Dice...... The 1978 Jeep Wagoneer

[DGarman]

That's a good looking Wagoneer! The 401 is a great engine too! Post some pics of the J10 please. I love FSj's! I hope to all a Cherokee Chief or another J10 to the line up soon.
I have a 1979 J10 Honcho 360/t400/QT with 54K miles.

Thanks KYLJR! I would've been happy to find a 360, but as it was I had the choice of two 401s for about the same price in similar condition! This is my first experience with a 401..... I really like how it runs.
I'll round up some photos of the J-10.

 

[DGarman]

First repair!..... Woo Hoo!......
After 48 hours of ownership....... Dice's rear window was stuck down....... wouldn't move at all.....
Seller did say that the rear window worked when it wanted to....... only by the dash switch...... the key switch in the tailgate never worked...... OK, fair warning.....
Started my astute diagnosis by Googlin' it....... (Don't we all!)..... learned that the most common problem is the Safety Switch...... keeps the window from opening when the tailgate is down..... pulled off the Safety Switch...... Wow!...... badly corroded inside when I twisted it...... bypassed said switch......



The window works now!...... but only when the tailgate is down...... hmmmmm...... not quite fixed.....
After dozens of tailgate down.... hit the switch...... tailgate up..... hit the switch....... lather..... rinse..... repeat...... I'm wondering what is different between tailgate up and tailgate down?
Aaahhhhh!...... it finally dawns on me...... the wires going from the tailgate into the body have to bend as the tailgate goes up..... down..... up...... down...... etc.
Upon closer inspection..... half the wires have bare spots with copper showing...... "that could be the problem" I say out loud.....
Wrap all the wires with black tape to cover the bare spots..... close the tailgate....... cross my fingers....... window up!..... window down!..... window up!..... window down!........ you get the picture I'm sure....... The rear window works (for now)...... later I'll need to do some rewiring back there....... but I'm feeling good now!





Me and Dice take a little test drive...... 2 miles of bad dirt road to the local market..... window up..... window down..... window up..... window down..... repeat if necessary.....
Pick up an 18-pack of COs finest Banquets...... head home...... and celebrate a small victory..... man versus stupid electrical stuff..... man won!

 

[Grenadiers]

I ran across a lot of Wagonmaster restorations while I was searching..... lots of coin..... but it's like buying a brand new truck!
CA and AZ have some fairly rust-free 70s vintage trucks for sale...... at least from what I saw.
I'm 56, and not married anymore...... plus I have a couple of friends that are "enablers"....... so buying Dice was an easy decision!

I can't complain too much! I have several toys, including our recently complete overland monster, a 1985 Swiss-made Saurer 6dm.

 

[DGarman]

I can't complain too much! I have several toys, including our recently complete overland monster, a 1985 Swiss-made Saurer 6dm.

Very nice!!

 

[Curly]

Dgarmin, follow this link to the FSJ group and take a look a this rear window wiring diagram. This was designed by SereHill (Rick) who recently passed away. He sold many harnesses using this design, I have one and it's great. It eliminates the factory switches from carrying the electrical load and moves it to the relays.

http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=13549

Curly

 

[DGarman]

Dgarmin, follow this link to the FSJ group and take a look a this rear window wiring diagram. This was designed by SereHill (Rick) who recently passed away. He sold many harnesses using this design, I have one and it's great. It eliminates the factory switches from carrying the electrical load and moves it to the relays.

http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=13549

Curly

That is great Curly! Thank you!

 

[Comanche Scott]

First repair!..... Woo Hoo!......
After 48 hours of ownership....... Dice's rear window was stuck down....... wouldn't move at all.....
Seller did say that the rear window worked when it wanted to....... only by the dash switch...... the key switch in the tailgate never worked...... OK, fair warning.....
Started my astute diagnosis by Googlin' it....... (Don't we all!)..... learned that the most common problem is the Safety Switch...... keeps the window from opening when the tailgate is down..... pulled off the Safety Switch...... Wow!...... badly corroded inside when I twisted it...... bypassed said switch......

The window works now!...... but only when the tailgate is down...... hmmmmm...... not quite fixed.....
After dozens of tailgate down.... hit the switch...... tailgate up..... hit the switch....... lather..... rinse..... repeat...... I'm wondering what is different between tailgate up and tailgate down?
Aaahhhhh!...... it finally dawns on me...... the wires going from the tailgate into the body have to bend as the tailgate goes up..... down..... up...... down...... etc.
Upon closer inspection..... half the wires have bare spots with copper showing...... "that could be the problem" I say out loud.....
Wrap all the wires with black tape to cover the bare spots..... close the tailgate....... cross my fingers....... window up!..... window down!..... window up!..... window down!........ you get the picture I'm sure....... The rear window works (for now)...... later I'll need to do some rewiring back there....... but I'm feeling good now!

Me and Dice take a little test drive...... 2 miles of bad dirt road to the local market..... window up..... window down..... window up..... window down..... repeat if necessary.....
Pick up an 18-pack of COs finest Banquets...... head home...... and celebrate a small victory..... man versus stupid electrical stuff..... man won!

Ah, the great taste of victory! :victory:

ETA: Edited because as noted by Grenadiers below, I should have done that in the first place, for those with small devices, and slow isps. My apologies.

