Back in the Spring of 1985, I got a bonus from the US Army for re-enlisting.  I would have, anyway, but the army was giving a $20,000 bonus to anyone who would re-enlist for 6 years. 

Anyway, I bought a Jeep with my bonus money, replacing my old and dying 1942 Willy's Jeep CJ2A with a new one.  My plan was to buy a new CJ5, but they had stopped making them a few years before, so I got a new CJ7 instead.  I REALLY liked my Jeep,  and proudly waved at the other Jeepers I passed on the street, but I still wished I'd gotten a CJ5.  Its wasn't that my Jeep was 'bad'... it just wasn't the CJ5.  The CJ7 was the "yuppie" version, well, until the Wrangler came around, anyway.

Folks called it  "The Orange Beast".  It was supposedly Bronze, but it looked more like a "burnt orange color", even the State of Washington said so on the registration, after the guy took a look out the window at it, and everyone I hung around with soon caught on to the notion that I didn't like folks saying it was "orange", so of course they did.

The name stuck, and before too long, I started calling it "TOBy"  (we're big on acronyms in the Army).  I put a Chevy 454 in it, along with Dana 44 Axle in the rear with a locking differential, and a Dana 30 in the front, suspension lift, brush guard, bigger tires... lots of cool stuff.  It shook you half to death driving it, but it was NICE!

I had a lot of friends who went 4-Wheeling, and I had a great time hitting the trails around the post, and taking it to water fording sites, and off-road parks...  I also enjoyed driving long distances, to the beaches, or National Parks. 

I could go anywhere... on the road, or off.  It just was a joy to drive.

I used it to haul equipment for gunnery, and I got permission from my Commander more than once to take it out on the range, because there wasn't a vehicle available for me to use - especially when we were transitioning to the Hummer, and they were late on their shipment.

It was a great vehicle, my favorite so far.

When I left for Germany in 1991, I left it behind with folks I thought I could trust, and it was sold to someone who, apparently with a month of buying it, flipped it over in an intersection trying to cut through a turn-left signal that was just turning red, and then it was T-Boned just it came back upright, breaking off the rear axle assembly.  The frame was broken, and it was totaled and scrapped. Or at least that's the story I got more than a year after the fact.  I'd given them a power of attorney, so there wasn't anything I could do.

The point of this history lesson?  Well, we realized we needed another vehicle that would free up "Gar", our Mariner, which would be used as the "family" vehicle, once BabyJ arrived. The Shadow Lady said I could "Get whatever you want"...

So, I picked a Jeep CJ5.

Actually, the one I bought was one that the Shadow Lady found online, and sent me the link to.  She found it on "Craig's List".  I'd been looking at used car lots.

Its a '72 Jeep CJ5, with a Chevy 350, a Dana 44 rear axle with a locking differential, Dana 30 axle in the front, suspension lift, brush guard, 33 inch tires...

Its surprisingly similar to the Jeep I had 22 years ago, only its a CJ5 (and its 35 years old).

 
It needs a bit of work before I can put it on the road, mainly the brakes need to be bled and flushed, and the backup lights aren't working... but the engine, rebuilt about 2 years ago, runs great, and nothing leaks or smokes.

The top, roll cage, windshield and assembly, rims, heater motor, wiper motor, mirrors, gas tank, wiring harness, and a bunch of other things have been replaced - its a project Jeep that's 2 years into the project. 

The owner's wife didn't like how rough it rode, so he got the newer Jeep that's behind it, and then his wife said that one Jeep was enough.

 

So, its "rustic", and there's more to be done on it, but I don't mind - and actually like 'rustic', and I can tinker around with it here and there, which will make it easier to find things to take my mind off of work now and again.

It doesn't have a name yet, but I'm thinking something along the lines of "Flame", which it'll probably sport until I can get it painted... they'll give it character for a while, I guess. 

And, when I'm driving down the road, I'll be able to wave to other Jeeps driving by again.

I've missed that.

< Back to Currently