toylandcruiser
Expedition Leader
4.30 gears are low. Not high.
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Build
- Thread starter Jeepin' Pete
- Start date
4.30 gears are low. Not high.
Jeepin' Pete
Member
Got a few things done this weekend:
- I installed the new redhead steering box and new PS lines and have to say the steering feels like a new car! Very tight with only a little play (which changing out the tie rod ends and the steering shaft would probably eliminate). The leaking fluids are slowly going away!!!
- also put some cheap duralast brake pads on the front to help a little until a more major break upgrade comes along
- changed the oil: I used 5qts. of Rotella 15W-40, a STP3985 filter and then a half quart (full bottle) of STP oil treatment. Hopefully all of the zinc helps out!
Has anyone changed out rotors without using a press? Can it be done with a big hammer or a vise?
- I installed the new redhead steering box and new PS lines and have to say the steering feels like a new car! Very tight with only a little play (which changing out the tie rod ends and the steering shaft would probably eliminate). The leaking fluids are slowly going away!!!
- also put some cheap duralast brake pads on the front to help a little until a more major break upgrade comes along
- changed the oil: I used 5qts. of Rotella 15W-40, a STP3985 filter and then a half quart (full bottle) of STP oil treatment. Hopefully all of the zinc helps out!
Has anyone changed out rotors without using a press? Can it be done with a big hammer or a vise?
Jeepin' Pete
Member
Progress has slowed down even more, but still getting a few little things done.
When I bought the Wagoneer, there were no dome lights at all, just cut wires in the bare ceiling. I bought some cheap 3-position LED's from Amazon and wired them up. I really like the 3-position switch (on, off, and door) because if we are sleeping in the back we can simply reach up and turn on the lights without opening a door. They are really bright, and although pretty cheaply made (thin wires, rough mounting bracket), do the job great for under $10! I decided not to reuse the original overhead console, so I used two of these dome lights: one over the cargo area and one between the front and rear seats. After a little fiddling with the door switches, both lights come on with all four doors! It's the little things sometimes...
https://www.amazon.com/12v-LEDlight-4-3inch-Dome-Light-Replacement/dp/B06XVVPJJ4
Also, she is officially inspected (passed first time!) and registered! Right when it was bought, we had to have the transmission rebuilt and it's been leaking so after another trip to the transmission shop the Wagon should be good to go for a while.
When I bought the Wagoneer, there were no dome lights at all, just cut wires in the bare ceiling. I bought some cheap 3-position LED's from Amazon and wired them up. I really like the 3-position switch (on, off, and door) because if we are sleeping in the back we can simply reach up and turn on the lights without opening a door. They are really bright, and although pretty cheaply made (thin wires, rough mounting bracket), do the job great for under $10! I decided not to reuse the original overhead console, so I used two of these dome lights: one over the cargo area and one between the front and rear seats. After a little fiddling with the door switches, both lights come on with all four doors! It's the little things sometimes...
https://www.amazon.com/12v-LEDlight-4-3inch-Dome-Light-Replacement/dp/B06XVVPJJ4
Also, she is officially inspected (passed first time!) and registered! Right when it was bought, we had to have the transmission rebuilt and it's been leaking so after another trip to the transmission shop the Wagon should be good to go for a while.
justbecause
perpetually lost
i always intended to put that grill on my 79, but eventually gave up on the whole project. I miss my FSJ.
Jeepin' Pete
Member
When I was looking for a Wagoneer it was definitely on my radar to do the swap, but I got lucky and the PO had already done it!
I put on a Wheelskins leather steering wheel cover yesterday. It took me about an hour and a half including messing up the lacing pattern twice and having to start over. Instead of running to AutoZone and renting the steering wheel puller again, I just used wooden blocks to bend back the rear plastic piece so I could lace around the spokes. I'm pretty happy with it; the colors match really well, installation wasn't that hard, and it seems well made. The shipping was extremely fast and came with two different colors of waxed lacing thread and very good instructions. I did have to cut some of the original tan spoke rubber/plastic away to make the thicker leather fit, but without looking too close it looks factory.
Nice Wagoneer! I just bought a 87 Grand Wagoneer and can’t get it into 4WD. I was wondering if you have run across any members experienced in these transfer cases? The system works that is supposed to move it into the 4x4 mode but the arm on the transfer case won’t move out of the 2wd mode. I thought I would try to get some help here before I take it to a shop and maybe spend $I don’t have to. Thx. Billyzack
Jeepin' Pete
Member
I know my transfer case (an NP229) is vacuum operated, and a lot of the old vacuum hoses get dry rotted. Maybe replace the vacuum line going into the transfer case?
