GlampingOn
Ranger
Respect!
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Jeep Cherokee
- Thread starter Sweeney
- Start date
Sweeney
Administrator
Just a little surface rust
I've been going through family documents -- I found a Kaiser-Jeep paperwork from my Dad's records. This from way back when, Jeep and Studebaker somehow passed assets to Kaiser-Jeep, which merged with Willy's...I dunno...its too much for me this early....oh, here.
Apparently in my family lineage, Jeeps run deep. Yet somehow Fiat owns them now...maybe they'll spin it off into a new company where Jeep can 'return' to being the once proud name instead of a much maligned and abused brand.
View attachment upload_2023-3-24_8-45-2.png
I've had 5 Jeeps over the years, starting with a well used '63 Willy's FC 150 with a flat 4cyl., then an '84 AMC Cherokee OHV 4cyl, then Chrysler bought Jeep and I got an '87 Jeep Cherokee with the inline 6 cyl, then a new '93 Grand Cherokee V8, and a new '04 Grand Cherokee Laredo V8 which we currently have . The '87 with the inline was probably the most dependable, so I think you are on the right track. The '93 went through viscous couplers in the transfer case about every 30-40K miles. The '63 & '84 with the 4 cyl. engines were both under powered. The 2004 has been pretty trouble free, but it only has 32K miles on it, so not really enough to give a true longevity testament as far as miles are concerned anyway. It got to haul the CI on it's voyage home from IL, but from then on the diesel VW's have handled the task. Now it gets used as needed for boat launching, trash trailer hauling, and snow storm navigation, but otherwise lives in the garage.
Tour 931
Ranger
Do I see a 63 Ford and a 64 Chev?
rmbrowder
Junior Ranger
An eye for cars? Here is the same Willys with the 67 GTO (400 cubic inches, 365 horsepower, 4 Barrel Holley) I don’t know if my dad realized why the back rear tire went bald so fast (3 teenage boys).
Sweeney
Administrator
I've got my eye on a 98. Doing a 'zoom' preview of it this week. 157000 miles, but its rust free. I've seen less miles but they were not as nice as this one is on first glance. There's one down in Florida with ~87k on it if this preview doesn't go well.
I'm a little worried about it being under powered even with the 4.0 --- but I'm a 65mph driver and don't have a lot of hills except those few times a year I go south or east....
The Cherokee is a smaller vehicle than what I have now -- I hope I can get all my stuff to fit
When America was great, chrome was thick, and people worried about turn off electrical items to save energy....
Ah yes, the good old days...my first car was a '63 VW bug painted Cat yellow, with a black racing stripe, and black tinted windows. The first thing I did when I got it was order oversized jugs and pistons, a 3/4 race cam, and dual intake manifolds from JC Whitney, to change the 1 barrel carb out for two 2 barrel carbs. Wheel adapters allowed 70 series 14in chrome reverse wheels and baby moons in back, and slightly narrower in front. It could actually lay down a rubber strip in first, and get a chirp out of second..... but it was unlike the older girlfriends '70 GTO with discs on front and drums on back, which allowed for some real impressive smoking burnouts. Unfortunately she also found out how long the rear tires lasted doing that as well, which all but put an end to it.
Van_and_Terri
Ranger
My first car was a used 69VW which I bought in 1973 for $800.
Long Truong
Junior Ranger
$800 in 1973 is roughly equivalent to $5400 now. That'd still be a killer price for a four year old car now ha!
Van_and_Terri
Ranger
It did drop a valve soon after I bought it. The previous owner had never adjusted the valve clearances. That cost me $150 at the time. Drove it for 5 years.
Sweeney
Administrator
Darned pay wall. Thank goodness for the safari "Reader" which bypasses most of them
I think the era of jeep ended when they dropped the straight 6, and has been continuing to get worse as the focus changed from rugged utility to luxury. Guess this is what people want. At least some people. I'm seeing restored jeeps from the glory days that are selling for as much, or more, than they sold for brand new.
