the ride of a FSJ

[hotrod7585]

im looking for a new vehicle and i was thinking about a FSJ but i need to be able to take my newborn baby in it (thats why im getting rid of my truck...it rides like a bob-tail semi) how rough is the ride of a FSJ??

[KaiserMan]

Depends on what FSJ you have. my 71 Gladiator on 1-ton springs rides like a tank with no suspension, and my 83 1/2 ton J10 rides farily smooth, for a 1/2 ton truck.

later model Wagoneers will ride pretty smooth, but no FSJ will ride like a Caddilac.

[hotrod7585]

lol yeah i dont need a caddy. i was looking at a cherokee. do they ride about like a 1/2 ton truck?

[Chrome]

Welcome aboard! I get a decent ride from my 88 GW and it has a 6 inch suspension lift. One of the things that I like the most is these trucks are built like tanks. :fsj:

[hotrod7585]

yeah i know their built tough...thats part of the reason i want one. and it seems like you can buy a fairly nice one for a decent price

[joe]

Bottom line is what year/model and how it's been maintained. Looking at the 80's era country club folks that were paying BIG bucks for these things...they rode sweet, handled snow sweet and even towed an official Harley Davidson golf cart effortlessly. ;)
Age as you know screws with OEM specs/equip big but the late 70's and up Wags/Cheros rode like Buick Roadmasters but w/4WD. ;)
Get one in good close to original condition and you'll love it. Get one butchered/teenie bopped/lifted/tweeked and it's a 20+ year old evil ridding money pit.

[grand_wag_85]

My '85 drives, handles and feels like a brand new truck. My W/T's, not so much.

[AlsChopShop]

any wag with the 8-leaf front packs will ride real nice down the road.

personally, i was glad when i stiffened up my ride with lift springs.

Al

[Wagabond]

yeah i know their built tough...thats part of the reason i want one. and it seems like you can buy a fairly nice one for a decent price

If the springs are in good shape, they ride very well. If the springs are shot, look the hell out. But, even if you have to get new springs all around, you'll be money ahead compared to most other comparable rigs.

[DanHS]

Look for a well maintained later 80's or newer Grand Wagoneer, and you should have a reliable, safe, smooth riding, (and classy) vehicle. The rear seats have lap belts, but no shoulder belts, although with effort they can be installed. Do they still make car seats designed specifically for cars with only lap belts?

When you find one that looks good, aside from the usual things check the frame for rust, as they tend to collect dirt on the left side of the frame where the gas tank is held in basically a box. This rusting through and destroying the frame isn't very common, but it isn't rare either. And of course take it for a ride to see if it's good and smooth. A quick way to visually judge if the springs are good or not, is that there should be just a couple inches of gap between the bottom of the fender lip and the top of the tire in the rear, if it's riding on stock 235/75 size tires. If the top of the rear tires are behind the fender, then the springs are sagging. The front should have a couple inches more clearance.

[jeeping1974]

Welcome aboard!

[xsonmyeyes]

Late model wag...as stated many times before, not quite a car but IMHO better than a pickup cuz the weight is distributed better.

[hotrod7585]

cool cool. thanx everyone. you have all been a great help! :D

[fulsizjeep]

The 75 Waggy we stripped last year had only a main and a second leaf on the front and it rode pretty durn nice. I ran air shocks front and back on my first Waggy years ago. A little air adjustment for the load and it ran pretty smooth in town and cross country. The Camper Special and the J20 (8400 GVW and helper springs in the back) ride like trucks.

[Thomas792]

As has been mentioned, try to get one as stock as possible. There are ones out there that have been refreshed and have had nearly all the wearing parts fixed or replaced and are still reasonable. With a fiarly newborn child, I would suggest a GW or 4 door Cherokee. It makes putting the baby seat/carrying contraption into the vehicle so much easier instead of crawling over the driver/passenger seat.

Lap belts only are fine for car seats where the child is restrained by belts built into the child seat. In a rear facing car seat, the lap belts will retain the car seat in place just fine. In a forward facing car seat, the lap belts and a second strap (I think it is called a tether) retain the seat. The tether can be attached to the seat belt bolt on the floor behind the bench seat and then attached to the top of the car seat to prevent it from tipping forward.

[janie]

Late model wag...


Ditto.

[710 Burner]

It rides like a truck with leaf springs. I got spoiled by my '72 GMC with coils. That was one smooth ride. The coils on a TJ aren't bad either.

[spaulding]

In re: to seatbelts. I've found that our '82 wag rear seatbelts were too short to go around a big booster seat. We have to go with a more simple booster. May not be a problem with an infant seat though as the belt goes through, not around.


Look for a well maintained later 80's or newer Grand Wagoneer, and you should have a reliable, safe, smooth riding, (and classy) vehicle. The rear seats have lap belts, but no shoulder belts, although with effort they can be installed. Do they still make car seats designed specifically for cars with only lap belts?

When you find one that looks good, aside from the usual things check the frame for rust, as they tend to collect dirt on the left side of the frame where the gas tank is held in basically a box. This rusting through and destroying the frame isn't very common, but it isn't rare either. And of course take it for a ride to see if it's good and smooth. A quick way to visually judge if the springs are good or not, is that there should be just a couple inches of gap between the bottom of the fender lip and the top of the tire in the rear, if it's riding on stock 235/75 size tires. If the top of the rear tires are behind the fender, then the springs are sagging. The front should have a couple inches more clearance.

[rmorit01]

Don't forget to factor in the wheels and shocks --

I had a Cherokee and putting 33" tires on it and new lift springs -- firmed it up and caused some jarring until the springs were flexed appropriately --

I then went to Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks and 31" tires and even with the new springs the ride was very nice.

I could get the shocks too soft on the rebound dampening, but I liked that for speed bumps and potholes on the local streets -- for the highway clicking them up 2 notches made that truck perfect at 70 mph.

Best thing to do is take one for a drive -- anyone who rode in my cherokee always commented on how "nice it rode" -- you also have to factor in those big cushy seats.

Bob

[Schlagger]

My 84 Grand Wagoneer rides better than my 99 explorer, and the seats are MUCH more comfortable.

My 79 Cherokee is like sitting on top of a rock rolling down a hill.:eek:

[back2spool]

I thought my '89 rode pretty smoothly, then i got new tires. Now, it's even better. Honestly, I think it is VERY smooth. Just had a newborn and I will feel 100% comfortable with her in the back, actually I bought the vehicle for this purpose (mostly). :)

[FSJ Guy]

An 80's or 90's rig will ride very nice for you. Check out my sig website for info on rear shoulderbelts to hold the car seat.

[BarryL]

My 84 Wag rides much better than my daughters 2004 Jeep Liberty, no comparison really. On the other hand, my 93 Suburban rides better than the Wag on real bumpy roads, but not much difference on smooth highways.