Jeep Scrambler

[GrantP]

Made it home. Took lots of backroads.

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Burr Trail.

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Somewhere between Torrey and Boulder UT.
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Ferry at Bullfrog on Lake Powell.
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Moki Dugway.

 

[JR]

Glad to hear you made it Grant. Did you stay completely off the interstate? Any mechanical issues pop up?

 

[GrantP]

Glad to hear you made it Grant. Did you stay completely off the interstate? Any mechanical issues pop up?

I tried to avoid it as much as possible. Had to do an hour or so on I-80 out of Evanston WY to Park City UT and I-17 from Flagstaff to Phoenix. Less than 200 miles on the interstate total for the trip. Frankly it's not fun to drive at interstate speeds, I think it needs more caster because it's a wanderer. Anything below 60 and it's not too bad but 70 is white knuckle driving. All of the steering components are new and there's zero slop so it has to be a caster issue which is easy to fix. It's not an "interstate cruiser" type vehicle anyway.

Thankfully it got me home and the trip was a lot of fun, I took my time for a change. Lucky for me the rear axle waited to fail until a few days after I got home. It sounds like I've spun a race somewhere and the pinion seal is leaking. I haven't had a chance to dive into it yet but the axle was a quart low by the time I got home. Weird thing is the rumble/vibration comes and goes, it's literally like an on/off switch but I don't think it's got another 1000 mile road trip in it. The expenses continue...Jeeps are never "done" right?

 

[JR]

Jeeps are never "done" right?

Ha, you got that right. I've begun tearing into my FJ to get it road Worthy. Even basic parts like brakes are both tough to source and expensive for a 50+ year old Japanese vehicle. If it wasn't for the internet and being able to source parts online I doubt I could ever get it back to a road Worthy status.

 

[GrantP]

Don't give up. If you'd told me ten years ago I'd have dead bugs on my Scrambler windshield I would've said you're crazy. It just takes time (and a fair amount of money) to get these relics back on the road. I'd love to see some pics of the FJ.

 

[JR]

She's rough around the edges but all in all very workable . Frsme, fenders and hood are solid with only minor surface rust. The tub will need some work but is very workable. The plan for now is to get it back on the road so we can at least enjoy it for now, when the kids are gone in the next 5 years she'll get the frame off she deserves. No way I'll ever give up on this one it's been in the family since I was in grade school.

 

[GrantP]

I get it, my Scrambler has been in the family since 1992. I built the engine in (I think) 1994. I just couldn't give up on it. Get that FJ rolling and the inspiration to finish it will follow.

 

[Lynx0849]

Very cool.

In 2001 i was in Kenya and we were supplied with 3 brand new, stretched, 1976 land cruisers. They were still building them then because they had zero electronics and could be made to run no matter where.



Pro

 

[GrantP]

Did it fail the last AZ emissions test? If so it does have to pass one more time. (There may be a time limit where a fail no longer matters for a collector car.) Otherwise put the collector insurance on it and you don't need to pass, period. FWIW it's a risk to attempt to get it to pass because if you do fail you have to pass before it gets exempted.

Mr Doremire, I wish I would have read your post a dozen times to let that one sink in. I did take the Jeep in for an emissions test out of morbid curiosity, surprise...it failed. Barely missed CO numbers and EVAP stuff missing. That said, I thought I had screwed myself afterward that now I had to pass to ever get it registered. A few weeks after I had collector car insurance I was able to renew the registration online, new tags arrived today. Maybe there is a time/age limit on the emissions test failure, but I never had to make it pass the test to get current tags. Thanks again for the tip on the insurance, the Jeep is back on the road.