Thought I'd post my latest non-motorcycle project...

I took some time off from my KZ750T project to get a new daily driver together.

I started with my 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. It currently has its stock 360 and 727 transmission, backed by the NP229 transfer case.

Exhibit A:



It's pretty much rust-free, with a few hail induced dings and a rather tweaked hood (it came open at some 35mph :shock: )

My plans (comments welcome!)

Drivetrain
-LY5 5.3 (from a 2008 Silverado)
-4L60E (2008 Silverado)
-NP229

Interior
-Thunderbird Turbo Coupe front seats
-Custom console
-Custom dash
-A/C from a 70's Chevy truck

Body
-Wide Trac flares
-Maroon paint
-Custom woodgrain
-Suburban 42 gallon tank
-Raised rear floor (2"-3") to accommodate tank.

Wheels/Tires/Suspension
-31" or 32" tires?
-15" wheels? 17"? 18"?
-Stock height? 2" lift?

I made a parts list:

LY5/4L60E.............................................Ordered...........2008 Chevy Silverado
Modify Harness.......................................TBD................Wayne Hartwig/Diff Wizard (suggestions?)
Engine Mounts.......................................Received..........JeepinPete
Transmission Mounts...............................Received...........Ebay Vendor
Transmission Rebuild Kit..........................Received...........Transtech
Transmission/Transfer Case Adapter..........Received...........Novak/BJ's
Transfer Case Seal Kit.............................Received..........Ebay Vendor
Radiator................................................Received..........Griffin '67-'69 Camaro LS Swap (Summit)
Radiator Fan..........................................Received..........Lincoln Mark VIII (Ebay Vendor)
Radiator Hoses......................................TBD
Fuel Tank..............................................Received..........'98 Chevy Suburban-42 Gallon (Ebay Vendor)
Fuel Pump/Sending Unit..........................Received..........'98 Chevy Suburban (Ebay Vendor)
Fuel Lines.............................................TBD.................PTFE Lined Braided Line
Fuel Filter/Regulator(?)...........................TBD
Shifter Linkage......................................Ordered............FSJ Turbo 400 (ScottsMojo)
A/C-Heat Unit........................................Received..........'70s Chevy Truck (Integrated Heat-A/C)
A/C Evaporator......................................Ordered............'79 Firebird
Heater Core..........................................Ordered............'70s Chevy Truck
A/C Condenser......................................Ordered............Polar Bear Inc
Transmission Oil Cooler...........................TBD
Transmission Cooler Lines.......................TBD
Power Steering Lines/Adapters................TBD
Driveshafts...........................................TBD
Gauges................................................Ordered............Speedhut
Transmission Rebuild Tools.....................Received............Ebay Vendor
Wheels................................................Ordered.............Jeg's (Ultra Wheel Type 50/51)

The engine arrives!




Out with the old... (oh, it's for sale too!)




Air Conditioning mock up...




Behind the dash...




In with the new...




Clears the firewall nicely!




Notes: The JeepinPete mounts were PERFECT! I mounted the engine 1" forward of the original forward holes. By doing this, the transfer case is within an inch of its original mounting, and thus the linkage fits with no issues. Also, no driveshaft work is needed! The Turbo 499 shifter linkage was spot on.

If you look carefully, you can see how I moved the engine forward by drilling new holes in the frame mounts.


And from the top...


Lot's of clearance underneath. The transfer case sits almost exactly where it did originally, though the rear crossmember is now in the rear mounting holes.


The evaporator case is built, a new evaporator has been installed, and it is all bolted on. It's a tight fit, but we have a good 3/4" clearance in the tightest places.




The defrost diaphragm didn't clear the engine inset, so...


I'll make a cover for it of course.

Clears the booster with no problems.


I love how much room is actually behind the dash! Lots of room for ducting, etc.




The heat outlet sits in the right spot too. (I think I need new carpet)


We have front sheet metal!




A friend I found on the garage door... she didn't survive the introduction.


Well, the weather has not cooperated. Still, I had to get something done...

First up, mirrors.

A bit of looking turned up a mirror head I liked, so I bought a couple off the dreaded Ebay. They are from a '91-'97 Toyota Previa.

