84 Grand Wagoneer Revival

[devildog80]

Finding the new 112 also say for 0-2" lift......so maybe I do not have the right shocks?
I am measuring my lift height at top of body above windshield drivers side, comparing OEM to now.

OEM -
Height: 1687 mm / 66.4 in
Mine-
approximately 70"

So roughly 4" lift

[Yeller]

Rancho has been good about keeping the same base part numbers and just adding digits in front of it as they create updated models. So crossing from an old 5000 or 9000 series is super easy.

[devildog80]

Thanks
Looks like its all just finding the funds then

[devildog80]

Installed battery ground cut off switch, so no more opening the hood to pull negative cable, to save battery from bleeding down when truck is off.
Funny thing when I connected the short cable to ground the body, got everything wired up and when I turned on the switch, one of the map lights came on.
Thought this was my parasitic draw but alas, still there, after I shut off the map light. Have good body ground now.

20230820_121125 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Cable on left comes from negative battery terminal.
Cables on right, large one goes to engine motor mount, small one ground to body.
A bit extreme to use 2/0 cable, but found 2-12 ft pieces that came with the truck when I got it.
Look like battery cables off a semi tractor, one positive (red) and one negative (black).
Had to wrap the excess up under the body on frame (thats what the big one around the body mount is, just excess length), but will get connector & trim to fit later.
For now it works

20230820_121242 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

[ProTouring442]

I don't know if you've done this, but to find a parasitic drain, put an amp meter between the negative cable and the battery, then pull fuses one at a time until you see the draw go away. Now you know what circuit it's on. Reconnect the battery and see what's on that circuit, then put the meter back on and remove things from that circuit until you find the culprit.

[devildog80]

Been there already with every fuse & relay, and radio, clock, and some others.
Dome/map lights were suspect from the beginning, but they never came on so thought bulbs were dead, until I hooked the body ground up yesterday.
As the truck sat for 18 years in southern AZ desert exposed to the elements, it is taking some time to find stuff that is right, as there is so much that is wrong at different levels.
Electrical, rubber hoses, door seals & tracks, interior pieces, upholstery.....on and on.
But that is why it is so much fun, and the best therapy I could have paid for, as I love working on these old trucks.
Bonus of the disconnect is a bit of theft protection too, as I mounted it to look like a fuel select switch.
And thanks for the tip, which is mentioned farther back in my thread here that we went through that already, but never hurts to possibly try again now that I have a good body ground

[devildog80]

And......as just sheet metal where it is mounted, I put a rubber O-ring over the stem before pushing up from underneath to mount.
This should keep any water/debris from working its way up around the stem and sitting in the space around the switch through the sheet metal.

[devildog80]

Well....took the waggy out for some errands, and not pleased.
Temp still pushing up more than what I would like, and timing is just a tad high as really grunts to turn over when stop, run in for a few minutes, then back out to go to next stop.
Get out on the street and put my foot in it and pings, so need to back timing down a tich off the 12+-2*.
Mongo228 and I adjusted it last weekend up from 8-10 to 12+, and finding it needs to come down some.
Need the truck to drive good on its own before thinking of throwing the camper on the hitch, and pulling 6-7* grades for 2-3 mile stretches, as some are that where we go.

Getting most of mechanicals done where it will be road worthy for hiway travel, and wife is asking we clean up the paint some, before "presenting" it to family/friends on camping trips.
Problem is mainly clear coat is flaking off, so looks like a sunburn peeling off the truck. Honestly not far from the truth there, as it sat for 18 years waiting to be rescued.
That said, went to an auto paint store and a body shop this morning to ask how to just take the clear coat off.
Both said not able to as once you get through clear coat, then paint starts coming too.
Body shop said $10k to strip & repaint without even looking at it, but he is quite busy too.
So, plan is to get a good block sander, 800 grit sand paper, and see what I can do here at home with wet sanding it myself.
Can't hurt worse than it is, and might just be ok for now.

Anyone been there done that with your own trucks?

I am researching forums to see what is possible, and what is not.

[devildog80]

Connected the fuel filter return yesterday and adjusted timing back just a tich.
Warmed engine up and starts better now than when I had it at 12*. Did not put the gun on it, just loosened the dist lock bolt and turned back some to near where it was last week before we set it with the gun.

[devildog80]

Ordered from BJ's

Flow Kooler High Flow Aluminum Water Pump 1973-91 AMC V8
Robertshaw High Flow 180 Degree Thermostat

Might decide to leave evap cooler in place until new WP/Thermostat installed to see if it needs to come out.

[devildog80]

Installed new Bilstein shocks yesterday, and finally driveable at hiway speed.

Bilsteins - Rear by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Bilsteins - RF by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Bilsteins - LF by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

[devildog80]

Replaced inner/outer window wipes on rear doors today.
Tinkered with some tuning of timing & carb, and went over to Mongo228's for some help with mirror fitting.
Drove interstate there and back, and engine temp stayed down just into the green, but in town it climbed again to 1/2 way mark.....ugh!
Waiting for high volume water pump to get here, to hopefully provide the solution for this issue.
Maybe this old truck is just made to live in cooler weather?

[devildog80]

Replaced OEM electric mirrors with larger manual mirrors for towing visibility.
78-93 Dodge Van
Very easy switch out using the Billet FSJ Mirror Mounts.

Here is a pic progression from OEM to final mount.

