My wife is going to think that something is seriously wrong with me if I don’t mention one of two subjects here. So let’s talk about the Jeep! Basically I’m a big kid, like most men. It isn’t a mid life crisis because it’s been going on since before I was 18. 😀 I love to mess with things. Cars, Trucks, Airplanes, electronics (Computers especially) but it also includes radio (as in Amateur Radio), but I’m getting away from my point.
The Jeep. Back in the 1998 time frame (I think it was actually 1998) my wife drove a Ford mini van and I drove a 1994 Ford F150 pickup. The truck was great, but I wanted a four wheel drive. Why? Well I had a 4×4 (four wheel drive) back when I was in my early 20’s and I just loved it. My first wish would have been to have another 4×4 truck but I had wanted a Jeep since I was 18, and my wife had the same wish from the time she was a young adult.
I went down to the local Jeep dealership and looked at the Jeep Wranglers “TJ”. I found a black one with a black hard top that I really liked. I went and got the wife and brought her down to look at it. She thought it was great too. While we were talking to the sales guy in the show room I saw a bright red Jeep Cherokee. Red is both my and my wife’s favorite color. The Cherokee is a four door with a much roomer back seat and room for groceries, etc.. Since we had two beautiful girls, 3 and 4 at the time, I suggested to my wife that we look at the Cherokee instead. It was a 4×4 plus it had additional room for the kids. She wasn’t thrilled but agreed and after all it was bright RED!
We purchased the Cherokee and took it home.
Fast forward several years and hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans. We watched in horror as to what the 400 foot below sea level city endured, or didn’t depending on how you look at it. Hour after hour we soaked in the devastation. The loss of homes, and the report of hundreds of people loosing their lives. People breaking through the roofs of their homes to keep from drowning, and hoping the water didn’t cover the relative safety on top of their home.
A very short time later our area (Houston) was threatened by a category 5 hurricane, Rita! I have been around numerous tropical storms, depressions, and hurricanes having lived in this area all my life. Frankly I found it fun seeing what nature could produce, but before hurricane Elisa I had only experienced massive amounts of rain and brief power outages. Tropical storms are like roller coasters. Fun but the level of danger is pretty low. Hurricanes are boring and damned inconvenient. Especially as you are sweating during the summer heat because there is no power!
Knowing what to expect of ill weather coming off the Gulf of Mexico I scheduled 2 days of vacation prior to the predicted landfall of hurricane Rita. It took me two hours to drive the normally twenty-five minutes to the house! I had about a quarter tank of gas and my wife had about the same in the van. Interstate 10 was busy, but as I exited and drove through the main street to our neighborhood I noticed the gas stations were packed. I thought I would just get some gas later. Well I couldn’t! Gas disappeared as the panic of what people had witnessed on TV (Katrina) and seeing how people were reacting mounted.
We continued to watch the news coverage, and how hurricane Rita was a very dangerous category 5 hurricane. Even though we are 60 miles inland we would still have to contend with massive winds and the possibility of tornadoes. This wasn’t going to be pretty! (I found out later that category 5 hurricanes usually tear themselves apart with in 24 hours of being a cat 5, but they neglected to mention that on the local news).
Then the mass evacuation began. We are about 3 miles North of I-10. Looking around for gas we drove down close to I-10, it was packed, I mean PACKED with vehicles. They were NOT moving. Watching the news showed miles and miles of cars. Many cars either stranded because of mechanical issues, or they just ran out of gas.
Not only could we not evacuated because of the low fuel in both vehicles, and the inability to get more fuel, there was no where to go! People were traveling 5 miles in 12 hours! The only thing worse than being in a hurricane is being in that hurricane in a vehicle! I didn’t want to be out on the highway when the hurricane hit!
As I mentioned earlier cat 5 hurricanes tend to tear themselves apart with in 24 hours of reaching that level, and this is what happened to Rita. The hurricane took a slight turn to the East and hit the Texas/Louisana coast as a category 3 hurricane. We had little more than a cool looking cloud and eerie light show at our house.
