Episode 666 – JTS SoCal Event Announced!!!

This Week In Jeep

Jeep Files Patent For New “Convertible” Door!

The Jeep Wrangler is arguably the most customizable vehicle on the planet. 

Sure the automotive market virtually exploded overnight after the Fast and Furious franchise hit markets, but the offroading world was and has been ahead of the game.

In 2012, 5 years after the debut of the JK line of Wranglers, Jeep got on board with capitalizing on the $5+ Billion a year industry that is customizing the Wrangler by offering Mopar-designed, aftermarket level accessories and upgrades for the Wrangler.

Fast forward to today, and that same catalog exists under the name of Jeep Performance Parts, or JPP for short. Jeep’s catalog for personal customization continues to expand, now in its tenth year. And this week marks a milestone with something that is sure to blow the minds of any Jeep-loving offroader. Jeep has just filed for a new patent for (get this) … “convertible doors” that would allow owners to swap out the stock doors for some partially exposed ones without having to remove the whole door. Some of you, once seeing the images may observe that the patent design resembles the popular tube doors and donut doors seen on the Ford Bronco (even though Jeep has its own donut doors of its own.) This convertible door design will give the driver and passengers a sense of security still while giving exposure to the elements while off-roading or fair weather driving. While it has been reported on virtually every review of the damn thing, it has become well known that changing out the doors on a new Bronco can be somewhat laborious to put it nicely. As one reviewer put it, ((QUOTE)) “I’d rather pass a kidney stone than do this ever again, let alone every summer.” Jeep’s doors have always been relatively simple and easy to remove or swap out ….in comparison, another win for Jeep. This new door patent, however, may make converting the door on your Jeep from a fully functioning, regular-looking Jeep door, to a badass low-profile tube door easier than lifting the hood. How the design is layed out is like this; the regular exterior door “skin” if you will, will have the window and seals and all the things that you associate with a Jeep door from the outside looking in.

This whole skin or shell would be mounted, clipped, or locked onto (somehow) the inside of a sideways “V” shaped donut-style tube door. That frame, the sideways “V” will have the hinges, the latch mechanism, and the mirror all mounted to it. 

Owners would simply have to unlock the latches of the skin, and BAM! …. no more lifting full-sized heavy door assemblies for summer driving. Instant tube door conversion, hence… “convertible doors.”  You’re still going to be faced with the task of swapping out the original “regular” doors from the Jeep, but once done, you may never go back to regular doors again. Right now these are only slated to be available for the JL Wranglers and JT Gladiators, but once they ARE available (the patent has just been filed, and there’s no guarantee that Jeep will ever put these into production)… either way, the aftermarket is going to step in soon and bring to us a version of these for other Jeeps too. The pictures are worth a thousand words, so to see the patent filing images and a really cool, in-depth, exploded view of how these doors will actually be put together, head over to Jeeptalkshow.com and look for the show notes for this episode.

It Has Begun…

The heady roars of familiar and powerful engines permeating from 528 Coastal Highway in Maryland this week, were like a mating call for the thousands of Jeep enthusiasts and tourists who made their way to the beach for Ocean City Jeep Week. Ocean City Jeep Week 2022 is officially underway and features beach crawls, off-road and sand obstacle courses, vendors, and more. The event will run until Sunday. After unofficially kicking off Tuesday with setup at the convention center, the annual event is now in full swing and features not only Jeep-themed activities but offerings for anyone who owns a four-wheel drive vehicle. Only Jeeps can register for the event’s parade and other activities, but the convention center is a full-on four-wheel drive expo. What’s cool about this expo is that the vendors will be selling and installing various types of equipment and modifications, ranging from things like sound systems to wheel and tire kits, that are used on all types of four-wheel-drive vehicles. 

As of Tuesday however, more than 1,000 Jeep owners had registered their vehicles for the parades and other activities like beach crawl and off-road courses. Organizers of the event expect even more people to register on-site as the weekend gets underway, for a total of 2,500 to 3,000 total participant Jeeps in attendance, and expected 10 thousand people or more. Festivities officially began earlier today, Thursday (as we record this episode) at the convention center on 40th Street — the event headquarters — and continued with the first of four “beach crawls,” and sand courses near the pier downtown. 

Attendees also participated in the Jeep Jam — an off-road obstacle course — in Pittsville (just 20 min north of the event) that organizers say features a new element that appeals to people who camp off the grid called “The Overlanding Zone.” The same daily activities, which also include vendor tents, shows, and other types of entertainment at the convention center, will continue Friday through Sunday, with different celebrations and epic parties planned around town each night. Another new element this year, the Great OC Jeep Week Hangout set for Saturday evening at the West Ocean City Park and Ride, will consist of an aerial group photo by drone of all of the participating Jeeps. If you’re even remotely within driving distance of Ocean City, Maryland, and you hear this in time, I implore you to make the trip if for nothing else than to be in attendance for this historic picture opportunity. I don’t care what it’s going to cost, I’d get that pic, blow it up and make a poster out of it for the garage or studio. Ocean City Jeep Week started in 2010 and is one of the only large special events that avoided the 2020 pandemic shutdowns, which says a lot for its popularity and resiliency.

If you’d like to learn more about OC Jeep Week – https://www.oceancityjeepweek.com/home

And just because it’s episode “666” ….