I watch a number of 'mechanic' youtube channels...South Main Auto, Rainman Ray and to a lesser degree Scotty Kilmer. The general dissatisfaction with car companies today is apparent. I don't think any of them have too many kind words for any of the 'big 3'
Sweeney
Administrator
I'd look at older outbacks too. Subaru for its faults made a damned fine vehicle!!!! We still have our 2012 with 160k on it, and it uses a little oil (all do) but has been generally a very good car.
Other than tires and brakes, it has been very reliable.
We're just replacing the control arms, and steering components -- it started to shake and shimmy -- out the door my mechanic (independent shop...right to repair is important!!!) will have it done fro less than $500. The last repair was a variable valve timing component which was a little more than that.
Both of the repairs are FAR less than a monthly payment
The 6 cyl gets respectable economy, and will go up and down mountains all day without even a subtle reminder the camp inn is in tow.
Subi's have some problems, but our so far has been very manageable, and only a few items have been caused by stupid. :\
My 'fleet' consists of
1] 2012 Subaru Outback (H6) with has been used to tow cross country numerous time, and I am sure will again. Little long in the tooth but still an awesome vehicle that we plan on keeping for as long as we can.
2] 2022 Rav4 Hybrid - Very solid Cute Ute with OK storage, mostly used for shorter trips. Daily driver which will act as backup tow vehicle if the other 2 aren't available. Its OK but I feel 'right at the limit' with it and prefer some extra margin.
3] '98 Jeep Cherokee -- anxiously waiting for its arrival coming from a restoration shop. This will be our dedicated camping weekend/vacation vehicle. I want it cleaned, packed, and full of fuel at the end of every trip. Ready to roll on a moment's notice. Back up, hook up, pull it out the door...pull right out and away we go.
Just 2-3 weeks away from getting to go, I'm getting excited! New year, and some new toys to play with.
Other than tires and brakes, it has been very reliable.
We're just replacing the control arms, and steering components -- it started to shake and shimmy -- out the door my mechanic (independent shop...right to repair is important!!!) will have it done fro less than $500. The last repair was a variable valve timing component which was a little more than that.
Both of the repairs are FAR less than a monthly payment
The 6 cyl gets respectable economy, and will go up and down mountains all day without even a subtle reminder the camp inn is in tow.
Subi's have some problems, but our so far has been very manageable, and only a few items have been caused by stupid. :\
My 'fleet' consists of
1] 2012 Subaru Outback (H6) with has been used to tow cross country numerous time, and I am sure will again. Little long in the tooth but still an awesome vehicle that we plan on keeping for as long as we can.
2] 2022 Rav4 Hybrid - Very solid Cute Ute with OK storage, mostly used for shorter trips. Daily driver which will act as backup tow vehicle if the other 2 aren't available. Its OK but I feel 'right at the limit' with it and prefer some extra margin.
3] '98 Jeep Cherokee -- anxiously waiting for its arrival coming from a restoration shop. This will be our dedicated camping weekend/vacation vehicle. I want it cleaned, packed, and full of fuel at the end of every trip. Ready to roll on a moment's notice. Back up, hook up, pull it out the door...pull right out and away we go.
Just 2-3 weeks away from getting to go, I'm getting excited! New year, and some new toys to play with.
JessieJim1
Newbie
My dad is always afraid of it.
Sweeney
Administrator
One thing I can tell you, is that all locks are only designed to keep out honest people or to slow a bad guy down long enough that a good person might see them. Most of the time, the locks do
I'm not a thief, I am however quite curious, and one of my curiosities is security --- both in the case of information security as well as physical security. Penetration testing is fun, and sometimes it does have real-world applications.
The first time, My manager locked his keys behind a steel door with a steel door frame. $15 and a 5-minute walk to Home Depot had me in the door in about a minute. The door was undamaged as was the lock. There was no damage and you'd never know I was even there.
