I drive a 2010 Jeep JK named Betty. I bought her used in 2012 with around 26K miles and mostly worn out Nitto mud tires. It was loud and basically stock. Save money buy used.  Back in the day I owned a 1981 CJ7 that was amazing. I hated I had to sell it, divorce. Here are a few pics.

Jeeps are money pits. Just like any other “fun” ride. You know the ones. Drag racing, SCCA rides, low riders like my 51 Chopped Chevy Alice, street rods, the list goes on. (Thank you to Nobody Customs, Will Jordan, and Allen Smith, for the work they did on Alice).

Stock Jeeps, cars, trucks, and most everything is boring stock. No offense to the folks who do full restorations. Those are cool too. I just helped Wicked Punkin work on her 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It went from red to woodland camo. We put all new brakes, calipers, rotors, master cylinder, brake booster,  shocks, steering stabilizer, off road lights, shovel and axe on the rack, and new windshield wipers. It looks totally differnt and really cool. She named her Jeep Marchand after the Bruins Hockey player.

 

Tires: I loathe buying tires and batteries. I think they should last forever. Elon Musk please get on that. I needed new tires on Betty soon after I got her. I considered replacing the 35″s with 33″s to save money.  My good buddy Doug at Gene’s Tire in Bossier City asked me if I wanted a smaller dick. I replied no and he said lets stick to 35″s. I purchased Toyo Open Country LT295/70R tires. Please do not ask me what those numbers mean, I have no idea. They were just replaced for a stupid amount of money. Well worth it though, 77K miles in 5 years and never a problem. Rotate on the regular y’all. Toyo y’all looking for an ambassador? Hit me up.

 

Whilst in the oil field. I upgraded Betty to have new front and rear bumpers, off road shocks, winch, LED lighting, Hi-Lift jack, and neoprene seat covers.  I love to shop local, but Quadratec has such awesome deals and saving money means more money for other accessories.

 

Since moving to Jax Beach with higher living expenses the add ons have been minimal. (the only downfall living 4 blocks from the beach other than hurricanes and salt) I added a Smitty-Bilt SRC Rack and chopped the factory plastic fenders. Routine maintenance as always.

 

I had to remove the carpet and drain plugs. Rain can happen at anytime on the beach and always when the doors are off.  Rain on carpet after a few days smells mold and nobody likes a stinky Jeep.

Doors. One thing I loved about my CJ is that there were minimal electronics. Rain never bothered her. I swapped the stock radio out for a marine radio and was set on go.  99% of the time there were no doors and only the bikini top. The JK does not like rain on the dash. The radio will fail, the horn will honk randomly, and warning lights will go off and on. Just ask my co-workers Nick and Lee.  They get shitty gas mileage, are loud, have minimal amenities, crappy underpowered mini van 3.8 liter engines (2010), and super shitty plastic fenders and numerous other plastic parts. The next paragraph explains why all that is worth it.

What Jeeps do have is history and coolness. The people who own them are loyal and don’t want anything else. How easy is it to take the doors off of your Toyota? How stupid does your ride look without doors? Jeeps did work in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. Jeeps are different and the same now. Chrysler has done some dumb things like using underpowered engines and other various shitty plastic parts. But we still buy them and modify them to make them are own.

Rust, dirt, and dents. They come with going of road. If your Jeep is pristine. Please by all means take it off road as soon as possible. Get that front axel to do some work. Then go to Waffle House.

 

 

Jeeps are America. I love our country, our flag, and my beloved Marine Corps. Jeeps helped win wars. There are many arguments of why other off road vehicles are better. I love craft beer Reasonably Corrupt is a dark lager brewed by Great Raft Brewery in Shreveport Louisiana. It is amazing. You know what else is amazing? Pabst Blue Ribbon. If you do not like it then we can’t be friends. Jeeps are the PBR of off road vehicles. Lots of things have changed but they are still cool. You can like craft beer and Bud Heavy. Jason McCarthy my boss and founder of GORUCK loves Bud Heavy due to memories. You ask him about Jeeps and I promise you his thoughts would go to WW2 Jeeps storming beaches in Normandy and the Pacific. Semper Fidelis

 

 

 

I hope to keep Betty around for a long time. Many more mods in store along with a new engine, transmission, and transfer case. I need some more power for things I want to do and places I wanna see. I will post more as I modify her. Last but not least always Jeep wave. When I do I always say “hey y’all”.