What got you into FSJ's?

[serehill]

HMM

MUD

[DarkMonohue]

I need a pickup, always like different stuff, wanted a 3/4 ton 4x4 I could keep for the rest of my life, couldn't find a '67-'72 Chevy/GMC worth a darn, and wasn't smart enough to hold out for an International.

[renodemona]

First Truck

My first car was a J10. It was multi-color brown. My dad had helped a co-worker's daughter buy it in town for her first car. She spent a couple years abusing it and blew the Transfer case on it. My dad bought it back from her, unbeknownst to me, with the idea of rebuilding the transfer case and having it be my first car. I was into XJs, as they were still making them new and they had just had the mid-life restyle that looked sweet. I could in no way afford even a used one then though. Then around my birthday out comes the J10, which I could afford, and bingo I had a jeep! I loved that truck, but I just didn't have the money and skill to really do the things I wanted to it. Working on the truck with dad was great, though. Unfortunately after about a year and half he took another job that required him to work about 100 miles from home. He needed a commute car and mom wasn't about to give up her brand new Volvo. So the J10 got traded in on a 2wd Ranger for dad and I ended up with my mom's old Volvo as compensation. Boo. Of course the Volvo got 30MPG and had seat warmers, both great features for a poor college kid in the snow. I eventually traded the old Volvo for an almost as old Subaru wagon because chaining up got old. I graduated and got a real job with a real paycheck. WOOHOO!!!! I had been looking at the Lincoln LS for a couple years and I picked up an almost new one. Blue with the V8 and sport package. What a great car. But alas, no 4wd and certainly no working on it. I got married to the most wonderful girl I know. She got a new Subaru. I lost my old Subaru. Funny thing about winter is that it doesn't care if you only have one 4wd and both people have to work, so I started looking for a 4wd for me that could be a nice family backup car too. I recalled the joys of that old J10 and working on it with my dad. Blessed by my wife, I brought home the Cherokee that would become Susan. $500. What a deal! Except for the new intake, fuel system, wheels, tires, hoses, fuses, bulbs, trim, vacuum, timing chain, dizzy, cam gear, thermostat, FI system, and seats. Now I'm totally hooked. My wife likes riding in Susan, she says it reminds her of being a kid in her dad's old trucks camping in the desert. I feel pretty awesome driving Susan around. She always gets looks and thumbs up. We took her camping and everybody in the campground stopped by and checked her out. Despite some close calls, she has never let us down. As I am fond of telling my wife "she's old, but she'll hold." Thanks for your time, your stories are all pretty fun!

[cma]

here my story: http://jeeptruck.com/articles/Kansas...ria/index.html

[mrtazwrench]

My Dad had J20's for work trucks, we had a 78 Wag for a while, my Wife had a 78 Cherokee when I met her. The 87 in my sig and FB pics was bought new by a neighbor as a farm truck when he quit driving I bought it on his farm auction.

[JeepJeepster]

Believe it or not, my girlfriend. Ive always loved them but probably wouldnt of bought one. She really wanted one and the friday before labor day, I was laying on the couch surfing craigslist. Saturday morning we bought a 89 fsj! Love the old thing. Hopefully we'll be able to keep it for years to come.

[YJ-4BT]

My dads friend, who was more of a father figure to me than my own father, drove J-trucks for as long as I can remember. I just thought the brow was the most unique thing over any other make of truck. Fast forward to when he passed away, his family thought enough of me to leave me the J-truck he had just picked up to play with. That was my first FSJ and I've had it in storage for the last 15 years waiting for a chance to get around to doing a resto mod. Hopefully that day will be soon because the wife and I close 9/30/14 on a place with a big roomy shop

[jdaniel83]

My grandfather bought our '70 Wag new off the showroom floor, and unfortunately had a heart attack and passed away while driving it in the mountains of Colorado 4 years later. My dad and uncle decided to keep it because it was my grandfather's favorite vehicle and we still have it today. Growing up I always loved riding in it and once I began driving it was my favorite to drive. So I guess you could say my love for FSJ's started before I was even born when my grandfather bought "ol' whitey".

[bigun]

I always liked the older style post WW2 Jeep wagons, a guy I worked with had one they called Tigger, someday I hope to have one until then.

In 98 my brother and I started our own electrical contracting company. We tried using my XJ with a trailer for a shop vehicle, then one day we were looking through the "Thrifty Nickel" and found a Ford 4x4 school bus van for sale! It turned out to be the almost ideal shop truck for a company working in the mountains far from the supply stores. We put shelves and ladder racks on the inside and left a couple of seats for passengers even though I was usually by myself. My brother quit after three years and eventually the motor started wearing out, it was running on 7 cylinders and not very well.

One of my general contractors was always after me to sell because he wanted to build an off road hunting rig. He had a 76 Cherokee with a rebuilt 360 with an rv cam, 4 speed, dana 20 with small lift, running 32 inch BFG mudders, with 4.10 gears. He used it to tow his loaded "six thousand pound" tool trailer, to leave he would stick it in granny rev up the engine and side step the clutch, he broke to sets of rear end gears doing this!

So here was my idea we trade straight across I get a rig with a new motor and he gets a rig to build the hunting rig of his dreams. My idea was to just shove a 9 inch rear end under it, so I could use it in two wheel drive till I could afford a set of 4.10 gears for it. Cue Murphy! We got the mounting pads all welded on slid it under and bolted up before we found out that Jeep offset the rear diff to by pass the fuel tank! ARRG!! So we put the old D44 back in and I drove it like that till one day I saw a 84 D-150 at our local car dealer, I was able to make a deal with him on it while it was not an ideal truck, it is known as Faithful around here because you may have to jump start a dead battery, but it always starts an runs and now has over 350 thousand miles on it.

Back when we were rassling with the rear diff we discovered that the only thing holding my feet up was the carpet and that is how the idea for Crom was born! That is a whole nother story!!

[hafner]

For me it's a family thing. My grandpa on my mom's side owned Wagoneers straight through from ~1966 until he passed away in 2006. I think he owned five or six different Wagoneers during that time, and unfortunately my grandmother sold his FE burgundy-over-burgundy before I could get to it. His son (my uncle) also owned one, my parents owned one, and my grandmother on my father's side owned a yellow '77 for a long time. In a way Wagoneers are a family tradition, and if I prefer my FSJs stock and unmodified, it's because that's how the Wagoneers were that I loved growing up.

[brielly]

The fender flares and the fact that its not a blazer or Bronco!

[goldhammer]

Saw the avatar Cherk on the car lot that we did a lot of work for, and went back after hours to take a look(would not be bothered by salesman) Saw it had a 4 speed and since it was only about the third one I had ever seen with one, when I come back to the truck drooling, the wifemate, said I don't care, if you can make a deal on the old beast, get it......

It was instantly named----"The Beast"

[FSJunkie]

It was free.

It was Jeep.

It was old and weird.

[DARK FATHER]

Back in 1995 I saw a 76 J10 in TERRIBLE shape behind a trim shop. I ALMOST bought it to fix up, and decided against it. But I never forgot that truck! Fast forward to early 2010s and I found one in Colorado with a 401 in GREAT shape. Mine now!

[Wagoneer622]

My Dad always had one, I have pictures of me from when I was around two years old sitting behind the wheel of his 1975 Cherokee. I love my 2012 Toyota Tacoma but I really miss my wagoneers!