torque, and lower first and second gears, it should move a bit more quickly. After I install it and get it dialed I'll likely be doing at least 1.7 rockers, maybe a cam, and an SCT tuner. Should be good for 30-50 more horsies I'm thinking.

I "trimmed" and reglased the heater box. Used a core for a late 80's bronco iirc.



more http://s145.photobucket.com/user/jaydub ... t=3&page=1

Its too bad the heater core couldn't be relocated somehow,
or redesigned. With all the smart ppl here I bet we could
figure something out. Heck I may even try my hand at it

Thank do the tip Rainman, I'll take a look at the Bronco core. Looks like you were able to trim at least an inch off the whole bottom.

looking good. I admire you engine swap guys, it always presents some interesting challenges.

Looks like I got an extra inch or more out of the springs. Must have been a saggy batch.





Rebuilt the steering box. Note the color of the end cap. CHANGE your p/s fluid! I had no idea p/s fluid could get this much gunk on the inside of the box.



Also have been slowly refurbing the wheels. Went from the gold to a graphite.

Before:


After:

Looking good. You're making great progress. Wheels looks great.

rainman wrote:I "trimmed" and reglased the heater box. Used a core for a late 80's bronco iirc.

more http://s145.photobucket.com/user/jaydub ... t=3&page=1

Rainman,

I loked through your pics, didn't see a pic of the core itself. Looking on Rock Auto, looks like 80s fullsize Bronco w/o A/C may work. Did yours have the hose ports that angled towards the front of the Jeep?

Like this?

pcoplin wrote:

rainman wrote:I "trimmed" and reglased the heater box. Used a core for a late 80's bronco iirc.

more http://s145.photobucket.com/user/jaydub ... t=3&page=1

Rainman,

I loked through your pics, didn't see a pic of the core itself. Looking on Rock Auto, looks like 80s fullsize Bronco w/o A/C may work. Did yours have the hose ports that angled towards the front of the Jeep?

Like this?

Pretty sure that's the one.

I'm almost done wiring up my Magnum harness, and wired up the A/C tonight. I was able to wire up the Wagoneer compressor clutch wire into the Magnum harness so it'll activate the A/C relay in the Magnum distribution center.

However, I was reviewing the wiring schematics and noticed there are no low or high pressure switches. I haven't looked for a second one, but I found this one on an A/C line. What is it? I couldn't find a plug for it, so I don't think it was hooked up when I removed the 360.




Here is the schematic of my 85 Wagoneer:

After taking both the metal heater box and fiberglass box apart, I found the internals aren't interchangeable. The door assembly is different.

Because of this I decided to trim as much as I can out of the metal box for now. I'll add some aluminum flashing to it as a heat shield. If it seems to get too hot, I'll got for the Ford core and trim it way up. That, or install a Vintage air inside.



Started with this:


Went to this:


Added some plate:




This shows the difference in the two cores. The newer core is much larger and more efficient. I REALLY hope the older core is good because there's no room at all for a larger one after making the cut.




Wiring is 75% done. Mounted the PDC and PCM.






Now I just have to find a more compact radiator overflow and washer reservoir. Then cut the driver's fender and sink those and the air box down into. Also find a place for the charcoal canister and evap solenoid. Gonna be tight.