# I think I want a Jeep



## squerly

But I know nothing about them. Do I want a CJ-5 or a CJ-7?

My thoughts are that I want a pre-85 so that I can use it when an EMP fry's the grid. I want something that has already been modified, suspension, engine, etc. Would rather have a rebuilt engine than one with low miles.

What else do I need to know and what should I be looking for?


----------



## hashbrown

You need a Hashbilt!


----------



## hellrazor762

Jeeps are like lays potato chips. You can't have just one. 


Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


----------



## Woody

All depends on what you plan to use it for! I grew up around MJ's or 'flat fender' jeeps. Great, fun little units. With some basic knowledge and tools you can fix about anything, and you will get lots of practice. Stock, with some basic rescue equipment, they will get you and your gear about anywhere. You and a a buddy with some gear, lots of places. Load it up or a trailer... not so much. You are limited to traveled surfaces, dirt roads or paths.

Had a 1965 to 1969 model year Jeepster Commando (Kaiser). Mine was actually a '67 but... as with any older Jeep... You drive one and have as many as you can find on blocks. What a mudder that little thing was!! Didn't have a lot of clearance, but you could take that cute little thing anywhere! LOL! One person and gear, great. Two people and some stuff, alright. More than that was too much for it. Never pulled a trailer but I wouldn't want it to be too heavy.

Had a 1979 CJ7. Great little unit. New York winters did it in before its time, but until parts started falling off it was reliable and went anywhere I asked it to go. This is about the time the HUGE wide tires came around too. I was thinking of switching from my bias ply, directional tread tires to some and drove a similar jeep with some on it first. Horrible on the highway. You had to keep on top of it and talk about noisy! It was noisy enough with just the soft top. It will haul a trailer, using the right gears. Easily carry a group of folks off the beaten path too.

Right now I have a 1994 Cherokee, plain Jane model. First one I modified. I made it for beach driving so have a 4" lift, stock height but really wide tires and the inside is gutted and modified to sleep/fish in. Only actual original thing inside (besides the door panels/dash) is the drivers seat! LOL! I can load it up and spend a week anywhere I have gone. Only pulled a Jon boat trailer with it, but it did fine. I don't know if you would want to haul a big load with it though. 

All were perfect for what I had them for. *My preferences* Stick with a manual tranny, lockout hubs if you can find them. No need for a huge V-8 engine. It is a friggin' Jeep not NASCAR! If you are looking to pull a heavy load all the time, a Jeep is not what you should have anyway. There are enough gears to get it through any situation, with plenty of torque, just learn how to use them. I'd stay away from any heavily modified Jeep. A lift is fine! You just have blocks, some shims and a different drive shaft.. maybe a few others that can easily be found. For a body lift, springs, coils and the like. A really souped up Jeep is going to be heavily modified, not many stock parts on it. You are looking at finding custom made or specialty parts when something breaks. A stock Jeep can really do a lot, if you take the time to learn how to use it.

Look at what you will be using it for and buy accordingly. One or two person get out of Dodge, haul a trailer with gear, or something to call home for a spell. You can find a Jeep for each one!


----------



## hashbrown

Woody said:


