GOT TO ASK THIS QUESTION

[warrior]

This might be a stupid question but I have to ask it and I feel this is the place to get a honest answer. I have a 72 CJ5 that is straight as a string and I have put alot of work into it making it nicer than it was orginaly. I have put on a 4" susp. lift, 2" body lift, 33x12.5x15 tires, bomb proof front and rear bumpers, front roll bar, diamond plate overhead console with cd player and cb, two 6" lights on front bumper and two more on the windshield, winch, new guages, tach, diamond plate rear corner plates, undercoat. I have worked my butt off on this jeep and all the above I have fabracated, alot of hours. Now that all that stuff is out of the way here is my question. I have only had this jeep about 4 months and have not yet been on the trail. There is a few groups around here that go alot during the summer. I want to go sometime but I dont want to get into some trail that is going to beat my jeep to death. I know that a dent is a scare but it would kill me to dent this jeep. I know that there are some out there that really go for it but I just cant. I dont want to be known as the guy that built the jeep and will not drive it off a cliff. Pressure dont bother me at all and I can easly say "@#A%& OFF" but I dont want to. If anyone here feels that they would shun a guy like me or make him sit in the corner till he tears up his equipment just let me know. I want an honest answer here guys. I have no problem going out alone or with a buddie of mine, just dont want to hear that im a wimp.
Sorry for being so long but just wondering.
Thanks guys & gals for your input
Warrior

 

[laneiac]

Your not a wimp at all. Why ruin something that has taken so much work to make beautiful. "Hardcore" wheeling is for some, me not being one of them. I prefer, weenie wheeling, as JP editors like to refer to it. If someone ridicules you because of what you wont do offroad, to hell with em.

 

[mingez]

Disc Brakes

Hardcore wheelin' is for "beaters" and/or rich people. Use your common sense, if you think your going to ruin your truck, don't do it. What if it's your daily driver?

If I had thousands of spare dollars to drop on my truck, then I'd buy a daily driver car, and beat the hell out of my jeep. I'm a medium risk guy. I won't drive my jeep off a cliff but I take some mild risks here and there. I appreciate anyone who shares in our hobby, and I know most, if not all Jeepz.com people feel the same.

People who shun folks for such reasons are the REAL posers, not you.:wink:

 

[TwistedCU]

I understand about you not wanting to ding up your Jeep. Nothing wrong with that. I've had lots of vehicles I felt that way about. If you want to ride a trail, however, you are always going to have that chance of something happening to it, even if it's just a few pinstripes from branches. You just have to decide which is more important, keeping her pristine or having fun offroad. It's unlikely you'll be able to do both for very long. The good news is, they are pretty easy to work on and parts are cheap enough if something does happen.

 

[Snitty]

totally understandable if you don't want to ramp it, or drive it in places that will damage it... but... you DID build it FOR offroad, you DID lift it and put 33 inch tires on it, and bumpers and lights... it DOES have a winch.... you WILL get ridiculed from many many many jeepers for having that stuff and not use it... i'm not going to ridicule you... but i will ask WHY? I really can't understand putting a supercharger and drag suspension on a car if it will just be a daily driver... i don't understand building any machine for a certain purpose, and not using it for that purpose... though, i do understand that it DOES look good, one thing though... if you're not going to use the winch, can i have it? :lol:

 

[joejeepny]

Who says you have to smash up your jeep to go offroading. Yes its true if you get hard core you will definitly get some scratches but on a rating of 1-5 on the trails 1-3 should not damage your body. Good bumpers and common sense will keep the sheet metal straight. We go slow and stop when it looks like something might get damaged. You dont just keep your foot to the floor and start smashing things. I have a wrangler with 32's and a 2.5lift and I run 3-4+ trails and have never dented the vehicle. Oh-ROCKER GAURDS!!!! Good ones. Best body protection made. Get that truck dirty. Thats what jeeps are made for. Fun.

