Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Can’t beat a Jeep. Just saying.

Back in the 80's, I had a co-worker who was in a Jeep offroad club. Those guys were nuts. He'd come home after an outing and start fixing. He said if you didn't spend $500 (in 80's money) in repairs, you didn't have enough fun. I couldn't afford his kind of fun. I had a family and he was single.

Love my 2015 JKUHR ruby

Yeah, every time a buddy wanted to go out 4 wheeling with his jeep, I took my yota and he would always be breaking parts. Parts would actually be falling off of that sob. He had a couple jeeps and it was always the same thing. He had old CJ's and the last one was a 90's wrangler. He finally gave up on the pos things after he couldn't go where I went in my '85 short bed yota. His was terrible, it actually went pretty good when it was in 2wd, but when you needed 4x it was absolutely useless. Pretty much stuck at that point...



"It's a jeep thing"

A well-built Jeep is an amazing trail machine. It really is. But customs can be so far removed from factory rigs that they don't necessarily reflect the brand anymore.

When I lived in AZ in the 1990's, I was wheeling with larger vehicles and had to negotiate some really tight turns that I am sure the Jeepers flew though. In particular, I remember going through a stand of trees that took forever with my lifted 71 Blazer. It just didn't fit. The trails were made by Jeepers. Can't fault them for it. They broke the trails, and everyone else followed.

That said, I hired a technician that did a fair amount of work on Jeeps. Broken axles on factory rigs, etc. And I hired an engineer that tested FCA vehicles, including Jeeps, for the manufacturer. Some interesting stories from them. None make we want to run out and buy a 2020 Jeep.

It seems like Jeep owners are loyal fans. They buy them no matter what. No matter what anyone else thinks or says. Brand loyalty is an amazing thing.

Ha! Reminds me of an old friend of mine. He had a Jeep Commando with limited slips in both ends and a 69 Bronco with 3:55 open diffs. He swore that for whatever reason that little Bronco would go places with no trouble that the Commando couldn’t even think of going. He claimed there was some combination of magic in the wheelbase and track width of the 66-77 Bronco.

My only real Jeep experience comes from having an 80 something Wrangler, whatever year was the last year for carbs on the straight six. It was a gigantic POS that nothing ever worked right on, especially the 5sp trans that was apparently made of glass or at least broke like it was. That thing cured me of ever wanting another Wrangler. I might entertain the idea of a CJ if they had room in the back for more than a pack of hotdog buns.

1989 was the last year for the carb 4.2.

CJ6 has more room. So does the CJ8. 2004-2006 LJs are longer as well.

Years ago I had a '78 Wagoneer. It just had the standard 4x4, both open diffs. It was pretty good off road but my buddy had an old Chevy 3/4 ton delivery van, 2x4 with a limited slip rear end. It was kind of like this pic. That limited slip would go places my 4x4 wouldn't go. Just having 1 locked axle made a big difference.

It originally had a 3-spd. After he burned out the 3d clutch hauling firewood, I talked him into putting a 4-spd in it. It only cost him about $100 more and he paid for it several times over in clutches.

The idea, mine at least is to build a capable trail rig. Now, depending on how extreme the trails you want to run, makes a difference in what/how one builds.

I have seen the best built Jeeps and Toyota's for that matter, broken. Sometimes it is just bad luck, mostly it is from lack of attention when on the trail, or too much skinny pedal.

When I was a kid of maybe 16 (late 60’s) I had my first Jeep adventure.
A bunch of us kids from the same work location went out to the local hill climb in the bosses B model flat fender Jeep. That thing was pure stock, as I recall. 4 cylinder and the military type tires.

He loaded three or four of us in it and we ground our way to the top of this really nasty hill climb.
It went up it like it was nothing at all. I was amazed!
Then the boss says that he smells hot brakes....? Turns out he had the hand brake on all that time, but in low range 4x4 it simply walked right up that hill without a hitch!

I was impressed enough to later own a couple of CJ7’s.
They were just OK, no room for anything and there seemed to always be something that needed fixing.
My Yamaha Grizzly 700 does all the back woods travel for me now.
Most of the gussied up Jeeps I see in town now are parking lot queens......

I grew up in a Jeep family, every ranch vehicle was a 6 cylinder 3 speed pickup and one became my daily driver. I’ve had a 1958 FC 150 for 45 years and still use it.

Pops friends were all a bunch of wheeling fanatics when I was growing up, and then I got into it also. Jeeps, blazers, broncos, FJ40's and then Suzuki Samurai's.
With a lift kit and Lock right kits in the axles, those suki's were the best of the bunch, hand down.

The FC are cool...when I'm done with my 6, one is on my list to build...

Pulled Sour Apple out this past weekend....

Sactoller,

I hope you are well.

My first car a, CJ-7, combined with highways rutted up by oilfield transport trucks cured me personally of wanting another CJ, but I can appreciate that is a GREAT CJ. I'm currently diligently looking for a TJ right now to drive around town and on our lease out near you.

Yep, crappy roads at speed in a CJ can be a little dicey.

Look for an LJ it is worth the extra length!

Toyota guy here.......

Never had a Jeep......

Purty popular in Utah though.....

Here's me dirty '78 CJ5 that I've owned since 1987. Replaced it's under-powered original AMC 304 V8 with a 401 V8 in 1991. Prior to that, I scattered it's semi-weak T-150 3 speed trans, then replaced it with an old Ford truck T-98 (precursor to T-18) 4 speed granny low transmission. After that, I knew the weak-azzed model 20 rear axle wouldn't last, and had a Ford Dana 60 rear-end narrowed to 52" built for the rear end, running a Powr-Lok diff. It's lifted about 3.5" and runs 33x13.50 Super Swamper TSX tires on "back-in-the-day" 15"x10" Enkei rims.


And, here's me '06 Rubicon:



Anyone know what a Dynatrac reverse rotation front Dana 44 axle looks like?:

And this is me Rubicon at Glamis sand dunes in southern CA, near Yuma, AZ a few months back. In the picture, we are at the bottom of the famous "Oldsmobile hill" for those of you've who've been to Glamis. The Rubicon struggled to get up the talcum powder-soft sand dune in 2nd and 3rd gear (of it's 6-speed) in 4-low and revving it's poor 4.0 litre 6 cylinder to RPMs that I thought would bring a rod through the side of the block! The Rubi will be staying home next time to preserve it's engine, and I'll bring me CJ5 with it's paddle tires to play in the dunes, or simply use the Canam.



And THIS is why, even in my 50s, we go to Glamis, for the scenery!!!

oh yea..........bet that seat has more than sweat on it......

Hell if ya can't, pass a first gen yota, bobbed off, any day, every day...