Dice...... The 1978 Jeep Wagoneer

[DGarman]

Quote: The reason I don't like an under mounted spare is....it could be kinda tough to get at in the event you need it in a trail. "

That is why I went with my bumper mount. After I bought my Cherokee, I went to remove the spare and there wasn't enough room to lower the spare tire holder to let the spare come out. I had to jack up the jeep to get it out. Granted, it was a 33 inch tire and the PO had modified the carrier to hold it. With one tire flat, it wasn't going to come out.


curly

Good to know!...... That's actually kind of funny when you look back on it.....

 

[Comanche Scott]

Yeah, I am not a fan of the spare underneath.
Inside (my favorite idea for the Wagon based on Dr. M) or on a swing out (second only because of security) seems to be a better idea.
You could always use the space underneath for an air tank... or mini-kegerator... :beer: :victory:

 

[DGarman]

Personally, I don't like to have anything outside the truck...... mostly to keep from loading too much junk!
I also like to keep everything inside below the beltline..... more or less......
This is Ruff loaded for a trip.....



I'd like to set up Dice so he loads out the same way.....
Planning a trip to the KOFA Wildlife Preserve in AZ with a buddy over New Years...... again, the goal is to use Dice as is...... and make improvements as necessary..... the trip should give me a better idea on how to set up Dice's interior.....

 

[DGarman]

You could always use the space underneath for an air tank... or mini-kegerator... :beer: :victory:

No worries there........ beer storage is always first on my mind!......

 

[Curly]

Personally, I don't like to have anything outside the truck...... mostly to keep from loading too much junk!
I also like to keep everything inside below the beltline..... more or less......
This is Ruff loaded for a trip.....


I'd like to set up Dice so he loads out the same way.....
Planning a trip to the KOFA Wildlife Preserve in AZ with a buddy over New Years...... again, the goal is to use Dice as is...... and make improvements as necessary..... the trip should give me a better idea on how to set up Dice's interior.....

Love the KOFA area. I lived in Yuma most of my life but didn't really get to know it until I bought my jeep. Where are you going in the preserve?

 

[DGarman]

Love the KOFA area. I lived in Yuma most of my life but didn't really get to know it until I bought my jeep. Where are you going in the preserve?

We like the area...... mostly been in the northern part..... may head into the southern part this time.
Definitely no set agenda for this trip!

 

[DGarman]

First modification to Dice...... STEEKERS!.....



My brother had some decals made up..... copies of the decals from the Jeep club our family belonged to in the 60s and 70s..... the Jeep-A-Bouts of LaVerne CA.....



I didn't think much about it at the time...... but it impresses the Hell out of me now........ what those guys did back then to their Jeeps with NO aftermarket support!
If you wanted something...... you either made it...... or scoured junkyards to find it!
Dad bought a crunched '65 Ford Galaxie 500..... pulled the 390FE motor and 4-speed trans out of it...... and got it installed in our Jeep......
My Grandpa was an old-time machinist....... he made the adapter to bolt the Dana 18(?) t-case to the trans...... in his garage......
There were lots of cool engine swaps in the Jeeps in the club then...... a 409 Chevy..... a Ford Boss 302..... a Buick Nailhead..... Ford FEs in 352 and 390...... and a bunch of small block Chevies..... mostly 265s and 283s, with a couple of 327s thrown in.......

Our '62 CJ-5 with Mom, my brother, and me in about 1970.....

 

[DGarman]

Merry Christmas to All!

My approach with Dice will be to use him....... and make changes as necessary..... but..... the suspension and tires need some immediate attention!
The suspension is rock hard...... both springs and shocks..... definitely need to swap out the springs soon....... but a quick and easy job is to swap out the shocks.
I ordered in my favorites..... Rancho RS5000s..... not the most high-dollar shock you can buy..... but they work very well on any truck you put them on.....

Full disclosure..... I worked for Rancho in the Proto Shop back in the good ol' days...... the 90s..... started using their product in the late 70s..... kind of been a fan for life.....

Pulled the shocks off of Dice..... extremely stiff..... a couple of them I couldn't even compress by hand......
I don't know what brand they are...... maybe someone here can identify them.....




The RS5000s ready to go on...... RS55118s to be exact..... same length shock front and rear..... easy to compress by hand...... the Nitrogen charge will extend the shock very slowly.....
History lesson...... the 5118s were originally valved for leaf spring trucks and Jeeps..... in the front or rear.....
For you guys doing custom work with leaf springs..... 5112, 5113, 5116, 5118..... and maybe a couple other numbers..... all have the same valving....... just different lengths.....





