My '81 Scrambler tried to kill me...

[Scramblin Man]

I like the way you think! It's only been 10 days but I already really miss driving the 8. We'll figure it out one way or another.

I see you live in Woodway, TX. One of the last central Texas windmills I restored was in McGregor, TX. Beautiful area.

Yes, people either tend to love or hate this area. Did you visit the Nat'l park while you were out here? If you make it down again, let me know. Open invitation to hit some trails that few ever see.

A visit to the National Park and State Park are in the planning stages. Probably in the coming spring. Mainly for mountain biking but may bring one of the 8's. If the 8 travels with us, will contact you prior the the trip. Thanks for the offer.

 

[Quixote Kid]

I really like the west Texas area, except maybe in the middle of summer.

Summer definitely thins both the locals and touristas out.

 

[bigwalton]

And $$$

Kinda hard to do a rebuild on a shoe-string budget. You always have the "well, I'm doing this, so i might as well do that..."

This right here is why I said pass on the neighbor’s because you don’t have a running one in the meantime. It’s screaming multi-year build. If you get something else and take your time on the neighbor’s, go for it.

This right here is also why I haven’t taken the body off the frame of mine yet.

 

[Quixote Kid]

When you restore the windmills, do you restore the pump and make them operational again?

Old windmills are just so fascinating and a critical part of our past. Without them the west could not have been "tamed".

We have an Aermotor windmill on the ranch I hunt. I'd say it is probably a 1950's model, but could be older/younger. Unfortunately, the property owner stopped maintaining everything on the ranch after his father passed away about 10 years ago. So, now it is just a piece of art.

I would like to get a classic windmill, install on my property, but convert the pump into a motor generator. Just for kicks.

Yes, when I started restoring mills I decided that if I was gonna put the time and money into a mechanical device 30'-40' in the air I made sure they were completely restored to pumping/working order. Sometimes that was really hard chasing parts for a windmill that hadn't been made in 80-100 years. Sometimes chasing a part was as much fun as actually restoring the windmill.

Yes, some of the old timers liked to sit around and argue if it was The Colt or windmills that settled The West, but as our friend Belizeit pointed out, the reality is that it was probably air conditioning.

 

[Belizeit]

I will go with the Colt & Winchester that settled the west, air conditioning made it hospitable in the South.

 

[Quixote Kid]

A visit to the National Park and State Park are in the planning stages. Probably in the coming spring. Mainly for mountain biking but may bring one of the 8's. If the 8 travels with us, will contact you prior the the trip. Thanks for the offer.

Definitely holler when you head out this way. Even if you don't bring an 8, I will have some sort of Scrambler running by then. Plus we also have the '77 CJ5, side by sides etc. Always an extra seat available to see the trails. Guarantee to show you some cool stuff that no one sees.

Before the STTTKM™ cratered, we had plans in two weeks to go wheelin' and camping in the state park on some of their unimproved roads. One of my friends enjoys going camping near Guali (sp?) Mesa. His family used to own and ranch that property before it became a state park.

 

[JonathanJackson69]

How do you tell if you have a "narrow track" version or the "wide track"? Is this in the VIN somehow?

I'm new to these, even though I've been tied to two different one - Father's and now Son's. Sorry to derail the conversation.

 

[walkerhoundvm]

How do you tell if you have a "narrow track" version or the "wide track"? Is this in the VIN somehow?

I'm new to these, even though I've been tied to two different one - Father's and now Son's. Sorry to derail the conversation.

First is the year. In 82, the wide track was introduced. Because people have done swaps, you can find earlier years with wide tracks, so a measurement is the second best way. There are sites with specific measurements online, I haven't committed them to memory unfortunately.

 

[JonathanJackson69]

Just getting into reading some of the history on the Scrambler, which says the same. I never knew. I always thought that my father's Scrambler looked "bigger" than my son's. My father said that he though that his had been an '81, but I do question that maybe it was an '82 with the wider track. I was smaller back then too, so... there is that too!

 

[certifiablejeep]

All you need to know... this is for the rear, but the front info is there as well... http://jeeptech.com/axle/amc20.html

cb

 

[Quixote Kid]

Hey! Look what showed up. A complete 1981 CJ 8 rolling frame. Perfect to fit under the 'Scrambler That Tried To Kill Me'.

It's under another thread so I should probably update this one, but I also bought a complete '84 Scrambler that I've been using as my daily driver.



The day I brought it home and what it looks like now.



Anyway, excited to have a new/used frame and start this project. I've always wanted to do it, now I just gotta follow through...