Enthusiast III
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- First Name
- Joseph
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- Arietta
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Oddball overlanding rigs!
- Thread starter Autism Family Travels
- Start date
Not much support for the old Jeep SJ's. This is my '77 Cherokee. Pretty much stock except for 3" lift, 33" tires on Pro Comp wheels. It is the star of my YouTube channel...
Also, the trailer is a oddity too. it is made with 2" foam covered with canvas. The only wood in the build is in the floor.
Also, the trailer is a oddity too. it is made with 2" foam covered with canvas. The only wood in the build is in the floor.
Member III
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- Jim
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- covey sr
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16986
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A friend of mine bought a new Cherokee in 1974 like yours. The last time I talked to him he had 345,000 miles on it and said he had never done anything to it except service work and brake jobs. He was a SHELL station owner. MY SON SAW HIM AWHILE BACK AND SAID HE STILL DRIVES THAT THING EVERYWHERE. They are icons for sure.
Member III
sure they work for overlanding , when it breaks down that's where you set up camp . every drive is a adventure
Member III
Yup! They are a solid rig and the original Sport Utility. From Wiki-According to Robert Casey, the transportation curator at the Henry Ford Museum, the 1984 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) was the first true sport utility vehicle in the modern understanding of the term,[45] although Jeep already used the term literally in their 1974 brochures, for the original SJ Cherokee.
Member III
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- Jim
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- covey sr
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I see you made it to the bottom of the valley. I wouldn't try to go any further up that hill behind you, if I were you.
cheers
Member III
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How do you use the little trailer. Is it a camp kitchen, or sleeping quarters or both. Neat idea building with rigid foam and canvas. Brings back a few memories of my own and the little trailer my dad pulled behind his car when out of town painting road signs. It was made out of two plywood sheets that when tilted on edge would for an tent shape. The he would throw a waterproof military surplus tarp over it with flaps at both ends. We didn't have the money for motels back in the 40"s so dad use to call us sophisticated HoBo's.
The trailer is a work in progress. Trying to test how far I can push a foamie. On this trip it was just a place to sleep and keep most non-kitchen items like chairs, sleeping bags, clothing, kids tent, ect.. Kept most of the cooking items in the Jeep since I can jackknife it so I can use the tailgate as a kitchen table.
I am upgrading the tongue now to add a lot more strength so I can get it onto more rugged trails. Later I plan a larger axle and wheel/tires.
A short video on my channel with some video of the trip pictured above.
Your story of that trailer sounds like some great memories.....
George.
Member I
I have a 2006 Honda Pilot 4wd that I have lifted 3 inches with spacers and larger tires. For some reason I can't attach a picture but it's the picture of my avatar.
Here is my 1995 DAF Leyland and 2010 Toyota Fortuner both RHDs
Here are my three beasts. Am pregnant with one now but that's not odd ball but a 2014 LC. The red one is a 2010 Mitsubishi Pajero SFX (went from India TO Scotland in it with the Toyota in the caravan)
So I'm not the only guy running a pre-94 dodge truck here. Cool beans.
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My thoughts are:
If you own it
Do not care about mud, dirt and pin striping
Like to go camping off grid
Than you have the vehicle for out back camping.
MODS - start with ground clearance, tires, recovery gear and motivation to get out there.
Some of us like the bigger stuff:
We go out without the trailer most of the time, it is for family (with adult kids) mostly now.
If you own it
Do not care about mud, dirt and pin striping
Like to go camping off grid
Than you have the vehicle for out back camping.
MODS - start with ground clearance, tires, recovery gear and motivation to get out there.
Some of us like the bigger stuff:
We go out without the trailer most of the time, it is for family (with adult kids) mostly now.
Member III
- 2,827
- First Name
- Jim
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- covey sr
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16986
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- none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Member III
- 2,827
- First Name
- Jim
- Last Name
- covey sr
- Member #
-
16986
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Member III
- 2,827
- First Name
- Jim
- Last Name
- covey sr
- Member #
-
16986
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Do you have plans to make your truck a 4 wheel drive ? I've seen a lot of the big trucks go where no one thought they could go. I'm sure with a 7.3 you can go just about anywhere you wanna go. Oorahhhhh
Thanks, Glad you liked the videos.
So far so good. Two trips coming up this month for some more testing. I did get the new tongue/frame reinforcement piece in this weekend. Now I can change out to a pintle type hitch for more rugged off road performance. Not sure if I will need it or not, but good to have just in case.
I also have a Overlanding/4x4 YouTube Channel if you are interested. In my videos it is more about the road and roadside scenery. The trips that include the trailer, as of now, are the Mordor 4.0 and Have You Steen It! series SW Idaho Overlanding .
See you on the trails, George.
Bought a Dana 60 out of a 2007 F350 a couple years back, with all the suspension and stuff - just need to get the time set aside to do the conversion.
Need to stop planning trips so I can get on it. LOL
