wim's '84 blue hemi swap - now with sound!

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Since the broken and chipped pig nose grill is going, what alternative do you like best:

egg crate (Boobie)
13
33%
razor grille
26
67%
 
Total votes: 39

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wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
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wim's '84 blue hemi swap - now with sound!

Post by wimsurf »

Thanks for clicking and reading this topic. I'll try and keep you up to date on my (most likely slow) proceedings.

Since 3 years I have topaz gold '84 grand wagoneer that has been imported from the Reno Nevada area all the way to The Netherlands.
I absolutely love driving it, but with the wet Dutch weather something needs to be done to preserve it better as the worn out paint will not protect it any longer.

over the last 3 years my family and I made some trips, we absolutely love it, my two teenagers are calling dibs on it for when they get their drivers license, so that's proof of good parenting right there!

We also to want to take this thing on longer journeys the drivetrain has got to go. highway speeds here are 75miles an hour and the 3 speed does not like that at all. The MPG is terrible which hurts a lot with European gas prices, ($9 per gallon)

here it comes:
the tank takes 19 gallons, taken the current fuel cost here and the exchange rate that costs the equivalent of $144 to fuel her up
so 144,- takes me around 180 miles... that has its impact on the amount of smiles per gallon :)

Ok, not fair, I live in one of the most car unfriendly countries in the western world, and I knew that when I bought it.
however, I have grown to like the wagoneer so much, I want to drive it more, and further, so it will get:
  • 5.7 hemi
  • 8hp70 gearbox (engine /trans on order)
  • hydroboost brakes
  • Soundproofing so it does not sound like a tin box anymore
  • razor grille since you all voted for that! - nope, liked the egg crate grille more!
  • LED headlights (but they need to look good, current JL or renegade style is cool, but aftermarket not so much)
  • super wagoneer inspired center console with armrest (found one, yay)
  • new upholstery, carpet , headliner
  • fresh paint, midnight blue!
  • - no more, it will be changed for something else.
the coming weeks while I am waiting on the hemi to come in, I will be taking out the 360, 727 and transfer case (all of it works properly by the way, it's just tired and definitely needs a new carb as getting it through inspection is nearly impossible and needs to happen yearly.) I'll remove the entire front clip, gut the interior, take out all the windows and get the body ready for taking it off and out to paint

as soon as the engine is in, time to start fabricating! I'll be posting image of the progress regularly, although I am able to work on it only one day a week. unfortunately the jeep is in a shop 30 minutes away as I do not have a shop or good garage space at home.

pic of last summer:
Image

in the picture it sure looks a lot better than it is. all the clear coat has been burned off by the sun, the woodgrain is bubbling off, and there are little rusty paint chips allover. all the weatherstripping is rock hard and leaky, this is a typical unmolested desert car and I am looking forward to getting her back to glory!
Last edited by wimsurf on Tue Apr 11, 2023 11:25 am, edited 9 times in total.
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535

rocklaurence
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Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi!

Post by rocklaurence »

Wow ambitious plans and doing it in the Holland! The Wagoneer is a symbol of American excess [Big Body, Big engine and large appearance]. What are the restrictions like there? When I was in Germany the locals werent allowed to add Performance parts, suspensions or larger tires on a vehicle that was driven on the road.
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Topic author
wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
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wim's '84 blue hemi swap

Post by wimsurf »

Yes quite ambitious indeed.
there are restrictions: but luckily not like in Germany.
It is classified as a classic vehicle. this means you can change out one of 3 elements of the following: chassis, engine, body.
so in this case I can change the engine and retain classic status. The good thing is that the chassis is an '84 so the smog regulations of 1984 apply to the car.

funny enough changing the color on the registration will be harder than getting the yearly inspection done.
I guess Holland is not that tough in limitations. the only thing we need to be careful with is that 3x the power might need to be registered, and bigger tires cannot stick out more than cm beyond the fender

just ordered the bj's hemi engine mounts. just doubting if going hydro boost will be enough, or if I need disks in the back as well. Tires will not go bigger than 31"
Last edited by wimsurf on Tue May 04, 2021 12:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535

rocklaurence
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Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi!

Post by rocklaurence »

Ive never had Bad brakes on a FSJ. Id stay vacuum assist with the JB7 upgrade up front and 31" tires wont tax the brakes. Rear disc are always cool as long as you keep the E-brake functionality

rocklaurence
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Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:53 am

Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi!

