77 401 Wagoneer project

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That is my wife's Jeep on the trailer.  Krista named her Phoebe.  I bought it from the step-son of the original owner for her as a wedding gift in 2000 for $100 with 58000 miles on the ticker.  The tranny and transfer case were sitting in the back when we got it which needed some attention.  For just a little less than $500 invested, we had Phoebe on the road with good tires, new heater core, replaced tranny tailshaft and QuadraTrac sungear, along with insurance and tags. 

Phoebe has since been lifted more and typically run 31s on her.  The 401 has run sweet as can and now has 112000 miles on the ticker.  Krista enjoyed driving that Wagoneer as a daily driver and occasional off-roader for the next 10 years.  One of my favorite shots of it at Mexican Hat in 2009...

Another favorite picture of Phoebe at tree-line near Kennbec Pass...

In November of 2010 on day 2 of our vacation, we were with a bunch of FSJers on some easy trails east of Phoenix area and took a left roll off the trail going over twice and landing on the wheels.  Injuries were fairly minor compared to what they could have been.  When we got back to our friend's home after getting checked out at a hospital, Phoebe was already in the yard.  Our friend's recovered her from the ravine she landed in and actually drove her there.
That is my blood on the door.  I had to wrestle with a floor jack as we rolled.  It won.  My left knee was busted up and repaired in January.  In January I also found out I had a broken rib and a cracked one (right side #11 & 12) which explained a lot of pain.  Krista was luckier than me with some scratches and big bruises.  The biggest bruise was across the top of her legs from being pinned against the steering wheel on the first roll.  On the second roll she was tossed over the bench seat to the back with our dogs and camping gear.  We were not wearing seat belts for various reasons, mostly because they ratchet you down too tight in the seat while bouncing on the trail.

More pictures of the results here:
http://s602.photobucket.com/albums/tt107/mystkblu/Arizona%202010

Here is a video of the recovery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9srndhVDSug

Our friends told us "we" can rebuild her.  We were crushed and looking at potentially parting her out at best.  But these friends impressed upon us that "we" could rebuild her.  Soon we found out that the "we" was the collective, not just Krista and I.  One of the friends is in a partnership with some other fellas and has a 3 lift shop in Tucson.  With our tails between our legs, we wrapped Phoebe in a tarp in our friend's backyard and drove a mini-van home from our vacation which consisted mostly of recovering from the crash.

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fulsizjeep Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List AMC Apprentice Joined: May/16/2008 Location: SW CO Status: Offline Points: 201	Post Options Post Reply Quote fulsizjeep Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: 77 401 Wagoneer project Posted: Dec/12/2011 at 6:51pm
	That is my wife's Jeep on the trailer. Krista named her Phoebe. I bought it from the step-son of the original owner for her as a wedding gift in 2000 for $100 with 58000 miles on the ticker. The tranny and transfer case were sitting in the back when we got it which needed some attention. For just a little less than $500 invested, we had Phoebe on the road with good tires, new heater core, replaced tranny tailshaft and QuadraTrac sungear, along with insurance and tags. Phoebe has since been lifted more and typically run 31s on her. The 401 has run sweet as can and now has 112000 miles on the ticker. Krista enjoyed driving that Wagoneer as a daily driver and occasional off-roader for the next 10 years. One of my favorite shots of it at Mexican Hat in 2009... Another favorite picture of Phoebe at tree-line near Kennbec Pass... In November of 2010 on day 2 of our vacation, we were with a bunch of FSJers on some easy trails east of Phoenix area and took a left roll off the trail going over twice and landing on the wheels. Injuries were fairly minor compared to what they could have been. When we got back to our friend's home after getting checked out at a hospital, Phoebe was already in the yard. Our friend's recovered her from the ravine she landed in and actually drove her there. That is my blood on the door. I had to wrestle with a floor jack as we rolled. It won. My left knee was busted up and repaired in January. In January I also found out I had a broken rib and a cracked one (right side #11 & 12) which explained a lot of pain. Krista was luckier than me with some scratches and big bruises. The biggest bruise was across the top of her legs from being pinned against the steering wheel on the first roll. On the second roll she was tossed over the bench seat to the back with our dogs and camping gear. We were not wearing seat belts for various reasons, mostly because they ratchet you down too tight in the seat while bouncing on the trail. More pictures of the results here: http://s602.photobucket.com/albums/tt107/mystkblu/Arizona%202010 Here is a video of the recovery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9srndhVDSug Our friends told us "we" can rebuild her. We were crushed and looking at potentially parting her out at best. But these friends impressed upon us that "we" could rebuild her. Soon we found out that the "we" was the collective, not just Krista and I. One of the friends is in a partnership with some other fellas and has a 3 lift shop in Tucson. With our tails between our legs, we wrapped Phoebe in a tarp in our friend's backyard and drove a mini-van home from our vacation which consisted mostly of recovering from the crash.
	Flint

