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The King of Swag
Nov 10, 2005

To escape the closure,
is to become the God of Swag.

easyjo posted:

I was looking at getting a wrangler and it seems I could get a used softtop with about 30k miles for a good price. Any ideas how much a hardtop would cost.. would dealers provide them? (UK)

Both aftermarket and factory hard-tops run about $1k. For just a little bit more, you can get a multi-part hard-top for wheeling, but you'll eventually have to deal with leaks with those since they use gaskets around the section seperations.

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K
Jun 2, 2005

Meet me at midnight
Hey Jeep'ers, how do soft tops fair during rough winters? I'll be moving to Chicago this summer. Should I consider an additional, after-market hard top?

dr cum patrol esq
Sep 3, 2003

A C A B

:350:

K posted:

Hey Jeep'ers, how do soft tops fair during rough winters? I'll be moving to Chicago this summer. Should I consider an additional, after-market hard top?

They don't insulate too well but as long as it's in good shape so no wind blows in your face while moving you'll be fine.

Chairon
Aug 13, 2007
I once was a man. Well,I suppose I still am.
So where does everyone go offroading? I'm in the middle of CA, and i'm constantly hearing talk of tons of Fire roads and offroad trials, but I can't seem to find any.

Is there anything special I should look for? I'd assume theres not going to be big signs saying "TURN HERE FOR OFFROAD GOODNESS" but the only time I've taken my Jeep(2006 Wrangler Sport) offroad was at a State Vehicular Recreation area, which only had a tiny tiny area for 4WD vehicles. Mostly for Dirtbikes, they get trails snaking up into the hills and everything.

The King of Swag
Nov 10, 2005

To escape the closure,
is to become the God of Swag.

Chairon posted:

So where does everyone go offroading? I'm in the middle of CA, and i'm constantly hearing talk of tons of Fire roads and offroad trials, but I can't seem to find any.

Is there anything special I should look for? I'd assume theres not going to be big signs saying "TURN HERE FOR OFFROAD GOODNESS" but the only time I've taken my Jeep(2006 Wrangler Sport) offroad was at a State Vehicular Recreation area, which only had a tiny tiny area for 4WD vehicles. Mostly for Dirtbikes, they get trails snaking up into the hills and everything.

Welcome to my world; I live in LA County and all the wilderness around me is essentially cordoned off. The only way I've found of finding places to wheel is to look for any dirt roads or trails on Google Maps, mark all the locations, and then drive around to those places and see if they are closed off to vehicles or not. Only about 1 in every 50 locations is actually open, but I've yet to find a better method.

To be truthful, it makes me sad, as most of the wilderness that is being cordoned off is completely unused by anyone and everyone and is all just going to waste just sitting there.

Disciple of Pain
Dec 4, 2005
I bet Cali has something like Colorado has: Trail Damage

ZippySLC
Jun 3, 2002


~what is art, baby dont post, dont post, no more~

no seriously don't post

K posted:

Hey Jeep'ers, how do soft tops fair during rough winters? I'll be moving to Chicago this summer. Should I consider an additional, after-market hard top?

In 2004+ models the soft top was redesigned and is a bit thicker. Both of my Wranglers (04 and now an 08) both stay quite warm in cold weather.

You can get replacement soft tops from Besttop (who I think is the OEM supplier anyway) that are thicker.

ManicJason
Oct 27, 2003

He doesn't really stop the puck, but he scares the hell out of the other team.

ZippySLC posted:

You can get replacement soft tops from Besttop (who I think is the OEM supplier anyway) that are thicker.
I may be alone in this, but I absolutely hate Besttop. My first replace-a-top lasted a little over a year before the zippers started tearing off, one of the snaps broke off, and holes started appearing. I got another one after not being able to find any suitable replacement and hearing again how great their reputation is. Another one of my zippers started tearing off within six months. :(

I still know of no one better but hate the thought of giving them any money ever again.

Viking Blood
Jun 17, 2005

The hammer of the Gods will drive our riffs to new lands

ManicJason posted:

I may be alone in this, but I absolutely hate Besttop. My first replace-a-top lasted a little over a year before the zippers started tearing off, one of the snaps broke off, and holes started appearing. I got another one after not being able to find any suitable replacement and hearing again how great their reputation is. Another one of my zippers started tearing off within six months. :(

I still know of no one better but hate the thought of giving them any money ever again.

Do you use LOOB??

