Building a Wide Track Wagoneer ... Finally!

[JPSwapMohn]

I guess it is about time to start a thread..

Realizing I was never going to get this thing done on my own, I have turned it over to Page Customs outside of Richmond, VA. They have the rear flares roughed in. Thy will strip the body, fill all the holes from rivets and roof rack, prep and paint. I will keep the color to myself for now.
I can't afford to have the shop do everything I would like, but it will be a giant leap toward the vision I have had for many years.

Here is a link to the shop's progress: http://gallery.pagecustoms.com/albun10

new website: https://www.pagecustoms.com/project/...rand-wagoneer/

They will update it regularly with progress, which I appreciate since I am up north and they are outside of Richmond, VA.

Some things to be worked out:
1. I have a set of '09 Grand Cherokee Overland seats that I want to use. Looks like this will take some engineering. Based on initial mock-up, I told the shop that I would work on that part when I get it back. I can't afford $100/hr for them to play trial and error for mounts, etc.
2. I want to integrate a few things into the dash that resemble the older ones. I was going to do a complete swap, but the HVAC, etc. and timing are a concern. We will see.
3. A center console will be built that integrates the trans and TC floor shifters, etc. We will see how fancy this gets..some of you have built some pretty amazing stuff that gave me a lot of ideas. I will most likely be doing this part myself as well.. my time doesn't cost me $100/hr.. 8^)
4. A roll cage /safety cage will be built, but I am taking it to a specialty shop to do that. I am not building a race cage. I want it to minimize intrusion into the passenger compartment while providing protection from roll-over. It will be set up so that it can be taken out if needed to get to headliner, etc. and tied into the frame.

There are other details in the plan, I will share as we go.

The axles are from a late model J20 sitting on BDS 4" springs. I took them to East Coast Gears in NC to be rebuilt. They did me right on building a new rear D60 after finding the bearing races in the one I bought had deep spiral grooves in them. They used their new center and installed very heavy duty tubes at proper length and set it all up to bolt directly into the GW at what I felt was a very fair price. They also built the front. Rear has disc brake conversion and a Grizzly locker. The front has a TrueTrac. I went with 3.73 gears instead of the 4.10's that were in the D44's. This will put the engine at slightly lower RPMs for highway cruising but still work well for any towing I may do.

For now, drive train remains the same: Golen-built LT1, 4L60e, with a NP242 with SYE (I wanted to AWD capability to still be there and 242 had AWD, 2WD, 4H and 4L). I would love to upgrade to a 6.0/6L80e but that will have to wait on funding. If my trans gives out on me (it is showing signs) I will have to decide on putting more money into it or taking the plunge. The 4L60e on the back of the LT1 (95-96) is not compatible with the later 2-piece cased 4L60's.

More to come...

[bwwhaler]

Following on other site, Looks awesome, when finished, be sure to bring it to ECI so we can all drool.

[rang-a-stang]

They work fast! Where did those gorgeous, rock solid flares come from?

[JPSwapMohn]

8man had them squirreled away, but he ended up sourcing a NOS widetrack body (yea..really!) and was kind enough to sell the flares to me.

Love the collective support on these forums. Folks helping each other with parts and knowledge keeps our old rigs on the road.

[Full Size Jeeper]

This is a really cool build. Looking forward to the progress.

[rocklaurence]

I love this! Jeep should have offered the 4Dr wide track. I was surprised to see that they opted to modify the front of the rear wheel wells and the doors to keep from attaching the forward part f the flare to the doors. It looks great. Can you provide more pictures of the wheel well modifications to match the flare?

[SOLSAKS]

that is going to be a bad rig when complete !

those wide fender flares do a lot for the beefy look.

good ideas for the project, glad you found someone willing to do the work.

dave in NC

[JPSwapMohn]

RockLawrence, I went with the method used on the widetrack wagoneer that some company out in CA used when they offered the widetrack version, and the one that is on the forum (have really poor connection here or would look it up).