At first, I had planned on making a spacer to adapt them. But after some thought and a bit of guessuring, I decided I could install the mirror head on the original base. Of course, if I was wrong, the attempt would lead to the destruction of both pieces, but when has anything like that stopped me?

The result.




I don't think they turned out too badly. The transition between the new and old is a little obvious, but I have an idea to fix that. Of course, I will also be painting the base to match the mirror head.




Since the humidity made even a small job like the conversion of one mirror a way to sweaty endeavor, I decided I should do something inside where it is air conditioned. So I will be sitting down shortly to design the new dash layout.

Here are the gauges I will be using.


They are made by Speehut. They have LED lighting, and are built to order (about a week). You can customize their look too! These have red pointers and white numbers during the day, and red pointers with red numbers at night. The speedometer and tachometer are CAN-BUS, and derive their information from the ECM. The quad gauge is not yet available in CAN-BUS, so it will require individual sending units.

The speedometer.


Tachometer.


Quad gauge with oil pressure, coolant temperature, system voltage, and fuel level. The fuel level gauge can be used with any sending unit that works in any range below 300 ohms. I had them preset mine to work with the Suburban sending unit. All the gauges feature an LED warning light that can be set to your specs.


A slow day, but at least I accomplished something!

more progress!

Here is the radiator "module" all put together. I'm using a Lincoln Mark VIII two-speed fan (moves something like 4,500 cfm on high!), along with a triple-pass A/C condenser and a 30,000 gvw transmission cooler.



Here you can see the outer side. The transmission cooler has its own fan, and I will run the oil through a thermostat to ensure the oil reaches operating temperature quickly, even in cold weather.

H

The radiator "module" has been bolted in place. The assembly sits a lot further forward than original!



As you can see, there is not a lot of clearance between the fan and the water pump! You can also see how much further forward it all sits.



I had to modify the hood release bar, raising it to clear the radiator. Here you can see I had to shorten the pull lever. I'll use a Lokar hood release lever to release the hood. It will give me more leverage than the original.



Driver's side latch. You can see how much I raised the cross bar.



Passenger's side.



Marked the front valance so I could cut it to clear the radiator assembly.



Once the valance was cut, it bolted on with no difficulty, as did the grill.



I bought an early style hood, but wanted to use my late style grill. As you know, the hood hits the grill at the corners of the "scoop" section. A little cutting and a little hammer and dolly work, and it fits pretty well. I also think the center section of the hood is more squared off than the early style, making the "scoop" section seem taller and more defined.



The straps in the picture above are to hold the shelter down in wind. My calls them "Jeep Bondage." :shock:

That's all for now. My FI harness, cruise control, and remote start module arrived today. Tomorrow I hope to get the front valance finished (trimming to fit around the new radiator/condenser/trans cooler), and maybe install the harness. Naturally, pics to follow.

Worked on laying out the dash. The center stack will hold a Stereo/cd player with navigation, a scanner, the A/C controls, and a CB. I need to extend the wires between the chassis and the face of the CB, so I can remotely mount the chassis as it is too long to simply mount.



In front of the driver there will be three gauges, a speedometer and tachometer that will operate of the '08 ecm, and a quad gauge that will use sending units mounted on the engine. The dash pad and vertical sides of the center stack will be covered in black vinyl. The dash fascia will be covered in brushed aluminum.



This is where and how I will mount the airbox. I need an elbow to come out of the box and pull air from in front of the core support. Once I get everything mounted, I'll cover the hole in the inner fender with fiberglass.



I made a heat blanket to protect the bottom of the evaporator case from the heat off the exhaust manifold. The manifold already has a heat shield as well, so the evaporator case should stay reasonably cool.



New lists!

Modify Harness: I went with a new harness from PSI ( http://www.PSIConversion.com ). It was around the same price as many charge to modify a harness and it gets you all new connectors. Also, the harness has a good 2' of length added to allow you to install the ECM and TCM inside the vehicle.

Cruise Control: Because I am running a Gen IV engine, the GM cruise control cannot be easily adapted (it's in the BCM, and not the ECM as with earlier LS series engines). I went with a system from Spanky's Rod Shop (http://www.spankysrodshop.net/ ) which interrupts the circuit between the gas pedal and ECM to implement its functions. Apparently it can be programmed to work with any cruise control buttons, so I had them program it to work with the factory Jeep/GM column switch.