Seriously, I know Besttop recommends lubing the zippers with graphite or other dry libricant such as chalk. It makes a huge difference on the amount of force required to zip-up.

murphle
Mar 4, 2004

Chairon posted:

So where does everyone go offroading? I'm in the middle of CA, and i'm constantly hearing talk of tons of Fire roads and offroad trials, but I can't seem to find any.

Is there anything special I should look for? I'd assume theres not going to be big signs saying "TURN HERE FOR OFFROAD GOODNESS" but the only time I've taken my Jeep(2006 Wrangler Sport) offroad was at a State Vehicular Recreation area, which only had a tiny tiny area for 4WD vehicles. Mostly for Dirtbikes, they get trails snaking up into the hills and everything.

You have to be willing to drive a little bit. Maybe you went to Prarie City SVRA? Most of the good stuff is in the eastern half of the state, such as the Tahoe area, the area around Shaver Lake, and quite a bit of the Mojave desert. The Mojave in particular is dotted with a couple of wide-open vehicle recreation areas, as well as having tons of dirt roads on BLM land running up into the hills. Closer to LA there's the region around the Hungry Valley SVRA and Mt Pinos, where you can get both the wide-open recreation area and the mountain fire roads, some of which are legitimate 4wd trails (i.e. go prepared). There are also trails up around Lake Arrowhead outside of LA. There is Hollister Hills SVRA out near Santa Cruz, which is sort of like Prarie City but has its own separate 4wd park (no bikes) with a full range of trails from mild to extreme, along with a "playground" area that has a rock-crawling section, tire pit, mud pit, hills climbs etc. Then there's Oceano Dunes in Pismo Beach, which is all sand. Most of these areas would probably require you to commit a whole weekend to make the trip worthwhile with all the highway driving that's involved, but that's the reality of living near a population center rather than living out in the sticks.

Take a look at some of the books on this list for more ideas and details:
http://www.amazon.com/4WD-California/lm/R37XZMNV2FPECL/ref=cm_lmt_srch_f_1_rsrssi0

CommieGIR
Aug 22, 2006

The blue glow is a feature, not a bug


Pillbug
Finally, here is my jeep:



1985 Cherokee Laredo
2.8l Chevy 'OOPS I DON'T LIKE GAS ENGINES' V-6
AX5 5 Speed
NV 207 Transfer Case

Fun to drive, reliable as hell, and worth every penny I spent getting it

CommieGIR fucked around with this message at 13:11 on Mar 20, 2008

Big K of Justice
Nov 27, 2005

Anyone seen my ball joints?

The King of Swag posted:

To be truthful, it makes me sad, as most of the wilderness that is being cordoned off is completely unused by anyone and everyone and is all just going to waste just sitting there.

I'd join a local club if you are serious about it.

Theres tons of places to wheel in LA, you just have to drive an hour or so to get to them. For starters:

Hungry valley SVRA, a bit past Magic Mountain:

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1192

San Bernardino National Forest:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/recreation/ohv/

A few trails include 2N17X, Dishpan,Cleghorn etc.

Our Hummer group and a jeep group just helped the Forestry Service remove dead trees from the forest fire from the dishpan trail so that's open now. That region borders BLM land and it's open for public use. You can take back roads all over, from Lake Arrowhead to Big Bear down to Apple valley. GPS and a trail map will be good, you can get lost if you are not careful.

Since it's in the mountains, chains may be recommended. When we went up Sunday morning, it was blowing snow at 5500 ft and the police had a chains check road block.

Going up the Calico, CA [the ghost town near Barstow], has some neat BLM trails and canyons that you can navigate. As well as patches of high desert and spots where you can camp.

South of there you got Johnson Valley OHV:

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/johnson.html

Currently, this park/area is in danger of being closed. The Marines want to expand the base to encompass a good chunk of Johnson Valley. The BLM is fighting against it so we'll see. It's odd to see government vs government fight over land.

Remember, tread lightly, come properly equipped. Don't be one of "those" guys on the trails.

I'm sure I'm forgetting other spots at the moment but thats a few. There's plenty of legal, challenging places you can off road near LA.

The King of Swag
Nov 10, 2005

To escape the closure,
is to become the God of Swag.

BigKOfJustice posted:

lots o' trails

Oh, I definitely know of all of those, it's just that I like taking the roads less traveled. Believe it or not, when I was a kid driving around with my dad, it was ridiculously easy to just talk to park rangers and let them know you'd be out there and that you'd keep your eye out for anything suspicious (people shooting up stuff, ect) and just try to help them out in general. They would then have no problem letting you drive all over hell, but nowadays, it just doesn't seem that way.