Going this route opens up the whole wheel well for tire clearance. If attaching the flare to the door, you loose some of that because the door is still there in the wheel well.

I did tell the shop that I was ok with either route as long as the whole well was open for tire clearance. They opted for my preferred method. This is a somewhat new direction for this shop. They typically do restorations or restomods, but know that this sort of 4x4 build is becoming a thing and they wanted to get into it.

It is tough to find a shop willing to do this sort of thing, and I wanted it done better than I might “one day” get to do myself.

I can’t express how excited i am to finally see this thing getting closer to where i invisioned it. It ain’t cheap by any stretch, but i have confidence it will be right.

I have to make a decision on interior as the dash needs to be done while they have it apart. I will have to have the rest of the interior (including the abs panels from a forum member) done later when the checking account stops smoking..

They toss up new pictures somewhat regularly, which is a great help since I can’t swing by due to other obligations.

[cu4whln]

Watching, where is that shop located ?

[FleetFox]

I'm in the area if you need anything. FleetFox

[Kaiserjeeps]

Love the metal work getting done. I will look forward to more. That guys shop is way to clean.

[rang-a-stang]

Originally Posted by Kaiserjeeps

... That guys shop is way to clean.

HIS shop is clean?!?!? HAHAHAHA!!! Your pics show YOOOUUURRR Shop is way to clean!!!

[JPSwapMohn]

Page Customs is outside of Richmond, VA.
And they do have a ridiculously clean shop.

[JPSwapMohn]

The cage is going to have to wait awhile due to the reality of my funds. I have great dreams, but the savings account and the household accountant keep me in check, literally..
It will get a cage, as I have seen too many photos of what our GW

[SOLSAKS]

clean shop = less lost parts or.... no lost parts

one guy did a full resto on a car for me over a 5 year period

and i cant tell you how many parts he lost, then i would search and find a replacement part, pay thru the nose, then a day after i buy it
he would call and say " i found the missing part "
some parts he did lose and never found
and we are talking hard to find parts, some NOS

i was glad to be done with that shop !!!

so CLEAN SHOP = GOOD !!!

dave in NC

[rang-a-stang]

quickest way to find a part you know you have is to buy another one!

[SJTD]

Works for me.

Same for tools.

[JPSwapMohn]

A little Sunset Mica Bronze, anyone?

http://gallery.pagecustoms.com/albun10/9_28_18_016
Just the doors, but we have COLOR!

The dash is turning out really well. Waiting on gauges from Speedhut (they do have a 10% mil discount, you just have to ask) and buttons have arrived from https://billetautomotivebuttons.com (they are very nice!)

I ordered mirror mounts from Ross with a chamfer around the mounting surface. Would like to get electric mirrors to work in them, but we will see when they get here.

I need to order M-i-B’s interior ABS panels, but need to make sure I can pay the body shop through completion first..

I am learning that in the real world of car building, compromise is part of reality.. If I had an endless budget, maybe not. But I am just a working guy. We will get the important stuff done and the rest will have to come in stages. I have been amazed at how quickly I have burned through what I thought was a pretty stout budget. But, reminding myself that I have had the rig for 14 years with great intentions...now it is actually getting done, just through someone else’s more capable (and rightly more expensive) hands.

They are doing a great job!

[SOLSAKS]

JPSwapmohn,

i repeat,.....fine work being done on your rig !!!

going to be one of the best ever.

i cant wait for you to enjoy it,

on the road/trail with a big smile as you man the steering wheel !!!

that day is coming and we want photos when it happens !

P.S. THE COLOR IS BEAUTIFUL !

dave in NC

[rang-a-stang]

I am drooling over their worksmanship! Picture 243 is a prime example of their fine work. Wow, those flares really look nice on there! So excited to see this done. At this rate, you're gonna have it back well before Christmas! I didn't know shops could work that quickly. When you first posted this thread, I figured it would be a 12-18 month project.