My 4WD works, but I bought a twin stick kit to get rid of the vacuum actuation. My view is if I need 4wd, then I really need it, so I want it to be as reliable as I can get it. I would trace down other possible problems first, such as the vacuum motor on the transfer case, the vacuum switch on the dash, etc.
This is the one I got:
https://rocklaurencevintageautoparts.com/products/jeep-np229-twin-stick-shifter-truck-or-wagon
Jeepin' Pete
Member
Well, I’ve neglected to update this for a while…
There has been a lot of thinking about this build, and some definite changes. My wife and I found out we are pregnant, which was completely unexpected, and we are also moving soon. So that has put the budget and road trip on hold for a while. We’ll just do the grand road trip later with our child, and have some extra time to make the Wagoneer ready!
Because of all the new expenses, the LS swap I was looking into is not going to happen, and EFI probably won’t be for a while either. For now, I decided to start off with the basics that make an engine run: air, spark, and fuel.
First up was the air. I want the air going into my engine to be clean and cold. I took of the rough, grimy air cleaner, spent some time with a wire wheel on my angle grinder cleaning it all up. After a wipe down with acetone, I hit it with a few coats of VHT engine enamel and put on a 2-barrel AMC 360 sticker I found online. The old gasket was dry rotted and cracked, so I made a new one out of some weatherstripping, put in a new air filter, and called it good! I ordered a stock air intake hose from BJ’s, but it showed up torn, so a new one is on the way. I realize cold air from the grille versus warm air from the engine bay probably does not make a huge difference, but colder air is definitely better for the engine, measurable difference or not.
I still need to connect all the vacuum lines to the air cleaner; I'm in the process of figuring them out.
Next was spark. Because I didn’t want to deal with any cam/distributor gear issues, I opted to stick with my stock distributor and do the TFI upgrade. Ford TFI parts go on without any issues and are more economical than other methods. After doing some research, I found that the TFI would work with a fuel injection upgrade (way) down the road, so I tried to get quality parts which would last for a long time, and not just be a temporary upgrade.
My parts list:
- MSD spark plugs wires (35859)
- MSD blaster TFI coil (8227)
- MSD cap adapter, cap, and rotor (8414)
- Ford coil wiring connector (PCO-5712PT)
- some basic Autolite copper plugs, regapped to 0.045.
I am still in the process of cleaning all the wire routing up, so I don't have any pictures. Hopefully it will help a little with my rough idle and burn more cleanly!
There has been a lot of thinking about this build, and some definite changes. My wife and I found out we are pregnant, which was completely unexpected, and we are also moving soon. So that has put the budget and road trip on hold for a while. We’ll just do the grand road trip later with our child, and have some extra time to make the Wagoneer ready!
Because of all the new expenses, the LS swap I was looking into is not going to happen, and EFI probably won’t be for a while either. For now, I decided to start off with the basics that make an engine run: air, spark, and fuel.
First up was the air. I want the air going into my engine to be clean and cold. I took of the rough, grimy air cleaner, spent some time with a wire wheel on my angle grinder cleaning it all up. After a wipe down with acetone, I hit it with a few coats of VHT engine enamel and put on a 2-barrel AMC 360 sticker I found online. The old gasket was dry rotted and cracked, so I made a new one out of some weatherstripping, put in a new air filter, and called it good! I ordered a stock air intake hose from BJ’s, but it showed up torn, so a new one is on the way. I realize cold air from the grille versus warm air from the engine bay probably does not make a huge difference, but colder air is definitely better for the engine, measurable difference or not.
I still need to connect all the vacuum lines to the air cleaner; I'm in the process of figuring them out.
Next was spark. Because I didn’t want to deal with any cam/distributor gear issues, I opted to stick with my stock distributor and do the TFI upgrade. Ford TFI parts go on without any issues and are more economical than other methods. After doing some research, I found that the TFI would work with a fuel injection upgrade (way) down the road, so I tried to get quality parts which would last for a long time, and not just be a temporary upgrade.
My parts list:
- MSD spark plugs wires (35859)
- MSD blaster TFI coil (8227)
- MSD cap adapter, cap, and rotor (8414)
- Ford coil wiring connector (PCO-5712PT)
- some basic Autolite copper plugs, regapped to 0.045.
I am still in the process of cleaning all the wire routing up, so I don't have any pictures. Hopefully it will help a little with my rough idle and burn more cleanly!
Jeepin' Pete
Member
Update time!
