The Ted thread...

[Chubbinius]

I'm going to have to look at the fuse block and see if I can just tank the fuse for the dome lights. Hopefully that's all it controls. Don't really want to keep disconnecting the battery every time I park it.

No doubt, disconnecting the battery each time would get tiresome; my 1970 doesn't even have a fuse box. If you can't pull the fuse easily without losing more items, you can always add a battery disconnect kit fairly easily (even have some "wireless" ones). Best of luck!

[BCRAWLER]

Just pull out the light bulb maybe.

[tedlovesjeeps71]

I pulled the dome fuse, seems to have worked for now but (of course) the radio is tied into it too, I think. Either that or I bumped something loose trying to get my paw up there. Not worried about it right now as I’m pretty worn out. Deal with it another day.
I’d still like to know what on the tailgate tells the dome lights to come on...

[Chubbinius]

Just pull out the light bulb maybe.

Totally a better way to solve that...now I want to delete my post above that made it much more involved than it needed to be...hahaha.

[tedlovesjeeps71]

Just pull out the light bulb maybe.

Totally a better way to solve that...now I want to delete my post above that made it much more involved than it needed to be...hahaha.

It would actually be 4 bulbs (or 3 bulbs and a plug) because there are two up front under the dash, one way at the rear, and then the two in the overhead console.

[letank]

Great news for the 35 acres ... as for the dome lights, it seems that most used FSJ that I have bought have the fuse removed and the radio wired to an alternate post with a stand alone fuse

[tedlovesjeeps71]

Put the waggy to work some more today. Skipped my 2 15 min breaks and only took a few minutes to scarf down some chow. There were two large crates heading for the scrap heap. One of them had parts of smaller crates in it as well. I used the sawzall to break them into panels and loaded them after work. Pretty much filled the entire cargo area with the seat folded and the tailgate down. If this pace keeps up I'll have most of what I need for a shed pretty quickly. Being out here is hard work but I'm loving it!

[tedlovesjeeps71]

Today is my last Friday off before I switch to five 8hr days so the wife and I can carpool. In theory it should save us about 250-300 bucks a month in gas since I've been DDing the waggy. Her little hyandai gets great gas mileage but we don't think it's going to survive the dirt road to our house. Low profile tires and bone jarring car suspension means it takes about 15 minutes to slowly navigate the mile of washboard road. I know the ball joints and Tre are taking a beating. So we are kinda pondering trading it in on something a little more robust. We'd love to get into a JKU but those things hold their value like crazy around here. She keeps looking at the Renegade and Cherokee but I honestly don't know that they are much more robust than the car we have. Not sure why but she isn't a fan of the grand Cherokee. Guess we'll figure something out.
So today will be more grass cutting. I'm caffinating and waking up but I'll have to get to it soon. Of the area I plan to keep mowed, I'd guess im about halfway done with the initial phase. It's slow, tedious work to deal with it since it got a little "wild". Hopefully once it's been chopped down, maintaining it will be faster and easier. Still limited to a 42" cut at a time and the bumps keep the speed down but it is definitely faster on less wild grass. I also need to find some way to rig up a system to blow the cuttings into a small trailer to pull behind the mower. Too much for just a bagger attachment.

[dodgerammit]

Today is my last Friday off before I switch to five 8hr days so the wife and I can carpool. In theory it should save us about 250-300 bucks a month in gas since I've been DDing the waggy. Her little hyandai gets great gas mileage but we don't think it's going to survive the dirt road to our house. Low profile tires and bone jarring car suspension means it takes about 15 minutes to slowly navigate the mile of washboard road. I know the ball joints and Tre are taking a beating. So we are kinda pondering trading it in on something a little more robust. We'd love to get into a JKU but those things hold their value like crazy around here. She keeps looking at the Renegade and Cherokee but I honestly don't know that they are much more robust than the car we have. Not sure why but she isn't a fan of the grand Cherokee. Guess we'll figure something out.

AMC made the Eagle, you know......