Fan Controller: Painless #30141, F5 Single 70 Amp Fan PWM Controller. This will soft-start the fan and bring it to 50% power at whatever "on" temperature you set. As the vehicle's temperature rises, the unit increases fan speed. It also bypasses the temperature setting when you turn the A/C on, and allows a settable speed at which it no longer turns on the fan. I will use this feature to run the low speed on my Lincoln Mark VIII fan. The ECM will turn on the high speed feature of the fan if the engine gets to the higher temperature the ECM is set at. This gives me a redundant system to ensure the engine runs nice and cool.

Keyless Entry: I went with a system by AutoLoc ( http://www.autoloc.com ). I chose them because they have a flip-key style remote that works with their system. I'll be modifying a key and maybe the ignition cylinder to use this.

Remote Start: I know, such a sissy sort of thing, right? Well, my wife has MS, and heat, as she says, is the enemy. Being able to remotely start the vehicle and allow the interior to cool down will be great for her and a luxury for me. I went with an Omega/Excalibur unit.

Battery Isolator: I plan on running at least one deep cycle battery besides the normal "starting" battery. This is to go along with all the other "stuff" I have added, along with the inverter I plan on installing. I am using a "smart isolator" by Intellitec.

Battery Charger: I will be mounting a Battery Tender on board.

Stereo/Navigation: Kenwood DNX6140. A double DIN stereo/cd player with iPod control and Garmin GPS.

CB: Galaxy DX949 w/SSB. The unit is too deep to mount how I wanted, so I am extending the wires to the faceplate so I can remote mount the body and install the face in my dash.

Scanner: Uniden BCT15X TrunkTracker III... yeah, I don't know why, I just had to have one.


As for progress...

Over the weekend I tried out the simulated "brushed aluminum" vinyl I purchased. Great stuff! (3M DiNoc). I do need to use the adhesive promoter/primer 3M sells, and so have ordered that. I'll post pics of the finished dash insert once I get the primer and redo it.

I also began running the Engine Management harness. So far, I have only run into one difficulty, the cam sensor connector is different from my engine's. I'll contact PSI as soon as I have checked all the other connectors, but I imagine I will just need to swap out the connector.

Started making the permanent dash inserts (the ones pictured before are templates). These were cut from 1/4" ABS plastic sheet, and covered with a titanium DiNoc vinyl applique.

Driver's side:



Speedhut gauges, Harley Davidson turn, high beam, and "pursuit" lights. The two "pursuit" lights are for the Check Engine light, and the Brake Warning Light.

Passenger's side:



The A/C outlets are Ford F150.

While digging out the Razor Grill I have for sale (spoken for), I found this little guy...



It's up the the buyer as to whether or not they want the critter.

More has been accomplished, but I don't yet have pictures. I started making the inserts for the center of the dash, but miss-measured and ruined the plastic sheet I had for them. A new piece is on its way.

And the cat sleeps...



Tiny bit of progress... well, not so tiny as it comes to the tie spent, but quite tiny when compared to the general scope of things.

The CB would not fit in the dash, so, to quote Tim Allen, I rewired it.





I did feel a bit like Harold Lauder while I was doing this though... As long as the Jeep doesn't explode, I guess it will be OK!

In keeping with the posting of critters encountered along the way, here is the lovely lady I found nesting atop the garage door.

Awesome project so far my man,
but you sir need a bug bomb!

SONICJK said:

Awesome project so far my man,
but you sir need a bug bomb!

Click to expand...

Yeah... we're surrounded by woods, and it has been a very wet summer, so there are a lot of insects, thus a lot of spiders too.

We get these little guys too...

That wagoneer's gonna be a beast when you're done with it. Where exactly are you located btw?

hc243102 said:

That wagoneer's gonna be a beast when you're done with it. Where exactly are you located btw?

Click to expand...

Thanks!

I'm in Lenoir City, TN... just south of Knoxville.