 

[warrior]

OK, Dont get me wrong, this jeep will be taken off road. It will just not be taken on trails like "Roll over Ridge" or "Bottom up Pass". I sold a 73 Chevy Mud rig to buy this jeep, so trust me, I have beat the crap out of a vehicle in the mud and I have broke it also. My Chevy ran a 5.68 sec in 200' of mud and I built that rig also. I have had many 4x4 in the pass but this is my first Jeep. I am a firm beliver in having the right equipment, but just because you have winch dont mean ya got to hang it over a cliff or because ya got a roll bar, see how many times ya can cartwheel it down a mountain. The stuff is nice to have IF you need it.
Warrior

 

[jps4jeep]

Just be sensible when you are off road. If you think a particular obstical is going to dent your jeep, avoid it. 90% of trails will have a turn out for a easier trail. mud won't dent so hit the mud holes! some mild rock crawling won't hurt either if you are intelligent about what line you choose. Be aware of the things around you, know where the sharp rocks are and manuvier around them.

 

[ndnatty]

Sounds to me if you did ding or break something on the trail, you have the know how and skills to fix it, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Sully]

I know exactly what you mean.You dont want to go out and ding up your nice jeep.Like everyone has said,the easier trails will be the harder it will be to dent your jeep.Pinstripes are very hard,if not impossible to avoid on tight trails.i remember when I took my jeep out for the first time.I brushed up against a bush and I got my first pinstripe.To me,pinstripes are not that bad.But I really try to avoid dents.The more you ride the trails the better you get at driving and avoiding things that will damage your jeep.

 

[L33TJ33P]

There is nothing in the world wrong with not wanting to roll your Jeep. Sure even "sissy" trails can break something if you aren't careful. heck, you can break stuff on a dirt-road. If you don't want to take it up the side of a rock face then more power to you. I don't seam to try anything hard unless Tug is around, the rest of the time I am usually alone and keep to the trails that I know will not get me stuck or hurt. These trails are just as fun and have the same effect on passers by as you come rolling out is a wet clay field that has no more than 2" or wet top-clay and solid below. you don't have to sink your Jeep to have a good time and I think you need to let these other folks know that. come to TN with Jeepz folks sometime we have a blast and nothing is really that tuff.

 

[GreenReaper93]

Jason surely speaks the truth about TN. It's a trip worth taking any day. Everyone is right on too, I think. There are people that love to take their rig off a 4-6 ft. cliff just to bury the thing into the ground. That's not for everyone; not by a long shot. If you don't want to take your ride into "Deathtrap Hollow" or any other place on earth that you don't want to take your rig due to possible serious damage then you're as much a jeeper as the guys in Moab. You've spent quite a number of hours under your baby, and I can understand why you wouldn't want to snap a driveshaft or crack an oil pan. Just as everyone else said you don't have to tear the crud out of your Jeep to have fun.

 

[K_K_PSI_GUY]

Well, I just met a guy with a great lookin Ford F250 or something like that. KC lights, Warn winch, 6" lift (sus +body) heavy duty bumpers, huge tires, among other nice thuings. Well, when I approached him, I asked him where he went wheeling, and his answer was " wheeling, in my Truck, NO WAY!" , he went on to say that he has never taken his rig offroad. I have to admit that I felt pretty bad for the guy. Why invest so much time and money, and not take advantage of what you have. It was even funnier when I saw that he had replaced the oiginal tags with the King Ranch edition tag. Oh well, to each is own. Like all the other folks have said, use your rig does not mean "ABUSE" your rig. I have a great looking 95 YJ. most people think it is a 2000 or so model because of how good it looks, and yet I just came back from wheeling in south Texas through some ranch trails. For some reason, I have not gotten any pinstripes on my rig even though I've taken it pretty deep into the brush. Anyways, go out, have fun, take care of your toy, and don't worry about it. You know what your machine can do, and you will have to pay for the damages, so do what you think is within your limits.-al

 

[avyoung]

I purpasly didn't do certain things to me jeep so I will not worry about banging it up, but I know were you are comming from. I selected the club I did partly because I felt there would not be pressure like that. There is encouragement to try new things but If you don't want to bang it up don't do it. If they go after you over it tell them were to go and find others to go with. I hate breaking stuff so I will not try something I think will break something.

