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We arrived in Lawrence Kansas USA (Chris aged then 33, Natalie a bit younger and our daughter Jane then aged 1) from Dunedin New Zealand. Natalie was to do her post doctoral fellowship in drug delivery systems over the next year and a half at the University of Kansas. We needed a car and after seeing all the over priced junk in the yards and a rotted out CJ (the guy was asking $4500 US and it was in danger of falling apart) we bought our 87 Grand Wagoneer with all the bits from a private sale. For Kiwis such as ourselves (I'm 6'3" and Natalie is 5"11") used to cramming into tiny Japanese and British cars it was a revelation. Luxury, power, size, a gas guzzling V8, auto, full time available 4WD, leather power seats, power windows, a/c, mag wheels, ski rack, fog lamps, rear spoiler, chrome to die for, a really big bonnet with a classy badge poking up into the air, and even fake wood panelling. It was just too much. Every American dream rolled into one enormous, rather kitsch package. We soon learned that even in KS the Wagoneers have a devoted following of owners who like to compare notes or at least give a cheery wave to a total stranger driving the same odd collection of chrome, steel and plastic wood as them. She served us well for 16 months apart from throwing a rod (yes,for all you Blues Bro.s
fans out there, you really do get oil on the windscreen - and when I said "Oh no!
we've thrown a rod" Natalie even said "is that serious?"). We fitted a
rebuilt 360. In the US we travelled around Kansas, Missouri and Colorado - often in heavy snow and ice. We were really taken with the truck's stability and ease of control in difficult conditions. After trying her out on some tracks in Colorado we decided to bring her back to NZ in July 1997 figuring that it would be more at home in Central Otago NZ than in Kansas. Now it is one of 2 FSJ 4 door vehicles in the city of Dunedin (the other is an early
Cherokee ). We have settled on the name "Toto" for the Jeep after Dorothy's
faithful dog in the Wizard of Oz and especially the line "I don't think we're in
Kansas anymore Toto". We have taken her over many of the old gold mining and high altitude routes of Central Otago (South Island) which include the Mount Buster track near Naseby, the Dunstan Trail, The West Branch of the Manuherikia river from St Bathans towards Omarama (home of the 1995 World Gliding Championships) but were driven out halfway there by rain and rising water (we didn't feel like getting flooded in for a week), the track to Mt Aspiring hut in the Matukituki valley west of Lake Wanaka, The Serpentine (where we blew the rear prop shaft going up a very steep pitch and had to be rescued), Carricktown (an old mining town), the Cardrona Range and several Landrover Club driver orientation and competition events. Toto has done more real adventuring in the past 18 months in NZ than in all the time she was in the US. The previous owner used her only for skiing in Colorado. (poor neglected thing. FS Jeeps need love, mud and attention) The NZ Jeep scene is a rather eclectic collection of Wranglers, CJs, newer TJs and ZJs, J20s a few rare FSJ 4 doors and a number of classic Willy's and Mahindra Jeeps. Fortunately the J20's were assembled here in the late 70s - early 80s (258 sixes) so there are plenty of parts available although most have now been hammered near to death by farmers getting the last bit of life out of their vehicles. Various AMC vehicles also came in so engine parts are easy enough to find locally although when stuck there are plenty of people coming and going from the US with containers of parts. Toto often gets reactions from "that is an incredibly ugly vehicle" to "what a beast" (the most common comment) and "beautiful car - what is it?" It is really gratifying to have owners and afficionados of US vehicles stop and talk and compare notes. That and blasting past all the diesel powered Japanese 4wds that have no go on Otago's frequently steep and long hills. Modifications since bringing her in include a custom bumper and removable winch, 4 bbl manifold (off a pre smog AMC) and Edelbrock 4bbl carb, K&N filter, extra rear spring leaves, 31x10.5 tyres (Firestone RMTs) and half the exhaust is now 3" diameter which improves matters considerably. Significant repairs include replacing all the universal joints - front axle UJs too and the rear output bearing in the transfer case. Some of the wiring has also had to be replaced as this is prone to corrosion. A major weakness in this and many later Jeep models is the rear drive yoke. The Universal joint is retained by a cap and 2 small bolts which are prone to shearing off. Replacement with a yoke with U-bolts is recommended. I got mine from a Nissan/Datsun 720 which also uses the D44 rear end. The standard tyres are also too small. They give only adequate off road performance. Adding bigger offroad tyres makes a huge difference. The stock bumpers give no worthwhile front corner protection and this resulted in an embarassingly large insurance claim when I slipped into a deep rut. Plans for the future include resetting the front springs for added height and the Edelbrock off-road needles and seats for the carb to avoid flooding on steep pitches. Apart from these minor items Toto is now configured about right. The custom bumper takes the knocks and provides good front corner protection (a weakness with the factory setup) and the well carburetted 360 gives heaps of power even with the very high 2.72 final gearing. I might go to 3.54 diffs but the time and money required make this unlikely in the near future. Offroad performance is surprisingly good - the abundance of power combined with the traction of the RMTs make for excellent mud running and hill climbing. Even with skinny 235 tyres it flew up a long steep track consisting of rounded rocks covered in wet clay and wet grass. It was very slick indeed - hard to stand up on - and some vehicles with far more aggressive rubber had to be winched up. The Jeep just drove up it with no fuss or bother. The auto makes 4wd driving very easy and provides plenty of control and adequate engine braking - if you don't mind tapping the brakes occasionally or going downhill just a little faster than the diesel manuals most people use around here. I had been a firm believer in manual transmissions for offroad work but the Wagoneer's performance has convinced me that auto is an equally valid and, in some cases superior, way to go. The ability to keep both hands on the wheel when the going is tricky and not worry about gear shifts is great. In bogs I can give it the gas in Lo range drive and the auto shifts up all the gears without losing momentum and enables the tyres to spin fast enough so that the lugs clear themselves of mud. Diesels with manual trannys cannot do this. The approach and departure angles are not so good but it still compares well to the Nissan Safaris and Landcruisers prevalent here. The breakover angle is unexpectedly good even though the vehicle does not sit high off the ground. Jeep's careful attention to ensuring that the drivetrain sits high inside the chassis rails really pays off. Fuel consumption is enough to make you wan to cry. 15mpg (imperial) or 12 mpg (US) is as good as it gets irrespective of speed. Still the performance is worth it. Apart from our off road adventures Toto is used most days as a family transport for shopping, taking the dog (lab/collie X big black mutt called Clyde) to the beach, picking Jane (aged 4) from her daycare and in the weekends for carting trailer loads of garden rubbish, timber and building materials. It is a well used and versatile vehicle that suits both our busy family lifestyle, our recreational time and my personal need for a vehicle that is as extroverted as I am. Specs:
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