RedHeadedStepChild
Proudly wearing my MC1R mutation!
Last week was a bit slow at work, so I took some time to read the entire saga of Shasta. Upon doing so, I thought it might be a good idea to create some sort of record of my time with my BJ44, "The Jalopy".
Now, before we go any further, I will point out that The Jalopy is NOT the name I'd have given, but my wife (in a jealous fit I presume) threw the name out there and it has stuck like Uhwarrie red clay with my kids and seemingly everyone else. So be it. Jalopy it is.
This will not be an epic build thread where I bang out some concourse level restoration, or turn it into some fire breathing rock crawler over the span of 2 months. This will be sipping bourbon. Take it slow. Enjoy it (not too much at one time). A nice measured pace like an slightly under-powered diesel in a heavy 4 wheel drive maybe...
This is where it all started for me. This is the original sale post by Cruiser Parts, and this is how it looked sitting in the Hills of NH.
I first saw it in person in the cold gray drizzle of late Fall in New England. It was filled with leaves and the engine bay was awfully messy, but with some heavy glowing and cough of smoke it came to life, and I wanted it. At this point I should say, if it had been a regular 40, I'd have moved on, but this was a BJ 4-freakin'-4, I'd never even seen one and so down the rabbit hole I went.
James had a beat up old aftermarket fiberglass top (probably for a 43) that fit it, I said toss it on there, and we made arrangements for me to pick it up a few weeks later.
On an even more miserable New England Day, a friend gave me a ride over the the spine Green Mountains in his Saab. Through the snow and sleet and freezing rain we rallied. We made it through the several hour trip alive. I handed the man a check and we were off. Immediately the "adventure" started. Through some misunderstanding or another, a few things that I thought would be functional were not. Two of these items included heat (and the associated defrost function) and wipers. Now, if you've never spent time living with the ice and snow and freezing rain, allow me the opportunity to impress upon you how key these features are during these particular meteorological conditions. This might have been a good time to turn around but this was a BJ 4-freakin'-4, I'd never even seen one and so down the rabbit hole I went.
As soon as possible, we stopped to gas up (and buy a scraper for the windshield) and then we were off. WHAT A DOG. I expected slow, but this was SLOW. On hills of any real significance, I had to pull 2nd gear just to get up. I could hear a funny sound under the hood, but being unfamiliar with the vehicle, I didn't know what was normal. When I finally got it to my house and got out I could tell the sound was bubbling. Popping the hood, I saw coolant - or muddy brown water to be more precise - spitting out the vent tube of the piss tank. I probably should have turned it right back around but, well, this was a BJ 4-freakin'-4, I'd never even seen one and so down the rabbit hole I went.
It was a while before I got there, but ultimately the bubbling lead to THIS.
For those not interested in jumping to a new thread, here's the main point:
More tomorrow...
Now, before we go any further, I will point out that The Jalopy is NOT the name I'd have given, but my wife (in a jealous fit I presume) threw the name out there and it has stuck like Uhwarrie red clay with my kids and seemingly everyone else. So be it. Jalopy it is.
This will not be an epic build thread where I bang out some concourse level restoration, or turn it into some fire breathing rock crawler over the span of 2 months. This will be sipping bourbon. Take it slow. Enjoy it (not too much at one time). A nice measured pace like an slightly under-powered diesel in a heavy 4 wheel drive maybe...
This is where it all started for me. This is the original sale post by Cruiser Parts, and this is how it looked sitting in the Hills of NH.
I first saw it in person in the cold gray drizzle of late Fall in New England. It was filled with leaves and the engine bay was awfully messy, but with some heavy glowing and cough of smoke it came to life, and I wanted it. At this point I should say, if it had been a regular 40, I'd have moved on, but this was a BJ 4-freakin'-4, I'd never even seen one and so down the rabbit hole I went.
James had a beat up old aftermarket fiberglass top (probably for a 43) that fit it, I said toss it on there, and we made arrangements for me to pick it up a few weeks later.
On an even more miserable New England Day, a friend gave me a ride over the the spine Green Mountains in his Saab. Through the snow and sleet and freezing rain we rallied. We made it through the several hour trip alive. I handed the man a check and we were off. Immediately the "adventure" started. Through some misunderstanding or another, a few things that I thought would be functional were not. Two of these items included heat (and the associated defrost function) and wipers. Now, if you've never spent time living with the ice and snow and freezing rain, allow me the opportunity to impress upon you how key these features are during these particular meteorological conditions. This might have been a good time to turn around but this was a BJ 4-freakin'-4, I'd never even seen one and so down the rabbit hole I went.
As soon as possible, we stopped to gas up (and buy a scraper for the windshield) and then we were off. WHAT A DOG. I expected slow, but this was SLOW. On hills of any real significance, I had to pull 2nd gear just to get up. I could hear a funny sound under the hood, but being unfamiliar with the vehicle, I didn't know what was normal. When I finally got it to my house and got out I could tell the sound was bubbling. Popping the hood, I saw coolant - or muddy brown water to be more precise - spitting out the vent tube of the piss tank. I probably should have turned it right back around but, well, this was a BJ 4-freakin'-4, I'd never even seen one and so down the rabbit hole I went.
It was a while before I got there, but ultimately the bubbling lead to THIS.
For those not interested in jumping to a new thread, here's the main point:
More tomorrow...
Last edited:
. The key is a bit, uh...worn.
