Good Afternoon,
For whatever reason, I decided it would be a great idea to enter the FSJ world buy purchasing a 64 Kaiser Wagoneer in project condition.
potential.jpg
As you will see as I continue posting, I haven't fully (that's generous) decided what I'm going to do with it, but I'm definitely leaning way more towards resto-mod with emphasis on the mod. I ended up starting this endeavor at my wife's behest so I'm putting together a build with the fact that she will be the driver at least half of the time. Thus safety has become far more important as well as a few creature comforts. I'm also really looking forward to not being tied to keeping everything original since I don't have the heart to make any changes to my current classic.
So, I guess the purpose of this thread is to introduce myself, throw out a few ideas and most importantly get your thoughts and learn from your experience so as to not make any major mistakes. Hopefully there is some fun to be had as well.
The cosmetic needs are obvious. There will be a bit of body work and paint involved. She chose an original Willy's color from that year which I think will look great.
I believe that with the amount of things it requires to fit the bill, this is going to be a frame off job.
I'm sure that with your input, there's going to be much discussion about suspension, but for now I'm leaning towards a 4" lift, 4 wheel disc brake conversion, and 15" rims with 33s.
It currently has the original drivetrain. Unfortunately, the Tornado 230 isn't running. The seller indicated that it was most likely the distributor and the water pump is a known failure. As I'm building this for another whose priorities will be reliability -> fuel economy -> capability / power, along with the known issues of the 230 and expense/availability of parts, I'm thinking that a swap is in order. I know, I know - I'll just be another one of those guys, but I'm leaning towards a SBC and a TH400. An added benefit of the swap would be adding accessories like power steering, brakes and A/C to add a bit more comfort for her.
I think I have written a full page here so I'm going to end this post here. I am sure there will be more to come. Please let me know what your initial impressions are, what you think about my basic idea and anything else you have to say. Feel free to call me an idiot at any time, but all I see is a lot of potential here!
Thanks.
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