76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

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Tatsadasayago
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by Tatsadasayago »

Looking good! Similar idea I was playing with a while back.
Oh, and nice finger carnage!
1977 Cherokee Chief - The Blair Jeep Project III
A collection of parts flying in close formation

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WaggyGuy
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Location: Roswell, NM

Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Well, progress has been slow but I finally got some more work done. My plan is to get the engine done and place it in the frame so I can check clearance with the firewall before I put on body mounts. Well, Autozone has done their best to slow me down. I ordered a new set of main bearings, but when we opened the box they clearly weren't new. So I took them back and had them order another set. The second set came in looking worse than the first set. There was even what appeared to be saw dust on some of the bearings. I should have known they'd be rough when I saw that the box was taped shut. Well, I had them order a third set after talking to a manager. I told my engine guy about my problems and he calls and tells me that he has a brand new set of bearings for $20 at the shop. I jumped on that deal and I'll just get my $100 back from Autozone for their bearings. Also had an issue with a pushrod being too long and the oil screen and pickup being completely wrong. We got those issues resolved and away we went.

This was my first engine build, so I was a little nervous. Luckily, my neighbor (who does this stuff for a living) came over and helped. He checked to make sure that my cleaning was up to his standards and we began.

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We checked the clearance on the crank and got her bolted into place

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Then we got each of the pistons in and I started on the heads

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by the end of the day I had this

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Ran out of time, so I had to stop there. I have to say that this has been a very fun experience. I've always wanted to rebuild an engine and just never had the time/money/space/tools/knowledge/help I needed to get it done. I can't wait to get the Jeep far enough along that I can fire this puppy up!
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Gumby
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by Gumby »

That is looking sweet, keep us posted.
1984 GW 360/727/208.... 4"/ 31"
2004 CRD QC SRW 3500 4X4 (DD)
1983 "project Dubya" (long term)

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Had a pretty productive weekend. The plan was to get the rear body mounts on the frame and work on the engine. I made decent progress on both goals. I measured from the motor mounts on the frame to the firewall and it looks like the engine will fit nicely without hitting anything. My first plan was to cut the rear crossmember off the Waggy frame and use it for the rear mounts. So, I spent (wasted) some time doing that only to find out that it had a strange bend/twist in it. So, I abandoned that plan and made a new cross member. I used some c-channel steel. When I bought it, I asked for 1/8" but it looks like they gave me 3/16" instead. I notched it so it would lay flat across the top of the frame. Then I drilled holes in it and hit it with paint before putting it on.

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Then I worked on the engine. When I got the dodge, it had a hellacious random misfire. After doing some research, I found that the intake plenum gasket is a common issue on the 5.9 and that when it leaks it can cause the misfire. Once I pulled the plenum plate off, I found that the gasket had blown out. While I had everything apart, I figured I'd address this weakness. I ordered a new plate from Hughes Performance and put it on. It replaces the stock plenum plate with one that is 1/4" thick aluminum.

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The ordering/shipping was easy and it looks like these guys have a sense of humor too!

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Here's how the engine sits now:

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I'm going to paint it and then I'll put the balancer on. The intake won't go back on until the engine is in the Jeep. All that's left other than that are sensors, freeze plugs and motor mounts.
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jpswapmohn
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by jpswapmohn »

Haven't been on the site in a minute. Saw your thread and thought the idea seemed familiar..
I know this has been done with J trucks and I believe a cherokee. I did a quick search of IFSJA but didn't find a good build thread. Here are some links to one on a durango frame that they did what you are doing with cut frame.

Is the Dodge frame notably beefier/better than stock? Or maybe boxed stock? I know my 88 has a lot of frame flex as is.
Cool project, I look forward to seeing finished product!

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http://hooniverse.com/2010/11/06/hooniv ... -for-sale/
One day I will wake up and realize that my jeep is complete...one day, I just know it.
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95YJ, STaK, D44's, SOA, ARB's, Bilstein 5150s, 35" KM2's
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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

I had done some research on putting a Waggy on a Ram frame and saw that it had been done but the details were pretty limited, which was part of the reason for making this thread. Hopefully I can make it detailed enough to help others who have the same idea.

I'm not sure about actual metal thickness on the frame, but it seems to be "beefier" if that makes sense. It isn't boxed all the way back, only to about the tranny cross member. This just seemed like the easier/less expensive way to get a lifted wagoner.

I look forward to seeing the finished project too, lol. Finishing the engine is adding ever more inspiration to get it done. I can't wait to see what it will do!

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Haven't updated in a while because I've been too busy. Here's what I've done. I took a break from the engine to work on the body. I started to fab the front body mounts, but didn't have the 3/16" metal I needed so I stopped and decided to tear the dash apart. Here's what I ended up with:

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Now I can at least see what I'm working with. The under dash A/C system was removed and is busted up beyond repair. All but one of the vents was gone when I got the Jeep. Any ideas where I can get a replacement?

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

After that it was back to the engine. I bought a POR15 engine painting kit in Hi Po Yellow (because I've always liked yellow). Everything gets cleaned/degreased, then it gets a base coat of rust protection "stuff"

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This black stuff is a mess. The instruction say it won't wash off and they aren't lying. It's been almost 2 weeks and I Still have some on me!