tsanchez Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/09/2007 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 2694	Post Options Post Reply Quote tsanchez Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/12/2011 at 7:02pm
	What did you do with it?


fulsizjeep Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List AMC Apprentice Joined: May/16/2008 Location: SW CO Status: Offline Points: 201	Post Options Post Reply Quote fulsizjeep Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/12/2011 at 7:18pm
	We started out with an offer for a nice rust free 67 Wagoneer body to install on the original frame. There are enough differences between 67 and 77 that this would have turned into a project of mods to fit the body. Then in late January, another member of IFSJA forum placed a 78 Wagoneer for sale in the DFW area. It did not have a title but had a really decent body on it that would fit right on the 77 frame and had a compatible wiring harness. We snatched it up and had it shipped to Tucson. Our friend with the shop fetched Phoebe to Tucson as well. There was some slight tweaking to be done to the frame in the back. He had the resources to make the tweaks. Here is both Wagoneers together for the first time in Tucson in April. In May we had a wrenchathon with a dozen FSJ friends (some we had not even met yet) and got the bodies swapped between the two Wagoneers. This went on over a Saturday and Sunday and Krista got to drive her out of the shop at the end of the day Sunday. Saturday pix: http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee184/jubileejeeps/Phoebe%20Too/Phoebe%20Resurrection%20Day%201/ Sunday pix: http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee184/jubileejeeps/Phoebe%20Too/Phoebe%20Resurrection%20Day%202/ Starting the 401 and driving Phoebe Too out of the shop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k35GOn8L-YQ
	Flint

fulsizjeep Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List AMC Apprentice Joined: May/16/2008 Location: SW CO Status: Offline Points: 201	Post Options Post Reply Quote fulsizjeep Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/12/2011 at 7:34pm
	Last month, we made our annual trek to the Phoenix area for Thanksgiving week and got to spend a couple days in Tucson giving Phoebe Too more attention. Meanwhile, our friend with the shop has been doing some body work. We brought new tires and black bucket seat covers I had picked up from another 77 Wagoneer. The donor body has a tan interior with bucket seats and the original Phoebe had a bench seat. We got the skins on the buckets which turned out pretty nice. There were a few other items taken care of while we were there. Hopefully Phoebe will have paint in the next several weeks. She will be white again with Plum Crazy where the wood grain strip would normally be as well as on the brush guard and a new heavy duty roof rack. We have collected a lot of new parts like window wipes, windshield gasket, door handle gaskets, etc. that will help weather proof and pretty up the ressurection. The dash will be painted/died black satin with SEM. She still has a ways to go but we are making progress. I will revisit this thread as we get more done.
	Flint