Wife loves hers. I probably overpaid a bit, but the one we found had a decent respray and is pretty clean. 113K miles. One bit of rust in the driver's rocker that will be fixed before winter. Best bit is XJ wheels fit.

[tedlovesjeeps71]

Today is my last Friday off before I switch to five 8hr days so the wife and I can carpool. In theory it should save us about 250-300 bucks a month in gas since I've been DDing the waggy. Her little hyandai gets great gas mileage but we don't think it's going to survive the dirt road to our house. Low profile tires and bone jarring car suspension means it takes about 15 minutes to slowly navigate the mile of washboard road. I know the ball joints and Tre are taking a beating. So we are kinda pondering trading it in on something a little more robust. We'd love to get into a JKU but those things hold their value like crazy around here. She keeps looking at the Renegade and Cherokee but I honestly don't know that they are much more robust than the car we have. Not sure why but she isn't a fan of the grand Cherokee. Guess we'll figure something out.

AMC made the Eagle, you know......

Wife loves hers. I probably overpaid a bit, but the one we found had a decent respray and is pretty clean. 113K miles. One bit of rust in the driver's rocker that will be fixed before winter. Best bit is XJ wheels fit.

I'd be happy to add an eagle to the stable. A while back I actually was looking at some on CL. Showed one to the wife and she said "hell no!!!" truly an acquired taste.

[dodgerammit]

It would definitely traverse that washboard driveway no issues. Wife and I went to see some fireworks on the 4th. Parked at the local fire station with other spectators. Arriving an hour early allowed a front row space. Nosed up to a steep berm of about 7' high that fronted the road. As stupidity would have it, some moron arriving 15 minutes till showtime decided to not follow order and park in the back with the others, instead starting a double park line behind the front row. Of course once one lemming starts, others follow suit. Within 5 minutes an army of f3@!ing idiots had double parked behind the front row at the berm, effectively blocking all of us in. After the show, the lifted JK on 35s easily traversed the incline and drove out onto the street.

Wife-"Do you think my car will do that?"
Me- (looking at break over angle of car and top of berm) "If it'll pull that incline with 2.35s, yeah it has just enough clearance."
Wife-"You drive." Tosses me the keys.
I fire it up, do the little vacuum 4wd engagement wiggle, then drive forward, up over the berm, make sure sidewalk is clear, then out over the curb and onto the street.

Wife is dying laughing at some redneck in the truck beside us. Said he had a 'Wut the Fuuuu-' expression on his face.....

[tedlovesjeeps71]

I gotta give my wife props. She's a city girl. She's been willing to pack up and leave all that when I wanted to move to Colorado. She kept working and making things happen while I was struggling to get treatment and could barely walk. She was also willing to oblige my desire for buying a house with land, even though it meant living out in the sticks and away from the comfort and conveniences she is used to. She's even gone to a counselor to discuss her extreme fear of snakes.
I have to say that if I could afford it I would give her whatever vehicle she could dream up. As we are not rich and have to find something, I'm simply thankful she's looking at Jeeps. She does like her fancy gadgets and niceties so I was surprised she actually liked test driving the JK/JL. But since even a used JK is selling for a lot, we will likely look at something like a grand Cherokee. Seems to be easier to find a fully loaded used one for a reasonable price.

[letank]

Wife-"Do you think my car will do that?"

funny story, what car model is it?

[KJ Ryu]

Michel, he mentioned a couple posts higher that she drives an Eagle.

Ted, I know you're probably looking at newer era but, don't discount the KJ and KK Libertys. They can handle any dirt road I point them at. I don't "wheel" the one I have now but, they are fair at it in stock form, and can be made better... for more than the Jeep is worth, unfortunately.

[dodgerammit]

Michel, he mentioned a couple posts higher that she drives an Eagle.

Ted, I know you're probably looking at newer era but, don't discount the KJ and KK Libertys. They can handle any dirt road I point them at. I don't "wheel" the one I have now but, they are fair at it in stock form, and can be made better... for more than the Jeep is worth, unfortunately.