As for tread lightly, I fully subscribe to it, but most people seem to assume that means that you always follow pre-determined trails and never go off the path, when that is not the case at all. Those trails that exist now, wouldn't be there if someone hadn't gone off the beaten path before. I think it all comes down to common sense; will you be crushing lots of little plants and animals or really tearing up the land? Don't go, tread lightly. Will you be doing no real damage? That still falls under tread lightly to me.

I think it's all subjective, and while I don't know who that guy is (seriously I don't, what do you mean?), I try to do as little to no damage as possible, I always try to be courteous to others, I try to help people when I can and if I need to get across someone's property, I drat sure get their permission first.

Of course, rules change a little bit when doing geology work (as that is stuff that has to get done), but when wheeling, that is for pleasure and hell if I'm going to be a jackass when having fun. That not only ruins someone else's day, but my own for feeling like a jackass.

n0tqu1tesane
May 7, 2003

She was rubbing her ass all over my hands. They don't just do that for everyone.
Grimey Drawer

CommieGIR posted:

Finally, here is my jeep:



1985 Cherokee Laredo
2.8l Chevy 'Iron Duke' V-6
AX5 5 Speed
NV 207 Transfer Case

Fun to drive, reliable as hell, and worth every penny I spent getting it

Uh. The Iron Duke was a 4cyl, and was never available in the Cherokee.

Big K of Justice
Nov 27, 2005

Anyone seen my ball joints?

The King of Swag posted:

Oh, I definitely know of all of those, it's just that I like taking the roads less traveled. Believe it or not, when I was a kid driving around with my dad, it was ridiculously easy to just talk to park rangers and let them know you'd be out there and that you'd keep your eye out for anything suspicious (people shooting up stuff, ect) and just try to help them out in general. They would then have no problem letting you drive all over hell, but nowadays, it just doesn't seem that way.

Calico is still like that to a degree, especially up past the valleys before the ends of Fort Irwin past Tin Can Alley. It levels out with soft hulls and you start people spreading out all over. I think the BLM only frowns on people free riding around I-15 near Yermo because of the dust that kicks up that can cause traffic issues on the interstate. It's pretty awesome up there past the mountains becuase in any given direction you don't see any civilization at all except for one microwave transmitter on a hill. Other then that as far as the eyes can see.. just rocks, shrubs and desert.

I was last up there during Calico Cleanup 08, I'd like to go up there again for a campout instead of picking up shattered glass all day :)

ManicJason
Oct 27, 2003

He doesn't really stop the puck, but he scares the hell out of the other team.

n0tqu1tesane posted:

Uh. The Iron Duke was a 4cyl, and was never available in the Cherokee.
There's nothing "iron" about the 2.8L. God it was nice moving from an XJ with that piece of crap to a 4.0 YJ.

piezo4
Dec 10, 2004
It's time for the rains to wash all the salt off the roads so she can come out of the barn.

XenoWolf
Apr 26, 2003
Mr. Sotch

n0tqu1tesane posted:

Uh. The Iron Duke was a 4cyl, and was never available in the Cherokee.

This man speaks the truth. While a 4 cyl. was available in XJs starting from inception in MY 1984, it was the AMC I4, not the GM Iron Duke. Both the AMC and the GM engines were I4 2.5L engines (thus the frequent confusion), but AMC and later Chrysler never used the Iron Duke in an XJ. If I recall correctly, the last Jeeps with an Iron Duke were from the 1983 model year.

The 2.8L V6 in the OP's XJ was the GM LR2 engine, fabled for its aptitude at leaking oil from the rear main seal (mating the 2.8 to the T5/AX5 manual or the Chrysler A904 was teh hard)

Edit to say I am a giant Jeep nerd.

XenoWolf fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Mar 20, 2008

Disciple of Pain
Dec 4, 2005

piezo4 posted:

It's time for the rains to wash all the salt off the roads so she can come out of the barn.



God get rid of those huge, ugly turn signals. Get some that will go where the blackout lights go, on the grill.

CommieGIR
Aug 22, 2006

The blue glow is a feature, not a bug


Pillbug

XenoWolf posted:

This man speaks the truth. While a 4 cyl. was available in XJs starting from inception in MY 1984, it was the AMC I4, not the GM Iron Duke. Both the AMC and the GM engines were I4 2.5L engines (thus the frequent confusion), but AMC and later Chrysler never used the Iron Duke in an XJ. If I recall correctly, the last Jeeps with an Iron Duke were from the 1983 model year.

