Full Sized Waggy for a tow rig????

[High2by]

I'm looking for some feed back on this. I am in need of a tow rig and I wouldn't mind having one of these. It wouldn't be driven on a daily basis but probably at least once or twice a week, then of course to and from trail rides.

I have 16' tandem axle trailer with electric brakes. I don't know what my XJ weighs but it has a cage and armor and winch and 35's on a 30/44 combo with a 4.0/AW4/231 drive train.

I know that the fuel mileage wouldn't be good but honestly what gas tow rig gets "good" mileage? I was towing with a 1/2 ton Dodge w/318 but, alas, it's gone.

Let me know what your thoughts are about this. Pro's and con's.

I really like the looks of the full size and I think it would be cool to pull a Jeep with a Jeep but I want to make sure that it's good choice.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[MrClean]

Sounds like a good plan to me, and I hope it works. That's exactly what I have planned for the '84 Waggy I bought

 

[High2by]

Yea, I hope it's something that will work.

 

[cmelo]

I would look into discs or a dana 60 just because the brakes in the rear are AWFUL stock IMO. They are way to small and the brake booster itself leaves something to be desired. On the bright side, it's not hard to do a disc conversion on a 44 and a Hydroboost unit and master cylinder from an Astro van will bolt right up with some spacers and a sleeve in the pushrod and is usually around $40 at a Junkyard.

 

[thechief86]

go to ifsja.org, and look up hydroboost. it will greatly improve your braking power. i tow a really big trailer with 2 corvettes on it with my waggy every other week for work, and it does ok. i would regear it, though. mine has 3.54's in it with the towing package, and it is ok, but loses momentum easy on long, steep hills like going through monteagle. a 4bbl carb makes it better, too. the good side is that they are super comfy, and are really good looking, through every year they were made. i definitely say they are great, but would be better with a cummins 4bt and some lower gears, maybe 4.10's, depending on tire size.
btw, the rear springs sagged pretty bad until i replaced them with rusty's 4" lift springs, and now it's gravy.

 

[cmelo]

i would regear it, though. mine has 3.54's

That's another thing, most of the newer Waggies came with very tall gears since they came out when overdrive transmissions were starting to get popular. They had miserable gear ratios like 2.72s that are what came in my friends 89. The older one's should have 3.54s or atleast that's what came in my J10 and they were fine for stock sized tires.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Since you dont care about mileage anyways, jsut pick up an older Ford full size with a 360.. they get 9mpg towing or not!

 

[shortxjdoug]

mark, the motor will pull it, however the driveline isnt the hottest for pulling especially if you end up with the 2.72 gears (stupid gear to put in a 5k pound vehicle). that being said if youve found one in good shape for the right price it may be worth working with, they are cool rigs if in good shape, if i were you though id hold out for a truck theres a lot of quad cab older chevys out there and theres even a 4dr 4wd powerstroke truck on tennessee offroad for less than 3k i think, it just needs cleanup. what happened to the dodge by the way?

by the way id ballpark the weight of your xj at the mid 4k range

 

[-96JeepSpeed-]

I own a 79 wagoneer, I think the 360 has plenty of power to tow a XJ, Mine came with a dealer option trailor break set-up. I have flat towed to xj, but just for a few miles, when the xj broke down a little way from my house, and the waggy pulled it like it wasnt even there.

 

[IllianaXJ]

Technically they're only rated for 5k towing. A properly tuned 360 would definitely pull it, but a brake upgrade would be necessary. The towing package nets you 3.31 gears, which is way better than 2.72s, but I'd think about regearing to 3.73 or maybe lower.

I'll make you a deal on mine: http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=110284

 

[High2by]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I knew that the factory gearing and brakes would be an issue. If this is the way I go, I would disc the rear and do the hydroboost also. As for gearing, I would probably go with 4.56's because I would plan on running a lift with at least 33's. Any suggestions in this area??

I thought the 360 would be enough to do the job but sounds like it definatley would do it. I wasn't sure about the tranny though. Sounds like it might depend on the year model I choose.

Doug, the Dodge went to my oldest boy. He's working for it but he's drivin it now.

I know I could get some older model truck, but I really like the looks and it's a Jeep after all.

I haven't found one yet, I was just looking to see if this is something I need to pursue or not. It sounds like, with some upgrades, it would be a very capable tow rig.

 

[shortxjdoug]

I know I could get some older model truck, but I really like the looks and it's a Jeep after all.

I haven't found one yet, I was just looking to see if this is something I need to pursue or not. It sounds like, with some upgrades, it would be a very capable tow rig.

if your already plannin on a mild build then hell yeah it should do fine... theres a lot of good articles on the interweb about converting chevy tbi to work on the 360

.... oh and jeeps pulling jeeps is cool.... my dream towrig project is a 1 ton j-truck with a 12 valve cummins

 

[High2by]

if your already plannin on a mild build then hell yeah it should do fine... theres a lot of good articles on the interweb about converting chevy tbi to work on the 360

.... oh and jeeps pulling jeeps is cool.... my dream towrig project is a 1 ton j-truck with a 12 valve cummins

Looks like I need to read up on that then.

Oh, your dream tow rig, NICE!!!

 

[cmelo]

Looks like I need to read up on that then.

Oh, your dream tow rig, NICE!!!

Find a chevy truck with a 350 from the years 88-91 and pull EVERYTHING from the engine compartment related to the TBI. You want to do all your research at http://www.binderplanet.com/ it's a scout forum but it has tons of information about TBI swaps.

 

[High2by]

Find a chevy truck with a 350 from the years 88-91 and pull EVERYTHING from the engine compartment related to the TBI. You want to do all your research at http://www.binderplanet.com/ it's a scout forum but it has tons of information about TBI swaps.

Thank you sir. I really would like to go this route if it will work.

 

[cmelo]

Basically any chevy with the 7747 ECM will adapt very easily to a 360. The reason why I recommend one from a chevy is only to save you the trouble of having to burn a chip for the 360 as a stock 350 chip should get you buy. Not to mention the injectors are the right size as well.

 

[DieselSJ]

Forget the EFI and go with a diesel swap. GM 6.5L turbo diesel, Art Car prepped super duty diesel towing 700R4, NP208. Thing pulls like a freight train and nets me 24mpg on the highway and 22 in commuter slog. I will say that the hydroboost made huge difference in the stopping ability, even with the stock disks and drums. Next upgrade is going to be with the bigger pads and caliper options from a GM truck (all bolt-on for the SJ).

If you want to stick with gas, then grab a GM 6.0 with trans and everything.

 

[FlexdXJ]

Forget the EFI and go with a diesel swap. GM 6.5L turbo diesel, Art Car prepped super duty diesel towing 700R4, NP208. Thing pulls like a freight train and nets me 24mpg on the highway and 22 in commuter slog. I will say that the hydroboost made huge difference in the stopping ability, even with the stock disks and drums. Next upgrade is going to be with the bigger pads and caliper options from a GM truck (all bolt-on for the SJ).

If you want to stick with gas, then grab a GM 6.0 with trans and everything.

OR do the right thing and stuff a Cummins in it and call it a day!

 

[thechief86]

also, the 727 that most of them came with has been argued as the best 3spd automatic you could hope for from that era. many of the high powered mopar musclecars used them, and i've seen them in cummins diesel ton trucks. you should do a cummins 4bt swap, so you can run on rendered zombie fat. the versatility is priceless!

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

If you want a Jeep tow rig I'd go with one of these:

J-Series pickup. Go J-3000/J-4000/J-20, it will be 3/4 or 1 ton, some came with 401's and D60 rears. T18 4spds were an option. Similar to a Waggy but had some more HD