Author Topic: OT - Jeeps & Handis (Read 2185 times)

bikerbeans · « **on:** October 12, 2011, 04:58:14 PM »

Hi All,

There is a small subset of Handi owners that are also into Jeeps and they are led by a fellow by the name of Mr. Longshot. I just got my first Jeep a couple of weeks ago, a used Liberty, and want to know if this model is manly enough to qualify me for membership in this elite group of wheeled gun nuts?

My brother tells me if it has a hardtop it ain't a real Jeep.

Please advise.

BB

Plenty Coups · « **Reply #1 on:** October 12, 2011, 05:06:24 PM »

Hey a Jeep is a Jeep. Personally I like the older ones. The full size P/U's and the CJ's turn my crank. The Cherokee was the perfect rig for carrying bows and guns etc along with my labrador. Mine got around very well and had good mileage.I just plain wore it out.

PHATINJUN · « **Reply #2 on:** October 12, 2011, 05:21:17 PM »

BB I think you are just suckin up to CW

Kurt

Default_Required · « **Reply #3 on:** October 12, 2011, 05:42:20 PM »

Its A Jeep Thing We Dont Expect Others To Understand !

Heres my baby and before this billy goat was my tank of a 91' Cherokee 5 spd manual, 4wd, 4.0 .... Personally I dont worry much about what others think about what I like .. Lifes more enjoyable that way ... And Also I Think Jeeps ( All Jeeps) Should Come Equipped With A Sidekick Like The One In Pic Number Two

bikerbeans · « **Reply #4 on:** October 12, 2011, 05:55:21 PM »

Quote from: PHATINJUN on October 12, 2011, 05:21:17 PM

BB I think you are just suckin up to CW Kurt

Naaah, wouldn't work. I've aggrevated him along the way as much as I have the rest of you fellows.

BB

tacklebury · « **Reply #5 on:** October 12, 2011, 06:20:42 PM »

Mine's a 2000 Cherokee Classic.

Default_Required · « **Reply #6 on:** October 12, 2011, 06:28:15 PM »

I sure do like the clean lines on those 2000 model cherokees , one on my mechanics at the dealership got a good price on an 01' same color as my wrangler, He already knows I want his Jeep lol what a matching set they would make

sidewinder319 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 12, 2011, 06:46:22 PM »

If you don't have a Jeep turn around now.

Sierra Sherpa · « **Reply #8 on:** October 12, 2011, 09:20:04 PM »

I don't know who was happier when my daughter bought her yellow '06 Wrangler Unlimited last year, her or me. It's great having a Jeep in the family. I tell my wife there no other vehicles you can really mistake for a Jeep. As a matter of fact, I'd have one myself if my yellow '81 Toyota 4X4 shortbed, 4-speed truck would just give up the ghost.

BTW, my .45-70 Handi looks just fine in my truck's curtained camper shell's gun rack.

Jimbo47 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 13, 2011, 12:38:14 AM »

I've owned my 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee for ten years now, and I've put it through a lot down here, off the paved roads, and in the rocky hills of central Texas, along with the cactus and ratler infested south Texas brush country.

It's the toughest and most fun vehicle I've ever owned, and I wonder why I waited so long to get my first.

Also Jeep owners are similar to Harley owners, and of course Handi owners, in that some say it's like a cult, but I'm biased though, leaning toward the older models of the Jeep line, and kinda like your brother, to me it ain't a real Jeep unless it's got solid axles, but I'm old school, and at least if says Jeep it's a step in the right direction!

Welcome to the club!

watsisname · « **Reply #10 on:** October 13, 2011, 01:29:44 AM »

Sounds like we should have a Jeep forum. Mine is a 1988 Cherokee (solid axles) and still works as good as new. I just love it!

PowPow · « **Reply #11 on:** October 13, 2011, 01:34:51 AM »

Its funny how I never notice who drives a certain model of car until I get one.
Bought a Buick Century. Started noticing how many blue haired white ladies drove them.
Bought a Jaguar S type. Learned it was the car of choice for blue haired AfAm ladies.
Bought a Jeep Liberty. Found out it was the SUV of choice for teenage girls.
I'm getting cooler. Probably will keep my Barbie Jeep til it falls apart.
Handis and Jeep go together like peas and cornbread.

Default_Required · « **Reply #12 on:** October 13, 2011, 03:49:05 AM »

Guy I know with a Liberty 4x4 6cyl. likes it alot and has real good luck with it over all , he also owns a late 90s wrangler , making for a good comparison on off roading end of it.