Post by rocklaurence »

Ive never had Bad brakes on a FSJ. Id stay vacuum assist with the JB7 upgrade up front and 31" tires wont tax the brakes. Rear disc are always cool as long as you keep the E-brake functionality
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66stepside
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Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:59 pm
Location: Spokane Valley, WA.

Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi!

Post by 66stepside »

Welcome- my son spent some time in Holland, France and few other surrounding countries a few summers ago (staying with the family of his traveling buddy). He took a few pictures of Grand Wagoneers in Europe.

It’s always good to see iconic vehicles around the globe. Post pics when you can!


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wimsurf
Posts: 191
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Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi!

Post by wimsurf »

rocklaurence wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:16 am Ive never had Bad brakes on a FSJ. Id stay vacuum assist with the JB7 upgrade up front and 31" tires wont tax the brakes. Rear disc are always cool as long as you keep the E-brake functionality
Thanks, I have replaced brake components with new lines in the last years, but they still feel like they could do better.
Ebrake is a requirement for yearly legal road test here so that has to stay. never heard about the JB7 upgrade so I'll look into that option first.!
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535
User avatar

Topic author
wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
Contact:

Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi!

Post by wimsurf »

66stepside wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:57 pm Welcome- my son spent some time in Holland, France and few other surrounding countries a few summers ago (staying with the family of his traveling buddy). He took a few pictures of Grand Wagoneers in Europe.

It’s always good to see iconic vehicles around the globe. Post pics when you can!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice to see your son traveling the world! there is quite a few Wagoneers here especially in The Netherlands, we had a get together last year with over 40 FSJ's in one day, must be a European record!
https://translate.google.com/translate? ... meeting%2F
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535
User avatar

66stepside
Posts: 3793
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:59 pm
Location: Spokane Valley, WA.

Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi! - project woodsea

Post by 66stepside »

wimsurf wrote:
66stepside wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:57 pm Welcome- my son spent some time in Holland, France and few other surrounding countries a few summers ago (staying with the family of his traveling buddy). He took a few pictures of Grand Wagoneers in Europe.

It’s always good to see iconic vehicles around the globe. Post pics when you can!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice to see your son traveling the world! there is quite a few Wagoneers here especially in The Netherlands, we had a get together last year with over 40 FSJ's in one day, must be a European record!
https://translate.google.com/translate? ... meeting%2F
We love to travel- we were supposed to do Southern Europe this winter- but Covid kinda ruined that.

That’s a nice gathering of jeeps!


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Topic author
wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
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Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi! - project woodsea

Post by wimsurf »

So today was interior gutting day!
Took out all of the headliner, seats, carpet, trim etc.
This thing has too many philips head screws!

Was very happy to see only some surface rust, zero rust on the roof, saves me a ton of work later!

Hope to hear soon when the engine will arrive.
Next week Friday I’ll take apart the rear hatch, rubbers are hard as a rock, lock is stuck, the rail that holds the window is rusted out, I have ordered the bj’s stainless version to solve that going forward.

Image
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Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535

rocklaurence
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Posts: 2565
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:53 am

Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi! - project woodsea

Post by rocklaurence »

MotorTrend's Engine Masters did a feature on the Holley Hemi conversion kit. For appox' $1500 Holley's kit provides all the engine and trans controls. Theyre narrative is that there are just as many Hemi's hitting the Junk yards--Trucks, Challengers, Chargers as LS and they're cheaper. Can you imagine a 2WD J10 short bed, dropped with a Charger/Truck drive train! 8-)
Last edited by rocklaurence on Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Topic author
wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
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Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi! - project woodsea

Post by wimsurf »

rocklaurence wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:50 am MotorTrend's Engine Masters did a feature on the Holley Hemi conversion kit. For appox' $1500 Holley's kit provides all the engine and trans controls. Theyre narrative is that there are just as many Hemi's hitting the Junk yards--Trucks, Challengers, Chargers as LS and there cheaper. Can you imagine a 2WD J10 short bed, dropped with a Charger/Truck drive train! 8-)
sounds good, set your fantasy free man!
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535
User avatar

Topic author
wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
Contact:

Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi! - project woodsea

Post by wimsurf »

Took the tailgate apart today: need to order some stuff at BJ’s :)
Window sliders are toast, hard as a rock and razor sharp what used to be rubber

Image

Lifter bar as good as gone so will order a stainless one

Image

Found out the left side quarter panel has been welded once:
Image
Right side is ok.