After many weeks of migraines, road trips, migraines, house work, migraines, cleaning out the storage are of the garage, migraines, rearranging the guest bedroom, migraines, and working on my father's '59 Impala project, I am finally back to work. Besides all the other stuff going on, I have also been plagued with a bunch of migraines. Did I mention that?

Anyway, without further ado, here goes the progress...

As you may recall, I had to modify the hood latch mechanism to clear the new radiator placement. I purchased a hood latch lever and cable system from Lokar and installed it. Works like a champ!



I was able to modify the original hood latch lever assembly to use as the bracket for the new lever assembly.



With the new heat-A/C system, there is plenty room up behind the passenger side of the dash. A few brackets, and some careful measuring, and we have a place to mount the ECM, TCM, Engine Management Fuse Panel, Auxiliary Fuse Panel, CB Radio, Remote Start Module, Keyless Entry Module, and... I think that's it... maybe...

I also mounted the passenger side defroster duct (the old style to go with the old style dash pad). I had to modify it a bit, but it works quite well now. I still need to make manifolds to connect the ducts to the Heater Box.







Under the hood, I mounted the Fan Control Module.



And the Auxiliary Battery Control Module





On the roof I got the CB Antenna and Scanner Antenna mounted.





In between migraines and other assorted distractions, I finished the radio panel. The upper hole is for the head unit w/GPS. The bottom is for the CB radio face. The toggles are for all manner of stuff. I have different labels coming as I don't like the way these look.



As for some of the non-migraine distractions (did I mention I've been getting a lot of migraines lately?), I went to North Carolina and got some welding done on my dad's '59 Impala project.

Rocker panel repair.





Moved the fuel tank braces to allow the tank from a '96 Caprice to be used.



Took my wife to the butterfly house in Durham.





And rearranged the guest bedroom... I'll repaint the pink sooner or later, but for now, at least it's more acceptable.

Are you sure that's a 1989 model? I thought they stopped making the big ones in the early 1980s and went with the smaller body styles.

Innamorata 750 said:

Thanks!

I'm in Lenoir City, TN... just south of Knoxville.

Click to expand...

lol...no way! My wife and I got married at Magnolia Manor. We live in Cincinnati now but she's from Powell (north Knoxville).

jrswanson1 said:

Are you sure that's a 1989 model? I thought they stopped making the big ones in the early 1980s and went with the smaller body styles.

Click to expand...

The FSJ (Full Size Jeep) ran from 1963 (produced by Willy's/Kaiser Jeep Corp) through the AMC years, right into the Chrysler ownership, finally being cancelled after the 1991 model year. Though there were many changes and updates, the basic body was the same from '63 through '91!

The FSJ Cherokee (a two-door version of the Wagoneer) ran from 1974 through 1983, and then was replaced with a smaller, uni-body vehicle.

mattfeet said:

lol...no way! My wife and I got married at Magnolia Manor. We live in Cincinnati now but she's from Powell (north Knoxville).

Click to expand...

Cool! Next time you are in the area, give a shout!

Innamorata 750 said:

Thanks!

I'm in Lenoir City, TN... just south of Knoxville.

Click to expand...

I effin hate spiders, especially black widows. We have them here in southern Ohio, but I've never seen any scorpions.

Innamorata 750 said:

The FSJ (Full Size Jeep) ran from 1963 (produced by Willy's/Kaiser Jeep Corp) through the AMC years, right into the Chrysler ownership, finally being cancelled after the 1991 model year. Though there were many changes and updates, the basic body was the same from '63 through '91!

The FSJ Cherokee (a two-door version of the Wagoneer) ran from 1974 through 1983, and then was replaced with a smaller, uni-body vehicle.

Click to expand...

And the newer ones look bitchin' with the older grill retrofitted. 8)

hc243102 said:

I effin hate spiders, especially black widows. We have them here in southern Ohio, but I've never seen any scorpions.

Click to expand...

Fit a flashlight with a black-light bulb, and go prowling around some woodpiles/rock piles at night. They glow like a light-stick, green-yellow.

4eyes said:

And the newer ones look bitchin' with the older grill retrofitted. 8)

Click to expand...

Mine had a Razor on it, but I needed the extra room the later grill provided. Even there, I had to trim the grill a hint to make it clear the transmission cooler.

