The 2k expo rig

[preacherman]

Today starts a new jeep build for me. What will it be? Will it be a new truck laced with lots of off the shelf aftermarket goodies? Or maybe a custom one off truck lovingly hand build with lots of tubing and killer welding skills. No it will be something fit for our current economic situation.

The back story
Around Christmas I posted a thread about what types of expo trucks could be had for under $3,000. I got a lot of good feedback but decided at the time I would save my pennies until April and try and bump my 3,000 budget up to around $5000. Unfortunately lots of unforeseen things came up. First my wife got ill and had to have an expensive surgery, and then my son got ill and had to spend the night in the hospital. Instead of saving more money I had to set by and slowly watch my savings dwindle.

Fast forward.
Now it’s April and I need to buy a new expo rig but instead of my projected $5,000 I thought I would have I now have only $2,000. About a month ago I started looking for an expo rig I could have for under $2k. This quickly proved to not be an easy task. Any 4x4 truck for under $2k I could find was either ragged out and would need lots of work, or was so gimpy I would never take it on an expo trip.

The budget and the build
So the budget was set. I would have $2k to spend on truck, repairs and mods. I would need a truck that was capable off road, able to travel to remote areas and come back, and most of all would not cost more than $2k. I looked at several trucks but my budget coupled with my desires for a classic, reliable rig left me with few choices. Sunday I was talking to a teen at my church when they mentioned they had a Jeep grand wagoneer they needed to get rid of. They had parked it in their driveway 11 months ago when they got a new car and had not touched it since. I agreed to come over and give it a look.

I arrived to find a 91 jeep with 2 flat tires, fading paint, a dead battery and the rear window rolled down. It had been setting in the west Texas sun for 11 months (with the window rolled down) and was not much to look at. After spending 30 minutes getting it running the teen’s dad came out and we struck a conversation. Turns out the city had given the dad 7 days to move the truck before they would fine him. When I told him I was looking for something cheap he gave it to me for free. The only catch, I had to move it this week.

As she sits

 

[preacherman]

more pics

The inside

The 360 V8

Only 123K! 80K less than my last truck

It's a little dirty

 

[preacherman]

So there it is. I have a 1991 Grand wagoneer with a 360 v8, dana 44’s front and rear, a TF727 transmission, and NP229 transfer case. It has 123k miles and runs strong. It’s very dirty and needs a lot of work. My budget is $2,000 and will need to include:

New tires (all four are shot)
Lift (two springs are bent and it has the factory shocks)
Aux lights (a must for my trucks)
Recovery gear
A cargo drawer system
Roof rack
Lots of new replacement and tune up parts (it has some issues)
CB

And did I mention I only have 2k?:victory:

Lets get it on!!!!!!!

 

[flyingwil]

Cool this one will be fun to watch...

 

[Root Moose]

Interesting choice given your previous thread... But free is a good price. I think I prefer this beast to the other options.

I figure these old Waggies can be as bullet-proof as anything else out there provided you get it into shape and do some smart mods to it. I like the size too. Full size without being full size if you know what I mean.

I have this sickness where I have to mentally build up every Jeep I lay my eyes on. For a Waggie I'd shoot for 33" tires (35"?), GM TBI EFI adapted to replace the carb, whatever lift is required to fit 33s with an eye to do a front coil conversion at some point in the future, weld up some armour, rear disks, at some point in the future change out the t-case for something 4:1 while keeping highway friendly gears in the axles for the non-OD transmission. The rest is tuning to taste.

IIRC when the trans needs rebuilding in the future it is possible to get a lower first gear ratio put in the transmission.

Looking forward to seeing how it cleans up for you. I really like these Jeeps.

 

[preacherman]

But free is a good price.

I figure these old Waggies can be as bullet-proof as anything else out there provided you get it into shape and do some smart mods to it. I like the size too. Full size without being full size if you know what I mean.

Free is the main reason for my selection....I also like the size. Size wise I would say it is comparable to a FJ80. I was also amazed at how cheap the replacement parts are for this thing. Parts are plentiful and cheap which is good.

 

[Abel Villesca]

Good luck with the build. I look forward to seeing what you do with it. :sombrero:

 

[MoGas]

Very nice. I miss my old GDub.

Get to know the fellas over at IFSJA.org, they know all the tricks for these.