Looked at getting a liberty used few years ago , it was the 4 cyl. manual tranny model ... dont know if it was that particular vehicle or all 4 cyl. libertys but it seemed to have no getti-up. I went with a toyota taco instead. Which i still miss from time to time.

geezerbiker · « **Reply #13 on:** October 13, 2011, 07:04:08 AM »

I've been thinking about getting a Jeep but I'll only buy a pre-Chrysler one. Too many bad experiences with Chrysler products.

I got my disabled hunting permit this year and it allows me to shoot from the vehicle on logging roads. A jeep or similar makes more sense than ever for me...

Tony

gunther66 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 13, 2011, 07:20:15 AM »

Well,I guess it's time to chime here. Had a '71 CJ5 with the 225 Dauntless V6 when I was in my 30's and loved it.It was sold when the Gladiators came home with me. Always missed it so I bought a YJ. It's a good Jeep,But still missed the CJ. A couple of months ago I found a mostly orginal '68 CJ5 also with the Dauntless engine. You talk about fun to drive! And a little scary too with no power steering or brakes.Somehow the CJ5 dosen't have as much room up front as I remembered. Could it be that I have gotten larger? 30 + years can do that to a guy. G66

Sierra Sherpa · « **Reply #15 on:** October 13, 2011, 09:33:17 AM »

When I bought my Toyota truck in '81 my 6-foot-plus buddy bought his CJ7. We got on a wicked trail in California's central coastal mountains. It was downright scary. Got stuck on a steep hill with carb starvation, his fuel injection did fine. Three times I had to restart the engine, holding the little truck in place with the parking brake and then dumping the clutch in low granny. Made the mistake of looking in my rear view mirror and saw a view like what the Shuttle crew must see at launch. GULP!!! Finally got over the hill and eventually made our way out. Looking back we saw we'd done a trail the Forest Service had marked most difficult...for ATVs. There were no such signs at the point we'd entered from.

STUMPJMPR · « **Reply #16 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:04:41 AM »

I have a Jeep as well. Its a 97 TJ with the 2.5L 4 cyl. Its a little underpowered, but it will go almost anywhere. I use it mostly for hunting and driving back and forth to work. I'm waiting for the motor to go so I can put a 4.3L Chevy in it.

Jimbo47 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:49:24 AM »

Speaking of engines, Jeep might have messed up when they stopped making that 4.0 straight six.

That engine didn't get broken in until you had 100,000 miles on it, and the torque that little power plant has is what made Jeep a legend.

I've gotten a lot tamer in my old age but the story above reminded me of how many times I got into a situation, and thought I was going to get stuck for sure, but the Jeep never let me down, and went through some mud and knarly places I still can't figure out how it did it.

You have to use common sense, but it helps to be in a Jeep when you tend to stray from that path every now and then!

quickdtoo · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2011, 11:07:38 AM »

I used to have an '88 XJ 4.0L, I bought it new, wasn't long before I added a 4" lift, bigger tires, custom borla exhaust, Dana 44 with ARB locker and a bunch of other 4x4 goodies to include an 8000lb Warn winch and receiver mount that would work in either the front or rear receiver in the Tompken Machine bumpers. Only got it stuck once, embarrassingly right in our '94 elk camp, right up to the axles trying to get dad's jeep out of the same muddy spot!

We got an early snow and it turned the soft ground where we usually parked when it was relatively dry into a bottomless mud hole.

Tim

Jimbo47 · « **Reply #19 on:** October 13, 2011, 12:24:23 PM »

That's some serious stuck there Tim!

It's like they say, sometimes having four wheel drive just gets you stuck further off road!

gcrank1 · « **Reply #20 on:** October 13, 2011, 02:13:23 PM »

Well BB, ya done it to me again.........
Ya got the 45-120; all I got is the little 45-70.
Ya got a Jeep; all I got is a little 'mini-jeep' Chevy Tracker (had 3, got over 100K trouble free on all, the old '98 is going strong 160K+ and these are the most economical, easy to live with vehicles weve ever had).
Oh what shall I do

.

spikehorn · « **Reply #21 on:** October 13, 2011, 02:26:14 PM »

First vehicle I ever drove was my dads Jeep Comander

Doublebass73 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 13, 2011, 02:49:46 PM »