> All depends on what you plan to use it for! I grew up around MJ's or 'flat fender' jeeps. Great, fun little units. With some basic knowledge and tools you can fix about anything, and you will get lots of practice. Stock, with some basic rescue equipment, they will get you and your gear about anywhere. You and a a buddy with some gear, lots of places. Load it up or a trailer... not so much. You are limited to traveled surfaces, dirt roads or paths.
> 
> Had a 1965 to 1969 model year Jeepster Commando (Kaiser). Mine was actually a '67 but... as with any older Jeep... You drive one and have as many as you can find on blocks. What a mudder that little thing was!! Didn't have a lot of clearance, but you could take that cute little thing anywhere! LOL! One person and gear, great. Two people and some stuff, alright. More than that was too much for it. Never pulled a trailer but I wouldn't want it to be too heavy.
> 
> Had a 1979 CJ7. Great little unit. New York winters did it in before its time, but until parts started falling off it was reliable and went anywhere I asked it to go. This is about the time the HUGE wide tires came around too. I was thinking of switching from my bias ply, directional tread tires to some and drove a similar jeep with some on it first. Horrible on the highway. You had to keep on top of it and talk about noisy! It was noisy enough with just the soft top. It will haul a trailer, using the right gears. Easily carry a group of folks off the beaten path too.
> 
> Right now I have a 1994 Cherokee, plain Jane model. First one I modified. I made it for beach driving so have a 4" lift, stock height but really wide tires and the inside is gutted and modified to sleep/fish in. Only actual original thing inside (besides the door panels/dash) is the drivers seat! LOL! I can load it up and spend a week anywhere I have gone. Only pulled a Jon boat trailer with it, but it did fine. I don't know if you would want to haul a big load with it though.
> 
> All were perfect for what I had them for. *My preferences* Stick with a manual tranny, lockout hubs if you can find them. No need for a huge V-8 engine. It is a friggin' Jeep not NASCAR! If you are looking to pull a heavy load all the time, a Jeep is not what you should have anyway. There are enough gears to get it through any situation, with plenty of torque, just learn how to use them. I'd stay away from any heavily modified Jeep. A lift is fine! You just have blocks, some shims and a different drive shaft.. maybe a few others that can easily be found. For a body lift, springs, coils and the like. A really souped up Jeep is going to be heavily modified, not many stock parts on it. You are looking at finding custom made or specialty parts when something breaks. A stock Jeep can really do a lot, if you take the time to learn how to use it.
> 
> Look at what you will be using it for and buy accordingly. One or two person get out of Dodge, haul a trailer with gear, or something to call home for a spell. You can find a Jeep for each one!


Any decent lift is not blocks and shims. Maybe years ago but now it is real suspension. The gray cj I posted has over 5ft of flex side to side meaning I can have one tire 5ft in the air and all of the other tires will be on the ground. You wont do that with spacers and shims......


----------



## Woody

Granted. But then you also have highly specialized vehicles, not daily runners. It took a lot of time, money and love to put them together to be where you wanted them. I would think you also enjoy tickling them a little before a run, carry a few parts with you and them take care of them after bringing them back home. I am not putting them down! I would LOVE to have a toy like that!!! Maybe that is what Squerly is looking for, it wasn't stated. Speaking of flex though... The XJ's, with the uni-body are amazing to watch. The modified crawlers not only have the suspension flex, the body contorts too! I've seen some pictures of modified XJ's with the back open, one front tire up on something and the back door is over a foot out of alignment! LOL!!!

None of my Jeeps could do trails like that head on. It would take preparations, filling in holes, prying rocks aside, using the winch... I most likely would choose to go to the side of them, cutting a few trees to make a path.

I did haul a 19' heavy boat a few times with the CJ7. Squirrely at best on the highway. Downshifting and RPM's on hills, and if it ever got away, I was a goner. Maybe the new wider wheelbase Jeeps are better, have not driven one. For hauling trailers I got the 1982 Chevy K20. The only time you knew you had a load was starting out in first and applying the brakes.


----------



## Sentry18

I have a jeep too!


----------



## cnsper

Sentry18 said:


> I have a jeep too!


Nice roll cage on that thing!


----------



## squerly

Damn HB, do they offer those with a cup holder? 

Guess I should be more specific. As I said, I know NOTHING about this vehicles. My neighbor (40 acres away) was a game warden for many years and drove a Jeep at work every day. In his words, "If you have a Jeep with more than 40K you have a dead Jeep". He went on to say that when time came to turn them in, he and another agent would drive them to Asheville to drop them off. Both men would drive separate Jeeps so that they would have enough spare parts to get there.  He was serious. 

That being said, I like the look. Properly maintained and driven a minimal amount of miles each year I think it would make a fun ride for around the immediate area. Not looking to do 300 mile trips but I do want to be able to drive it on the highway when I go to town or around. Also not looking to compete with HB, he clearly has the edge in this area. 