Episode 666… the mark of the beast, it’s like the 13th floor for hotels, and I wasn’t even sure we were going to publish episode 666, some saying it’s bad luck in podcasting to have a devil-marked show number. Meh. We’re not ones to pay attention to things like that, or warning labels, instructions, speed signs, the wife, I mean the list goes on and on, but “that’s not why I’m calling.” Now without vintage jeeps, there’s a strong argument that off-roading (as we know it) wouldn’t exist. Flat Fenders have been going off-road for over 75 years. These capable and iconic little vehicles were integral in winning World War II and afterward made for the first readily available four-wheel-drive vehicles, giving birth to the off-road industry and vicariously, the off-road aftermarket. The earliest mass-produced jeeps were powered by the 134ci Go Devil engine, a flathead four-cylinder. It’s a simple, relatively torquey little engine that to this day still proves its mettle and is a recognizable stock part for enthusiasts.

If you love old jeeps, you know that wheeling these rigs in stock form is currently undergoing somewhat of a resurgence, and the fact is, that although modified Jeeps are fun, mostly stock vintage jeeps are also an absolute blast on the trail. That’s part of what inspired the first Go Devil Run (GDR) in 2020 and what has sustained it through a second Go Devil Run event (2021), and now the third annual installment for 2022. 

The run is named after the venerable flathead four-cylinder engine. The idea behind the Go-Devil Run is to reproduce the vibe, look, and feel of the first vintage off-road trips from the late 1940s and early 1950s. 

The rules are simple and firm (unless you know who to bribe, and how to do it).
You need to be in a fairly stock flat-fender, namely an MB, GPW, M38, CJ-2a, CJ-3a, CJ-3b, or even a DJ equivalent. Sure, you could also show up in a prototype jeep older than those models, but there don’t seem to be many of those left that folks still use or are willing to use out on the trail. Other rules are that you need to dress in vintage or period-correct clothes and bring a chill and relaxed attitude. Save the drama for yo mamma. Your flat-fender Jeep must also have bias-ply tires and—you guessed it—a Go Devil engine. The end result is a trip with lots of adventures, lots of trail fixes and repairs, and an ever-growing group of enthusiasts spending time together, celebrating a simpler time, and enjoying vintage jeeps. It’s a great way to get to know each other and learn more about the capabilities of these iconic older Jeeps. Honestly, I could see Chuck enjoying the ever-loving you know what out of this event.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2550911624932421/

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

JTS SoCal Event / October 15-16, 2022

If you’ve been listening in the past year and a half you know that the JTS team has done 2 Texas, Hidden Falls, and Jeep events with you, the listener. I couldn’t attend either of those events so we decided to do a So Cal event this October – in Big Bear. This will be a chance to wheel with the hosts on black diamond trails, two of which are Jeep Badge of Honor trails, so for those of you collecting badges, this could be a great opportunity to collect more badges.

Because it’s our first time hosting the JTS event in SoCal, we are limiting the number of jeeps on the run. I know, but honestly, we want to make sure we get all the jeeps through the trails AND we need to be respectful of the trails and not dump too many jeeps on the trail all at once.

We are planning a BBQ on Saturday night for those attending. Now if you attended the last JTS event in Texas, you know Chuck did an amazing job with the food, but we have someone local who has offered to help. You may remember my segment on my friend Becky and the Jeep running her over. Well, she is doing fabulous and her husband, Scott, has offered to help with the BBQ on Saturday night. Scott has some great ideas for the dinner and we are thankful for their generosity.

The weekend will consist of runs on Saturday AND Sunday so plan to spend at least one night in Big Bear. You may want to spend Friday night as well since we’ll be starting very early Saturday morning. We will be running 3 black diamond trails for an epic weekend of wheeling in the beautiful mountains of Big Bear and the high desert.

There are a limited number of spots so RSVP early to make sure you’ll be included in the event. Sorry, only those who RSVP can join us. You Can RSVP at jeetalkshow.com and look for the link to sign up.

You do need a set-up jeep. For you newbies running a stock Jeep, these trails are not for you. You’ll need a minimum of 35’s, robust rock sliders, full skid plates, and at least a rear locker. We know you might be able to make it on smaller tires and no lockers, however, we want this event to be fun and filled with the experience of Jeeping in the beautiful scenery and fresh air.

Most jeepers should arrive Friday night as we will start EARLY on Saturday. I will be sending information out on suggested lodging, breakfast, and lunch plans (lunch will be on the trails) so you can plan ahead of time. And as the event date gets closer I will send more info on the start time, location of the meet-up, and any other important info.  

We do have vendors donating some swag and may even be on the run with us; Rock Jock/Currie, Nexen tires, Trails 411 (Don Alexander), and others to be announced.

Come meet the Hosts and some of the ZOOM People. Larry with JeepinMo has already confirmed he plans to attend and ride with us. No, he is not driving his jeep to Big Bear, he has offered to help us film the event for all our social media channels.

Hope to meet you at this event and don’t forget to RSVP at the link below – 

JTS SoCal Event Questionnaire 

Links Mentioned in this Episode

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

Interact With The Show! https://jeeptalkshow.com/contact

Jeep Talk Show on Facebook https://facebook.com/jeeptalkshow

Rat Bastards Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratbastard

Rat Bastards Webpage https://ratbastard.lol

Looking for Amazon products we’ve talked about on the show? https://jeeptalkshow.com/amazon

You are invited to our Discord Server!  https://discord.gg/txeYMs45sm

Show notes powered by sevenslats.com