My daily driver is a '99 Cherokee Sport 4.0 straight six 5 speed with 238K miles. In the warm weather I average 25 mpg commuting to work. I'm going to drive it into the ground. A guy I know had an '87 Comanche with 335K miles on it. He only junked it because the frame rotted, he drove it to the scrap yard still running good.

bikerbeans · « **Reply #23 on:** October 13, 2011, 04:10:58 PM »

Quote from: Doublebass73 on October 13, 2011, 02:49:46 PM

My daily driver is a '99 Cherokee Sport 4.0 straight six 5 speed with 238K miles. In the warm weather I average 25 mpg commuting to work. I'm going to drive it into the ground. A guy I know had an '87 Comanche with 335K miles on it. He only junked it because the frame rotted, he drove it to the scrap yard still running good.

The recycler probably didn't scrap it, but kept it for a yard vehicle.

BB

sturgeonhunter · « **Reply #24 on:** October 13, 2011, 04:21:13 PM »

got a buffalo classic 3 month ago and my first jeep two weeks ago they do look good together

tacklebury · « **Reply #25 on:** October 13, 2011, 04:22:17 PM »

Dude, I always wanted the longer CJ growin up. 8(

Default_Required · « **Reply #26 on:** October 13, 2011, 05:01:21 PM »

To touch on the toughness of the old 4.0 ( I absolutely agree they shouldnt have removed it from the line up ) Down at the dealership when the cash for clunkers program was going on .. we were required to total out the motors before they left , with it drained of oil we used water and liquid glass to seize the motor up tight as a drum , Japanese motors were the easiest they would last about 20 to 30 seconds if not less. About 4 to 5 minutes on average for most others .. But those ol' battle wagon 4.0 inline 6s wouldnt die, we had to get creative redlining etc. and still some took up to an hour to finally give up the ghost..

The only motor that was on par with 4.0 was an old asperated Ford 351 cleveland.... So a truely tough motor the old 4.0 is.

Mike in Virginia · « **Reply #27 on:** October 13, 2011, 05:02:00 PM »

I've been into Jeeps for a long time. I've had three. My latest is a Wrangler Rubicon, with locking axles and all the other off road stuff one might want out of the box. I put my H&R Buffalo Classic in a blanket case and rest it across the console, and go where ever the heck I want to. I've not met the terrain yet that prohibits conquest. Snow and ice and mud, gullies, washouts, deep water, and extreme inclines are no match for the Rubicon. I've had it 2 years and have taken it into impossible places, but never got stuck. 4 low with both axles locked cannot be stopped. The 3.8 computerized engine is definitely not old school, but it works. The instrument panel tells me when the gas cap is lose, when one of the tires (including the spare) is low, if I need an oil change, and a dozen other things. Also, the Rubicon is the only factory model with the super low transmission in 4 low. It will pull itself out of anything at an idle. It's got factory rock guard panels and undercarriage protection. It's got the big wheels and tires already installed. As I said, I've never been stuck, and have come to believe that I cant get stuck. I thought about buying a winch, but I'd never need it. I cannot get stuck. I've tried so many different terrains and mud and ice and snow, that I'm convinced a stock Rubicon is the ultimate hunting machine. The bad news is I've still got 3 more years to pay on it. If there's a downside to the Rubicon it's the bumpes. They ain't steel. They are more like black marshmallows. If you don't want to dent them, don't touch anything with them. My next investment will be a steel bumper on the front.

There's lots of advantages to a truck, but traction ain't one of them.

gcrank1 · « **Reply #28 on:** October 13, 2011, 05:20:24 PM »

With an old International Scout (1974?) (IIRC it was basicaslly Jeep works) I came to believe that I was supposed to drive in 2WD. If I got 'stuck', putting it in 4WD would get out. I never got totally stuck in 4WD, but in pretty deep because I went too far. If I was stuck in 4WD it might take at least another 4WD to get out (or that winch). Im sure no expert on these either, but that winch idea sounds like cheap insurance and better than sitting there with my finger up my nose. Of course, I had all season tires, not real off road tread. With the Trackers and the same technique (2whl until 'in') we've never needed a pull out.

tacklebury · « **Reply #29 on:** October 13, 2011, 05:28:00 PM »

My mechanic buddy is doing some refurb work for me on mine as I'm installing a Ford 300 Straight 6 that's been converted to run pure alcohol. Dad and I are getting a still license for fuel, and hopefully in a couple years, we'll be running several vehicles on pure alcohol.

We're working on a second stationary 300 for running a generator and a well pump as needed.