Since I haven't posted anything in a while and the Jeep is still torn down waiting on parts for the stretch, I started digging in the vault to see what I could find. I stumbled across this 14 year old footage from our very first trip to an offroad park. This trip changed mine and Lindsey's life and sparked what would become years of traveling, sight seeing, new friendships, new adventures, and lots and lots of hours in the shop upgrading this Jeep and learning how to fab and build.
I have had this Jeep since 1999 and had ridden plenty of, what we would now consider extremely light, trails around Memphis and the Tennessee River where I grew up. This 2010 trip to Superlift ORV Park was a step up from that and a dream come true. For years I had wanted to hit more technical trails, as I had worshipped JP Magazine and Peterson since middle school.
We are blessed to have found something that has led to such amazing memories in our life. It's awesome to look back at these clips and see how simple our setup was back then and how much fun we were having. I have been slowly building this TJ since I was 15 years old (now about to be 40) and if I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't build this Jeep any faster than I did or skip any of the stages that it has been at. In this video the Jeep literally only has a lift and tires. No rockers, no skid, no winch, and definitely no lockers on the stock Dana 30/35 axle combo. I have wheeled this Jeep on 31s, 32s, 33s, 35s, and now 37s on its 2nd axle swap.
I say all of this to say, "get out there and wheel". Enjoy your Jeep. Learn to drive. Hone your skills. Learn to wrench. Learn the ideas behind the design of the Jeep and why things work the way they do. Learn what makes it better. Learn what makes it worse. THIS is where life happens. This is the true culture behind the Jeep and offroad lifestyle.
So many Jeep owners in today's world have missed the journey. With the rise of social media, it is too easy to see the big popular Jeeps and go straight to building giant rigs. I love these insane builds as much as anyone, but the fun is in the journey. Don't skip the good stuff. Some of the best trips ever were these first trips with minimal builds. Of course I love where our TJ is at now and the EPIC trips that we are now able to take because of how it has evolved, but the knowledge learned along the way is irreplaceable. It has come a very long way and hopefully it still has a long way to go.
These clips got me feeling all nostalgic over here! Enjoy!
13 июн 2024
