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Gambler 500 B Body LT1 Wagon

DMG

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May 20, 2020
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Pardon the crappy build thread, we slapped this pig together without documenting much.


This car belongs to me and a friend. We had been running the Gambler in my 03 Tundra prerunner/overlander but it was too easy and not nearly stressful enough. So we began looking for our car. It was going to be a B body (caprice/impala/roadmaster. It was going to be a wagon with the LT1 and tow package. Which meant a 94, 95 or 96.

The Gambler 500:

2018 https://highpointoutdoors.com/blogs/...it-gambler-500

2019 https://highpointoutdoors.com/pages/2019-detroit-gambler-500-gallery



After a few months we found exactly what we were looking for, a 96 Roadmaster Wagon with the towing package. We got it for $600 but the guy probably would have taken half that after finding out our plans for the car. Then my partner in the car started selling off trim and misc junk off the car to people restoring These things. We sold over $300 worth of unnecessary crap off the car.

We rounded up some parts, taking our time to keep cost down.

Used bfg 30-9.50s
Used Lockright from a 95 Chevy 1500. The tow package means we can use Chevy truck parts in the rear diff.
(We welded it first and didn’t like how it drove)
2-3 inch donk spacer lift
New shocks
New optispark and plug wires to correct lots of misfires
2 glaapack mufflers I had laying around
 
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Welding the rear, mounting tires, making good tow points.
 
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Optispark replacement. Pictures of the car in the yard.

20190423_131412.jpg


20200906_130316.jpg
 
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Some pics from the SW PA Gambler.
 
These kids came out and beat this PT Cruiser to death and hauled it out, didn’t leave a piece in the woods.



https://imgur.com/gallery/pyYqiSd

You mentioned in another thread you were going to do the Detroit gambler. If you're serious, it goes right by my place. About 30 minutes from the end point. You should pm me when you're going to do it. We can meet up for a drink or two.
 
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You mentioned in another thread you were going to do the Detroit gambler. If you're serious, it goes right by my place. About 30 minutes from the end point. You should pm me when you're going to do it. We can meet up for a drink or two.

We skipped the 2020 Detroit Gambler but make the other years. I think we will do the ‘21 Gambler unless a Moab trip gets in the way. I will definitely PM you if we go. Are you near St Helens?
 
Somewhat close to there.
There are a bunch of wheeling areas out there that are a nice little secret. My buddy knows all of them.
Let me know.
 
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Somewhat close to there.
There are a bunch of wheeling areas out there that are a nice little secret. My buddy knows all of them.
Let me know.

I definitely will.

That is a really cool area. Random dunes in the middle of the woods and trails everywhere. It’s nice that they put atv/sled trails alongside the roads, too. I wish Pennsylvania would follow Michigan’s OHV model.
 
I definitely will.

That is a really cool area. Random dunes in the middle of the woods and trails everywhere. It’s nice that they put atv/sled trails alongside the roads, too. I wish Pennsylvania would follow Michigan’s OHV model.

Michigan is kind of a nice little secret for our trail systems. The up is even betterer:laughing:Go to the right places and you'll find rocks the size of jeeps, water falls, all kinds of terrain in one spot. (Canada is better from what i hear though)
I keep wanting to go out of state to wheel(haha that's a joke since everything i own is a project right now) but know there's so much here to see and do that i really wouldn't need to if i didn't want to.
 
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That is awesome!

Had a buddy back in the day take his Fury III off-roading with some guys in keeps.

The trails were limited, but he made most of them no sweat and jumped the train tracks for a grand finaly.

Then he drove it home sans one muffler.:homer:
 
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We did the Detroit Gambler last weekend. Some really cool vehicles there but the fish cops up north and the Detroit pd were all over us. We need to find a new Gambler to attend.

We stuffed the car hard in the whoops and broke the the radiator then fixed it with JB Weld. Also blew up the Lockright and the car developed a miss. It was a long drive from St Helen to Troy where the tow rig was parked.
 
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