Curiosity or friends got you here so just what are we about. The Wagon Way site is two guys sharing and giving back to the wheeling community. We have been there, done that and are willing to tell you about it. We both owned FJ40’s at one time but these days we just happen to enjoy wheeling in wagons, wagons that are also daily drivers. Our wagon of choice is the 60 series Land Cruiser. Reliable, durable, easy to modify and built like a tank.
The site is about rock solid advice on what you can do with and in a wagon. It's a source for information, answers or a link to what you need. Technical know how that can be trusted without question. Inspiration for your own adventures, as you won’t believe the places you can put a wagon.
This is not a forum. While forums are full of good advice, they are also a risk for bad advice. The anonymity allows someone to spew out garbage all day and no one knows who they are and just what they really know. Here it is only real people with real names and years of practical experience. Everything on the site has been done to one or both of our rigs. And even though we both drive 60's you will find they are very different.
No one pays their way to get on here. We make mention of companies and individuals that we have dealt with and received good to great service from. And if we have been shafted by someone we will tell you that too. But probably with kind words so they don’t sue us. We will even give them a shot at redeeming themselves.
What’s in a wagon? Family, friends and my dog (who happens to be both). Wagons have plenty of room for others, they are inclusive, rather than exclusive. And to be honest you don’t even have to drive a wagon to find something of interest here on the site. Be sure to check back often for updates, edits and additional articles.
The Wagon Way is a mindset, a way to wheel and act, a philosophy if you will. But not one that is in your face.
There is a right way, a wrong way and The Wagon Way.
Eric Burch and Tony Konovaloff
By Tony K
Time and road salt eventually take their toll on our wagons resulting in the dreaded body or frame swap. But other than lots of bolts, wires and fuel lines it’s really not that hard to do. The main concern is to be safe as you will have a lot of metal up in the air and a chassis rolling around to add to the fun.
By Tony K
Essentially there were two frames used under our wagons, early (up to 84) and late (85 on). They were pretty much identical with the exception of how engines, trannies and other components were mounted. But late (88-90) model frames did get an additional crossmember layer at the rear which adds some strength. But do remember that no matter what engine and tranny combo was installed, any year body of the 60 Series will bolt to any year frame, all the body mounts are in the same location. My 82 BJ actually sits on an 89 FJ62 frame.
By Tony K
At first glance the shifter on our wagons is quite the contraption. What appears to be a single lever engages 4wd and moves between hi and low range. While it may seem to be simple, the lever doesn’t enter the t-case like the shifter on the tranny. The lever accomplishes all this with pivots and linkage. Moving the lever forward and aft shifts between 2 and 4wd and moving the lever left and right moves it in and out of low range.
By Tony K
And just why is this diaphragm so important? Believe it or not (and some of the diesel mechs I work with are still amazed) there is no mechanical connection to the throttle on our 3B’s. Acceleration is controlled by vacuum pressure through this diaphragm. On most diesels the throttle actually moves the rack inside the injection pump, on our 3B’s the pedal just moves the butterfly in the intake which controls how much vacuum is applied to the injection pump which in turn moves the rack in the pump and hence, acceleration.
By Tony K
When I first started taking on tougher wheeling I did what a lot of people do, I used the line of the rig in front of me. And lucky for me that was usually a wagon driven by Eric. All in all this was a great way to learn, mostly because Eric really knows where to put the wheels on his wagon.