I will be adapting round headlights to the late grill though.

And we have updates!

Behold! The Infamous 42 gallon Suburban fuel tank. So how do you put 50lbs of manure in a 25lb bag? Well, fist you remove anything that sticks up from the top of the tank. On the Suburban tank there are two vapor vents (for the charcoal canister) and a vent for the fill. The vapor vents were filled with freeze plugs (turned down to 1.22") and installed with JB Marine Weld(fuel resistant). The hole for the fill vent (it was already torn off when I bought the tank-got a deal because it was damaged) was filled with by tapping the hole to 3/8 NPT and screwing in a plug coated with the same JB weld. I then made a new vent next to the original fill by drilling a 1/4 hole and enlarging it with a tapered tap (to make an area for the tap to bite), tapping it 3/8 NPT, and installing a plug.



As others have done, I cut the rear most crossmember off to make room. Sine the tank will block access to the nuts that hold the bumper and trailer hitch, I welded them.



I had to trim the floor brace so I could get the tank as high as possible.



While under the truck, I installed my new air shocks. I drilled a couple holed in the crossmember located just behind the rear axle to hang the tank mounting bolts.



I braced the rear of the frame with an L brace (to hang the tank) and a larger brace attached to the bumper brackets. Here is the L bracket.



A hole was cut in the floor to make easy access for the fuel sender/fuel pump unit.



The tank, once installed doesn't hang all that low... here it is from a normal viewing height, sans trailer hitch.



Here it is as seen from down low. again, sans trailer hitch.



The exhaust passes between the rear shock and fuel tank with little room to spare. Currently there is about 1/4" between the exhaust and each item.



Here is another view. Once done, I'll take it where I can get it up on a lift so I can dimple the pipe and the tank to give about 1/2" between the pipe and the shock, and a good 1" between it and the tank.



Since we were working on the nether regions, the headpipe was next. Using the Silverado manifolds, I welded up a headpipe with crossover. The welds aren't the prettiest, mostly because I was welding stainless with a MIG. Still, I got good penetration, and that's all that matters.







The pipe is in two pieces with a sliding clamp to ease installation. As it runs very close to the transmission pan and servo cover, I wrapped it. This will also help keep heat out of the interior.



You can see how close it runs to the pan. There is good clearance for driveshaft movement too.



I had to cut the original floor heat shield for clearance, so the wrap will really help.



Here it runs down past the transmission. There is a shield that also protects the transmission from the heat.



Passenger side clearance. Good distance between the exhaust and the starter.



And that's all for now... sorry, no critter pictures today. We do have a couple of cool spiders just outside our bedroom window, but I haven't taken any good shots of them.

Until next time...

We have Jeepage!


When we last saw this insane project, there were birds living in the air intake duct. These, I am happy to say, have gone on to become productive members of society. Consequently, the air intake duct has been blocked off with a screen. The birds, Mr. and Mrs. Casawren, did, I'm afraid, file a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that the act of blocking such a prime piece of nest building real-estate was discriminatory and speciesist. Fortunately, Judge Earnest P. Squirrel dismissed the case. Citing Titmouse vs Grizzly Adams, Judge Squirrel reiterated the earlier court's ruling that wildlife does not have the right of Eminent Domain on an unnatural object such as an automobile when said object is surrounded by the natural and proper objects in which the species would normally find its abode. Mr. John Skunk, the attorney for the Casawrens, said the ruling was "a travesty of justice," but that his clients had no intention of appealing.


Many hours of soldering have been accomplished under the hood. At this point, 99% of all the under hood wiring has been accomplished.

So, under the hood looks like this:






The transmission cooler lines have been run. As you may recall, I'm not running a cooler in the radiator. Because of this, I needed to run a thermostat to ensure the transmission fluid comes up to temperature in the winter.

I also wanted to run a separate fan on the transmission cooler, and a temperature gauge to monitor the fluid temperature. To this end I cut a block of aluminum about 5 inches long, drilled a passageway through it, then drilled two holes down into it, one for the fan thermostatic switch, the other for the gauge's sending unit.

In this picture, you can see the thermostat block (the large aluminum block with the round cap), and my aluminum block (for the sending unit and the thermostatic switch).



