Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Serious 4 Wheel Drives

is he still around?

A good friend had one of these back when we were teenagers. I don't think that there was ever a better built "stock" 4wd IMO.

my knees are chit and it hurts like hell to run a clutch.....on the lookout for a Jeep with an Automatic.....found a beat up TJ locally pretty cheap but its got a 5 speed had it also had the 4.0 i prolly woulda bought it and swapped out but dont feel like doing that with the 2.5 thats in it.....if it already had the automatic i woulda just dealt with the 2.5....

Rattler,

Why not drop an auto box in yours? At least you know its history..

Regards,

Peter

Serious 4 wheel drives around here don't have rocks to contend with, just mud. It would be something that doesn't weigh 3 tons, with lots of ground clearance, tall tires with big lugs, adequate gearing, and a good winch. Not much in the way of lockers, big power, or huge axles around here. A good Jeep or Toyota with 33-38" bias ply tires will do most of what we want to do.

cant do it without heavy fab work.....between the inline 6 and the short wheelbase there isnt enough room...in order to make it work i would have to find a short V6 motor to put in it to give me extra room for the automatic transmission.....or loose 4WD by taking out the transfer case to make the room.....CJ5's are just to damn short with the 4.2L straight 6 like mine has....

Serious 4 wheel drives are trailer queens.
I don't own or want a trailer queen.
Had way to many trailer queens. Decided a street legal fits me better as I get older. Of course it has to be a Rubicon model. Two days of wheeling is about all my old back can stand.

with the short wheelbase a street legal jeep can get you a hell of alot of places.....might not be the ultimate mud bogger or rock crawler but its one hell of a capable vehicle....same with the old Toyotas

Look for an XJ. Street legal, will go where you want it too in your state. Has a heater and AC. Most came with auto trans.

i had a 95 XJ , my first vehicle.....loved that thing never got it stuck where i needed pulled out.....had to dig my self out many times but never had to be towed out when screwing around out in the hills.......but gave it to my step daughter when she got her licence and she backed into a pole with the passenger door open it also had a manual......sold it to my next door neighbor and he fixed it up......much rather have a CJ or Wrangler.....totally impractical for here in the winter but lots of fun spring summer and fall.....

Well my 98 TJ would be just what you need, but not for sale. My 06 Rubicon is my DD when not in the truck.
98 has the fiberglass top. It might rain someday down here. Really good thing about it is that Jeep came with the D-44 and not the 35-C axle. Stronger, doesn't break as easy. Auto also, but old 3 speed, I think the next year Jeep went to a 4 speed.

i want something like a 98 TJ, especially a TJ with a 4.0L(loved that engine in my XJ).....would love a Rubicon but to much money for a toy when i have to have a truck too

The one I put up is a 98 tj with 4.0 Sahara. But it is 5speed as well. I swore them off years ago but seems like everytime I find something I like its a manual, but I can live with that for now.

I think most came with the 4.0 after the YJ 4 cyl.
Only 4 cylinder ever owned is a 46. Gave that one to my son, still runs but is a trailer queen to get to lease when used. Amazing how small those are compared to my LJ.
Hang in there. Kids will not be around forever, then the money flows into more toys.

i think i taught a dozen people to drive stick with that 5 speed in the 95 XJ.....it was extremely forgiving for a beginner and took the punishment of several people learning how to use a clutch with out a hiccup....still had the original clutch in it when i sold it.....

I drove only manuals. This 98 was bought on a trip down to Austin to see one son who got his degree in that town. Dogone if we didn't drive by a Jeep dealership that had a Red 98 sitting out front. Wife said oh I like that one. So we stopped and bought. She really did drive it for the first 50,000, busting your kidneys. Then gave to oldest son. Later years he had two kids to put in childs seats in the back of that thing (TJ). Felt bad so I gave him an XJ with a puck lift and 31's. 4 door auto. Made it easier on him. As life moved on I traded a 02 highlander or was going to trade it in on a Camery for the wife. Dealership wouldn't give enough, so I just called oldest son and asked if he wanted to trade one of his Jeeps for the Toyota, he said sure and gave me the 98, that's why I have that one back.
I use it to go to PO box. Keeps it running.

I don't think any are serious here. Serious is built, not street legal, able to go up 36" straight up and down ledges that kind of deal. But I do have fun watching you guys break your Jeeps. Used to do that all the time.
Best I ever saw was a 30' wall with a small ramp. Moon buggies were all that used it. Climb that 30' wall hang the front tires on the top edge. ( Front and back brakes used separate)then work the buggy up and over the top. I'm not that brave in my older age.

That's how my boys learned to drive. At that time it was an 87 XJ, standard. I just let em run at the deer lease. Later they would come back.

Sorry about the long stories guys. Was die hard until age catches up on the 4x4's.

The one on the left is mine, the one on the right is my brothers.