lumpskie
Independent Thinker
A swap with a 100,000 mile warranty sounds like a great deal! So what motor are you getting and what are you dropping it in to?
Lumpskie's 1989 Grand Wagoneer Build
- Thread starter lumpskie
- Start date
A swap with a 100,000 mile warranty sounds like a great deal! So what motor are you getting and what are you dropping it in to?
4xchinook4
Observer
What was your ball park cost for a cherry like that? And FAST EFI.? Is that a "painless harness" swap but for a wagon?
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DeepAboveSurface
New member
Well, I have a 1990 Grand Wagoneer that will be getting the remanufactured 5.9l. Its the stock engine (NO SWAP, Bolts right in) but with slight changes to help it work its best. Im having them do a grind on the cam simular to the EB performer, and ill be installing an EB performer manifold myself.
5.9l - $1,672 + $200 core charge
Cam grind - $75
Shipping to business - $175 add $80 to have shipped to your house
Total - $2,202 with a 7yr 100,00k mile waranty... I cant find anyone here in San Antonio that will match it!
I figure if you build the engine to factory specs it should at least last longer than the 3month 30k miles they want to give me around here!
I decided to use the FAST EFI system because i could later use it on another project and put the carb back in my Wagoneer. The EZ EFI Master kit including inline fuel pump kit is $2,225. Affordable Fuel Injection has one alot cheaper but i really havent read about anyone using them. There kit is $1,220. Theres the price break down.
My goal is to have a simple reliable rig that will take me from the Texas Coast to Ouray Colorado and not have to worry about jetting carbs and just enjoy Overlanding...
Ill have to start a build thread so this doesnt happen again... Keep Rocking the Wagoneer Lump!
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
^This is a good discussion! My motor was rebuilt by a local shop just prior to me purchasing it but I don't have any kind of warranty and not all the components were replaced. That being said, it's be totally reliable to get me down the road. Like you, I want to be able to drive the Waggy anywhere from sea level to 14,000 ft without any problems. Since my Jeep has the original "High Altitude" package for Colorado, it runs great from 5,000ft up to 13,500ft (the highest I've gotten it). But, I still have some of the minor carb quirks. I've been looking into FAST EFI and Hamilton Fuel Injection for a TBI setup (popular setup on Full Size Jeep Network). Post up a build thread and keep me updated on how your TBI setup goes! After I recover from the suspension cost, I'm going to be in the market!
Justin Kerns
New member
Quoted for emphasis. I've had several FSJ rigs and didn't fuel inject any of them because of this. Visual inspection is no joke. I have 2 buddies who couldn't get tags after swapping in newer heads on their Broncos because one of the smog ports wasn't in the later model heads. It passed the sniff test fine but failed visual.
My advice is go to a friendly Air Care Colorado facility and talk to the manager about it before you do anything. I'm close to the small place in Parker and they are really cool about chatting with you about mods. Get it all sorted out before spending any money. I ended up running Holley Truck Avengers on mine and they were great in off-camber spots. FWIW.
Great Waggy! My advice when you need a new engine is to swap in a 401. The Cadillac of AMC V8 motors!
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
Thanks Justin! So, I'm looking at grabbing an ECU, harness and TB from an 89 chevy. As far as I know, the only emissions equipment on that truck were a catalytic converter and smog pump... both of which I'm already running. Beyond that, would there be any issues passing the visual out here in CO?
Also, what about the 50 legal Howell TBI setup? Shouldn't that work as well?
(FWIW, I'm guessing that the clean air Colorado center near me must be much easier than up in Aurora. I swapped a JDM '98 Acura Integra motor/trans into my wife's 2000 civic and she's never had an issue.)
Thanks! They're getting harder to find, that's for sure!
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
I've know a guy who is swapping out his TBI AMC 360 for a Vortec 8.1l. I contacted him and he said he'd be willing to sell me his setup. It's a "junk yard swap" setup that uses the GM ECU, throttle body and harness. I'll have to figure out if this setup will pass visual inspection for emissions.
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
Did some exploring this weekend
So, I actually got to take the Waggy out and explore a bit this weekend. The plan was to explore the old mining roads above Idaho Springs, looking for the ghost town of Russell Gulch. And, while we were at it, we would try to find as many interesting old mining structures as possible. With well over 1,000 mines in the area, I knew we'd find something... but we had no idea what that "something" was going to be. (I forgot my camera so please excuse my cell phone pictures!)
We started out by grabbing some lunch in Idaho Springs
After lunch, we headed up Virginia Canyon (Oh my God Road), past mine after mine. Some mining structures were just off the main road.
While others took a little more effort to get to:
I believe that this is the Minott Mine... I didn't climb up to find out
I believe that this one is the Frontenac Mine. I explored some of the structures here. It looks like It was a big operation when everything was still standing:
You can see how the mill was located on the side of the hill here:
I believe that it was a stamp mill, but I didn't climb inside. You can see the back side where crushed ore was put into buckets here:
I grabbed some pictures inside the top floor as well:
Overall, it was a neat place to explore, but I got a good bump on the head on my way out! After that, we hit the road again, looking for Russell Gulch. As we drove along, we ran across Glory Hole Mine (I believe). I just snapped a couple of quick pictures here because it looks like they are in the process of recommencing operations again. There were trucks and heavy equipment parked there. The old sections of the mill were HUGE, but I just grabbed a couple pictures from the road.
We decided to move on before we ran into anyone. In my experience, miners don't care to have people near their land. The next thing we saw was what the locals call the "Old Fort". It's a cool old structure. I need to research what it's purpose was.