I'd recommend that the first thing you do is dump the t-case oil and see what condition it is in. if the fluid looks greasy or silvery than the viscous coupler is blown out. Don't bother rebuilding the case, try to find either a 228 (same part time/full time, just no VC) or a 208 (true part time case). The disadvantage of the 228 v the 229 is that in 4H, if you lift a single wheel, all the power goes there. In 4L the front and rear drives get equal split like any other "normal" case. I had a 208 in my Waggy. The 229 was in great shape, but I wanted a true 2H,4H,N,4L case.

Dave

 

[tdesanto]

Paul,

That is an awesome story. I'm so glad for you. I have always liked the grand wagoneers. I always thought of them as an American made 60 series LC. I know they're not the same; the wagon style of each reminds me of the other.

I know this will need a lot of work to get her clean and ready, but in the end I think you and your family will be quite happy with it.

I'm glad it worked out. Again, great story.

TD

 

[BKCowGod]

Oh I am sooo happy right now - finally my truck has a younger brother!

On tires - to really stay cheap, check out treadwright.com

BJ's Automotive is the best parts source. They have excellent bumpers that will easily kill your budget and a nice lift kit that won't. Be careful with excessive lifts - too much and your steering gets REALLY scary.

The gutters can handle quite a bit of weight if you spread yakima bars out a bit. Otherwise, there are a few racks out there that adapt to the factory mount points and tie into the frame of the roof - mine can easily hold a spare tire, 10gal gas, hi-lift, big cargo box full of stuff, and me.

Aux lighting smaller than 7" just looks out of place on the round light jeeps, but you may be able to get away with Hella 500's or the like. I will eventually put two on the bumper, four on the roof, and two facing backwards.

EFI is a fun upgrade, but the stock carb on these trucks is plenty reliable once you get it dialed in. Same for the rear drums - I have never had a problem stopping the beast.

Definitely join the IFSJA, and PM me if you have any questions.

Here's 5" of lift and 33's, btw:

 

[BKCowGod]

Oh yeah, and if you don't need seating for six.... Grand Cherokee front seats pretty much bolt right in.

Make sure you check all the vacuum routing, they are very sensitive to vacuum leaks. www.oljeep.com has vacuum and electrical info and diagrams.

 

[XXXpedition]

this will be a cool build to follow along!
right on...

 

[1leg]

So there it is. I have a 1991 Grand wagoneer with a 360 v8, dana 44’s front and rear, a TF727 transmission, and NP229 transfer case. It has 123k miles and runs strong. It’s very dirty and needs a lot of work. My budget is $2,000 and will need to include:
QUOTE]

I really need to go to Church more often.
Great score. :wings::wings:
You have IMO, 1 of the top 5 best expo plateforms you can get. 360 with TF727, You have to do something really bad to break that, Don't ask how I know that. I have had 30+ vehicle in my life i only miss a few, My first 66 big block fairlane, my last truck 04 dodge DRW, and my 87 ramcharger with 360.

As for upgrades, Don't go bigger then a 33s, I would suggest 255/85/16s. Put sliders on it, A winch to pull other people out. Maybe some under carrage armer. No need for a rack on top it would only suck more gas, go for a cool rear bump build up with spare tire mount and a storage rack. Don't over look an exhaust system upgrade, I would go with a single 3 or 4 inch custom system with a flow thru Muffler like a magnaflow. Do the FI system upgrade it will pay for itself in the long run My .02

 

[preacherman]

Man some great ideas. Thanks for all the kind words.

Right now my plan is to go with a 31" tire or similar. I have been looking at the treadwrights as well as keeping an eye out on craigslist. Lift will be either a 3" or 4" lift. I don't remember who said it but when I was looking at cars I drove a waggy with headers and an exhaust. I was truly amazed at how well it woke the engine up. It sounded great and had noticeably more power.

Also someone mentioned it but step one will be checking out the major systems like draining the tranny and transfer, pull the oil pan etc... I want to take a look at everything and see what kind of shape it is in.

IFSJA is a great site and I have already become very familiar with it.

Keep the suggestions coming.

 

[preacherman]

Oh yeah, and if you don't need seating for six.... Grand Cherokee front seats pretty much bolt right in.

Make sure you check all the vacuum routing, they are very sensitive to vacuum leaks. www.oljeep.com has vacuum and electrical info and diagrams.

Thanks for the site and the tip on seats. I know a junkyard that has a few grand cherokee's I may go see what they have.