The Wagoneer is still around and getting some new parts, just slowly. I finished the TFI system, and moved onto the fuel system. I decided to move to an electric fuel pump to help prevent vapor lock and to expedite cold starts. First I dropped the tank, cleaned out all the sludge with dawn dish soap, a high pressure hose nozzle, and nuts and bolts swirled around in the tank. I wire wheeled the tank skid (that was a pain!), strengthened the area I was going to mount the pump to, and painted it all with POR-15. The silver surrounding the pump in the pictures below is an aluminum heat shield because the exhaust gets pretty close.
I decided to use a fuel pump controller from Revolution Electronics which primes the carb for 3 seconds when the key is turned and then monitors the tach signal to shut off if the engine shuts off, making for a much cleaner solution than an oil pressure sensor. I needed a place to mount it, so a bent piece of sheet metal serves dual duty as a heat shield for the battery and hangs the fuel pump controller, relays for my in-construction headlight harness, and circuit breaker and relay for an auxiliary fuse panel. To finish the electrical upgrade I put in a new battery box, a new AGM battery, and new battery cables. (I used batterycablesusa.com for these and I was really impressed - really fast shipping, good prices, and high quality cables) I put a Blue Sea fuse box on top of the battery, but I wanted it to turn on and off with the ignition, not be hardwired. I followed this thread to make it happen:
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-write-ups-39/diy-auxiliary-fuse-block-box-107258/
The final thing I've been working on is the 4x4 system. I didn't really like that 4wd is vacuum actuated, and replacement parts are pretty hard to find. I came across a twin-stick kit from Rock Laurence Vintage Auto Parts, decided to try it. It was a bit of work, with a few tweaks to make it fit right, but now I have four wheel drive and low range that I trust. I'm pretty excited to drive it around again after sitting for so long.
The Wagoneer is still around and getting some new parts, just slowly. I finished the TFI system, and moved onto the fuel system. I decided to move to an electric fuel pump to help prevent vapor lock and to expedite cold starts. First I dropped the tank, cleaned out all the sludge with dawn dish soap, a high pressure hose nozzle, and nuts and bolts swirled around in the tank. I wire wheeled the tank skid (that was a pain!), strengthened the area I was going to mount the pump to, and painted it all with POR-15. The silver surrounding the pump in the pictures below is an aluminum heat shield because the exhaust gets pretty close.
I decided to use a fuel pump controller from Revolution Electronics which primes the carb for 3 seconds when the key is turned and then monitors the tach signal to shut off if the engine shuts off, making for a much cleaner solution than an oil pressure sensor. I needed a place to mount it, so a bent piece of sheet metal serves dual duty as a heat shield for the battery and hangs the fuel pump controller, relays for my in-construction headlight harness, and circuit breaker and relay for an auxiliary fuse panel. To finish the electrical upgrade I put in a new battery box, a new AGM battery, and new battery cables. (I used batterycablesusa.com for these and I was really impressed - really fast shipping, good prices, and high quality cables) I put a Blue Sea fuse box on top of the battery, but I wanted it to turn on and off with the ignition, not be hardwired. I followed this thread to make it happen:
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-write-ups-39/diy-auxiliary-fuse-block-box-107258/
The final thing I've been working on is the 4x4 system. I didn't really like that 4wd is vacuum actuated, and replacement parts are pretty hard to find. I came across a twin-stick kit from Rock Laurence Vintage Auto Parts, decided to try it. It was a bit of work, with a few tweaks to make it fit right, but now I have four wheel drive and low range that I trust. I'm pretty excited to drive it around again after sitting for so long.
Jeepin' Pete
Member
Well, finally an expedition-style update, instead of just basic (boring) maintenance: a roof rack! It's made up of some Quik-N-Easy gutter mount brackets I got off Ebay, some aluminum extrusion from 80/20, and some oak slats. I wanted a functional rack, but still fitting with the classic look of the Wagoneer.
The brackets were wire wheeled, and painted with some aluminum engine enamel, and I made some custom stickers to mimic the originals.
All the hardware on the rack and the gutter brackets is stainless, and the oak slats have many coats of Helmsman's spar varnish.
The brackets were wire wheeled, and painted with some aluminum engine enamel, and I made some custom stickers to mimic the originals.
All the hardware on the rack and the gutter brackets is stainless, and the oak slats have many coats of Helmsman's spar varnish.
Jeepin' Pete
Member
Thanks! It was fun to piece together.
toastyjosh
Adventurer
How did the Ignition upgrade work for you?
Jeepin' Pete
Member
It starts, idles, and runs really good, but I don't notice a huge difference. Everything worked before, just wanted to upgrade while I changed spark plugs so I could gap them correctly.
I'm thinking of working toward a MSD box to complete the ignition system as the factory ignition (duraspark) boxes are known to fail.