Image

And my driver side door broke near the attachment point of the vent window, seems like I can weld it.Image

All in all, pretty good day, got all the stainless trim off without breaking any tabs or bending the strips, so that’s re-usable.
No broken bolts yet and I did not bleed. I say that’s a win!


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535
User avatar

66stepside
Posts: 3793
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:59 pm
Location: Spokane Valley, WA.

'84 grand full rebuild with Hemi - project woodsea

Post by 66stepside »

It never ceases to amaze me how JEEP just left the wags’ rear tailgate to exposed to the elements. Nice work getting yours back into shape!


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Last edited by 66stepside on Fri Jan 15, 2021 4:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Topic author
wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
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Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi - project woodsea

Post by wimsurf »

Small update, did not take pictures worth posting (disassembling the doors, taking out the windows, bumpers off, grille and headlights off.)
Also enjoyed the day too much to take a lot of photos because both my dad (74 yrs old) and my 14 yr old son were helping me out so this thing becomes a family affair!

It starts to look pretty naked now. I'll make some new pictures this Friday

I encountered some funny things:
  • besides the driver side door being cracked, the passenger side was cracked as well, the inside of the passenger side rear door showed a crack in the inside panel, in the lower front corner where absolutely nothing else is going on, so weird.
  • the rear quarter windows are supposed to be glued in with weathertec kit around the rubbers so I expected a nice hassle getting them out. they were so dried out I could just pop them out with a gentle push, one almost fell into the vehicle if it were not for my dad being in the way to catch it :) they were only held in by the surrounding trim that screws in on the inside.
I left the engine bay for now because a buyer for the AMC 360 engine will come this Saturday, I want to leave it in running condition until then.
Image

So hopefully that's a sale and we can crack on getting it out of the way. The teardown will be almost finished then which means taking the body off and putting it on the trailer to the bodyshop in a couple of weeks!
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535
User avatar

Topic author
wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
Contact:

Re: '84 grand full rebuild with Hemi - project woodsea

Post by wimsurf »

Engine is sold! So that’s a go for the acquisition of the new drivetrain! Placed an order for a turn key 5.7 hemi with 8hp70 transmission. Hope for it to arrive in 8 weeks ( needs to ship from Ohio to Europe)

Engine will come out next week.
Need to decide on which grille: egg crate or razor?

Image
Image
The pig nose was cracked in a couple of places, and the chrome was coming off on top. A new one costs a fortune and I like the round headlights that come with these, so one of them will go in at some point.

Next: dashboard dismantling and labeling every single thing in there :)


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535
User avatar

Topic author
wimsurf
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
Contact:

Re: '84 grand full rebuild, it 'll be a wag on 'er hemi!

Post by wimsurf »

Got all the wood paneling off. Whoever sticks 2 layers on top of each other should go stand in a corner and shame themselves!

Image

Also started loosening everything in the engine bay. Time to clear for the new stuff!


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535

rocklaurence
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Posts: 2565
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:53 am

Re: '84 grand full rebuild, it 'll be a wag on 'er hemi!

Post by rocklaurence »

Are there Hemi's available in Holland or are you going to have to have one shipped over? Is there an Exporter/Importer that provides them?
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wimsurf
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Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:22 pm
Location: Holland
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Re: '84 grand full rebuild, it 'll be a wag on 'er hemi!

Post by wimsurf »

rocklaurence wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 6:56 am Are there Hemi's available in Holland or are you going to have to have one shipped over? Is there an Exporter/Importer that provides them?
There are some available in Holland and Germany. But prices are often as much as getting a new crate straight from the US. And always they offer only the bock, stripped of accessories. I ordered at Mars auto parts, they provide turn key pallets and ship worldwide. A friend in Belgium recommended them.
Their site is https://lsswap.parts/product/hemi-swap- ... 6-1l-6-4l/ it takes a couple of weeks to ship the crate but the price difference makes it worth the wait.
1984 grand wagoneer
  • topaz gold | deep night blue,
  • AMC 360 v8 | 2019 5.7 hemi,
  • TF727 auto 3 speed | 8hp70 8 speed
  • nutmeg interior | sand or almond interior to be decided
it's a project now:
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 35#p197535

rocklaurence
Vendor
Posts: 2565
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:53 am

Re: '84 grand full rebuild, it 'll be a wag on 'er hemi!

Post by rocklaurence »

Thats Great
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