My Intro...

[Richo360]

Hello to all,
Been a bit of a lurker on here for a while, but thought it was about time i introduced myself and posted a few pics and some details of the rig.
My name is Richard, live in Melbourne Australia, and the toy is a 84 4 door FSJ (Cherokee here in Aus). Australian assembled in oct '83.

I've had it for about 3 years now, and like many, was a runner but a basket case when I first got it.

Almost everything mechanical has been reco'ed or replaced, but the body is still in average condition so sometime in the next year I've got to make the decision to reshell it to a clean donor body or swap everything into something else (a J10 utility is current thinking).

Some mods then some pics:
2" BL, 2" SL, rear lift blocks and front JKS shackles
Rebuilt 360, cam, heads, Holley 470 TA, Doug Thorley headers
Front standard D44 but with detriot centre and 4.88's
Rear is a Solid Axle Ind HP D60, detriot centre with 4.88's, disk brakes
Current tyres are 37/13/15 Boggers
Guards seriously cut and shut, flares are off late XJ (reversed, fronts on rear etc)
Air cond swapped to endless air set up
Rear swingaway tyre carrier and jerry can holder
Its running on dual fuel, has 2 x LPG tanks (135 litres) (LPG is about 60c/litre vs unleaded $1.25/litre. All up get about 650km's / 400miles range)
68 Gladdy front grille etc
Have a braced and modded Warn highmount with rope etc still to go on once a front bar is fabbed.

Have a good friend who is a constant source of information and assistance, and has a shedfull of old jeeps and parts, incl FSJ's, CJ's, a Scrambler, and a couple of M715's.

Like most, its a never ending project, and luckily not a DD.
(BTW, the wife seriosly hates it, and refuses to ride in it. :) :) )

A few recent pics:
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r287/pumpkinandsqueak/FSJ/DargorideApr10004.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r287/pumpkinandsqueak/FSJ/DargorideApr10009.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r287/pumpkinandsqueak/FSJ/DargorideApr10050.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r287/pumpkinandsqueak/FSJ/DargorideApr10030.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r287/pumpkinandsqueak/FSJ/DargorideApr10019.jpg

Thanks for reading!

Have a few Q's, will post in tech.

[jMedia]

Welcome from California!
Sweet rig! :thumbsup:

And thanks for the pic in my thread :thumbsup:

[fulsizjeep]

Lookin Good! :thumbsup: Welcome from Colorado. :fsj:

[The Colonel]

Welcome from Illinois!

[newtojeeps]

Why replace the body? Looks like you take it out and play with it.
But that is just me. I like taking care of the mechanical's and leave the body alone.

:fsj:

[men in black]

Welcome aboard from Michigan :thumbsup:

Nice looking rig.

[salbt]

Welcome aboard. It doesn't look too bad. Looks like you were having fun.

[Gary's Addiction]

Welcome from New York!

Just love those Aussie tail lights with the amber!

[backroadin']

Welcome from Vermont! Sweet ride :thumbsup:

[vintagetrks]

Welcome from Az. Nice lookin rig. :thumbsup:

[lost1]

Welcome aboard! Like that Cherokee, and the scenery. Every time I see an Aussie offroading shot, it makes me want to hop a ship and head south.

[Richo360]

Welcome aboard! Like that Cherokee, and the scenery. Every time I see an Aussie offroading shot, it makes me want to hop a ship and head south.

Thanks all for the words of Welcome.
Yeah, living where i do I think we have the best range of wheeling terrain in the country.... miles and miles of high country, snow within 2 hours of Melbourne (snow falling as I type this), rocks, mud, great terrain and free camping everywhere.

Will post some more links and pics over time. Here's a short vid from last summer when it was running 35's..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSBwn-WEs2M

Its the sort of rig that looks OK at 10 metres, the closer you get, the rougher it starts to look. The roof has rust, covered by filler and paint- but too far gone to rescue. Doors are all shot, floor has holes.... some of the rust is covered by stickers. So its got a limited life body-wise.

But it didnt buy it to look pretty, so not too concerned.
Right now, just really enjoy wheeling it....

Cheers.

[vintagetrks]

Very cool video. That looks like a very fun area to wheel. :thumbsup:

[drduckman]

Welcome from another lurker, Definitely my favorite color combination. Looks really good clean and better dirty

[addicted]

Welcome!

[DerekTJeep]

Cool license plate!!!

[Brizio]

Welcome!!! Nice rig! :)

[Asphalt Cowboy]

Howdy from Kansas.

Sweet rig.

[retro'90]

Nice rig Mate!

[budojeepr]

Thanks for the intro and pics (we all love pics!).

I can't believe your wife hates the Jeep. My gal would rather ride in my Wagoneer than any of our other cars.

Cheers from the northern California woods!

[18cherokee]

Hello to all,..............
Some mods then some pics:
Rebuilt 360,

richo, who rebuilt it? & have you heard of that "jeep engines australia" crowd?

[Richo360]

I did.
I had the heads redone at a head shop, the bottom end had been done previously after it turned a bearing, they also fitted new 30 thou up pistons at the time.
I did cam, oil pump/timing cover, HEI, intake/carb/headers etc and all assembly.

Have heard of them, but not really in position to comment either way. Maybe do a search on www.ausjeepoffroad.com (http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com) and ask on there, i think they advertise on that site and think at least one member has purchased a stroker 4.0 off them.

[HD_JEEP]

Welcome from Arkansas.

Nice looking Rig you got there :eek:.

I plan on visiting Australia someday. Yeah someday :rolleyes:.

[duncanstives]

Cool jeep!

Australia would be an awesome place to wheel!

[dlowrance]

Looks like a well built rig...I like the rear bumper/spare tire/jerry can rack...welcome!

I'd love to go down under some day...looks like the sort of place I wouldn't want to come back from though...

[getlost4x4]

looking good. nice truck

[Richo360]

Thanks again for comments all.....

If anyone is planning on heading down for a holiday or work, make sure you let me know. Happy to take people for a wheel with some notice (Richo ducks for cover at influx of Americans)

Oz has a fairly active Jeep fraternity, plenty of clubs and active wheelers, although FSJ's are fairly scarce- i think there would be less than 20 FSJ's on the road in Melbourne (population about 4 million). But lots of well built hard core TJ's and a growing number of JK's....... if you like that sort of thing I guess :)

[elij10travis]

welcome from the east coast main also welcome to the sickness hahaha

[mattbauer]

Welcome from the land of oz:thumbsup:

[COLOFIREMAN]

Sorry for the late Welcome!!! Love the Jeep and the video!:thumbsup:

[smogdredd]

Welcome from the American outback, the California high desert!

[manimal]

Another late WELCOME from sunny SoCAL! Nice ride!

[Eugene 1]

cool like the look