Tag: Jeep

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Adventures with The Great Race Part I

For the second year in a row I was asked to work the Hemmings Motor News/Coker Tire/Hagerty sponsored The Great Race.  Last years Great Race I was working with the scoring crew as the runner. This year I had the privilege to work as a check point worker allowing me the opportunity to travel more of the actual route (working w/the scoring crew required us to get to the overnight stop ahead of everyone). This year’s race started in Traverse City, MI went into Canada around the Great Lakes, back into the US and ended in Dearborn, MI.

For a total of 14 days my friend Janice and I were on the road starting from home and stopping in Morristown, TN to stay  at one of the other checkpoint workers’ home on our way to Detroit, MI, to the airport to meet the other checkpoint worker and get the rental car. Our next overnight stay was originally going to be Findlay, Ohio but since it was still quite daylight we went further north to Toledo, Ohio mainly because I remembered that is where the Jeeps are made 🙂

After getting settled in to our hotel in Toledo, my friend Janice and I headed out to find the new Jeep factory where the big JEEP letters were as well as locate where the Jeep factory that made the Cherokees once stood. We were able to find both which made the stay in Toledo that much sweeter.

Traverse City, MI was our next overnight stay, actually it would be where we stayed from Wednesday night until Saturday morning. For the most part it was enjoyable, minus the whole traffic congestion issue. Sault Ste. Marie, MI was our next overnight destination. The town was wonderful as they embraced us being there. While waiting in line to get a brat, I met a family from the northern Michigan area. They obviously could tell my accent was from the South. Of course me opening my mouth up and pronouncing Petosky WAY off had them all snickering. In fact one of them said from now on they would pronounce it like I did!  It was great just getting to know other people.

I was definitely anxious about going into Canada. It would be my first time there and a dream come true. Of course it was once again raining so trying take pictures was nearly impossible. The best picture I got was at the border where it said Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Canada. Crossing the border was no where near what I thought it would be like. I guess with everything that has went on since 9/11 I expected officers with big guns and German Shepherds. Not so much.

Janice and I were chosen as the first checkpoint which was set up at an old primitive church way out in the country. Apparently the minister found out about the Great Race coming through so she cancelled the Sunday service, invited the congregation from the church as well as another one to come out and watch the vintage cars go by. At least 50 people were there and the excitement was incredible. The ladies of the church were so generous to the two of us-feeding us delicious muffins and tea. We had some amazing conversations with some of the people there. The most special thing they did was take the three Great Race programs and the hat we gave to the minister and held an auction. Right then and there they raised $112! Janice and I assumed they would take the money and put it towards improvements on the church. Instead the minister went over to Janice and handed her the cash to donate to the Autism Foundation that was created in part by Rex Gardner, one of the drivers participating in the Great Race.

After we finished up at the church we headed to our next overnight stop which was in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. While in Canada I made the goal I would find Poutine, which I found at the A & W. While the gravy obviously tasted as if it came from a can, it was really good. Sometimes now I wish we had a restaurant nearby that served Poutine as I don’t think I could even try to make it myself.

 

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Jeep Car Seat Covers on a Budget

I love to go off roading but I don’t like having to clean up the dirty seats afterwards. I spent months looking for car seat covers that were reasonably priced for someone like me on a tight budget. As much as I would love to have Wet Okole seat covers or even the fancy JEEP embroidered seat covers I just could not see spending upwards of $200-$500 when that money could be spent on more useful things on my Jeep. I was mainly looking for seat covers that would be washable and keep mud and dirt from being embedded into the seats when I take my front doors off when I go off roading.

A lot of time was spent reviewing websites, talking to Jeep friends, looking through catalogs and even looking at ones at places such as AutoZone, O’Reilly, Advance Auto, Wal-Mart, Target and even Ebay. For awhile I gave up on even trying to find car seat covers at a reasonable price that I would fit not only my budget but also my seats. Back around Christmas time when I was Christmas shopping with a friend of mine we decided to go to Big Lots. Every time I went into a store I would look in their automotive section to see what car seat covers they offered.  This time though I had looked through their newspaper insert and they had advertised car seat covers for $7.

Well, I lucked out and found just one car seat cover. It was black with gray and the material was very comfortable. As disappointing as it was to just find one I found this to be the opportunity to try it out before purchasing another one. Just a couple of weeks later I returned to Big Lots and found another seat cover to match the driver’s side. Everyone who has seen the covers and/or has rode with me has been impressed with the seat covers and even more amazed at the price I paid for them.