I have no issue with after market parts as many of them will be of better quality than what was available 35-40 years ago. But a highly modded Jeep isn't what I'm looking for either. Inconspicuous or stock paint would in order as I'm not looking to make a spectacle of my ride, just want it to look like an old, well kept Jeep. Also have dogs that like to ride and neither have not been know to make a graceful entry/exit.

Thanks Woody for the real world info on your past Jeeps. Also, I would have probably been looking for a V8 had you not pointed out the lack of need. And you're probably right, proper gearing is far more important than power. And given this vehicle will serve as a BOV as well, I'd like it to be a gas sipper vs guzzler. 

Edit: Get a helmet HB!


----------



## hashbrown

Yep I have the swivel holders like in a boat. A v8 is a must for me as well as stacked transfer cases and 1 ton axles.






My wife driving up rattler. Never mind the noisy air compressor I forgot to air up at the trail head and my lockers wont work without air.


----------



## ras1219como

I don't know what was up with your neighbors work Jeeps but I know many people that have Jeeps with well over 100,000 miles and no issues. Perhaps it was a maintenance issue. A buddy of mine has a Jeep with 200,000 and it runs like a champ. 

I have a Jeep Wrangler Sahara with just over 60,000 and no problems. 

In my opinion Jeeps are great prep vehicles. They're great off road and there is an almost cult following which means you can go crazy with customizations that would be helpful during bug outs. 



Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum. Please forgive typos. 

"I will fear no evil, for the valley is mine and so is the shadow."


----------



## squerly

hashbrown said:


> My wife driving up rattler. Never mind the noisy air compressor I forgot to air up at the trail head and my lockers wont work without air.


Wow, look at that! She's not just another pretty face, she can drive too!


----------



## Woody

I never heard about the 40,000 mile issues either. My current XJ has..... 265,000 or something on it and runs like a champ. It wasn't until 1996, when they switched to an aluminum head, that cracking issues arose. If you find an older XJ with the straight 6 under 150,000 miles on it, it is barely broken in. I have no experience with anything newer, maybe it is a certain model/engine combo that is trouble? The older MJ's can have issues. This is mostly from folks trying to make them do what they were not supposed to do. Like the M715's, top speed was 45 MPH, speedometer goes up to what... 60 MPH or something? They don't go fast, they go anywhere. That old Flat Head 4 was bulletproof. Sure it might smoke a little and might have some rattles but it would run. They were not designed to be run on hard roads with occasional trips off road. They were designed to spend their lives off road with occasional road trips.


The folks with the newer CJ's would be the ones to point you in the right direction for a daily driver.


----------



## hashbrown

Woody said:


> Granted. But then you also have highly specialized vehicles, not daily runners. It took a lot of time, money and love to put them together to be where you wanted them. I would think you also enjoy tickling them a little before a run, carry a few parts with you and them take care of them after bringing them back home. I am not putting them down! I would LOVE to have a toy like that!!! Maybe that is what Squerly is looking for, it wasn't stated. Speaking of flex though... The XJ's, with the uni-body are amazing to watch. The modified crawlers not only have the suspension flex, the body contorts too! I've seen some pictures of modified XJ's with the back open, one front tire up on something and the back door is over a foot out of alignment! LOL!!!
> 
> None of my Jeeps could do trails like that head on. It would take preparations, filling in holes, prying rocks aside, using the winch... I most likely would choose to go to the side of them, cutting a few trees to make a path.
> 
> I did haul a 19' heavy boat a few times with the CJ7. Squirrely at best on the highway. Downshifting and RPM's on hills, and if it ever got away, I was a goner. Maybe the new wider wheelbase Jeeps are better, have not driven one. For hauling trailers I got the 1982 Chevy K20. The only time you knew you had a load was starting out in first and applying the brakes.


Ive built a couple of xjs and seen them flex enough to pop out the side windows. They are just harder to build for what I want. My brother in law has a 92 two door xj with over 250,000 miles only problems he has had is the driver door fell off a couple of times. After the second time he brought it to me and I added a metal plate and welded it for him. If I wanted a daily driver I would buy a tj.


