I guess I hit the big time (sort of). Anyway, I want to thank Mark D. Stephens and JPFreek Magazine about including my homebuilt cargo drawer system for the Jeep Wrangler in the October/November edition of the magazine. The article is titled Expedition Confessions: Ready Your Wrangler for a Multi-Day Adventure and my cargo box is featured on page 10.
You can view the pdf version of the magazine at http://www.jpfreek.com/Images/JPF-No4.pdf
After a several week search, I purchased a 1992 Toyota FJ80 Landcruiser from a private party. I know it’s not a FZJ, but I was able to pay for it with cash from the sale of my Jeep Wrangler and still have a little left over for some improvements.
The person I purchased the Landcruiser from had put over $10,000 in repairs over the past three years, including rebuilding of the transmission and transfer case, new exhaust, tires and much more not to mention all the required preventative maintenance. 
The only real repairs that I need to make is track down why the central diff lock is not working, fix the drivers power window, and fix the power antenna.
The Landcruiser is completely stock and sports 31×10.50×15 BFG A/T tires. Many future improvements are in store as funds allow, including suspension, lockers, tires, bumpers and more.
Until I resolve the center diff lock problem, my ability to go on adventures is limited because of the lack of 4×4. I got to get it fixed soon.
After two and a half years of ownership, I sold my Jeep Wrangler this week. For the first time in my life, I was actually kind of sad to sell a vehicle. Usually I was glad to be rid of the vehicle I was selling, but not this time.
I guess you get somewhat attached when you have spent several years customizing a vehicle to suit your own needs. My buildup of the Jeep was finally being realized and it was performing better than I planned. However, I had to be practical and sell the Jeep in order to purchase a larger vehicle. (more…)
See additional photos at www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low/
Well the time has come where I am regretfully placing my Jeep YJ Wrangler up for sale. If I could, I would keep it and buy an additional vehicle. However, I have no desire for car payments, so I have no choice but to sell in order to purchase my next vehicle.
The only reason I am selling my Jeep is because my family has a new interest in joining me on my outdoor adventures, and a Jeep Wrangler will not accommodate two adults, one child, one dog and all the required camping gear for a multi-day adventure. So a larger capacity vehicle is order - most likely a Toyota Land Cruiser wagon. (more…)
One important aspect of any outdoor adventure is the ability to make it home safely. Animal strikes are one of the leading causes of vehicle damage when traveling in rural and remote areas, especially at night. As anybody who travels the highways knows, here in the Pacific Northwest, we have our share of animal strikes. The most common you see along the side of the road are deer. I have also seen collisions with elk, cattle and horses. Our friends to the North in British Columbia frequently witness collisions with moose.
In a full head-on animal strike, at a minimum, you will most likely damage your radiator, which can totally incapacitate your vehicle. Hopefully, the collision will be a glancing blow, minimizing the damage. I’ve seen pickup trucks where a 60 mph collision with a deer caused damage to the entire front end including the bumper, grill, radiator, core support, hood and both front fenders. The loss of your vehicle far from home is the last thing a person wants on an adventure.
As anybody with a sort wheelbase Jeep knows, it’s easy to run out of storage space fast. Jeeps were never intended to be multi-day expedition vehicles such as the Toyota Land Cruiser or a Land Rover, but we continue to try and make it work.
For my current needs, I decided that I would rather sacrifice the lack of storage space for a smaller, open-cab, short-wheelbase vehicle like a Jeep to maximize my adventures in the Pacific Northwest.
This article outlines my first attempt in maximizing the available storage space available in my Jeep.