 

[DGarman]

Been wondering what gear ratio Dice has..... no tags on the diff covers...... don't feel like pulling a cover and lookin' at the ring gear or counting teeth.....
Looked for the Bill Of Material number on the front axle..... Found it!..... front of the long tube..... a few inches from the center section...... small numbers..... only about 1/8" tall.....
603683-6.....



Dana has a neat website for decipherin' BOM numbers on all their axles:
http://www2.dana.com/expertforms/deabill.aspx

JEEP Model 44/216 FRONT 1978 - 1979 WAGONEER / CHEROKEE
603683-3 STD 4.09
603683-5 STD 3.07
603683-6 STD 3.54
603683-7 STD 2.72

As long as Dice hasn't been regeared..... looks like he has an open diff in a 3.54 ratio..... and it seems he has his original front axle too.....
The Butt Dyno agrees with the chart..... feels like 3.54s...... way better than 3.07s or 2.72s when 31-33" tall tires go on......
He'll also get some lockers/limited slips installed at some point..... when they become necessary.....
Detroit rear and True Trac front have worked well in my last couple of trucks.....

 

[DGarman]

Ah, the great taste of victory! :victory:

I love it when a plan comes together!..... {ppffffttttt....... Banquet being cracked open.....}

 

[SOAZ]

Can't wait to see it. 2 leaf sprung trucks bouncing around in the desert. I think we'd better bring plenty of whiskey and advil for our backs. Do the gauges work? I don't know anything about the Trans these come with. Any info or issues to look out for?
Lastly... So... have you called Deaver yet???
-Enabler

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

Looks like you got a really solid rig to start with, which is good.

Yes, 354's were common in those years, 307's being the other regularly available option.

I'm running 354's on my 73, with 33's, and its fine on its own but put any weight behind it and hills get slow. Your recently rebuilt motor may help with that though.

You might want to look into some wiring upgrades on the tailgate, The power goes to the tailgate, to the switch, then back to the tailgate. Unfortunately the FSJ fellow who made a harness for that recently passed away and there are no longer any being sold, but his plans and diagrams can be found on FSJN.

You may also want to look into the ammeter bypass, or at least making sure the ammeter connections are clean and tight. If you do any sort of alternator upgrade, correctly bypassing the ammeter is highly suggested to avoid having a crispy jeep.

 

[Grenadiers]

Ah, the great taste of victory! :victory:

Here's an example of quoting something with tons of pictures, for well, 'hey, great job'. Why do you people do that? It's not necessary.

 

[DGarman]

Can't wait to see it. 2 leaf sprung trucks bouncing around in the desert. I think we'd better bring plenty of whiskey and advil for our backs. Do the gauges work? I don't know anything about the Trans these come with. Any info or issues to look out for?
Lastly... So... have you called Deaver yet???
-Enabler

New Years should be a cool trip Tim!..... A '78 Wagoneer and a '76(?) FJ40!...... Whiskey, Banquets, and generic Ibuprofen are always in my duffle..... or ice chest.....
Dice has a Turbo 400 trans from GM...... they put it behind all their big-blocks..... simple..... no overdrive..... no electronical junk.....
Deaver Spring will get a call after the holidays....... the Rough Country springs ride terrible!
The gauges all work...... somewhat....... the good thing is that they tell me what I want to hear.....
Seller informed me of a few issues........ on a bad day they could result in explosions or huge fires....... but I'm thinkin' positive......

I was on the ledge about buying Dice....... and you pushed me off!....... Thank you!

 

[DGarman]

Looks like you got a really solid rig to start with, which is good.

Yes, 354's were common in those years, 307's being the other regularly available option.

I'm running 354's on my 73, with 33's, and its fine on its own but put any weight behind it and hills get slow. Your recently rebuilt motor may help with that though.

You might want to look into some wiring upgrades on the tailgate, The power goes to the tailgate, to the switch, then back to the tailgate. Unfortunately the FSJ fellow who made a harness for that recently passed away and there are no longer any being sold, but his plans and diagrams can be found on FSJN.

You may also want to look into the ammeter bypass, or at least making sure the ammeter connections are clean and tight. If you do any sort of alternator upgrade, correctly bypassing the ammeter is highly suggested to avoid having a crispy jeep.

Thanks Doc! Definitely will remove the ammeter wiring...... go to a one-wire alternator....... rely on a voltmeter to monitor the charge.....
Lockers/LSDs are in the future...... may go to a 3.9X gear with 33s...... if it feels sluggish.
Rear window wiring is going to be a priority....... also thinking about going manual....... a little more foolproof.....
Thanks for commenting....... I learned a lot from your thread!

Here's an example of quoting something with tons of pictures, for well, 'hey, great job'. Why do you people do that? It's not necessary.

Actually....... it was just 3 photos....... spray some WD-40 on the wheel on top of your mouse...... you'll be able to scroll down REALLY FAST!
We're just having fun here...... no need for a bunch of rules......

 

[Comanche Scott]

Here's an example of quoting something with tons of pictures, for well, 'hey, great job'. Why do you people do that? It's not necessary.

My apologies. You are right, that was rude. I've edited the post to remove the pictures.