I was also trying to find a seat cover for the back. Walmart has one made by BELL that is universal and black. From reading the reviews I was not impressed at all. Most people complained they had to make cuts in the cover just for their seat belts and in some cases, the cut that was made got worse. Even though it was just $18 I still wanted something that I didn’t have to be concerned about being torn up within a month of purchasing it.

While shopping at Autozone with a friend I decided to go check out their car seat covers again. I still could not get myself to invest $40 in a seat cover even though it seemed like a really nice one. But this time I came across a simple car seat cover for $15 that is washable! It’s primary purpose is for people who have pets although I thought it would be handy for those who have kids who tend to make messes. Having two boys under the age of 10 this is a major plus. The cover has holes already made in it for the seat belts plus it has elastic bands on the corners that were very convenient to use. So far it has served its purpose by helping keep the rear seat clean!

For less than $30 I purchased two front seat covers and a rear seat cover for my Jeep that serve their purpose by keeping them clean, protecting them and allowing them to last much longer. What’s great is that I no longer have to use a large beach towel to cover the back seat and having to deal with a 9 year old boy constantly removing the towel from the seat. In fact, he really loves the seat cover! So if you are in the market for simple and affordable seat covers I would consider purchasing the seat covers from Big Lots and the rear seat cover from AutoZone.

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Upgrading the 8.25 differential cover on a Jeep

Shopping around for a rough & tough differential cover for the Chrysler 8.25 differential can be a challenge. Try searching on Ebay and chances are you are only going to find the OEM covers or very expensive covers. If you or someone you know welds, consider purchasing a DIY kit from Blue Torch Fabworks located in the Birmingham, Alabama area. They have great shipping prices and were very fast to ship it out.

If you just want one already made then consider purchasing their differential cover ready to go for about twice the price of the DIY. Their prices are very competitive with just about anything else you would find in a catalog or even on Ebay. Not sure about Blue Torch Fabworks? Look them up on Facebook and they will answer your questions or you can view their pictures to see what great items they offer.

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The Reliability of the Jeep Cherokee

With every automobile there are going to be variable opinions about reliability. For instance, my grandfather owns a Cadillac Catera and has had it since it was brand new. Try going to the dealership to find parts and they are either no longer available or it is going to take nearly a month to get what you need. Countless times the salesman have attempted to convince him to trade the car in and have literally told him it is just a piece of junk. That is not how grandpa sees it though. Having driven the car I can say when it does run it rides well. I can remember after I bought my Jeep Cherokee that my grandfather asked me a ton of questions and actually questioned why I wanted an “old” vehicle and why I wanted to go offroading. He insinuated I was spending a lot of money, which if you wrote everything down I had done whether it be upgrades or maintenance/repairs, wouldn’t come close to what he has spent fixing his Catera. Plain and simple,  it is just not reliable like my Jeep Cherokee.

My Jeep may be over 20 years old and some will see it as ready to go to the scrap yard (which infuriates me). A few dents here and there doesn’t make it a bad vehicle. What does is under the hood and the drivetrain if you have had to constantly make repairs. I so want to ask people how many times their automobile has left them stranded, been repaired by them and how many miles they actually have on theirs? Now I will give credit to my Toyota friends that their automobiles do just as good as my Cherokee. I am amazed at some of the mileage stories I have heard from long time Toyota owners.

If you are a Jalopnik.com reader you may have recently come across an article about the top ten best used cars to buy with your tax refund. In case you haven’t though, their #4 pick is the Jeep Cherokee: http://jalopnik.com/5902578/the-ten-best-used-cars-to-buy-with-your-tax-refund/gallery/8 .

I used to think that a car with over 100K miles was getting worn out. Not with a Jeep Cherokee and according to my Jeep friends, that is barely breaking it in. My boyfriends Cherokee has 350K miles on it with original parts; mine has around 220K miles on it though I have changed out the engine and transmission.

The original owner of my Cherokee didn’t take care of her very well so when I brought her home I discovered a cracked head. That’s no biggie since I went to Pull-A-Part junk yard in Atlanta to get another one. Six months later I purchased a Grand Cherokee from my uncle just for the engine he had spent lots of money on overhauling. The only reason why I changed out my transmission was because of my rough off roading skills. I apparently had crimped the lines together. Looking at the prices for new lines I realized I could just buy another used transmission. I ended up getting one for free from an XJ friend though which was even better.
So I have had to replace a radiator a time or two (due to manufacturer defects), a battery that cracked, a water pump and a throttle position sensor. Those are all normal maintenance repairs that happen in the life of an automobile. The times that I have been stranded on the side of the road are because of operator error, mostly running out of gas thinking I could go just a little further down the road to a cheaper gas station. Once was a new radiator that split at the tank which was plastic (sigh).