----------



## squerly

hashbrown said:


> If I wanted a daily driver I would buy a tj.


From what I can tell, the TJ Wrangler began production in 1997 and lasted until 2006. I think that in 1997 they were using computers to manage the engine, etc. I need something pre-computer, which I believe will require one made back in the early 80"s?


----------



## havasu

Even the YJ's (1987 - 1995) had computers, so you will be looking farther back to either the CJ-5 or the CJ-7.


----------



## squerly

havasu said:


> Even the YJ's (1987 - 1995) had computers, so you will be looking farther back to either the CJ-5 or the CJ-7.


Yes, I agree! Please see post #1.


----------



## Woody

And for what you are thinking about, remanufactured parts are more than readily available. Due to their popularity, anything from weather stripping to full steel body tubs can be had.

If you are really interested, join a Jeep group near ya. Or even an online group. Read through and ask questions. When I worked on the Cherokee, they were an invaluable source of information!!! I had troubles with the new front coils and two folks offered to come help. That weekend it took a short time to get both off and done! They refused even gas money but did accept a few beers and a nice grilled steak lunch.

By posting and getting to know them they will point you towards exactly what you are looking for.


----------



## havasu

I agree with Woody. When I bought my first Jeep, I signed up as a member on Jeep Forum, and learned more from those guys that I could learn from any books. 

I'd recommend getting a rust free CJ-5, with an inline 6 cylinder. Those things will last forever.


----------



## piglett

havasu said:


> I agree with Woody. When I bought my first Jeep, I signed up as a member on Jeep Forum, and learned more from those guys that I could learn from any books.
> 
> I'd recommend getting a rust free CJ-5, with an inline 6 cylinder. Those things will last forever.


yup the inline 6 cylinders offered have for the most part been known as great engines

that can't be said for some of the 4 bangers


----------



## Turtle

I've owned six Jeeps, ranging from 1987 to 2008 models. Two XJs, a ZJ, a TJ, a JK, and an LJ. I'm currently in the market for either an XJ or an older TJ. 

I have to agree that at 100,000 miles, these things are barely getting broken-in. I believe that my highest mileage Jeep was the '93 ZJ, which had 170,000 when I gave it to my best friend, who did some more work to it and had it featured in a couple of magazines. 

The XJ is often listed as one of the most reliable vehicles out there. The parts interchange with about five different Jeep vehicles, so you will never have a hard time finding parts. Yes, they all have a computer of some sort, but lets be honest: if an EMP knocks us back to the Stone Age, I'll have bigger concerns than my Jeep running. (Still got mom's '29 Model A if I need something super-basic. )

At this point, most CJs are complete rust-buckets, unless it has been totally rehabbed. You could find a nice one with a new fiberglass tub and a new frame, but that is gonna cost you. Personally, I would recommend finding an old YJ; they still have leaf suspension like a CJ, but with fuel injection. They're a good compromise. 


Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


----------



## Tweto

I'm sure that Jeeps are good vehicles, but why is it that I never see any? I went to Omaha yesterday and I could only find one on the street. Over the years I have know several people that have owned them but they sell them within a few years and buy a truck. 

All I see are Chevy, Ford, and Dodge trucks, old or new, they're everywhere.

Makes me think about why that is.


----------



## ras1219como

We must live in two different worlds Tweeto. Where I'm at Jeeps are everywhere and most of the people keep them for a long time. But I do have a guess as to why a person may go to a truck after having a jeep...two door jeeps especially have very little cargo space. A four door jeep has more space but in my experience it is still less than the average medium sized SUV. If a person needed cargo space I'd recommend a truck over a jeep. 



Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum. Please forgive typos. 

"I will fear no evil, for the valley is mine and so is the shadow."


