1969 Wagoneer - Built for Adventure

[TrailTestedMFG]

We rescued this 1969 Wagoneer from a ranch, where it had been sitting covered in weeds for many years. We knew it had potential but we weren't sure what we wanted to do with it. Our co-owner Courtney had been wanting to do the 2017 Rebelle Rally and realized it had potential to become the perfect dual sport adventure rig. A few days later a plan was a made and a team was formed! Courtney will be teaming up with Martha Tansy, an established fabricator from Alaska to complete the build and participate in the Rebelle Rally with. This thread will be about the build, but if you are interested in learning more or supporting these awesome ladies you can check them out on Facebook as Team Trail Tested or on their website.

As the Waggy sits it has no motor and minimal structural rust, making it the perfect base for our build. We have already picked up a 6.0 Vortec V8 out of a 2010 Suburban with a 6L90E transmission. We will be ditching the transfer case that came with the motor as Advance Adapters came on board as our first sponsor and will be hooking us up with an Atlas 2 speed! The rest of the build is still being determined as we acquire sponsors, but here is a rough plan.

- Custom Frame
- One Ton Axles
- Coilovers
- Four Link Rear
- Three Link Front w/ Track Bar
- Roll Cage
- 35" Tires
- Custom Bumpers
- Fully Updated Interior

Fabrication should begin in the next few weeks and we will update the thread as we go!

 

[AgentOrange76]

This is my favorite year waggy....been dreaming of one like this for years.....just don't show me the part where you cut it up and I'll just enjoy the finished product

I love vintage Jeeps to be stock, but I found this 1 ton build on Peterson's 4wheel&offroad and I'm okay with it. If it won't be near stock I'll tell myself it can still be sweet.

 

[Comanche Scott]

This will be a great build to follow.
I've got a '74 to do as a charity flip, and am debating stock rebuild, or fun build.
I'm moving over towards the "fun" idea. So your build will be a great read. :victory:

 

[motorcycle matt]

Sounds awesome and fun, I will be following it, but if you're only running 35s aren't one tons overkill? If you built up some Dana 44s or a Nine inch platform it would/could be cheaper and lighter. Please don't think I'm knocking the build plan, just curious.

 

[TrailTestedMFG]

Glad to see you guys are interested in the build!

This is my favorite year waggy....been dreaming of one like this for years.....just don't show me the part where you cut it up and I'll just enjoy the finished product

I love vintage Jeeps to be stock, but I found this 1 ton build on Peterson's 4wheel&offroad and I'm okay with it. If it won't be near stock I'll tell myself it can still be sweet.
View attachment 384680

We are hoping to keep as much of the Waggy body intact as possible. The goal is to keep it looking sleek and stock, with all of the goodies of a fully built rig.

Sounds awesome and fun, I will be following it, but if you're only running 35s aren't one tons overkill? If you built up some Dana 44s or a Nine inch platform it would/could be cheaper and lighter. Please don't think I'm knocking the build plan, just curious.

The Rebelle limits your tire size to 35s, but it will likely be upgraded to 37s or 39s after the event. With the Chevy V8 we aren't too concerned about weight and in the long run one tons don't really cost much more to build than 44s or a 9".

 

[highlandercj-7]

A couple of my friends in the Jeep club built similar waggys. They used GM 60 fronts and ford 70 rears. The 6.0L will be the best mod.

 

[AgentOrange76]

Glad to see you guys are interested in the build!



We are hoping to keep as much of the Waggy body intact as possible. The goal is to keep it looking sleek and stock, with all of the goodies of a fully built rig.



The Rebelle limits your tire size to 35s, but it will likely be upgraded to 37s or 39s after the event. With the Chevy V8 we aren't too concerned about weight and in the long run one tons don't really cost much more to build than 44s or a 9".

"Sleek, intact, stock!" All words I like to hear. The picture I found is on 39.5s Looking forward to the build and Godspeed in the rally!

 

[Zeiderman]

I'm in, please don't let this die.

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[TrailTestedMFG]

First step of of the build was to clean it out! The interior was covered in several inches of rat poop and the rats had been living in the headliner. We completely stripped the interior, scrubbed it really well and were pleasantly surprised to find almost no rust. The floor is in great shape! I removed the rust from the chrome with some tin foil and diet coke to get it looking better for pictures.





Next up we will be removing the frame and existing axles to begin fabrication of the new frame.

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

this is neat.

 

[borison]

Looking forward to this..

 

[Dusty Wagoneer]

Ditto!

Can hardly wait to see the progress.

 

[Johny5]

I like it , my dad had a couple of these in the eightys , been thinking of building one myself. Can't wait to see how it goes

 

[Heading Out]

Nice find. This will be interesting.

I like the grill in those years, but I also like how the core support is still from the early front end, so you can set it up that way too.

 

[2180miles]

My grandfather had an early 70s Wagoneer for years, but my mom and her siblings sold it when he handed in his license... I always wished I'd made an offer and kept it in the family for a future restoration.

Looking forward to following this.