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WaggyGuy
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Location: Roswell, NM

Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Once the black stuff is on, you have to let it dry (but not too dry) and then it's time for the color.

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Hit the exhaust with some flat black super hi-temp rattle can paint and here's how she sits now:

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I still have to paint the water pump pulley and touch up a few spots. Overall, I think it looks ok but I regret going this route. It would have been so much easier to hit the entire assembled engine with some rattle can and called it a day.

Next on the list is cleaning up the tranny/transfer case. I'm also going to change seals in them while they're out. After that it's time to start installing parts back into the frame. I just hope it fits in the garage. LOL.

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Progress has been slow up until this weekend. I'll start off with a picture of what started this entire thing. I got the dodge because it was running very poorly and the previous owner thought it would be too expensive to fix. That led to me finding the Waggy at the machine shop. Here's the carnage that started the whole journey:

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Somehow the rounded end of this pushrod broke off. The "stem" of the pushrod then tried to seat itself into the rocker arm. At the end of it all, the rounded tip that broke off was sitting on top of the head when we pulled the valve cover. The rocker arm, push rod and lifter were all damaged. This caused the dead cylinder and I'm assuming that a blown plenum gasket was causing the random misfire.

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Now for progress pics. Last weekend I scraped a little bit of the grease off the top of the tranny to get it ready:

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Once that was done, I reunited the trannny with it's beautiful engine friend:

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With that, I was almost ready to put the heart back into the beast.

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Before I put the engine in, I wanted at least one more body mount. I decided since I have the back two done, I would do the front mounts next. That, and they're also the easiest to work on. I started with some 3" 3/16 strap and some 3/16 c-channel that is 3/16 thick.

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After making sure the body was square on the frame, I took a bunch of measurements. I drilled out the hole for the body mount bushing and welded the c-channel to the strap:

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For extra strength, I cut some pieces to support the top part of the mount and ended up with this:

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I decided to bolt this one onto the frame using 1/2" grade 8 bolts, but I think I'll go back and weld it on instead. Here's a pic with it installed:

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I still need to clean it up and paint it.

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WaggyGuy
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Location: Roswell, NM

Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Now with the body attached to the frame in 3 places (didn't do the passenger front body mount yet), I decided the time had come. With brute force and help from a friend, I got the jeep turned around in the driveway.

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The install went pretty smooth for the most part. With the frame being shorter, there is a cross member on top of the frame that the transfer case output tried to sit on top of instead of under. Once we got that taken care of, the engine dropped right in.

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All that was left was to move the Jeep into the garage (finally). I don't plan on putting the front clip together until I do the wiring and some firewall work, so I didn't want to leave the freshly rebuilt engine sitting out in the elements. This thing barely fits inside the garage! The roof rack actually rubs on the garage door as it rolls in. It also takes up more space than my last project, but it's ok. The good news is I have plenty of clearance to slide things under the Jeep.

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WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

For anyone who has ever worked on the distributor of a Dodge Ram, you know how much of a pain it is to get to it. It is tucked way back in the engine bay and it sits under part of the cab. Well, I don't think I'll have a problem with that anymore...

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I have so much clearance above everything that I'm concerned that it is going to cause some issues. The good news is I'll easily have room to do a belly tuck and get the transmission cross member up if I decide to do that later. I'm not sure how much room I have above the trans, but I have over 9" of clearance above the engine. Pics:

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Now I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I have enough room to get the radiator and a fan between the engine and front clip. lol

rherndon
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76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by rherndon »

Great build. I was looking back through your progress. Saw your roof rust. Mine had same. There was a factory glue-in liner between headliner and roof. I have pics on my thread. This coating created the surface rust. Not a big issue. I took off rust easily with a wire wheel. Took off support bars and then coated with rust bullet.


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Topic author
WaggyGuy
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

Nice, thanks Rherndon. I'll check out your thread. Now that it is inside, I can start addressing some of the rust issues. I didn't want to mess with it while it was in the driveway since any rust repair I did would just get wet again anyway.

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WaggyGuy
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Location: Roswell, NM

Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by WaggyGuy »

No pics, but made some more progress today. Got the accessory bracket painted and bolted onto the front of the engine and got the power steering pump on as well. The dipstick tube is in and secured and the engine is full of fresh oil (filter is on too). Hopefully next weekend I can get the A/C comp and Alt on along with the tranny mount. From there, I don't know what my plan is. I should probably figure out the steering and brake mounts on the firewall along with the wiring harness, but we'll see how it goes.

arlingtonslim
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Re: 76 Wagoneer on a Dodge frame

Post by arlingtonslim »

I have a 79 International Scout 2 on a 95 dodge 2500 cummins turbo diesel 12V frame with the cummins drivetrain. I feel your pain. Yell if you want any ideas/pictures. They're different, but similar at the same time. I just bought a J-pickup yesterday and plan to make something a little more "normal". I still have the scout (and won't sell it) so I can take pictures. Most people make the engine fit into the truck, but since dodge did all of that fine engineering, I made the truck fit the engine.
85 J20/360 amc
91.5 Dodge 250 Cummins intercooled 4X4
79 International Scout II with a P-Pump 95 5.9 Cummins.
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