 

[Inspector-Gadget]

:shock:

 

[BakedAlaskan]

Hehehehe good question. I tend to stick to trails not rock gardens. YOu can wheel any way you want. Some people don't understand the "it's my daily driver thang" Or that your not some silver spoon fed type. I always hold my own when I wheel with others. I never subject my Jeep to anything that will cost me having to take a bus home. And I always say Yea I do it!!!!!! Let me take your rig and I will show how to wheel it just like I stole it. Since you're rich or don't care then what's the big deal right??
They never take the offer.

Most Jeepers are cool and you will never end up dealing with the idiots.

You built it, designed it, and take care of it, YOU choose how she is wheeled.

 

[Snitty]

The stuff is nice to have IF you need it.

right on, it is only nuts to assume someone EXPECTS you to drive up cliffs with it, or pull a friend up the side of a canyon.... but.... the difference between that begin a "reason" or an "excuse" is whether it stays on pavement or not.... there ARE people who buy a winch with NO expectations of EVER taking it even in the grass

 

[redrooster]

First of all, your screen name is Warrior so why should you fall victim to peer pressure.
I built my Jeep to do whatever the he!! I want with it. Which most of the time is run it hard. It is built to be run hard though. I spent the better part of a month fixing rust, dents and old screw holes before I painted it back the original color. All of my friends said why are you spending so much time on that paint just to go run it into some trees. My response was that I wanted a fresh pallet for all my future memories. Each scar tells a story. The first time I took it out I stood it up on a trail called "Bump and Grind" and hit the hood on tree. It left some red paint and a slight dent on there. I don't know who's red paint it was. My buddy in front of me had just painted his Land Cruiser and did the same thing to his hood. We just laughed it off and enjoyed a cold one.
The moral of the story is you can put all the body armor and such on there and it will not completely protect the Jeep. Be proud of the work you have done and the work you will do. If you want to run it through the woods...do it. I f you want to hang out at Sonic and flirt with the ladies then by all means, help yourself. They are good for that too.

 

[Green97TJ]

Radiator and Elec. Fan (complete)

personally, id never make fun of anyone for that. Its your jeep, you do what you want with it. As for mine, while i do take it offroad when i can (which isnt much) i have to be extremely careful when i do. For when, im a poor college student and cant afford to be fixing all the stuff i tore up doing something stupid. And two, even though i do love to go cruisin' through town with it covered in mud after a good wheelin trip, i also like to be able to shine her up and make her pretty to go cruisin sometimes too. Its a jeep. It fits in anywhere, anytime, with any company. You do whatever YOU need to do to enjoy your ride.

Nathan

 

[warrior]

Built Ford tough! (warning large pic inside)

Ya my screen name is Warrior and I got that from the line of work that I do. I do not fall to peer pressure, it just pisses me off when the new guy shows up and then the guys that have been there awhile starts to pick your rig apart and ask alot of questions about where have ya been what cliff have ya climbed and how many times have ya used that winch. The way I see it is that we all have to start somewhere and at one time everyone was in my boots. When I started mud racing I got the same thing, but it didnt take long to prove my rig to them. I just dont want to tear it up. The only money I get to spend on my jeep is the money I make welding in my shop for other people. My 10 year old son loves the jeep and we want to do some off roading this summer but yes I am going to be taking him to baseball games in it too. I do know that when your the new guy, people expect you to prove what your rig can do and how crazy ya are. Well in my line of work ya dont have to be crazy but it helps. I wish that I was not so far away from you guys so that we might be able to get together sometime and ya all can show the "New Guy" the ropes. I wish I knew how to post a pic on here and I would so ya could see the fruit of my hard labor. If anyone can help me with a pic let me know.
Thanks to all you guys for the input.
Warrior
P.S. Ya im a cop. 8)