We were all very relieved to say the least. It was due to this experience that made me focus on just how I would get my family out of harms way the next time something like this happened. I had wanted to lift the Jeep and add larger tires and now I had a damn good reason. I was going to build a hurricane escape vehicle! My wife hates it when I call the Jeep that. I believe it reminds her of the utter fear she experienced during the hurricane Rita threat.
One of the really cool things about building up the Jeep was the Internet. Back when I had my 4×4 truck the Internet was years away. The only way to research what to do was magazines, and I just started asking people specific questions when I saw them in their lifted trucks. The Internet is a great resource for information, most of it good. In researching modify the Jeep for better off road capabilities I learned much. Oh! It just dawned on me I may be getting ahead of you. The reason I wanted to modify the Jeep for off road use was so the next time traffic is at a stand still I won’t have to use the ROAD to evacuate. Of course there are those situations where bridges cross water ways, or other roads that I would have to use, but that would be a short wait (hopefully) then it would be back in the grass, gravel, mud, etc…
So about three years ago now, I started with a stock 1998 Jeep Cherokee.
You have probably seen many of these Jeeps, as nearly 3 million of them were built during the models 20+ year life. Seeing this picture it reminds me that prior to augmenting the Jeep’s off road performance I added something that is what I feel critical for any vehicle, a good communications system. No matter how well prepared there is a chance that something could happen and you will need to call for help. Being an Amateur radio operator I was able to install a radio that would allow me to talk, or transmit, from 1.4 MHz to 460 MHz. That includes AM broadcast, FM broadcast, the NOAA weather channels, and even some fire, EMS and police frequencies!
The radio stuff is pretty cool, but you have to know something to really be able to appricate it. Everyone can appricate a lifted vehicle and big wheels and tires! lol
Doing my research I found that due to a design limitation by Jeep I could raise, or lift, the Jeep Cherokee a total of 4.5 inches. For about $500 I could resolve that design limitation and lift it higher, however lifting a vehicle raises it’s center of gravity which makes it more prone to roll overs. A roll over during an evacuation can just ruin your day, and even cause you to lose your life. Due to expenses I opted for a 4.5 lift and 32″ tall tires.
There is something magical, at least to me, when you raise and install over sized wheels and tires on a truck or SUV. It totally changes the appearance of the vehicle, yet so little has really changed. I’ve always enjoyed the Jeep and I thought she was pretty, but it wasn’t until after the lift, tires, and wheels were installed that I started getting the compliments from people. Guys, sure, but from ladies as well, and at least a couple of woman that were in their 60’s or 70’s. Needless to say it’s always fun to receive compliments on something you’ve bought, or put time and effort into. I mentioned the Internet research before. The information available was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because since my goal was to have a capable off road vehicle I found there was more I needed to do to the Jeep than just lift the suspension and add larger wheels and tires. I needed to do a lot more, and there in lies the curse.
Now keep in mind I’m having fun and enjoying the compliments, the curse is really the time and money invested. There is always a possibility of a wreck or having the vechicle stolen. Where as everything can be replaced, and I have gained the knowledge on how to get right back where I am today quickly and for less money than the first go around, there is still all that effort. But anything worth doing is worth the risk.
Today I am about 50% through my build. I feel comfortable that as she sits now we would be able to evacuate with little problem. I have the ability to carry additional fuel and my wife and two children safely and in relative comfort. And for those of you that have thought ahead, as in what might a paniced group of people do when they see a capabile off road vehicle taking a family to safety, well I’ve thought of that as well.
Here is how our Jeep Cherokee sits today. Custom front and rear bumpers, spare tire carrier. The ability to carry a second spare. 9000 pound winch on the front bumper. “D” rings front and back to help pull her out of a tough spot. Internal changes you cannot see, like lower gears to help over come the higher rolling resistance of the larger tire. Enhanced exhaust system, high performance ignition system. Repairs to factory equipment. And lots of stickers! 😉
The Jeep has turned into a hobby. I drive it daily to and from work. I have even started a Jeep Cherokee website. It’s been in operation a little over a year now and it has about 800 members, with 200 active during the month. It’s great being able to share the knowledge I have gained, and learn more. You can access the website at http://www.xjtalk.com/
Sadly it never ends, there is always something better to install or tweak. I say sadly really not for myself but those around me, the family. lol