----------



## Viking

Turtle said:


> I've owned six Jeeps, ranging from 1987 to 2008 models. Two XJs, a ZJ, a TJ, a JK, and an LJ. I'm currently in the market for either an XJ or an older TJ.
> 
> I have to agree that at 100,000 miles, these things are barely getting broken-in. I believe that my highest mileage Jeep was the '93 ZJ, which had 170,000 when I gave it to my best friend, who did some more work to it and had it featured in a couple of magazines.
> 
> The XJ is often listed as one of the most reliable vehicles out there. The parts interchange with about five different Jeep vehicles, so you will never have a hard time finding parts. Yes, they all have a computer of some sort, but lets be honest: if an EMP knocks us back to the Stone Age, I'll have bigger concerns than my Jeep running. (Still got mom's '29 Model A if I need something super-basic. )
> 
> At this point, most CJs are complete rust-buckets, unless it has been totally rehabbed. You could find a nice one with a new fiberglass tub and a new frame, but that is gonna cost you. Personally, I would recommend finding an old YJ; they still have leaf suspension like a CJ, but with fuel injection. They're a good compromise.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


A great deal of the rust problems has a lot to do with where they spent their time being driven, here in the inner coastal mountains of the Pacific Northwest there is no salt used on the roads and so usually what you'll find is Jeeps with worn out drive trains and rust free bodies. I like the old square fendered Jeep pickups, I wanted to drop a 289 Ford engine in one but never got around to that. For all the running around in the mountains I've done over the years I should have owned a Jeep, however I now have a soft top and tin top Samurai, we've hauled both out to the desert in N. Nevada behind our motor home. We got them instead of spending nearly ten times as much for one four wheel ATV and I can go pretty much where an ATV can go. The soft top was $1,500 and the tin top cost us $1,700, I spend a little over $1,000 for a 1.6 liter engine to replace the 1.3 in the tin top great power gain and still get 20 to 30 mpg. The tin top weighs just over 2,000 pounds and tows like it's not even there. We like being completely enclosed in the tin top as it's quieter, warmer and keeps most of the desert dust out. I still wouldn't mind owning a Jeep, it's just that they cost so much more than the Samurai's around here. One other thing I like about having a Samurai is that it is probably one of the easiest vehicles to work on I've ever owned.


----------



## squerly

It took 8 months but I finally found one. Not a very good picture as battery was dying and this is it for now. 1989 Jeep Wrangler, 133K miles, 2.5 liter 4 banger (not wild about that but it-is-what-it-is...) pretty good body and paint. Tranny and suspension seems sound. Good bottom end power but sucks on the highway. But I didn't buy it for the highway anyway so I can live with it, for now anyway.


----------



## Grimm

hellrazor762 said:


> Jeeps are like lays potato chips. You can't have just one.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


Uh, yes you can!

I owned one Jeep for 4 months and I will more than likely never own one again.

To the OP,

Be very careful when picking one out. The older they are the more problems and money the repairs are going to cost you. I bought mine for $1700. Sold it for parts at $1000 after spending over $5K trying to fix the damn thing.


----------



## readytogo

*Cheap Jeeps and More.................*

http://www.salvagebid.com/search/?e...mileageRange=99999&zipPostalCode=&salesType=*


----------



## zombieresponder

Grimm said:


> Uh, yes you can!
> 
> I owned one Jeep for 4 months and I will more than likely never own one again.
> 
> To the OP,
> 
> Be very careful when picking one out. The older they are the more problems and money the repairs are going to cost you. I bought mine for $1700. Sold it for parts at $1000 after spending over $5K trying to fix the damn thing.


I suspect you bought a pile of crap posing as a Jeep. A few minutes spent checking things out almost always prevents that.


----------



## bogey

We have a 1988 Jeep Wrangler with untold miles (odometer conked - now fixed). It still runs like a top. Granted, it has needed a few things repaired here and there. But really nothing extravagant. I think more money has been spent putting new tires and rims on it than the actual engine.

I have a newer model Jeep Wrangler unlimited with almost 80,000 miles and never a minutes trouble so far.

Can't speak for every Jeep out there. But that's our experience.


----------



## Grimm

zombieresponder said:


> I suspect you bought a pile of crap posing as a Jeep. A few minutes spent checking things out almost always prevents that.


It drove fine and the mechanic I took it to before buying it said it just needed a new catalytic converter.

