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Sparkydog
Sparkydog Reader
12/16/19 11:48 a.m.

It makes a better cybertruck than the cybertruck.

californiamilleghia
californiamilleghia Dork
12/16/19 11:51 a.m.

Was there ever an all wheel drive factory setup for that chassis ....

GhiaMonster
GhiaMonster Reader
12/16/19 12:15 p.m.

You are doing it right sir.  We had a field Caprice for a few years and someone gifted me a set of dry rotted AT tires. Always loved the look.

dculberson
dculberson MegaDork
12/16/19 12:32 p.m.

Well, I'm in love. A friend has a neglected 1994 Caprice wagon that I could probably get for a song. I don't need another project, I don't need another project, I don't ...

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
12/16/19 1:42 p.m.

Following closely as I want to do that to a Fleetwood. 

Wally
Wally MegaDork
12/16/19 1:46 p.m.

In reply to californiamilleghia :

The B Bodies never came with AWD but I've spent too much time wondering if AWD Astro van parts could be used somehow. 

JesseWolfe
JesseWolfe Reader
12/16/19 2:18 p.m.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't this S10 and G-Body metric front end for suspension?   That'd make an AWD swap a bit more simple. 

Zachary
Zachary New Reader
12/16/19 4:46 p.m.

Awd would be amazing, but unlikely for this monster. More likely is a winch and basic recovery gear to embolden dumb ideas to their fullest potential. I have a high-lift jack from my jeepin days that I'd like to mount to a beefy rear bumper with tire carrier. Anybody got a 16in wheel that matches the ones on my wagon? I'm trolling the local junkyard for a matching-ish wheel and a rear bumper I can make work. Also in the planning stage is a roof rack that can expand out to hold two canoes at a time, or a canoe and storage box to hold wet canoe gear instead of it taking over the interior as it currently does. Someone on here had a cool platform roof rack made out of ramps if I remember right. Something like that to serve as an observation deck would be sweet. I'm also contemplating making one of these road showers to mount up in the summer time.

I cut up some reflectix into curtains for the back and side windows, and a fabric black out curtain for behind the seats. The seats fold flat into a 4'x7' platform. Combined with a 2 inch memory foam mattress that got cut to fit and some dedicated bedding it makes a pretty comfy over-nighter. I've crashed in the wagon while parked in cities with no one the wiser. I double taped some black no see-em netting to the insides of the little back window wings to get some airflow without getting ate alive by mosquitos, but a fan and some larger openings would have been appreciated on a couple of the humid summer nights I camped in this year.

I'm a little slow with progress, but when I make an "improvement" I'll post it up for your entertainment!

Zachary
Zachary New Reader
12/16/19 4:55 p.m.

Bonus question:

Anyone know what vehicle i can find in the junkyard with the word OFF on the badging? I'm thinking what I have on my hands is the "Off Roadmaster"

old_
old_ HalfDork
12/16/19 6:47 p.m.

Nissan Xterra with the off road package has "off road" badges on the front doors. Kinda rareish package though. Or something like this https://www.amazon.com/Chrome-Finish-Metal-Emblem-Letter/dp/B00QF0LO3G?th=1&psc=1

 

 

pimpm3
pimpm3 UltraDork
12/16/19 7:29 p.m.

In reply to Zachary :

Buy another roadmaster badge.  Use the "O" the "E" and one of the "R" s.  A little trimming should net you "OFF"

Recon1342
Recon1342 Reader
12/16/19 8:36 p.m.
Billy_Bottle_Caps
Billy_Bottle_Caps SuperDork
12/17/19 4:25 p.m.

That is fantastic!

Sparkydog
Sparkydog Reader
12/17/19 6:11 p.m.
pimpm3 said:

In reply to Zachary :

Buy another roadmaster badge.  Use the "O" the "E" and one of the "R" s.  A little trimming should net you "OFF"

Same concept - 2 "FORD" badges trimmed up will get you..."OFF"

xflowgolf
xflowgolf SuperDork
12/19/19 10:32 a.m.
Zachary said:

Oh that is good!  I love when these threads come back to life with finished goods.  

penultimeta
penultimeta HalfDork
12/19/19 10:59 a.m.

This thread definitely has me rethinking the value of late generation B bodies. I've always envisioned them as fodder for cheap hot rod builds. Now I wonder if they're better suited for cheap 4-wheeler builds. Hm. 

Zachary
Zachary New Reader
1/22/21 4:13 p.m.

Well the ol' battle wagon is currently down and I could use some advise from the hive. A little background: Shortly after I purchased this fine machine it developed a miss in the high rpm range. More than a miss really. If you nailed the gas, right before shifting from first to second it would completely cut out for a half second. It would only happen if you floored it completely. I did some reading and thought the Optispark might be a likely culprit and put replacing it on the back burner since it didn't impact everyday drivability. Fast forward two years and it had the same symptom and I still hadn't got around to changing it out.  I was bombing it down a dirt road and it just turned off like you had thrown a light switch and wouldn't fire, cough or anything. I yanked it home and came back to it a few days later and it fired right up like nothing happened. After more online reading it seemed like the optispark was probably on the way out. I think my water pump had been dripping on the poor thing so I ordered up a new water pump and distributor cap and hoped that sealed up with a fresh cap and free from antifreeze drips the dang thing would keep doing it's optical magic. I let it sit for a couple months before I got to it and by this time it would run very rough after you started it if it had any load on it. After swaping the water pump and cap it still runs like crap, although if it warms up and runs for a while it does get better, but will still cut out and stumble/run rough in the higher RPM ranges.

Do I take it back apart and try my luck with an aftermarket Optispark? Did something else go wrong while it was sitting around and I'd only be chasing my tail with the ignition?

 

Patrick (Forum Supporter)
Patrick (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
1/22/21 5:16 p.m.

Formerly owning an lt1 with goofy ignition problems, a new opti fixed it

Indy "Nub" Guy
Indy "Nub" Guy PowerDork
1/22/21 6:25 p.m.

In reply to Zachary :

I'd start with a new coil and confirm ALL wiring to and from coil to Opti is good first.  If that all checks out. Replace opti

jfryjfry (FS)
jfryjfry (FS) Dork
1/22/21 8:57 p.m.

Has no one else marveled at the actual legitimate use of canoes in this thread?

CAllg
CAllg
6/8/23 4:39 a.m.

In reply to Zachary :

Did you not change the rear springs/shocks at all just new tires and the front Chevy 2500 shock/spring?

MrStickShift
MrStickShift Reader
6/8/23 9:15 a.m.

Following this thread, as a Roadmaster wagon owner

The_Jed
The_Jed PowerDork
6/8/23 9:29 a.m.

Man, that lifted wagon makes me miss my old beater of a '99 Crown Vic. I put the P71 coil springs from moog on it and I think the rears were something like 250 lb/in but the fronts were 720 lb/in! 

It was hilarious to drive and gave it probably 2 or 3 inches of lift. Any time you went over something with any sort of speed the front springs were so under-damped they would be momentarily compressed by the obstacle then shoot out to full stretch with so much force that the suspension would top out and the tires would come off the ground. It was like driving a 4,000 pogo stick. It went through pitman arms at an alarming rate due to the questionable steering geometry.


Driving home from work one evening, during a tornado, a tree got blown down right in front of me as I was hurrying to get home. It covered the whole road so I just went over it, at about 65 mph. I didn't see any damage and continued to drive it for quite a while after that. It was later passed on to another GRMer who took it through the Gambler 500.

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