OEM Driver by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

78-93 Dodge Van DS1 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

78-93 Dodge Van DS2 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

78-93 Dodge Van DS3 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

OEM Passenger by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

78-93 Dodge Van PS1 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

78-93 Dodge Van PS2 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

78-93 Dodge Van PS3 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Here is front to rear view of initial mounting. Notice how high the mirrors look.
I did not care for this profile, so modified.
Initial mount by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Final pic after cutting vertical tube on mirror down 2 inches.
Looks more like OEM now, easier to see, as new mirrors are much larger than the OEM ones.
Final by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

Billet set runs $88 and mirrors were around $65.

Anyone want to barter for an OEM electric set of mirrors?

[devildog80]

Update

Serviced the auto transmission yesterday, after putting the Berrymans B12 in it some weeks back, to clean it up on the inside.
Loved the results and convinced it has improved operation of the transmission, without rebuilding. Shifts perfectly now.

Did a full flush on it, and that was the easiest part. We all know how messy it is dropping the trans pan & filter, so had cardboard down under the drip pan, and I think amount of oil in each was near equal.
Found there was no magnet inside the pan, but had some good 1" craft magnets I had for an outside bird deterrent project that did not work, so put 2 of them in before replacing the pan. Should do the job picking up anything flowing through, and really not much grit in the bottom of the pan when first checked.

Trying a different air cleaner setup
Replaced the OEM snorkel with a 6" Edelbrock that Mongo228 had sitting on his shelf. Seems to work ok for now, but thinking long term might end up with a 14".
As I intend to do mostly hiway driving with the truck, this should work.

Another note.....took the truck on a test drive after flushing the transmission. Engine temps were getting a little higher each mile driven on the hiway, and when I got home I popped the hood to check for leaks. Noticed a little antifreeze around the neck of the radiator cap. Closer inspection I see there is a crack in the weld....UGH!
Never noticed any drips from the radiator all summer while trying to diagnose cooling issues, but service the transmission and look what I find. Now to find a shop to get an estimate for rebuilding my radiator. No doubt it will be as much as a new one, but to have my original brass radiator as good as new, is worth the cost of getting a radiator of less quality than what I already have. And who knows, if this is the only leak, I can probably braze weld it myself. Dad taught us to weld when growing up on the ranch/farm, so not unknown to me.....just been awhile.

Closer every day to camping trips

[SJTD]

The neck isn't soldered? They usually are and should be an easy fix unless the brass itself is cracked which I doubt or you'd have a bad leak.

[devildog80]

Thinking....if I had a slight pressure bleed from the radiator up to this point, makes sense why the truck was heating up so bad as the cooling system could never reach proper pressure.
Like having a bad radiator cap......which brings to mind I just replaced the radiator cap 10 days ago, and now I find I have a crack? Hmmmmmm.....makes one think the previous "new" cap I had on it was not holding pressure very well, and yes the neck was soldered when radiator made. Does not look like any repair welding at the cracked area. Will get a pic of it.
Going to pull the radiator, do a pressure test, and see if the neck is the only problem. If it is, I can fix that, but if it gets down in the tubes somewhere......will see.
Even here in greater PHX Metro area, very few actual radiator repair shops left.

[devildog80]

Question/answer from another forum
Do you have to pull the radiator to do a pressure test? Can't it be done in place?

Yes, it can be done in-place. Still need to drain the coolant, though. But, I have the expanding rubber plugs needed to seal the inlet/outlet, and a pressure test kit. That is if all you want to check is the radiator.
If you want to check the whole system, don't even drain it, just use the kit to pressurize the whole system. You'll find any leaks.
It is not recommended to exceed 20 PSI for testing.

My gut tells me that it is probably better to fix the old one than to buy a new one. Unless the old one is just plain too far gone. That is just based on the overall quality of modern parts recently. I have seen some "custom" radiators from guys like BJ's. Are they any better quality than what you find at FLAPS and eBay?

My feedback
The plan is to start by checking the whole system, then I will be pulling the radiator to repair the crack in the neck, which is obvious. Then inspect the rest of it, to be sure all is in good condition, and drop it back in.
Easy to do with the way these were installed back then, and if needed for more extensive repairs, I found a local shop here in the valley that does work on automotive radiators.
Nice to know we have at least one shop left close by that does this kind of work.

Good time to install the new High Flow water pump too....drop the unused mechanical fuel pump and install block off plate.....make custom rigid fuel feed/return lines and route up front of engine where they need to be......take advantage of having the room to do general tidying up in the area.

Serck Radiator
424 E Baseline Rd, Mesa, AZ 85204
(480) 926-3555
We do not charge to clean and test. We are open Monday through Friday 6am to 4:30pm

[sierrablue]

Bummer. Radiator issues always suck, but of course they happen all the time.

Of course I'm biased because I hate the feel and smell of antifreeze ALMOST as much as I hate the smell and feel of gasoline.

[devildog80]

Just part of the joy owning these old trucks, and bring them back from the dead, to be reliable parts of our lives again.
Knew in my heart it was coming, hoped later than sooner, but glad it happened now and not halfway up a mountain road with the camper in tow and all butts in the seats stranded.
There are small blessings in our lives, if we can look at them with an open mind, to see them as that

[devildog80]

Pressure tested radiator & system, and so far just the cracked neck.
Will solder up and test again, but fluid level is staying full, so this might just be the only issue.
Cracked neck by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr