Episode 491 – Save a Life On The Trail By Knowing THIS
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This Week In Jeep
Wait… It’s Going To Cost HOW MUCH?!?
The official online configurator for the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer has just been released by the car manufacturer. As we have reported here on the show since the rumors of the Waggoner’s return were substantiated, that this was going to be the most expensive production Jeep vehicle ever made. And the primary purpose of this is twofold. One, to compete with other SUV manufacturers in the booming fulls size SUV market. And two, to compete with the luxury line of SUVs at a much higher price point than Jeep has ever been in before. The Grand Wagoneer can be ordered in Series I, Series II, and Series III flavors. These have a starting price from $87,590, $94,590, and $103,995 respectively. From there you can add on things like 22 inch machined aluminum wheels, choices of not only the base coat color, but also the color of the clear coat as well. For an extra 2 grand, you can get rear-seat infotainment systems with 10-inch screens. And if you want to tow a toy with this beast of a Jeep, you’ll need the thousand dollar tow package of course. Going with virtually all options and picking from what “feels” like the most expensive of all choices, I was able to build a Grand Wagoneer that was knocking on the door of $112,000 all said and done. All Jeep Grand Wagoneer models come standard with a 6.4-liter naturally-aspirated V8 that pumps out 471 hp and 455 lb-ft (617 Nm) of torque. All variants come with four-wheel drive as standard whereas the cheaper Wagoneer is sold with a smaller 5.7-liter V8 and available in rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive configurations.
Jeep will begin customer deliveries of the 2022 Grand Wagoneer in the second half of 2021. There are rumors of an extended-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer coming as early as next year to take on the Cadillac Escalade ESV. Logic tells us this could prove to be even more expensive, especially since Jeep talked in late 2016 about the prospects of a $140,000 version of the Grand Wagoneer, saying there isn’t a maximum price ceiling for the company. If you would like a shot at beating me in making the most expensive Jeep ever, we’ll have the link for the configurator on our website.
https://www.jeep.com/bmo.html#vehicles
Why Not Have a Jeep For Your Desk? Now On Sale!
I don’t know about you, but I’m a fan of LEGOS. No, not like Jeep momma, who uses legos to fund Jeep builds, (I still don’t understand the science behind how she pulled that off.) I like the real legos, more specifically the space legos of the ’80s, but I digress. LEGO has an offshoot brand called TECHNIC. Technic is legos for the more advanced user. More engineering-based, more functional, and more realistic than the bricks we have all come to associate with the LEGO brand. And LEGO as a brand has had some amazing creations with their special releases like the international space station that has nearly a thousand pieces to the kit. A couple years back there was even an attempt at bringing a desktop sized, functional 4.0L Inline six engine. Jeep’s most iconic motor ever produced to the LEGO special edition lineup. Unfortunately, you rat bastards didn’t heed my call, and the number of votes required fell short. Not to be outclassed by such awesomeness, the TECHNIC 42122 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon came out just this year in January. Why am I telling you this? Well, it has just been discounted by 20% over on Amazon. The officially licensed-by-Jeep set now retails for just $40 which is a savings of $10 and it is the lowest it has been on the site. Other sites are selling this same kit for over $75 in some cases. The only downside of this sale on Amazon is that you can order it now but it won’t be in stock until June 13. If you can wait, it is a good deal for the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon you’ve always the only sort of wanted. I’ve already ordered mine, let’s see who gets theirs built first. https://amzn.to/3uru5L5
This Airplane-Bodied 1979 Jeep Cherokee Can Be Yours for JUST $75K
Flying cars have been hyped for so long that it seems people are ready to give up on the idea entirely. I mean I grew up watching the Jetsons, and I thought FOR SURE we’d all have our own personal flying saucers by now. Rather than dream of taking our cars to the skies, it appears we now dream of bringing aerospace to the roads, with purportedly rocket-propelled Teslas, airliner-skinned RVs, and more technology in your dashboard than the Starship Enterprise. So, on a more daily-drivable scale, vehicles like the Beechcraft-skinned Jeep Cherokee are currently for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
Listed for sale outside Tulsa, Oklahoma is a 1979 Jeep Cherokee (SJ), which wears the actual fuselage of a twin-engined Beechcraft Model 18 (or “Twin Beech”) said to be ex-Navy in origin. This Beech body apparently extends the Cherokee to a total of 22 feet long from tip to tail, making it about three feet longer than the longest 2021 Ford F-150. Including the tail, which reaches nearly 11 feet in the air, it’s more than twice as tall as a Honda Fit. Inside its hull is, unsurprisingly, space for all your friends, some of whom you may lose if you toss them around the bench seats too much.
The Jeep’s powertrain isn’t going to get you up to take off speed though, as it is said to only be the 360 cubic-inch AMC V8. According to JeepTech.com, it produced a measly 175 horsepower and 285 pound-feet of torque in the two-barrel configuration when it was new, and gained only another 20 horsepower and 10 pound-feet of torque with four-barrel carbs. Whichever the case, a portion of that power disappears en route through a three-speed automatic, which in turn feeds a full-time Quadra-Trac four-wheel-drive transfer case. At its asking price of $75,000, this Beech-Jeep
(or whatever you want to call it) certainly isn’t the highest-performing, never mind the highest-riding Jeep you could get for that money. That said, it’s still one of the most unusual four-wheelable vehicles on the market today, and it’d get a lot of looks no matter where you drive it. Whether or not you have the cash is a moot point, I think everyone needs to head over and check this thing out for themselves.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/775582783145650/
Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Trail safety
My friend Becki is finally out of the hospital and with a broken clavicle, scapula, three ribs, three vertebrae, a major gash in her crotch area, and 7 stitches over her ear, she has a major recovery ahead of her. She sends her thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, it’s working.
She wanted me to share this experience so we can all learn from her experience, continue to be safe and be aware that sometimes things go wrong, and sometimes people get hurt and the machine wins. She was out with experienced jeepers on a moderate to black diamond run. She was out of her vehicle to watch another Jeeper come down this minor black diamond obstacle. The jeep in question somehow lost control and bounced its way down over boulders, which may have given it more momentum and caused it to dart in an unexpected direction. She was unable to get out of the path of the Jeep and was hit. When the jeep stopped, she was underneath the jeep – inches from the tire and the diff housing. There was another person who got hit in the leg and is doing well. I wasn’t there so I cannot comment on what I think happened nor would I. It’s easy to armchair quarterback; however, until you are involved, it’s best to just simply take away a lesson or two from her experience. I can only imagine scrambling to get out of the way, and the visual of disbelief of what you are witnessing. The body may freeze, or perhaps you may react quickly enough and get free and clear. I can tell you this obstacle has big boulders and is positioned at a very steep angle so add that with any type of speed and it’s a perfect setup for a possible disaster to happen.
This obstacle is long, approx. 30 yards with a downward slope of about 30 degrees at some points. The spectators were clearly out of the way of the anticipated path of the Jeep, however, with momentum and bouncing off boulders the unthinkable happened.
Two things I am taking away from this: As a spectator, you need to stay out of the way of ANY jeep going through obstacles. You have to think about where that jeep would go if anything lets loose, especially on downhill climbs. But, also on off-camber or tilted obstacles too. If that jeep rolls over, where will it go? How far will it go? And even if you are clear, as Becki was, things can still go weirdly wrong. Always have an escape for yourself, or better yet, don’t stand where the worst-case scenario may send the Jeep.
Now for all the spotters: This is especially important to imagine the trajectory of the jeep as you stand in front of that driver. I am hyper-aware of that rule now. Wheeling the other day, I found myself standing further back, or standing off to one side with a clear idea of where I would quickly go if I needed to. Now for the newbies, I don’t share this to scare you – well maybe a little- I share it to remind you that as your wheel, things will get comfortable and you might get complacent, but you should never let yourself forget basic safety rules. Physics wins every time.
The second thing I want to mention is first aid and trauma training. We have discussed having a first aid kit on board. That’s good for scrapes, tiny cuts, and boo-boos, but what happens if you have a serious injury or trauma situation. Do you have trauma training? You can google courses or look up the Red Cross- they offer Trauma training (F.A.S.T.) and what’s in your kit? You can find kits online as well. Make sure your kit has an Israeli bandage (great for head wounds, bleeding, pressure bandaging, and even a sling of sorts by wrapping the broken limb to the body to stabilize it.) and a tourniquet (good to stop a major artery bleed on a limb) and learn to use them too. Luckily, Becki did not need these things, but it still had to be a stressful situation to realize this person is under the jeep and bleeding from her ear wound. Getting some basic trauma training is a good idea for anyone, but especially if you are leading groups on runs. It’s a small piece of comfort to know you could administer first aid out in the middle of nowhere until help arrives.
And speaking of help from emergency personnel, this trail is out in the middle of nowhere. Literally. Cell phone service is spotty at best. Scott and Becki had Satellite phones which were used to get help, not sure if the hams were also used. Others in the group jumped in and one drove to meet the EMTs and ambulance and another transported Becki to the ambulance. They couldn’t get a helicopter in that area, so they had to drive her out, which was about 10 miles on rocky, dirt fire roads that were not smooth and some of which were still an intermediate trail. I can only imagine how much pain she was in and then to have to drive her out… We will be adding a few things to our trauma kit – a neck ( or cervical) collar and a backboard (that folds for storage). Both of these could also help stabilize a patient until professional help can take over.
After several surgeries, it appears she is on the mend. At least 6 months of recovery and then Physical Therapy. Through all this, she is very upbeat and can’t wait to get back in the jeep and wheel. Such a trooper! I am so glad she is still with us and I want to thank the listeners for your good thoughts and prayers. She will be out on the trail soon enough.
F.A.S.T – First Aid for Severe Trauma https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/first-aid-training/first-aid-classes/fast-training
Trauma kits for every budget and skill set –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=trauma+kits&hvadid=78615134837416&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_4mqxmpmrua_e
Tech Talk with Jeep Talk
Dollar Tree Body Work
Let’s face it, most Jeeps that see a significant amount of trail time have some telltale signs that Jeep has been on the trail. Things like pinstripes that only come from the brush. Mud stains older than your teenager. And of course the ubiquitous dent here and there. Most of us Jeepers who have some dings and dents don’t really bother with doing much about it, since it’s likely to suffer more damage in the years to come. That’s not to say it’s not worthwhile to fix the damage that occurs, it will certainly extend the life of the JEep. But who wants to pay that deductible or the out-of-pocket expense for professional bodywork? Not me! So if your Jeep, the daily driver, or whatever vehicle is in the driveway has a dent and you are game to try to remove it yourself, here’s how. You’ll need just two things, a hairdryer and an air duster (like you’d use to clean a computer keyboard). Using the hairdryer, heat the dent for about a minute or so. You want the metal to be hot, but not so hot you start to burn or melt the paint or clear coat. Then, holding the air duster upside down, spray the dent for about 10 seconds. Many dents will pop right out. This will not work on every dent, every time, on every vehicle. A lot of it depends on the severity of the dent and how long it’s been there. If there is any paint loss or creased metal, this will not work. But if you’re lucky, then this super cheap repair just may bring some beauty back to your ride.
Jeep Talk Show Interview
Crystal Wiken – Digital Marketing Coordinator with BOLT
Campfire Side Chat
The passenger seat. Is it better off with a butt in it or without?
In other words: Do you like to wheel alone in the Jeep or with others?
NOTE: The Jeep Talk Show does not condone wheeling without at least one other vehicle.
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Links Mentioned in this Episode
Tuffy Security Products
https://www.tuffyproducts.com/
BOLT
Technic Jeep Wrangler Rubicon $40
1979 Cherokee (SJ) Beechcraft Conversion (one of a kind Jeep)
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/775582783145650/
Jeep Grand Wagoneer Configurator
https://www.jeep.com/bmo.html#vehicles
NEXEN Tires USA
Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure
https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
F.A.S.T – First Aid for Severe Trauma
https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/first-aid-training/first-aid-classes/fast-training
Trauma kits for every budget and skill set
The 4×4 Radio Network
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Rat Bastards Facebook Group
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The 10 Minute Offroad Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-10-minute-offroad-podcast/id1512095785