From underneath, you can see how everything was run and bracketed to clear the exhaust. I also wrapped it all in a heat sleeve to ensure the exhaust heat wouldn't damage the hose. Also note, the hose used is transmission cooler hose, not fuel line! Fuel line will last six months to a year before it starts to leak like a sieve. Cooler line will last for years.



And the cat sleeps...

So now we move to the inside!

I pulled a huge section of harness out from where it ran across the driver's side of the dash, and split it open. I then began to identify the wires that belonged to the cluster, those that belonged to the A/C-heat, and those that belonged to other systems. The ones that I did not need, and which I could pull through and discard, I did.

You can see the big harness running across the top of the steering column in this photo.



Those which I did not need, but which ran out to under the hood, I marked as such, in case I might need them.

Those which I did not need, but which I could not extricate from the harness, were cut back to a reasonable position, bent over on themselves, and a length of heatshrink was shrunk over the end, just in case they might be live.

This is what I started with.



When I was done, this is what lay on the ground, just outside the driver's door.



And this is what I had when I was done.



And before you think the after photo doesn't look all that much different from the before, note how many little green tags there are on the wires now. Everything is nice and tagged.

For proof, this is what it looks like now. Note how that big, fat harness it gone.



Now that I can work with!

And so I am about to go out and get to work. Before I do, there is, of course, the obligatory critter photo. This little guy (and I do mean little... about 1/2 inch long!) was hanging out on my BMW. He didn't seem inclined to fix it for me though.

And the Jeep goes on...

The last couple of days have been spent with wiring and wiring related items.

The first thing I did was install an accessory fuse panel for items that will be available when the key is in the "on" or "accessory" positions.

The reason I have it as a separate fuse panel is that it gets its power from a high amp relay. The relay trigger runs through a switch located on the center stack. In the "normal" position, the accessories work with the ignition switch as with any vehicle. In the "on" position, the accessories are available without the key being in the ignition.




As things have been coming together under the dash, I have been considering how I will run the ducting. Today I constructed a manifold for the defroster ducts. It's made from some exhaust tubing and metal stock, a bit overkill, but it will definitely serve the purpose! I coated it in Rustoleum rubber sealer to keep it from easily sweating with the A/C running.










I know it looks a mess now, but the wiring will be made neat before it's buttoned up.

I started wiring the radio, getting the hot wire, the switched wire, and the ground (both to the plug, and to the chassis) done before I had to quit.

No recent critter pics, so I'll leave you with a pic of a pair Dung Beetles. We saw these in Botany Bay Plantation, on Edisto Island, South Carolina.

Wiring progresses...

Got the vacuum lines to the A/C-Heat controls figured out, and wired up the power to the system. All fan speeds work as they should, and the various doors all move in proper relation to the mode selected on the controls.

Also got many of the various switches hooked up. Found I need a double pole, double throw, momentary switch for the rear defroster. Did some research and ordered that.



I wired up the rear window switch. The switch on the center stack (pictured) will work with the key on or off, and triggers relays at the back of the vehicle.



Like so many others have found, my rear key switch is DOA. I decided to use a toggle switch mounted on the body, just to the left of the rear window. The only problem was, how do I make it so someone cannot just come along and roll my rear window down? My first solution was to have it only work with the ignition key in the "on" position, but I felt that would quickly become a real pain. So I came up with a switch that will turn the relays on only when the driver's door lock is in the unlocked position.

Here's the switch. It's part of a flip-floping switch that I unbolted from its solenoid. I made an extended arm from an old A/C-Heat control lever, and attached it to the unit.



Then I made a bracket to mount the assembly on the door, and used a couple hose clamps mounted on the lock rod to act on the lever.



Works every time!

And for the critter shot; these are (most likely) the Blue Mud Dauber. Apparently, these little guys hunt down spiders to stung and lay their eggs on. From what I have read, they have a penchant for the Black Widow, though I cannot say if such is really the case.



Just what they are doing on my little side deck I have no idea. I don't know if they're competing for spiders, doing some sort of mating ritual, or just helping themselves to whatever mold or fungus is growing on the wood.



Whatever they're doing, they sure have a cool looking paint job!