Baystate Jeepers

Lets post up how we got into wheeling. Pictures are a must!

I started in December 2008. Picked up a 2004 X. Having never driven a wrangler previously, I went for a test drive, and purchased it that night. Brought it home a few days later.



Got around to taking the top off...



And doing the newb thing in the mud...



Then paying for it...

Went wheeling as a passenger with some buddies on an adventure up in northern NH back in early 2002. Was a varied group of vehicles, F150, Mazda pickup, a TJ & a D90 Rover. Was really impressed how well the TJ in the group did and I was hooked.

Ran out an bought a used 1989 YJ..



Put some lift shackles on it. (What a noob!)



Next came some 31" MT's on it as well as a Warn X8000i Winch and joined Baystate Jeepers.
(Still running the same winch 13 years later)



It's been all downhill from there!

Bought mine in 2003 for a now Ex. Went on a trail ride with some Baystate folks to see if I would enjoy off roading, end of 2007 I think it was. The folks on the ride thought it would be a good idea for me to ride with Seth. This is me in the back seat after riding with Seth.



Dropped the Jeep off at Dom's still stock after that. Came home like this, on 33"s



Then did some more here and there. No sits like this on 35"s. Yes it is a poser shot.



Hasn't moved for about 5 years now though. :\

Long read, sorry.

I had a 1979 Bronco on 31s back in the mid 80s, was what got me into wheeling. A buddy and I used to run some trails on his future in-laws' land up in NH and did the mud runs at the Cheshire Fair Grounds around then too. No electronic pictures of that or the follow up 1987 Ranger that was bought new and lifted before the warranty ran out.

Got into fast cars and SCCA racing for a long while and eventually picked up a 2004 Sport Trac (Hi Frankie!). That was not as wheelable (is that a word?) as I'd have liked so I traded it for the LJ in 2007 which I found used with only 6600 miles on it. Lifted it with an OME 2" and added some 285/75-16 Toyo MTs the following spring and then went to the Killington Jeep Jamboree where I met Schwalby. The rest is all his fault....

At Killington 2" lift -285s:


As she sits now on 35s and Clayton Long Arm, 3" springs and 1.25" BL for the tummy tuck:

These are awesome! Let's keep it goin!

This is a great idea, Ish.

Rode with a friend one day and was instantly hooked. Bought a Samurai back in 1996 when you could still find a good runner for $500. Had a ton of fun with it for years until my divorce and I lost my garage, sold it 3 years ago because it was sitting unused and I've regretted it ever since. Picked up a JK 6 months ago and I have a great girlfriend that encouraged me to join a club. Never thought I'd be back.

Where did it begin for me? I don't have a particular event that got me started. I didn't know anyone who wheeled or even owned a Jeep, I have always been the one in my family to stray from the norm. In 95 I bought an old jeep, an 87 something or other, it was sort of a piece of sh**. I had tried taking it on some trails that were near power lines but my daughter, 8-9 at the time, was yelling at me because she was sure we would all get cancer. That was about it for my wheeling experience, I don't even think I got mud on the tires. I didn't really know what I was doing or what the jeeps are capable of. In 2011 I bought Bruce and went to RMTP about a month later, since then have wanted to make some mods but it wasn't in the cards, it's not cheap. Anyway, I happen to find this forum about 2 weeks before the 101 .... you guys know the rest. I am hooked now and can't wait to get out on the trails again, I want to start pushing some limits and see what we can do, keeping in mind that it is a daily driver and I do need to get home at the end of the trail.

Easy to get hooked into wheeling for sure, thanks Cassandra!

We need more people to post up! New members, old members, used members, flawed members, all members! If the stories are good enough, perhaps they can be snatched up for a newsletter of somekind...

I enjoy reading the stories of y'all when you were noobs so post up!! I have a photo of my old jeep that I have been meaning to scan.

PS. Does anyone else have dreams about jeepin' ... in active shooter situations?



Hahaha, after reading this again I realized I should elaborate. In my dream there was a shooter in a mall and instead of S.W.A.T. they sent in the jeeps.

My first was a 77 CJ 7 back in the day during the late 80's .... got married and had kids......
Purchased a used 92 YJ in 2003 for $500 bucks and installed a 3"lift , 1" body lift , and rockers to cover the rot on the rocker panels.... open open with 3:07's,


Joined Baystate and headed out on my first run meeting up with Kurt to follow him on my first club run. Turns out it was Ma Bell and when we got there he said to head to the trial head while he helped a few others air down.....
I turned the corner and was faced with the guardian and thought to myself they go up this after getting over the initial shock and learning about "go arounds" I wheeled all over new england taking pointers from the members and grew more confident with each run. I added 33" Baja claws and rear slip eliminator and began to upgrade slowly as I out grew the existing jeep. 33"s and 3:07's do not have the best crawl ratio so I took the poor man's approach to gear ratio upgrade and installed a set of used 4 Cyl axles with 4:10's so I could drive more slowly on the hills and obstacles ....
I added a front locker (as this was all I could afford) then followed by a replacement transfer skid which was nearly torn off after my first few runs with a locker and new found abilities I was in jeep hevean



Fast forward a couple of years and I had added more skids and a hand built bumper along with a winch...


After wheeling on turd 35's for many years I opted for a Ford 8.8 in the rear which also provided free rear disc brakes as part of the upgrade... Installed a lunch box locker in the 8.8 as part of the upgrade and I was now ready to rock
FIrst trip out with new locked rear was on a class 6 road where I was playing around on a few small rocks( note guy standing on it to the right of the jeep) and was amazed at the climbing ability. I stopped and reached over to the passengers seat to grab my camera off the floor and well... the rest is history

Since then I have replaced the front Dana 30 with a craigslist special that came with alloys and 4:56's and ARB after trashing the original . Re-geared the rear to match and been wheeling this way for many years.

It has remained on 33"s and proven to be a capabile and well balanced heap...

Great story Dave.

ImNotCassie wrote: I want to start pushing some limits and see what we can do ...

Done!! Thanks to Rausch Creek, skids, and awesome spotters.