In the five years that I have owned my Cherokee I have driven it a lot. One year I decided to make a spur of the moment trip to Texas for Thanksgiving with two of my kids in tow. While my mom was in a panic because my Jeep was “old” in her eyes, I was confident I would get there and back, 1,800 miles later. I have driven it to Harlan, Kentucky which is a four hour drive one way at least once a year and sometimes twice. I lived in Cookeville, Tennessee about 100 miles one way from my hometown at least twice a month for a year. I just about drive my Cherokee everyday taking my kids to school and running errands.

Before I owned the Jeep, I had a 2000 Mazda MPV mini van. It was fancy with the leather seats, sun roof and video player, but I wasn’t happy with it. I liked it because it had room for my kids and their stuff I had to tag along when they were babies and toddlers, but it wasn’t me. I made the decision I wanted a vehicle I could easily find parts for, do a lot of the repairs on my own and was known to be reliable. After talking with my best friend I learned the Jeep Cherokee fit all three categories. I remembered my step dad owned a Cherokee and loved it. He drove it until it fell apart and it had close to 300K miles on it when he sold it.

Out of the nine automobiles I have ever owned which includes two Hondas and Mazdas, Chevrolet and Fords, the Jeep Cherokee has been the best and most reliable of them all. It is the one and only vehicle I have ever been happy with. Ask my three kids what their favorite vehicle has been and they will tell you the Jeep.

 

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Jeep Drivers

Most of the time when I am out driving my lifted XJ I see other XJ’s, TJ’s, YJ’s and the like being driven by guys. Every once in awhile I will come across a female driver. Lately whenever I have passed other lifted XJ’s I get the “Jeep Wave” by guys which does make me feel like I am a part of the “group.” I have to admit that this past week I did drive as if I were in a tunnel and no other vehicles expect Jeeps existed. Several times I would pass XJ’s particularly lifted ones. I nearly ran over a car in front of me because all I could see were two lifted XJ’s that were giving me the Jeep wave. I wouldn’t mind getting together with some of these drivers to have some fun.

An issue I have come across is whenever I meet up with a group of people that talk about upcoming trips to go wheeling it usually consists of guys driving and their girlfriends or wives riding shotgun. As a female, if I attempt to join in the local group gatherings it is usually responded with hesitation or a cold shoulder.

I am a part of a group  of XJ’ers that communicates through Yahoo’s XJlist that meets twice a year mainly in Harlan, KY at Blackmountain Off Road Park, Putney Trailhead. Most of the guys are from Kentucky in the Louisville area along with some who are from Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, etc. Typically there are about 20 people that join in the Spring Flings and Fall Crawls held every year.

According to one of the guys that manages Black Mountain Off Road Park, I am one of the only females he knows has driven her own rig on the trails. Most of the time the girlfriends or wives will drive the rigs down to the restrooms and showers. The rest of the time they are riding shotgun.

Almost five years ago with a completely stock XJ I proved myself to the group that I can do just about anything they could do and wasn’t scared to do it. Below is a picture of me on Trail 39 at Windrock OHV park in Oliver Springs, TN in October 2007.

 

 

In 2010, I really proved myself when my XJ nearly slid off the ledge of a trail known as Rail Bed in Black Mountain. This trail was mostly consisting of debris from mining in the area so the ground would give away, which is exactly what happened in my case. Approximately eight feet below was a massive pointy boulder. Every time we visit that trail the guys look down in awe and tell me they could have never handled that situation as well as I did. Luckily for me I had an awesome group of guys that immediately knew what to do and get it done quickly.

 

 

 

The next time I was at Black Mountain I proved I was not intimidated by Rail Bed and actually lead the group into the trail which the group has nicknamed “Jenny’s Trail.”  Rail Bed has actually become one of my favorite trails when I visit Black Mountain. Trail 15 and the Lower Rock Garden would be my next favorite places. One day I would love to have a rig built enough to get through Mason Jar.

Every time I do visit Black Mountain there are people in other rigs and ATV’s that do double takes when they see me driving a rig. It brings a smile to my face especially when I can over hear them say there is a girl driving that Jeep!