The 2.8L V6 in the OP's XJ was the GM LR2 engine, fabled for its aptitude at leaking oil from the rear main seal (mating the 2.8 to the T5/AX5 manual or the Chrysler A904 was teh hard)

Edit to say I am a giant Jeep nerd.

Fixed.

Nonetheless, I do hate the engine, and cannot wait to swap it with the nice little inline 5 VW diesel I am rebuilding for it



\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I didn't change his, I changed MINE.

CommieGIR fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Mar 20, 2008

Disciple of Pain
Dec 4, 2005

CommieGIR posted:

Fixed.

Nonetheless, I do hate the engine, and cannot wait to swap it with the nice little inline 5 VW diesel I am rebuilding for it

What did you even change about his post?!

Salami Surgeon
Jan 21, 2001

Don't close. Don't close.


Nap Ghost
A ways off, but FSJ East Coast Invasion
Uhwarrie, NC, June 19-22

I might go to peep some sweet Jeeps. FSJs are awesome.

Original.Evil
Apr 9, 2007

by mons all madden
I'm thinking about buying a 1990 Wrangler, 4.2 manual with 171k miles on it and needs a clutch replaced. Would 1k be a fair price for it? Should I even buy this car? I don't mind replacing the clutch and since the engine is an inline 6 I think it will run for a long time.

Thank you, hope this was the right place to post this.

Big K of Justice
Nov 27, 2005

Anyone seen my ball joints?
That's a good price IMO, I'd buy any Jeep Cherokee or Wrangler in that price range if it needs a little work. You could fix it and flip it at that price.

Braincloud
Sep 28, 2004

I forgot...how BIG...

Original.Evil posted:

I'm thinking about buying a 1990 Wrangler, 4.2 manual with 171k miles on it and needs a clutch replaced. Would 1k be a fair price for it? Should I even buy this car? I don't mind replacing the clutch and since the engine is an inline 6 I think it will run for a long time.

Thank you, hope this was the right place to post this.

I'd pay $1000 for an older Wrangler. I would have no qualms about beating the hell out of it on the trails. Replacing a clutch isn't that big a deal, especially if you've done it before.

Telven
Mar 4, 2001

IL2 Fanboy

Original.Evil posted:

and since the engine is an inline 6 I think it will run for a long time.


The engine will run for a very long time, however the carburetor is known to throw temper tantrums fairly often.

Valgarv
Mar 2, 2005

K posted:

Hey Jeep'ers, how do soft tops fair during rough winters? I'll be moving to Chicago this summer. Should I consider an additional, after-market hard top?

My jeep has two knife slashes, one in the passenger window and one by the trunk, I live in BC so the worst it gets here is around -10, but with some duct tape and a heating funnel I ripped out of a scrapped 95 YJ, it gets so hot I have to go around in a t-shirt in my jeep usually. Just make sure your heating system works and you'll be fine. Also if you get any drafts: duct tape.

I'm currently driving a 4 cylinder '90 YJ and I'm wondering is the change to a 6 cylinder really a huge upgrade? Driving on the freeway with it seems so insanely slow and I cringe everytime I have to do it.

Valgarv fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Apr 3, 2008

Octavio Barnaby Sr.
Feb 23, 2004

Where you're going, there are no jokes.
Yeah, and just budget 10 or so minutes onto your trip to work to let it get good and warm inside.
I used to think it sucked having a soft top in the cold, then I just realized that if I let it idle for a bit in the driveway while I smoked a cigarette, it gets nice and warm inside and is about as comfortable as anything else.

Braincloud
Sep 28, 2004

I forgot...how BIG...

Valgarv posted:

... is the change to a 6 cylinder really a huge upgrade?

Yes!

I've driven a 4 banger wrangler and it was the most anemic thing. I suppose if you roll around on the stock pizza cutters it'd be somewhat okay, but with any decent sized tire it's a piece of crap.

For a quick comparison, the 4cyl puts out about 100hp while the I6 puts out about anywhere from ~177hp to about ~200hp depending on the year. Also, the I6 has it's bulletproof reputation too.

Valgarv
Mar 2, 2005

Braincloud posted:

Yes!

I've driven a 4 banger wrangler and it was the most anemic thing. I suppose if you roll around on the stock pizza cutters it'd be somewhat okay, but with any decent sized tire it's a piece of crap.

For a quick comparison, the 4cyl puts out about 100hp while the I6 puts out about anywhere from ~177hp to about ~200hp depending on the year. Also, the I6 has it's bulletproof reputation too.