So, I actually got to take the Waggy out and explore a bit this weekend. The plan was to explore the old mining roads above Idaho Springs, looking for the ghost town of Russell Gulch. And, while we were at it, we would try to find as many interesting old mining structures as possible. With well over 1,000 mines in the area, I knew we'd find something... but we had no idea what that "something" was going to be. (I forgot my camera so please excuse my cell phone pictures!)
We started out by grabbing some lunch in Idaho Springs
After lunch, we headed up Virginia Canyon (Oh my God Road), past mine after mine. Some mining structures were just off the main road.
While others took a little more effort to get to:
I believe that this is the Minott Mine... I didn't climb up to find out
I believe that this one is the Frontenac Mine. I explored some of the structures here. It looks like It was a big operation when everything was still standing:
You can see how the mill was located on the side of the hill here:
I believe that it was a stamp mill, but I didn't climb inside. You can see the back side where crushed ore was put into buckets here:
I grabbed some pictures inside the top floor as well:
Overall, it was a neat place to explore, but I got a good bump on the head on my way out! After that, we hit the road again, looking for Russell Gulch. As we drove along, we ran across Glory Hole Mine (I believe). I just snapped a couple of quick pictures here because it looks like they are in the process of recommencing operations again. There were trucks and heavy equipment parked there. The old sections of the mill were HUGE, but I just grabbed a couple pictures from the road.
We decided to move on before we ran into anyone. In my experience, miners don't care to have people near their land. The next thing we saw was what the locals call the "Old Fort". It's a cool old structure. I need to research what it's purpose was.
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
Exploring Mining Country Continued...
After passing the Old Fort, we entered the town of Russell Gulch. This town isn't a true ghost town, by my definition, as there are still easily a dozen occupied buildings. And, for me, that makes this place even more interesting to visit. Here are a couple of shots of the school house, (the biggest structure in town) and just a little Waggy flex. :sombrero:
Here are some old houses, that are still occupied:
I talked with the owner of this J Truck for a little bit. It's a cool old rig with the tornado 230 in it
This place was pretty neat too... it's the "Ghost Town Disc Golf" store front. For something like $5 you can play the course, which winds all over through town. If I get time, I'd like to play it some time.
Getting closer to the town center, I stopped by this old store, built in 1895. It looks to be well maintained, but it was closed when we were there.
As we were standing on the corner of the two main cross streets, we saw something interesting. On one side of the street was this neat looking old ruin:
But across the street and up a driveway, a well maintained building caught my eye. So, with Wifey getting nervous, we headed up the driveway to get a closer look. What we found was a neat little pottery store: Wabi Pottery
No one tends the store. The owner just asks that you leave your money in a basket when you buy something. He also has left boxes and tissue paper so you can package your purchase. It's a cool little setup.
Here's a portion of a 8 foot wide photo of Russell Gulch from back in the early 1900s. I thought it was cool.
After looking around for a while, we left the store and stopped at the main intersection in town for one last look around. Then, we headed back through what seemed like a bit of a time warp, to our modern life.
After passing the Old Fort, we entered the town of Russell Gulch. This town isn't a true ghost town, by my definition, as there are still easily a dozen occupied buildings. And, for me, that makes this place even more interesting to visit. Here are a couple of shots of the school house, (the biggest structure in town) and just a little Waggy flex. :sombrero:
Here are some old houses, that are still occupied:
I talked with the owner of this J Truck for a little bit. It's a cool old rig with the tornado 230 in it
This place was pretty neat too... it's the "Ghost Town Disc Golf" store front. For something like $5 you can play the course, which winds all over through town. If I get time, I'd like to play it some time.
Getting closer to the town center, I stopped by this old store, built in 1895. It looks to be well maintained, but it was closed when we were there.
As we were standing on the corner of the two main cross streets, we saw something interesting. On one side of the street was this neat looking old ruin:
But across the street and up a driveway, a well maintained building caught my eye. So, with Wifey getting nervous, we headed up the driveway to get a closer look. What we found was a neat little pottery store: Wabi Pottery
No one tends the store. The owner just asks that you leave your money in a basket when you buy something. He also has left boxes and tissue paper so you can package your purchase. It's a cool little setup.
Here's a portion of a 8 foot wide photo of Russell Gulch from back in the early 1900s. I thought it was cool.
After looking around for a while, we left the store and stopped at the main intersection in town for one last look around. Then, we headed back through what seemed like a bit of a time warp, to our modern life.
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unkamonkey
Explorer
I grew up in Arvada, we spent lots of time in that area. My mother had to visit any graveyard she could find so we saw lot's of out of the way places.
lumpskie
Independent Thinker
^I really wish we had stopped by the cemetery in Russell Gulch. I was reading about Russell Gulch on Rocky Mountain Profiles and a bunch of people who had lived in the town over the years were telling some cool stories about the town. At this point, I think I'd recognize some of the people on the headstones!
unkamonkey
Explorer
A few years ago we were out camping at Crow Creek near Brigsdale. On the way back to camp after shooting we stoped by the local marble orchard. Two of the people were teachers in Kersey and some of the surnames were familiar.
Friends have a cabin up Gamble or Gramble Gulch south of Rollinsville, been going there for years. I wouldn't say my teenage days were misspent.
We did it all in a MB.
I have been reading a couple of reprints of peoples travels around the plains and CO. One is 1898 and the other is from 1867. Lots of towns I never heard of mentioned in them.
Friends have a cabin up Gamble or Gramble Gulch south of Rollinsville, been going there for years. I wouldn't say my teenage days were misspent.
We did it all in a MB.
I have been reading a couple of reprints of peoples travels around the plains and CO. One is 1898 and the other is from 1867. Lots of towns I never heard of mentioned in them.
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DeepAboveSurface
New member
What a cool exploration session... Pics like those are what keep me motivated... Thanks Lump :wings: