After posting those pics of the Jeep JT on the other thread it reminded me of an idea I've been toying with for quite some time....

As a lot of you may know already, I'm a proud owner of an '89 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. I make no effort to hide the fact that I think it is the finest SUV ever produced.

Anyway... one of the other GW owners in my area called me the other week to see if I might be interested in his '89 because he wants to get rid of it (he has two others - an '84 and a mint final edition '91). There's only five people in the entire county who have a GW and we all know each other because of them, so he would rather let it go to one of us rather than putting it in the paper. He would let one of us have it for a grand. It's not in perfect cosmetic shape but it's in very good mechanical condition.

Sooo.... I had come across this page on Cardomain a while ago and thought it was really, really cool:

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/2/web/566000-566999/566054_10_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/2/web/566000-566999/566054_9_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/2/web/566000-566999/566054_8_full.jpg

Now I would NEVER, EVER do this to my GW.. she's my baby and will remain in stock condition until the day I die as I want it to remain a quintessential example of the best suv ever!

BUT... if I could get my hands on a second one that's in good running order for a decent price, I would be awfully tempted to do something like this! Now this particular guy hasn't updated the page in a while, so I don't know what progress he's made on it in the time since. I know I would have the rear doors welded shut and have the door gaps filled, sanded, sealed, and have the rear door handles shaved for a clean look from the front doors back. I would want to have the bed at least rhino-lined, although I would really like to have the bed wood-lined like a lot of those antique "hot-rod" trucks, to tie in with the whole "woodiness" of the truck.

My biggest concern (and obstacle) would be figuring out how to structurally strengthen the body/chassis as it would obviously develop a lot of "flex" once two thirds of the roof is removed - much the same as any other convertible "conversion" done to any other hardtop. This would be even more important due to the 4x4 nature of the GW.

It would all take a lot of time, a lot of work, and a good deal of money... but I REALLY like the idea of this.

I would love to have a big, comfy, full-size, 4x4, luxury truck that's different than anything else on the road - without looking like an ass like those who spend money on something like a Mark LT!

Hmmm...

I like the idea! I'm a huge fan of the old Wagoneer! It is a great 4x4 easy enough to take care of the chassis twist by hiding a roll cage. You have have to have custom interior panels made...but doable.

Hmmm, neat. It's like a four door Bronco/K5 Blazer!

I'm with you though Adam, the GW, especially the later ones (~1986-91) are some of my favorite SUV's ever.

Another FSJ fan?! Do you frequent the IFSJA forums? Post it there too! I told you we have a lot in common :P

Any why not simply go for a J-10, four door, I've seen the mod it's quite neat. Or just a Chero why not.

I favor this! Its wacky.

Adam, what do you know about J10/J20 Honchos?

Another FSJ fan?! Do you frequent the IFSJA forums? Post it there too! I told you we have a lot in common :P

Any why not simply go for a J-10, four door, I've seen the mod it's quite neat. Or just a Chero why not.

You know... I think I may have come across that site a long-time ago but I don't think I ever signed up or anything. I've had my GW for so long that I never even thought joining anything like that back in the dialup days!

When it comes down to it, I've probably never searched anything on the GW since there really hasn't been anything I couldn't tackle on it with my own two hands and my trusty Haynes manual (GODSEND). That's back in the days when Detroit would actually build vehicles the "common folk" could work on, unlike say... the Northstar - where the user's manual recommends advanced degrees in both mechanical and electrical engineering! I just don't like to work on any vehicle that has a computer more powerful than that which took man to the moon!

She may be crude, chocked full of archaic technology, and get the gas mileage of Rosie O'Donnell on roller skates, but I love the damn thing. I'm the second owner of it and this fall will have has it for 13 years. She has a few dings here and there and is in dire need of a paint job (anyone familiar with mid-80s/early 90s Chrysler clearcoats knows what I'm talking about) but the interior is still immaculate despite all of the punishment I've given her over the years. Everything is stock on it and I've only ever used OEM-Mopar parts on it.

This was THE one vehicle I always said I would own one day and feel very lucky to have one. I always try to remind all of those Escalade/Navigator owners to pay homage to the GW - as it truly was THE first luxury SUV!

As far as the alternatives... making a crew cab J-truck would be much more difficult I think and I wouldn't just want a run of the mill J10/20/30. I do like the SJ Cherokees... but I think I like the idea of this just for the sheer novelty of it. The more I think about it, the more I'd like to possibly to a variation of it - perhaps leave all four doors and just remove the roof over the cargo area and just have a mini-bed in the back. Sort of like an Explorer SportTrac/Avalanche/Escalade EXwhatever....



I favor this! Its wacky.

Effin'-A! :thumbsup:

Adam, what do you know about J10/J20 Honchos?

I know a bit about the J-trucks. The "Honcho" was never actually a model after AMC took ownership. It was just a trim package on the J-trucks in the late 70s to early 80s. The differences were largely superficial consisting of exterior decals, while some came optioned with a denim interior and a rollbar.