Yeah, my jeep has 31 or 33 tires, I can't remember. It's really depressing when I'm not just using it around town. I had no idea it was nearly double the horse power. I guess the next question is am I better off selling it and buying a 6cyl or just putting one in myself? Or maybe I could find some poor sucker to trade me.

Octavio Barnaby Sr.
Feb 23, 2004

Where you're going, there are no jokes.
4cyls are slow, but not that bad.
They put out 123hp and the 4.0 puts out 180hp.
The 4.0 isn't any more bulletproof than the 2.5 seeing as how they are pretty remarkably similar in design.

I'm just going to keep mine until I kill it and put a v8 of some sort in.

The King of Swag
Nov 10, 2005

To escape the closure,
is to become the God of Swag.

Octavio Barnaby Sr. posted:

4cyls are slow, but not that bad.
They put out 123hp and the 4.0 puts out 180hp.
The 4.0 isn't any more bulletproof than the 2.5 seeing as how they are pretty remarkably similar in design.

I'm just going to keep mine until I kill it and put a v8 of some sort in.

The engine in my Wrangler has another 250 thousand in it easy (never had one give trouble under 300k miles), but the day it does need swapping, I'll definitely be going for a 4.6L or larger stroker, possibly supercharged. All the reliability of the 4.0L with the power of a better small-block V8.

Atticus_1354
Dec 10, 2006

barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark

The King of Swag posted:

The engine in my Wrangler has another 250 thousand in it easy (never had one give trouble under 300k miles), but the day it does need swapping, I'll definitely be going for a 4.6L or larger stroker, possibly supercharged. All the reliability of the 4.0L with the power of a better small-block V8.

Strokers are so drat hot. I was reading a write up a while ago were they put a 4.6l stroker in a wrangler and completely reworked the suspension. It ended up with 36" tires and an awesome sound. Some day I want to get a cherokee, do the back window delete and drop a stroker in there for some hot high speed cherokee action.

miklm
Dec 7, 2003

What a cunning fellow.
Jeeeeeeep guys, tell me whether or not this is a decent deal.

http://bham.craigslist.org/car/623946092.html

Too bad the guy apparently can't buy a camera. I talked to him on the phone for 10 minutes today, and he seems to know what he's talking about. He has a Jeep trail rig, and is selling this because he has 2 jeeps, his wife's car, and a company truck so its just sitting. He said the oil has been changed every 3000 miles and the transmission fluid ever 20,000 or so. He does all his own maintenance. To me, that probably means its in pretty good shape, because NOBODY ever changes transmission fluid that often except the most die-hard of enthusiasts. I'm pretty enthusiastic about maintenance, and track my cars, and I still can't be bothered to change trans/diff fluid on any regular schedule.

So... is that a decent deal for a high miles but well maintained Cherokee? Tires are 90+% tread, suspension is recent, steering is recent, control arms and such replaced, etc., etc. I know it isn't the bargain of the decade, but I don't think I'm just pissing money down a drain either.

miklm fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Apr 5, 2008

Atticus_1354
Dec 10, 2006

barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark
Looks like a pretty decent deal. I would jump on it.

Omg50BMG
Feb 9, 2008
Woot, i am tradeing my Hardtop for a Soft top tomarrow :D

The King of Swag
Nov 10, 2005

To escape the closure,
is to become the God of Swag.

Omg50BMG posted:

Woot, i am tradeing my Hardtop for a Soft top tomarrow :D

Unless your hard-top is all beat up and the soft top is brand new, you are getting ripped off. You can sell a half decent hard-top for $1000 or more and get a brand new OEM or Bestop soft-top with all brand new hardware for half that.

Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!
So uh...


If, theoretically I were to come into the possession of a Patriot, would you guys kick me out of the club?

The King of Swag
Nov 10, 2005

To escape the closure,
is to become the God of Swag.

Rhyno posted:

So uh...


If, theoretically I were to come into the possession of a Patriot, would you guys kick me out of the club?

Not as long as you didn't actually spend any money on it.

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Tiki Powers
Jul 19, 2005
If your friendship can survive this, your not playing dirty enough

Rhyno posted:

So uh...


If, theoretically I were to come into the possession of a Patriot, would you guys kick me out of the club?

Well that depends. Are you trading your balls in as part of the down payment.
however if you drive a real jeep and you are just buying this to remain brand loyal with a reasonable gas milage grocery getter, then you are safe.

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