Scratch Trent Campbell and you’ll see his blood runs Jeep red, white, and blue. Poke a little more and you’ll see Di-Noc woodgrain panels. That’s because Trent has been into Jeep FSJ (Full Size Jeep) Wagoneers since he was a kid. His grandfather owned four Wagoneers, and Trent got one of them for his high school ride. He fixed up the ’78 Waggy into a pretty capable off-roader and spent a lot of time in the backcountry of Washington State.

Then, as it does, life happened. Trent got married, his first child arrived, and the Wagoneer got sold and replaced with a station wagon (we know—a Wagoneer literally has wagon in the name, but stay with us here).

Fast forward a few years and we find Trent, his four brothers, and his father at King of the Hammers, and one evening’s conversation turned to Wagoneers.

“We were sitting there and thinking it would be really cool to build one, but there is a lot that goes into a build and how you go about it,” Trent explained.

But his brothers had an ace up their sleeve—a yard full of Wagoneers, including a 1979 that was acquired from the son of the original owner. If that sounds familiar, re-read Paragraph One and see if a shiver doesn’t run down your spine.

So Trent now had a Wagoneer and family members willing to help build it. Now he needed a plan, some parts, and a shop where they could put it all together. As one of the owners of Carbuff Network, a website where parts manufacturers and vehicle builders can network and showcase their projects, Trent knew people. So he gathered a group of off-road parts folks and enthusiasts together to map out the build.

The consensus was to build the Wagoneer as a showcase for the best off-road parts—and parts for FSJs in particular—and debut at the industry’s biggest venue, the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Dom Tucci Designs created a rendering that made a coherent package of the group’s ideas and products. And that is how Sasquatch was born.

“Most builders don’t want to deal with a lot of manufacturers,” Trent said. “We’re the opposite. This vehicle is built to show off products. In fact, 14 new products for the full-size Jeep community made their debut on Sasquatch.”

With plan in hand, the Wagoneer was loaded on a trailer and hauled to Resurgence Automotive in Fairfield, Utah. The shop builds all sorts of classic cars and trucks, but specializes in building first-gen Ford Broncos, including 5.0L Coyote engine swaps. Resurgence was tasked with teardown, bodywork and paint, and final assembly. CBM Designs in Milwaukie, Oregon did the axle assembly work.

See more of Sasquatch in our SEMA Mini-Feature here. (Image/Trent Campbell)

Sasquatch Highlights

Note: There’s a full parts list at the bottom of this article.

Drivetrain

The 392 cubic inch Gen. III Hemi is straight out of a production 2021 Jeep Wrangler 392. The engine was tuned with HP Tuners’ VCM Suite MPVI3 tuning software. DeWitts Radiator made the custom aluminum radiator and shroud and SPAL provided the dual 12-inch electric fans. Resurgence built an air intake using Summit Racing aluminum tubing and conical air filter element.

The 392 is hooked to a Tremec TR-4050 five-speed manual transmission designed specifically for dual-purpose rigs. McLeod provided an RST twin-clutch kit, a steel flywheel, and hydraulic throwout bearing. Silver Sport Transmission provided the clutch master cylinder kit and an STX shifter that moves the shifter location forward. An Advance Adapters Atlas II Trail Series transfer case with an 3:81 gear assembly sends power to the axles.

Exhaust & Fuel Systems

The exhaust system features a set of custom-made Ultimate Headers shorty headers connected to a 2.5 inch dual exhaust system built with Summit Racing exhaust components and MagnaFlow mufflers.

The fuel system features a BJ’s Full-Size Jeep Parts 27 gallon main tank fitted with an Aeromotive Phantom 340 electric fuel pump and a 20 gallon auxiliary tank with an Aeromotive Phantom 200 pump. The main fuel line has an Aeromotive bypass fuel pressure regulator and 10-micron fuel filter. Hagan Street Rod Necessities worked with Resurgence Automotive to design and manufacture the dual fuel filler hidden by a modern looking fuel door.

Suspension

One Up Off Road makes a kit to fit Ford Super Duty suspension with Dana 60 and Ford 10.5 inch axles under full-size Jeep trucks. Sasquatch is the first FSJ to use a revised kit that features off-the-shelf Fox Shox Performance Elite Series 2.5 bypass shocks. 

The Dana 60 axle was upgraded with a Yukon Gear 35-spline axle shaft kit, 4.88 gears, and a Zip Locker air locker differential. The 10.5 inch axle got Yukon 4.88 gears and a Zip Locker. Yukon Gear also supplied an air compressor to feed the lockers. Both axles got Yukon Gear Hardcore nodular iron differential covers, and the Dana 60 was fitted with Warn manual locking hubs.

Brakes, Wheels & Tires

A Power Stop Z36 Truck and Tow brake kit for a Ford F-250 Super Duty provides four-wheel disc brakes for Sasquatch. The kit includes 13 inch rotors, ceramic brake pads with carbon fiber reinforcement for fade-free stopping power, and remanufactured two-piston calipers

37.00 x 12.50-17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T tires are mounted on 17 x 9 inch Vision Wheel OJOS beadlock wheels. The Baja Boss tires have an asymmetric tread pattern design to improve handling and on-center feel while reducing noise, deep, wide voids for better off-road traction, and mud scoops to prevent mud from clinging to the tread.

Roll Cage

Resurgence Automotive built a 8 point roll cage using Summit Racing 1.75 inch DOM steel tubing, Trail Gear tube clamps, Teraflex anchor plates, and Trail Gear and Allstar Performance gussets and chassis tabs.

Other Items

Sasquatch has enough KC HiLiTES LED lighting to illuminate half the country and a Warn Zeon 12-S winch to get itself out of trouble. Inside the truck is custom leather upholstery by Moore and Giles; Recaro seats; a Dakota Digital VHX Series gauge cluster; Vintage Air climate control; and Tuffy Security storage.

There is one final twist to the Sasquatch saga as Trent explains:

“I was walking to my car and in the parking lot was this full-size Jeep Gladiator pickup. I got the owner’s attention and I told him I liked his truck. He said thanks and proceeded to tell me about a Wagoneer he sold a few years ago that just went to SEMA. I pulled my phone out and showed him a picture of Sasquatch. He looked at me and said, ‘You must be Trent!’”

“It turns out my Wagoneer had belonged to this guy’s father and had been in the family for more than 40 years. He told me how it was difficult to sell the Jeep but he couldn’t take it with him when he moved to Ohio, but he was thrilled to see what his dad’s old truck had become.”

You can see the spec sheet and photos of Sasquatch on the Carbuff Network website. You can also learn about the project’s evolution and get some behind-the-scenes looks at the build in these videos:

Sasquatch 1979 Jeep Wagoneer Parts Available at Summit Racing

Drivetrain

Exhaust System

Fuel System

Axles and Suspension

Transfer Case

Brakes, Wheels, Tires

Lighting

Interior

Misc.

Roll Cage

Keywords
Featured vehicles, Jeep, Wagoneer
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Author: Alan Rebescher

Editor, author, PR man—Alan Rebescher has done it all in a 37 year career in the high performance industry. He has written and photographed many feature stories and tech articles for Summit Racing and various magazines including Hot Rod, Car Craft, and Popular Hot Rodding, and edited Summit Racing’s Street & Strip magazine in the 1990s. His garage is currently occupied by a a 1996 Mustang GT ragtop.