Latest Updates: Well, I didn't ENTIRELY f*** it up...
Pictured: In fact, I only partially f***** it up.
The Wasteland Survival Guide: Engineering Greta
Prologue: The idea behind my thread is simply this: to provide an entertainingly-documented accounting of all the work that I'm doing...major, minor, repair, diagnostic, etc, etc. The title of the thread was chosen deliberately...it's not a "let me hold your hand" write-up; it's more of, well, a guide. I want it to be interesting, informative, funny, and useful. I want it to spark ideas and imagination in the minds of other Jeep drivers. I want people to read, to see, to learn, and - most importantly - to be inspired. I want these things because - to me - the Jeep is the four-wheeled backpack of my life. She's the keystone that makes Bilbo Baggins' famous tale - "There, and Back Again" - actually possible...and if getting there and coming back again isn't what a trip into the backcountry is all about, then I surely do not know what is. To those ends, I want people to learn from me and with me. Knowledge - more than any other tool - is the most crucial part of not only surviving the wasteland, but thriving in it.
With that said...
The Objective: Build a Jeep that will faultlessly handle whatever I feel like doing at the time.
The Difficulty: Are you kidding? This is me we're talking about. There's literally no telling what I'll be interested in doing from one moment to the next...so heaven forbid I make it easy on myself. If I had to predict a "mission requirement" for this Jeep, it would read something like this: "Be capable of crossing 2,000 miles of asphalt in relative comfort while carrying anything that the driver could possibly need should he or she A) decide to negotiate a rather technical trail at the end of the road, B) go on a zombie-killing rampage, or C) turn in an unanticipated direction simply to see what lies over the next hill...and, consequently, to return home again with little-to-no damage." Kind of makes "daily driver" seem a bit harder to do than normal, doesn't it?
The Limitations: Time and money, as always. Any problem can be solved with outright simplicity, provided that one applies both time and cash in liberal, slathering amounts. Well, I don't always have either of those...much less both at once. I won't say that I'm going to try to do this on a shoestring budget, but I certainly can't throw cash at problems.
The Expected End Result: Rather, where I think this is going to end up...
- Well-controlled 35's, which means upgraded steering, control links and brakes.
- Armored sections...wherever they're needed. Engine, t-case, rockers, approach and departure, a cage of some sort.
- Clearance...read "tummy tuck" when you see that word.
- Cool-running reliability...look for oil and power-steering coolers, louvers, and the like.
- Communication from the backcountry...a UHF/VHF setup.
- Survival/Recovery...anything that's needed to dig oneself out of trouble, should the Mission Requirement get compromised.
- Pointlessly Fun Extras: Hey, if you've got an M1919, why not strap it to the roll bar?
Be sure to look for the the following special comments and sections:
Valuable Information. These are bits and pieces of relevant knowledge that I've picked up during the build, and they contain a great variety of informative randomness on the topic at hand. These sections contain tips on installations or techniques, ideas on what I might have done differently had I known at the time, and thoughts relevant to the posts in that section. They're not full tech write-ups, and they aren't intended to be...they're simply helpful hints that will better enable you to survive the wasteland of Jeep ownership, modification and operation.
Summaries. These are exactly what they seem: summaries of my thoughts and opinions. They're written to be simple, short, to-the-point "final thoughts and afterthoughts" statements. Think of them as the bullet points that always seem to end each chapter in class textbooks, or the "if you don't remember anything else that I've said, then remember this" portion of the thread.
And last, but certainly not least...
Some Final Thoughts Before You Wander In: I encourage you to ask questions, make suggestions, insult me, and to critique my spelling and grammar...but above all, I encourage you to enjoy the thread. I encourage you to enjoy wrenching on your Jeep as much as I enjoy wrenching on mine, and I encourage you to have fun while you can...because life is short, and it's a wasteland out there.
:thumbsup:
Pictured: In fact, I only partially f***** it up.
The Wasteland Survival Guide: Engineering Greta
Prologue: The idea behind my thread is simply this: to provide an entertainingly-documented accounting of all the work that I'm doing...major, minor, repair, diagnostic, etc, etc. The title of the thread was chosen deliberately...it's not a "let me hold your hand" write-up; it's more of, well, a guide. I want it to be interesting, informative, funny, and useful. I want it to spark ideas and imagination in the minds of other Jeep drivers. I want people to read, to see, to learn, and - most importantly - to be inspired. I want these things because - to me - the Jeep is the four-wheeled backpack of my life. She's the keystone that makes Bilbo Baggins' famous tale - "There, and Back Again" - actually possible...and if getting there and coming back again isn't what a trip into the backcountry is all about, then I surely do not know what is. To those ends, I want people to learn from me and with me. Knowledge - more than any other tool - is the most crucial part of not only surviving the wasteland, but thriving in it.
With that said...
The Objective: Build a Jeep that will faultlessly handle whatever I feel like doing at the time.
The Difficulty: Are you kidding? This is me we're talking about. There's literally no telling what I'll be interested in doing from one moment to the next...so heaven forbid I make it easy on myself. If I had to predict a "mission requirement" for this Jeep, it would read something like this: "Be capable of crossing 2,000 miles of asphalt in relative comfort while carrying anything that the driver could possibly need should he or she A) decide to negotiate a rather technical trail at the end of the road, B) go on a zombie-killing rampage, or C) turn in an unanticipated direction simply to see what lies over the next hill...and, consequently, to return home again with little-to-no damage." Kind of makes "daily driver" seem a bit harder to do than normal, doesn't it?
The Limitations: Time and money, as always. Any problem can be solved with outright simplicity, provided that one applies both time and cash in liberal, slathering amounts. Well, I don't always have either of those...much less both at once. I won't say that I'm going to try to do this on a shoestring budget, but I certainly can't throw cash at problems.
The Expected End Result: Rather, where I think this is going to end up...
- Well-controlled 35's, which means upgraded steering, control links and brakes.
- Armored sections...wherever they're needed. Engine, t-case, rockers, approach and departure, a cage of some sort.
- Clearance...read "tummy tuck" when you see that word.
- Cool-running reliability...look for oil and power-steering coolers, louvers, and the like.
- Communication from the backcountry...a UHF/VHF setup.
- Survival/Recovery...anything that's needed to dig oneself out of trouble, should the Mission Requirement get compromised.
- Pointlessly Fun Extras: Hey, if you've got an M1919, why not strap it to the roll bar?
Be sure to look for the the following special comments and sections:
Valuable Information. These are bits and pieces of relevant knowledge that I've picked up during the build, and they contain a great variety of informative randomness on the topic at hand. These sections contain tips on installations or techniques, ideas on what I might have done differently had I known at the time, and thoughts relevant to the posts in that section. They're not full tech write-ups, and they aren't intended to be...they're simply helpful hints that will better enable you to survive the wasteland of Jeep ownership, modification and operation.
Summaries. These are exactly what they seem: summaries of my thoughts and opinions. They're written to be simple, short, to-the-point "final thoughts and afterthoughts" statements. Think of them as the bullet points that always seem to end each chapter in class textbooks, or the "if you don't remember anything else that I've said, then remember this" portion of the thread.
And last, but certainly not least...
Some Final Thoughts Before You Wander In: I encourage you to ask questions, make suggestions, insult me, and to critique my spelling and grammar...but above all, I encourage you to enjoy the thread. I encourage you to enjoy wrenching on your Jeep as much as I enjoy wrenching on mine, and I encourage you to have fun while you can...because life is short, and it's a wasteland out there.
:thumbsup: