This 1978 Wagoneer has been undergoing many changes since early February. The first modification was to get the thing lifted a bit. After that, the TH400 tranny was rebuilt and the old, chain-slipping, worn-out Borg Warner Quadratrac trnsfer case was replaced by another of the same kind. After that, the front end was rebuilt, and the fenders were cut so that a set of 35" Boggers could fit. Then it was off to the engine shop. Mike and Larry at Long Motorsports rebuilt the engine. The old 5-cylinder 360 is now a powerful 367. After slapping on a new set of 15x8 Monte Carlo wheels and a decent set of R Buckshots, it was finally time to take it on a trial run. This was going to be the July 29th ride behind chicken houses. Unfortunately we encountered problems while changing the break-in oil. It seems that a metal shaving had found its way into the oil pump pressure relief valve and caused the piston to stick. Everytime we cranked the engine, the oil pressure kept rising until the oil filter either exploded or the o-ring seal popped out. This went on for quite a while. Needless to say it didn't make the July 29th ride. We fixed it that afternoon, and Allen went back home to prepare for a ride the following weekend. That next weekend, we headed up the Turnpike to try out all the new modifications. Here are some pictures of the Wagoneer's Maiden Voyage.
The Jeep made it through the wash-out on the Turnpike easily, so we decided to try the limestone steps just past the washout. Here are the pictures.
Despite the fact that the t-case chain was slipping and we had a slight fuel pump probem, we headed on towards the sawmill to check out the suspension flex. Here's what we saw there.
The suspension testing at the sawmill gave us some good news and some bad news. First the good news: The Jeep has a lot of flex. Now the bad news: Allen's gonna have to cut those fenders some more to fit those 38" Boggers.
This ride was taken on August 5, 2000.