The mechanics of most FSJs are largely similar. After more than a decade with the GW I'm "intimately" familiar with the AMC 360, and through other Jeeps I've owned, I know a good deal about the 258 4.2L straight six which some FSJs came with as well as it's derivative 4.0L found in the later compact Jeeps. I know a little bit about the "big boy" 401 that came equipped in some from '74-'78, but haven't had that much hands on experience with it. There were even some from the late 60s that came with the venerable Buick 350 as a special order - though that was back in the Kaiser days.

Many V8 FSJs (mine included) came with the Chrysler "Torqueflite" 727 3-speed auto transmission. While AMC used a variety of manufacturers for their transmissions in the 70s (including GM) I believe it was around 1980 that the 727 became the standard auto on all V8 FSJs. A lot of people consider the 727 to be one of the greatest automatic transmissions ever built. Little fact - the torqueflite family was also one of the first autos to use an aluminum case instead if cast iron. I am one of those who think fondly of it and think it is one of the most bulletproof automatics ever manufactured.

But yeah... through most of their lives the J-trucks/Cherokees/Wagoneers pretty much shared the same internals/engines/drivetrains. So I know a little bit about them.

There's one J-truck I've always wanted - in the early 80s AMC produced a stepside "Honcho." Unfortunately they only produced a couple thousand of them over only a couple years... which makes the VERY rare today. Even when you do find one that's in good condition you can expect to pay a hefty chunk of change for one:

http://images01.olx.com/user_images/348/3488535_1.jpg

FWIW, the J-10/J-20, especially with Honcho trim, was one of the most badass, overly masculine trucks of all time. That J series truck used in "Twister" is what started my fascination with them....do you remember what year that was and was it a "Honcho"?

My favorite thing about those, was the font they used for the "JEEP" logo on the tailgate.

http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/amc/7678hcho.jpg

:drool:

I always thought it would be nice if Jeep started making trucks again, but it would be irrelevant with the Dodge trucks. As I'm sure you know, the J-10/J20 and Comanche were introduced before Jeep was Chrysler corp...back then Jeep was the only AMC division that did trucks and SUV's. I always thought of it as the GMC of AMC.

I believe they started around '76/'77 and went until the XJ Cherokees came out.

I agree with you completely on your assessment of them - "overly masculine" and all. They really were "badass" trucks.. yet they are widely overlooked. To me they were the pinnacle of the "quintessential" American pickup truck - big, bold styling, big-burbling V8s with gobs and gobs of torque, four wheel drive, numerous options and a range of tonnage, heck - they even had a J30-dually!

Like I said, I'm not a truck person - but if I were to get one it would be once of these old Jeeps. They had way more character than any GMC/Chevy/Ford... and IMO they looked WAY better than any of their competition from those companies of the same era. I think the stepside Honcho was the best looking out of all the J-trucks, but they only made them from like '82-'83/'84. If I ever find one for a decent price I'll buy it without even thinking about it!

It's really a shame that their purchase by Chrysler spelled the demise of Jeep trucks. I've never particularly liked Dodge pickups - even though many of those Jeep technologies eventually made their way into them. While Dodge may very well be Chrysler's "truck" division, I think there's more than enough room and brand differentiation for Jeep to have a pickup - especially something like that JT concept I posted in the other thread. They been toying with a few different truck concepts, like this Gladiator concept they made a few years ago:

http://z.about.com/d/trucks/1/0/6/I/gladiator_concept_ftside.jpg

I'm pretty sure the interest is there... and I feel the market is in need of a new, truly compact pickup... not everyone needs a fullsize truck... the Ford Ranger is on it's last legs and all of the other previously-compact trucks aren't so compact anymore. Although I certainly wouldn't complain if they produced a modern full-size J-truck either!

It was an '82 Honcho in Twister, and everyone loves it. No way should it have died that quick!

The older cars are so much easier to fix I know what you mean AMGoff. You don't need either a disgusting amount of specialization in that particular engine nor expensive troubleshooting equipment. I think it's a huge conspiracy to create cars that are disposable. The GW is a beautiful car, to be honest a part of me would rather have one than the Honcho, as it can be used for family/commuting purposes. Trucks are cool, but to only seat two is a bummer. And the bed is sorta useless...yes it's sporty being short...but come on my station wagon can carry more! I don't think my '79 is a stepside, do factory running boards count? lol Yeah the tail gates are nice, but they're notorious for rust...as with every other body part. Talk about great engineering.

Was AMC even a real company? The carb is ford, as with many ignition parts, the transmission was either GM or Chrysler, of course the transfer cases weren't theirs either. They kept the same styles for HOW long? So the grilles changed, of course when you look at your GW, look at the headlights. A round hole for a square light, and what's this, more round holes for non-existent signal lights? The only thing I like is that one can swap parts relatively easily, but that's now that these babies are harder and harder to find. Part of me wishes that AMC had stayed in the game longer, but then it seems their corporate model was meant to fail.

TF 727?! *spits cabbage* I shall duel you with the TH 400!

DO EET.

Its only 1000 bucks and even if the project doesnt pan out youve still got the truck.