That blingy chrome rear diff cover will get some attention too.....

Now...... how do they ride?
I live on 2 miles of bad dirt road from the highway...... the RS5000s feel much better than the other shocks...... springs are still too stiff....... they'll get addressed at a later date.

Next up will be the tires..... Dice's Kenda street treads in 235/75/15 will get replaced with 31/10.50/15 BFG ATs..... hopefully before his New Year's desert trip!

 

[Blue Baby Sound]

I really liked the 5000XL on the wife's last Jeep, but man they rusted quick. Might hit them with some fluid film or the likes.

 

[DGarman]

I really liked the 5000XL on the wife's last Jeep, but man they rusted quick. Might hit them with some fluid film or the likes.

I let the oil leaks spray a fine mist of rust preventative over everything!

 

[SOAZ]

Merry Christmas to All!

My approach with Dice will be to use him....... and make changes as necessary..... but..... the suspension and tires need some immediate attention!
The suspension is rock hard...... both springs and shocks..... definitely need to swap out the springs soon....... but a quick and easy job is to swap out the shocks.
I ordered in my favorites..... Rancho RS5000s..... not the most high-dollar shock you can buy..... but they work very well on any truck you put them on.....

Full disclosure..... I worked for Rancho in the Proto Shop back in the good ol' days...... the 90s..... started using their product in the late 70s..... kind of been a fan for life.....

Pulled the shocks off of Dice..... extremely stiff..... a couple of them I couldn't even compress by hand......
I don't know what brand they are...... maybe someone here can identify them.....




The RS5000s ready to go on...... RS55118s to be exact..... same length shock front and rear..... easy to compress by hand...... the Nitrogen charge will extend the shock very slowly.....
History lesson...... the 5118s were originally valved for leaf spring trucks and Jeeps..... in the front or rear.....
For you guys doing custom work with leaf springs..... 5112, 5113, 5116, 5118..... and maybe a couple other numbers..... all have the same valving....... just different lengths.....





That blingy chrome rear diff cover will get some attention too.....

Now...... how do they ride?
I live on 2 miles of bad dirt road from the highway...... the RS5000s feel much better than the other shocks...... springs are still too stiff....... they'll get addressed at a later date.

Next up will be the tires..... Dice's Kenda street treads in 235/75/15 will get replaced with 31/10.50/15 BFG ATs..... hopefully before his New Year's desert trip!

Let's see Dice with his new shoes!!
It looks like those shocks are Rough Country cheapos. At $30 a pop I can imagine they are pretty bad! haha.

Is it time to leave yet? I'm ready for some dirt. Just 20 or 30 things left to do on my rusty ol truck before we go.

 

[DGarman]

Let's see Dice with his new shoes!!
It looks like those shocks are Rough Country cheapos. At $30 a pop I can imagine they are pretty bad! haha.

Is it time to leave yet? I'm ready for some dirt. Just 20 or 30 things left to do on my rusty ol truck before we go.

The springs are Rough Countrys..... that would make sense for the shocks.....
I just need to mess with vacuum lines..... hopefully I can get 4WD to engage!...... and put Ben's new ft. driveshaft in Dice..... then we're ready!

 

[DGarman]

Dice got new shoes today..... BFG All Terrain KO2s..... 31/10.50/15s..... real 4X4 tires as opposed to the Kenda street tires he had!
Now he looks like he's ready for a desert trip......





Gained about 7% in the size increase..... 31" over 29"..... but the 3.54 gears still seem OK...... a regear may still be in the future...... especially if we jump to 33s at some point.....

Dice also got a new battery today..... an Odyssey PC1500..... I've had great luck with Odysseys for years.....
His old Interstate is a good lead/acid battery...... but would only charge to 12.4 volts after a few hours of driving..... getting tired..... alternator looks good....... puts out 14.5 volts.....

The old.....


The new......


The battery terminals will be improved on...... as will the hold down system(!)..... at some point in the near future.....

 

[SOAZ]

Dice is looking good!!
The real question is, do they make offroad performance dice or will the street dice suffice?

 

[DGarman]

Dice is looking good!!
The real question is, do they make offroad performance dice or will the street dice suffice?

Thanks Tim! It would be nice if the street dice suffice twice, or thrice.....