Never again. No Jeeps for us. EVER!


----------



## zombieresponder

Grimm said:


> It drove fine and the mechanic I took it to before buying it said it just needed a new catalytic converter.
> 
> Never again. No Jeeps for us. EVER!


I'd find a different mechanic....then again I do about 85% of my own mechanic work. I own two jeeps and my wife just bought another. In the 100+k I've put on my daily driver jeep(that had 144k on it when purchased), I've spent very little time/money on repairs. Every _used_ vehicle has the potential to be a good purchase or a bad purchase. Doesn't make any difference what name is on it. If the previous owner didn't maintain it and/or abused it, then it's likely to be junk.

Forming an opinion that "jeep is bad" because you had a bad experience with a single, *used* vehicle from that manufacturer is illogical. An equivalent would be "Toshiba is bad because I bought a used one and it stopped working". :scratch

_Posted just after finishing replacement of a crankshaft position sensor and just prior to repairing some wiring that was damaged due to my negligence._


----------



## FrankW

Jeeps are cool  but allow me to point out a couple of Cons to the Jeep:

- Competing designs from Toyota and Nissan are MUCH more reliable and just as competent offroad.
- Fuel tanks in the most common, the short WB Jeep, are SMALL, which cripples your unrefuled range..and thats one of the most important feature sin a BOV even more important than cross-country IMHO... yes you can carry cans, but its a hassle for a daily and competing designs ( Nissan /Frontier/Xterra, Toyota Tacoma) can also carry cans despite having bigger fuel tanks.
- Competing designs from Toyota and Nissan are easier to live with day-by-day so you wont be tempted to spend money on a non-BOV as a daily.
- If you want to buy an older vehicle for fun, enjoy. Please dont buy it because of the car ECU = fried from EMP stuff. Its simply not supported by evidence and Forstchen did not do the community a favor peddling this on 1 second after ( which otherwise is a good book)


----------



## LincTex

BlueZ said:


> .....because of the car ECU = fried from EMP stuff. Its simply not supported by evidence and Forstchen did not do the community a favor peddling this on 1 second after ( which otherwise is a good book)


You do realize there is *NO* way to prove this, either one way or the other.

There might even be disparities from model to model in the same manufacturer. Perhaps a Honda Civic makes it through, but an Accord doesn't? Maybe an F-250 will be fine, but the Taurus gets zapped? Who REALLY knows?

I have been working on EFI cars since 1986 - I actually remember the first one ever, a maroon '84 Ford LTD with a TBI 3.8 liter V6, the second one was an '83 Chevy Celebrity with a 2.8 V6 and "electronic carb". I thought I was getting into "Black Magic" at the time or something.... "check engine lights" and "code reading" was all very new stuff.

Since then (geez, almost 30 years ago?) I have seen multiple and NUMEROUS ECU's die (or get fried) due to the silliest things occurring. Some have died with absolutely NO evidence of any external circumstances.

I believe with 100% certainty that SOME vehicles will still run fine after an EMP.... but I refuse to put a number on it at all. It could be 5 in the entire United States, it could be 5 million. Nobody knows.


----------



## hashbrown

BlueZ said:


> Jeeps are cool  but allow me to point out a couple of Cons to the Jeep:
> 
> - Competing designs from Toyota and Nissan are MUCH more reliable and just as competent offroad.
> - Fuel tanks in the most common, the short WB Jeep, are SMALL, which cripples your unrefuled range..and thats one of the most important feature sin a BOV even more important than cross-country IMHO... yes you can carry cans, but its a hassle for a daily and competing designs ( Nissan /Frontier/Xterra, Toyota Tacoma) can also carry cans despite having bigger fuel tanks.
> - Competing designs from Toyota and Nissan are easier to live with day-by-day so you wont be tempted to spend money on a non-BOV as a daily.
> - If you want to buy an older vehicle for fun, enjoy. Please dont buy it because of the car ECU = fried from EMP stuff. Its simply not supported by evidence and Forstchen did not do the community a favor peddling this on 1 second after ( which otherwise is a good book)


Lol! Try an follow me with one of those underpowered toyota nissan things!


