77 Waggy cancer treatment

[mwroseberry]

I am kinda new here but I'm going to post up my Waggy build/revival thread. About her, she has an AMC 401, quadratrac w/low and emergency drive, D44HD front, D60 rear, what looks like 4-6" blocks in the rear (previous owner) and more rust than anyone should ever deal with.

When I got her the front shocks and sway bars were disconnected, the vacume advance was disconnected and the points in the distrib weren't even screwed down (have no idea how it made it home).

I've already

Engine: had the carb rebuilt and tuned, installed a new coil, plugs, wire, cap, rotor, points, new thermostat and had the leaks in the radiator repaired.

Body: Cut 2" out of both fenders to allow for bigger rubber, debating on taking more in the front, used fiberglass to rebuild the rear fender gap between the inner fender and the body panel, started filling in the molding holes as I removed all the molding as it was a rust collection point.

Plans:
Either paint her Yellow, Orange, or Red
Install front windshield as it's currently busted (all ready in the basement)
Give her a set of rusty's front springs, and shocks for all for corners that are made for the 4" lift
Give her a set of 32s or 33s can't decide yet
Gut the interior and fix all rust spots in the interior then bed line the whole thing

DSCF3431.JPGDSCF3433.JPGDSCF3434.JPGDSCF3432.JPG

So far
getting better.jpg

[mwroseberry]

Can a mod please delete the two attached pics since they have my plates there and I can't get rid of them.

Thanks.

[twshutika]

thats a nice looking waggy .

[jeepdreamer]

Welcome to the FSJ fold brotha!

[CutterN55]

Hey man good to see pics finally. So 77, huh? you could do an SOA with that rig for about the same price or less if you already have the flat top knuckles, which I think it does. I'd just go with SOA and do high steer, and pick up front spring perches. You'll get way more flex and keep a smooth ride vs going with lift springs. I'd like to find some 2" springs and SOA mine.

[mwroseberry]

Hey man good to see pics finally. So 77, huh? you could do an SOA with that rig for about the same price or less if you already have the flat top knuckles, which I think it does. I'd just go with SOA and do high steer, and pick up front spring perches. You'll get way more flex and keep a smooth ride vs going with lift springs. I'd like to find some 2" springs and SOA mine.

I would but if you saw my springs you would understand. The bands are broke on them and it looks like someone did a redneck lift on them with some C clamps. I don't trust them with my life let alone when my daughter and wife ride with me. The thought crossed my mind but I can get a pair of 4" springs from rusty's for 300.00 so I'm going to go that route. I just don't know if I need to get the arm or not. I have heard mixed reviews on if I will need it or not.

Thanks,
Merritt

[CutterN55]

yeah get a drop piman arm if you are going with a 4" or greater. You'll have bump steer if you don't. Post up a pic of those springs...I wanna see the madness!! You've got 3/4 ton running gear under there really? they don't look like full width axles (from the pics) and I see a 6 on 5.5... where'd they come from? old J-20?
Can't wait to see it when you get some air underneath it...I like those old grills too.

[jeepdreamer]

I'm not one to rain on a parade but from the pics it appears that the axles are dana 44s, not HD44/60. Sorry. Typical Waggy fare but nothing to shy away from. Good axles. I run a Rusty's 4" kit on my 83 FS Cherokee and I would offer a couple of opinions.
Think about the size of tire you realistically plan on running. Plan your lift around that. Waggys are a little more finiky than Cherks due to the rear door being all in the way. If you stay with skinny tires you can maybe clear 33s with a little trimming on factory offset wheels. I have 33x10.50 BFGs on old school slot mags and they rub the springs at full lock. Its a trade off though. Different offset/wheel spacers/whatever and you will be trimming a lot more sheetmetal. Depending on what kind of wheeling you do I would suggest a couple options.
SOA (as mentioned). You can find waggys rotting away all over the junkyards so finding some decent used springs is too easy. Buy Tads Shackle flip/SOA kit and go from there. But only if you are planning big meats.
32s or smaller and the 4" kit will be easy and cost effective. Get the DPA for the steering.
33s to 35s and you'll want to look at the 6" kit. It will be a firmer ride/less flexy but this is a FSJ not a rock buggy.
If you send me an email address I will happily try and send you pics of my beasty.
Oh, and one other option that gets negetive reviews is a body lift. Again, depending on your wheeling it may not be a bad option unless rock crawling. And if your not affraid of the sawzall, you can gain clearance cheap without much of anything and you will be losing some of the cancer in the process! *WIN*

[CutterN55]

I'm not one to rain on a parade but from the pics it appears that the axles are dana 44s, not HD44/60. Sorry. Typical Waggy fare but nothing to shy away from. Good axles. I run a Rusty's 4" kit on my 83 FS Cherokee and I would offer a couple of opinions.
Think about the size of tire you realistically plan on running. Plan your lift around that. Waggys are a little more finiky than Cherks due to the rear door being all in the way. If you stay with skinny tires you can maybe clear 33s with a little trimming on factory offset wheels. I have 33x10.50 BFGs on old school slot mags and they rub the springs at full lock. Its a trade off though. Different offset/wheel spacers/whatever and you will be trimming a lot more sheetmetal. Depending on what kind of wheeling you do I would suggest a couple options.
SOA (as mentioned). You can find waggys rotting away all over the junkyards so finding some decent used springs is too easy. Buy Tads Shackle flip/SOA kit and go from there. But only if you are planning big meats.
32s or smaller and the 4" kit will be easy and cost effective. Get the DPA for the steering.
33s to 35s and you'll want to look at the 6" kit. It will be a firmer ride/less flexy but this is a FSJ not a rock buggy.
If you send me an email address I will happily try and send you pics of my beasty.
Oh, and one other option that gets negetive reviews is a body lift. Again, depending on your wheeling it may not be a bad option unless rock crawling. And if your not affraid of the sawzall, you can gain clearance cheap without much of anything and you will be losing some of the cancer in the process! *WIN*

X2 on all the above...
for what it's worth..there's been some bad reviews on IFSJA about the Rusty's lift springs. Last guy I talked to said he had a real stiff ride and then his springs sagged out in about a year and still had no flex. Bj's Offroad 4" kit is worth it...just buy the shocks somewhere else. What is your axle gearing? This plays plays a big part in tire selection.

[mwroseberry]

After further review I think you're right. I just have D44s front and rear. Kinda upsetting but it's the truth. I already have cut the fenders about 1.5" in the front and all the way to the inner fenders on the rear. From the looks of it I think I could get away with 31s now with no lift. I am not sure of my gear ratio but with my luck probably 3.07s... I think I'll stick with 32s and get the 4" front springs. I don't want to drop HUGE amounts of money into a truck I spent $500 on. It runs great but it's still a $500.00 truck.

So new plan is 4" from Rusty's, maybe rusty's shocks on all corners
32s on all corners
And call it a day after I get done getting rid of the rust and rear window problems

Thanks,
Merritt