DocCreer Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Oct/03/2009 Location: Portland Oregon Status: Offline Points: 1426	Post Options Post Reply Quote DocCreer Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/12/2011 at 8:02pm
	That is one tough jeep to survive that wreck,im glad you guys are ok too.But cool build.lots of love.
	69 440 sedan (totalled,junked) 69 440 wagon (sold to forum member. 73 Waggie (Gone) 78 Plymouth Volare Wagon 225,auto,(daily driver) 61 American Super(The Last Amc)

fulsizjeep Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List AMC Apprentice Joined: May/16/2008 Location: SW CO Status: Offline Points: 201	Post Options Post Reply Quote fulsizjeep Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/13/2011 at 9:50am
	Other recent work in 2010... July before the crash, we totally went through the valve train after shredding the cam gear for the dizzy. The chain was very loose. It was time to freshen some things up. A Lunati Voodoo cam and lifter set, Milodon TC set, MSD dizzy gears, push rods, rockers and steel bridges went in along with Mallory HEI. An Edelbrock Performer and Holley TA 670 replaced the stock intake and original 4350 carb. My honey likes purple and she gets what she likes most the time. Started with a stock timing set, sold that off and went with a double roller setup. She ain't afraid to get in the middle of it too. Before the hood went back on. 2 weeks before the Arizona trip last year - I went through the brakes, new bearings and seals for the rear axle shafts, new drums, calipers, pads and shoes all around. The following Monday we had the first snow and drove her to work at Mesa Verde. Edited by fulsizjeep - Dec/13/2011 at 10:57am
	Flint

SEdmonds Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: Jun/21/2009 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 5527	Post Options Post Reply Quote SEdmonds Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/13/2011 at 11:05am
	I can't wait to see the finished resurection - it's going to be a great day when Krista gets to fire it up and take it on the road again.
	http://1965rambler.weebly.com/

danleym Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Oct/17/2009 Location: St. Louis, MO Status: Offline Points: 627	Post Options Post Reply Quote danleym Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/13/2011 at 12:23pm
	I haven't even finished reading the post - which I'm about to do - but I just wanted to say you got one helluva woman. Seriously- you got her an old FSJ, not in running condition, as a wedding present, and she still said I do? That's just awesome... Edit: Just finished reading- it looks great! Good luck with the rest! Edited by danleym - Dec/13/2011 at 12:42pm
	Hollis Danley 1980 Spirit, 258 1988 Chevy Blazer (Fullsize, My DD) 2002 Jeep Wrangler, 4.0 (Wife's DD)

fulsizjeep Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List AMC Apprentice Joined: May/16/2008 Location: SW CO Status: Offline Points: 201	Post Options Post Reply Quote fulsizjeep Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/13/2011 at 12:40pm
	Pretty Awesome Woman Indeed. Not only that, she has let me pile up so many vehicle projects, I am actually starting to learn to regulate priorities. Proof: I sold off my 72 J4800 dually to help fund the resurrection. Edit: She has read this thread and wants y'all to know the other white Wagoneer is also hers, gifted from her dad in 2004. She named it Luna. Luna is a Z code 401 on 33s and is her big fugly for taking on off road fun. Edited by fulsizjeep - Dec/13/2011 at 1:52pm
	Flint

SEdmonds Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: Jun/21/2009 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 5527	Post Options Post Reply Quote SEdmonds Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/13/2011 at 1:45pm
	You know, last night, as the school closed due to the snow storm, I was waiting with some of my students until their rides came to get them. One woman was talking about her husband and how he has this ugly old truck that doesn't even run....I immediately asked what it was...and would have asked more, but she didn't even know the make of it. Sigh...I felt so bad for her. I mean, she has an old truck and she isn't even excited about it. Guys...there are women like Krista and me out there who LIKE the smell of oil and dust and wax and tranny fluid....really. And we actually clean up pretty nice, too. LOL. I have a new slogon I am going to have to work up into a t-shirt. "Smart women drive AMCs and smart men love them" Hi Krista . Edited by SEdmonds - Dec/13/2011 at 1:48pm
	http://1965rambler.weebly.com/