----------



## ZangLussuria

My uncle had 2 wranglers. Don't know which model his 1st one was but it was a red open top.
His second one was a late model white Rubicon.

I only saw the exterior of the new Rubicon before he sold it.

I was just wondering, do the Wranglers still have the roll cage even if it's a hard top model?


----------



## ZangLussuria

double post


----------



## ZangLussuria

mike_dippert said:


> Yep. The hard top is just fiberglass.
> The top and doors have a disclaimer (of sorts) saying the top and doors are not for crash protection, only environmental.


Thanks! Good to know that they have a full roll cage built in.
Been planning on a BOV project. Jeeps are expensive here though because they are full imports and parts are scarce.
I might go with a diesel pickup since diesel is common and nearly half the vehicles on the roads here run on diesel. Plus diesel is much cheaper here.

If I do go the pickup route, I'll be installing a roll cage but I don't know much about them and their specs. I've been reading up and having an external one made/installed takes some serious skill and trusted makers.

I like the Wranglers because the cage is professionally made and specd.

I like overdoing things. Is it possible to also fit an external cage on the Wrangler even with a built in internal one already on it?


----------



## bogey

ZL, the only thing I would say about an external cage - and I'm so far from an expert, I almost didn't post - is that Jeeps can be top heavy, especially depending on the year built and center of gravity. For that reason, would consider it and the weight of more cage on top before getting too heavy into designing it. Also, the added weight in general might be a consideration.

Again, no expert. It's just what popped in my head.


----------



## ZangLussuria

Thanks for the info.
I really am unfamiliar with roll cage specs and capabilities.
I've done some driving on light off road trails but that's mostly with some stock 4x4s. Maybe a few lifts and bigger tires and snorkels but no cages.

@mike:
So the ones that can be bolted to the stock frame makes a lot of difference? Would it eat too much interior space?
Would love to see pics of your project.

Thanks again, guys. I'm learning more and more.


----------



## piglett

hashbrown said:


> Lol! Try an follow me with one of those underpowered toyota nissan things!


are you stuck in 1979?
the current Toyota Tacoma can be had with 236hp under the hood
i'm not sure i would call that "underpowered"

i'll put a stock Toyota pickup up against any STOCK ford, chevy, or dodge pickup any day offroad. I have pulled out plenty of American trucks with my Toyota, which came stock with an electric locking rearend (really helps with traction offroad)


----------



## Viking

When we lived in the mountains of Colorado we saw a number of Jeeps on their tops, most often likely to drivers not understanding their limitations. A couple of guys died four wheeling in the foothills just East of the Red Rocks, just South of I-70, first time out with a brand new Jeep. Just add larger tires and lift kits and it presents a whole new situation as to how any 4X4 handles. There is an old saying, concerning just how great having four wheel drive is to have and it goes something like, just because you have four wheel drive doesn't mean you won't get stuck, it's just that when you do, you will probably be stuck worse. Sometimes even winches can't even pull you out of those worse situations. I have come close a few times, with the 1978 Bronco we used to own, but I always tried to keep in mind the limitations of what could be done as I also do with our Samurai, even though it's less than half the weight of that Bronco and far more nimble, I don't want to be stuck or on its top in the middle of nowhere, and we've been places where help may not show up for weeks or longer.


----------



## hashbrown

piglett said:


> are you stuck in 1979?
> the current Toyota Tacoma can be had with 236hp under the hood
> i'm not sure i would call that "underpowered"
> 
> i'll put a stock Toyota pickup up against any STOCK ford, chevy, or dodge pickup any day offroad. I have pulled out plenty of American trucks with my Toyota, which came stock with an electric locking rearend (really helps with traction offroad)


No I'm not stuck.....My wife has driven up that 50 times. What kind evil sorcery are these locking rearends you speak of?


----------



## TimB

hashbrown said:


> Lol! Try an follow me with one of those underpowered toyota nissan things!


I'll give it a try. It's not a 'yota but it does have a'yota engine/trans in it.


----------