The Eagle is an 84 model wagon.



Also, maybe looking at a TJ would get her the authentic Jeep look she wants without breaking the bank? Finding one with lower miles in stock form might be tougher, but would possibly be the way to go. Maybe even a 2.5 4 cyl model?

[tedlovesjeeps71]

Michel, he mentioned a couple posts higher that she drives an Eagle.

Ted, I know you're probably looking at newer era but, don't discount the KJ and KK Libertys. They can handle any dirt road I point them at. I don't "wheel" the one I have now but, they are fair at it in stock form, and can be made better... for more than the Jeep is worth, unfortunately.

I don't discount the liberty's. I've actually been pondering a CRD for my DD. I know they have issues but at this point I think they are all known with "fixes". Very good MPG and still dirt friendly. A small budget boost and slight tire increase/aggressive tread and it would be good.
Problem I'm really having is a need for a pickup. Wife doesn't see the need but since I'm the one always dragging stuff around or trying to salvage stuff (like lumber for the shed), it's really difficult to do in a wagoneer.

[dodgerammit]

What about a cheap utility trailer for the Wagoneer? I no longer have a truck. I use a 5x8 trailer to do what little hauling I need to do.

[tedlovesjeeps71]

What about a cheap utility trailer for the Wagoneer? I no longer have a truck. I use a 5x8 trailer to do what little hauling I need to do.

I've thought about it but a few issues.
I already have a 20' flatbed but it does no good since the waggy would struggle to pull it empty. 272 gears and 33s are bad enough driving the jeep by itself. Pulling a loaded trailer would flat suck. Then there is the poor performance of the jeep as well.
I do have a small Bantam civilian trailer that the waggy would probably be able to pull. Down side is it's so small it would take me a bazillion trips to/from storage to even make a dent.

[derf]

Michel, he mentioned a couple posts higher that she drives an Eagle.

Ted, I know you're probably looking at newer era but, don't discount the KJ and KK Libertys. They can handle any dirt road I point them at. I don't "wheel" the one I have now but, they are fair at it in stock form, and can be made better... for more than the Jeep is worth, unfortunately.

I don't discount the liberty's. I've actually been pondering a CRD for my DD. I know they have issues but at this point I think they are all known with "fixes". Very good MPG and still dirt friendly. A small budget boost and slight tire increase/aggressive tread and it would be good.
Problem I'm really having is a need for a pickup. Wife doesn't see the need but since I'm the one always dragging stuff around or trying to salvage stuff (like lumber for the shed), it's really difficult to do in a wagoneer.

My buddy (where we did the trans in the truck) has two CRD Liberties. He knows quite a bit about them. If you're looking for info and maybe some help doing the more in depth routine maintenance, I bet we can come up with something to help.

[tedlovesjeeps71]

Michel, he mentioned a couple posts higher that she drives an Eagle.

Ted, I know you're probably looking at newer era but, don't discount the KJ and KK Libertys. They can handle any dirt road I point them at. I don't "wheel" the one I have now but, they are fair at it in stock form, and can be made better... for more than the Jeep is worth, unfortunately.

I don't discount the liberty's. I've actually been pondering a CRD for my DD. I know they have issues but at this point I think they are all known with "fixes". Very good MPG and still dirt friendly. A small budget boost and slight tire increase/aggressive tread and it would be good.
Problem I'm really having is a need for a pickup. Wife doesn't see the need but since I'm the one always dragging stuff around or trying to salvage stuff (like lumber for the shed), it's really difficult to do in a wagoneer.

My buddy (where we did the trans in the truck) has two CRD Liberties. He knows quite a bit about them. If you're looking for info and maybe some help doing the more in depth routine maintenance, I bet we can come up with something to help.

I remember him and he is what jumped into my mind when I started thinking about them. Hard to find people with real world, hands on experience with them but he successfully runs two.
If I ever go that route, believe me, I'll be asking you for his advice.