The best was in a trade school, where a fellow student forgot his locker combination and >needed< an item in the locker. The lock was a simple combination lock but could just as easily have been a keyed lock. Regardless, this poor guy was in a panic --- I don't know what it was that he needed so badly, nor do I want to know.
The school had no bolt cutters, and time was of the essence. The last bus ran in 30 minutes, and he had to be on it. A soda can and a few items around the school allowed me to free his locker in about 10 minutes including time to make the tool I needed. The locker and the lock were completely undamaged. In hindsight, I wouldn't do this again -- I'm pretty sure if anything ever came up missing I'd be suspect.
The particular school was an education for me. Not only did I learn a trade, but also I learned that even people who wear gang colors when treated with respect would also give it. This incident raised me from milk-toast-white-guy to smooth criminal in minutes....It still makes me laugh a little today telling this story. But yah...I'd never do it again.
I'm not a thief, I am however quite curious, and one of my curiosities is security --- both in the case of information security as well as physical security. Penetration testing is fun, and sometimes it does have real-world applications.
The first time, My manager locked his keys behind a steel door with a steel door frame. $15 and a 5-minute walk to Home Depot had me in the door in about a minute. The door was undamaged as was the lock. There was no damage and you'd never know I was even there.
The best was in a trade school, where a fellow student forgot his locker combination and >needed< an item in the locker. The lock was a simple combination lock but could just as easily have been a keyed lock. Regardless, this poor guy was in a panic --- I don't know what it was that he needed so badly, nor do I want to know.
The school had no bolt cutters, and time was of the essence. The last bus ran in 30 minutes, and he had to be on it. A soda can and a few items around the school allowed me to free his locker in about 10 minutes including time to make the tool I needed. The locker and the lock were completely undamaged. In hindsight, I wouldn't do this again -- I'm pretty sure if anything ever came up missing I'd be suspect.
The particular school was an education for me. Not only did I learn a trade, but also I learned that even people who wear gang colors when treated with respect would also give it. This incident raised me from milk-toast-white-guy to smooth criminal in minutes....It still makes me laugh a little today telling this story. But yah...I'd never do it again.
Sweeney
Administrator
Well....the big day is here. The vehicle looks fantastic, but the pictures are not proper. I'm scheduled to pick it up on Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll have a couple of opportunities to get more personalized photos in the Appalachians.
It's a 10-hour drive home. Even if I leave for my return by at noon, I doubt I'd have the stamina for that number of hours.
I figured we'll finish the deal by noon on Tuesday and I'll head back and stop before nightfall...either at a park somewhere or a hotel. Perhaps near Portsmouth Ohio or point pleasant wv (anyone guess why? No Googlin')
I remember as a younger man being able to stop at motel (motor inn's if you will) that were family-owned "route 66" types of places. For the most part they've either been shuttered or sold, and are now transient "monthly" apartments....or shooting galleries. First time I'll be traveling like this, without a camper, for a long long time. Back in the motorcycle days I loved these places.
Regardless --- Assuming I get home on Wednesday, and I should, its installing the trailer hitch and taking it on its inaugural trip the following weekend to the Spring Gatering of the Indiana Tearjerkers. Keeping fingers crossed
It's a 10-hour drive home. Even if I leave for my return by at noon, I doubt I'd have the stamina for that number of hours.
I figured we'll finish the deal by noon on Tuesday and I'll head back and stop before nightfall...either at a park somewhere or a hotel. Perhaps near Portsmouth Ohio or point pleasant wv (anyone guess why? No Googlin')
I remember as a younger man being able to stop at motel (motor inn's if you will) that were family-owned "route 66" types of places. For the most part they've either been shuttered or sold, and are now transient "monthly" apartments....or shooting galleries. First time I'll be traveling like this, without a camper, for a long long time. Back in the motorcycle days I loved these places.
Regardless --- Assuming I get home on Wednesday, and I should, its installing the trailer hitch and taking it on its inaugural trip the following weekend to the Spring Gatering of the Indiana Tearjerkers. Keeping fingers crossed
Cary Winch
Camp-Inn Staff
Mothman museum?
Cary
Cary
Sweeney
Administrator
Sweeney
Administrator
Well...its home. Woke up at 3am for a 6:10 flight to Virginia to pick it up. Got home at 1AM. I almost stopped at about 9 (at the ohio, west virginia border on 35) I had a little more "go" in me so I made it to about 1/2 way to Dayton and just decided to power through. I had a lot to do in the morning anyway, so I would have needed to get a 5 or 6 am start...so I just pushed myself. I got a second wind and got home at 1:00 or so. I remember starting to lay down, but no recollection of actually hitting the pillow 
I picked up a few more places I want to go back too.
It's in great shape for its age, but not perfect...There's a little rust on the fender on the rear driver side. I'll be cutting it out shortly and probably inspecting more closely over the entire beast. But, the underside is nearly perfect, or at least very very good. The paint polished up very nicely. Of course the suspension is all new --- it handles just like it did when it was new. Meaning it sucks
The hitch took about 6 hours to put it all in --- including the wiring. No access to the frame holes, and fishing the nuts took a tremendous effort. The passenger side had nuts welded in --- those were easy, I just needed to chase the threads with a tap.
The wiring was EASY except for the removal of trim next to the driver's seat. I had to pull the seat to get to the screws. But that was a trivial task. Compare how this SUV is built to a new SUV -- night and day difference.
Next up -- a new stereo.
View attachment upload_2023-5-18_17-44-49.png
I picked up a few more places I want to go back too.
It's in great shape for its age, but not perfect...There's a little rust on the fender on the rear driver side. I'll be cutting it out shortly and probably inspecting more closely over the entire beast. But, the underside is nearly perfect, or at least very very good. The paint polished up very nicely. Of course the suspension is all new --- it handles just like it did when it was new. Meaning it sucks
The hitch took about 6 hours to put it all in --- including the wiring. No access to the frame holes, and fishing the nuts took a tremendous effort. The passenger side had nuts welded in --- those were easy, I just needed to chase the threads with a tap.
The wiring was EASY except for the removal of trim next to the driver's seat. I had to pull the seat to get to the screws. But that was a trivial task. Compare how this SUV is built to a new SUV -- night and day difference.
Next up -- a new stereo.
View attachment upload_2023-5-18_17-44-49.png
Tour 931
Ranger
Well...its home. Woke up at 3am for a 6:10 flight to Virginia to pick it up. Got home at 1AM. I almost stopped at about 9 (at the ohio, west virginia border on 35) I had a little more "go" in me so I made it to about 1/2 way to Dayton and just decided to power through. I had a lot to do in the morning anyway, so I would have needed to get a 5 or 6 am start...so I just pushed myself. I got a second wind and got home at 1:00 or so. I remember starting to lay down, but no recollection of actually hitting the pillow
I picked up a few more places I want to go back too.
It's in great shape for its age, but not perfect...There's a little rust on the fender on the rear driver side. I'll be cutting it out shortly and probably inspecting more closely over the entire beast. But, the underside is nearly perfect, or at least very very good. The paint polished up very nicely. Of course the suspension is all new --- it handles just like it did when it was new. Meaning it sucks
The hitch took about 6 hours to put it all in --- including the wiring. No access to the frame holes, and fishing the nuts took a tremendous effort. The passenger side had nuts welded in --- those were easy, I just needed to chase the threads with a tap.
The wiring was EASY except for the removal of trim next to the driver's seat. I had to pull the seat to get to the screws. But that was a trivial task. Compare how this SUV is built to a new SUV -- night and day difference.
Next up -- a new stereo.
View attachment 9405
Nice combo. Congratulations.
