I never thought I’d say this, but: Starting in January, I’ll be living in the heart of show business — Studio City, Los Angeles. Will I suddenly become beautiful? Will I go vegan? Will I start wearing tank tops? Honestly, I don’t know the answer to these, but I’m keeping an open mind. Anyway, getting to LA after living in metro Detroit for nine years is going to ruin me, but there is one thing I’ve figured out: the cars I’m bringing. So if you voted on the polls in my article My Eight Cars Are Preventing Me From Moving Out Of Detroit And I Could Use Your Advice, you can now see if I heeded your input or ignored it entirely. Here we go.
First, I’ll just say that the 346 comments on that other post were heartwarming; I really do appreciate you taking the time to offer your two cents. Second, let me talk about the two cars I sold in the past week: the 1958 Willys FC-170 and the manual 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ:
I’ve already written about the FC’s departure in Why I Just Sold My Beloved 1958 Willys FC-170; Click that link for the full backstory and discussion about why I decided to part ways with the charming Forward Control; here’s a short quote:
I’d initially bought that vehicle as part of an EV conversion project I’d pitched to my old employer, and though the job never received the funding I’d expected and was thus canceled, I do plan to do an EV conversion soon — just not on something this rusty. (No point in dropping $25 grand on batteries and electronics if they’re all going into a shell that’s this rotted).
The FC was too far gone, structurally, for me to use as an EV conversion candidate. I want to focus on electrification, not bodywork. As for the 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee, well, that just sold yesterday. A gentleman in Texas sent me a $9,500 check and a car hauler, I drove the Jeep up the hauler (in four-low to make it easy), and off the Jeep went:
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This was no doubt my “prettiest” Jeep and one that some — including my mom — wanted me to hold onto. But here’s the issue: What’s the point of having a beautiful, stock Jeep Grand Cherokee in LA? Seriously, the thing will get 15 MPG in the city, so it’s certainly not worth making my daily driver. And in stock form, it’s not capable enough to be a frequent off-road toy. I could modify it, but why do that to such a beautiful, bone-stock, rare Jeep? Plus, I’d be afraid to scratch it while off-roading.
No, to me, it made more sense to sell the Jeep, make a few bucks to help lighten the blow of this move (and get me a few months of rent!), and instead keep my other manual Jeep Grand Cherokee “Holy Grail.” Speaking of, let’s just get into which Jeeps I’ve decided to keep and why.
Storage: 1992 Jeep Cherokee
I realize that paying someone to store a car is not a financially intelligent move. But the reality is that this is my first car, and I’m just not able to get myself to part ways with it, at least not right now. And I have very little use for it in California; it needs plenty of work (radiator, rear axle, some rust), and my focus needs to be on improving The Autopian’s content. So, in order to keep things moving and to prevent indecision from thwarting my life plans, I’m just gonna throw the Jeep into storage and move on with my life.
Cars aren’t rational; people daily-drive gas-guzzlers because they like the way those cars make them feel; people name their vehicles; they cry when they lose cars or when they get cars back after years of separation; people put bows on their cars and wax their machines for hours and hours on nice days — my point is that the $1,200 a year I’m blowing to store my very first Jeep are just 1,200 of millions that folks have spent on cars they’re far too emotionally invested in. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, even if it’s a bit silly.
I’ve spent too many hours thinking about this, and I’ll gladly drop $1,200 to kick this can down the road. Keep it movin’.
Bringing To California: Jeep J10, Ford Mustang, Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle, Jeep Grand Cherokee 5-Speed
Here’s where I announce the lucky four that get to live in Studio City, California with me! First up: My Jeep J10.
I realize that it’s a 1985 and will therefore fail SMOG testing, but you know what? Bring it on. This Jeep J10 is the most perfect truck in the world in my eyes, and I have no interest in trying to find another just like it, because I simply won’t. This truck will be a huge help during the move, as the eight-foot bed is gigantic. I’ll move my entire household in this beast, then I’ll park it on the Galpin dealership lot and figure out how I can fuel inject it to get it past SMOG. We’ll see! Again, I just need to keep the train moving, here. No more indecision!
The next lucky machine is my $350 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I’m keeping this because I think the manual Jeep Grand Cherokee is perhaps the greatest budget overlanding Jeep on earth; it’s just the right size, it’s powered by a great engine bolted to a great transmission; it’s incredibly capable off-road but comfortable on-road due to a fully coil-sprung suspension; the cabin is quiet and the seats are comfortable; the fuel tank is nice and big; and it’s just dirt cheap. It’s an amazing machine, which, along with the fact that it’s super rare, is why I keep calling it the “Holy Grail.” I’d be a fool to sell my last Grail, as I’m unlikely to find another at a reasonable price, especially as time goes on.
I want a good off-road vehicle so I can explore the trails in California, and I think that vehicle should be the one I’m preparing for my eventual around-the-world overlanding journey. So I’m keeping the ZJ, turning it into the best possible overlanding Jeep I can imagine, and then checking out what California’s off-road trails have to offer. With the new hood my friend Jamie snagged from the junkyard (see above), the Jeep won’t look as good as the ’93 I sold, but it’ll look decent, and I’ll feel comfortable blasting it through treacherous terrain.
My 1966 Mustang will be my daily driver along with my fuel-sipping 1959 Nash Metropolitan, which is already in California. I don’t have a lot to say about this thing other than that it’s in great shape, and that driving it over the Rocky Mountains in the dead of winter is going to suck. I’ll get into the logistics of the trip here in a bit.
This one is going to come as a surprise to most of you, I bet. I’m keeping my 1979 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle, because I think it’s possibly the ideal candidate for an EV swap. I don’t mean that from an engineering standpoint (lord knows it’s an overweight unaerodynamic nightmare); no, I mean that from a financial standpoint. The Golden Eagle is a vehicle whose cool-factor is almost entirely based on its looks, meaning when I drop the requisite $25,000 to electrify it, it might actually be worth something in the end. I don’t plan to sell it, to be clear, but should I need to, I’d rather not end up having to eat $20,000 like I would if I electrified the rotten Willys FC, which nobody would have been interested in buying due to structural concerns.
The fact that both of the AMC 360 engines in my Golden Eagle ended up as paperweights is a sign from the heavens: Just ditch those motors, slap a Tesla drivetrain/subframe in the rear, and roll around in an awesome-looking EV that I can safely daily-drive (the FC, on the other hand, was never designed to do 75 on the freeway — another reason why it wouldn’t have made for a practical, daily-drivable EV).
The Logistics: I’m Going To Be Third-Wheeling A Honeymoon
You read that subhed above right: I’m going to be the third wheel on a literal honeymoon. And to be honest, I’m honored!
At 31, I’ve basically mastered the art of third-wheeling, with my greatest work having been described on the internet just a year and a half ago. I’d just driven my 1994 diesel, manual Chrysler Voyager from Nürnberg to Istanbul — a truly grueling 30-hour trek through horrible border checkpoints — and after the wedding my friend, the groom, asked if I wanted to join him on his honeymoon. Apparently he was inviting some buddies to Cappadocia, a gorgeous region known for its caves and hot air balloons, situated about seven hours east of Istanbul, about five hours from the Syrian border. Everyone else flew, but I drove; the few days in Cappadocia were mind-blowing, but what’s relevant to this discussion is what happened early one morning when the whole group of about 10 headed up in a hot air balloon.
I somehow ended up in the section of the basket with just the bride and groom. Yes, me, a bride, a groom, on a honeymoon, in a hot air balloon basket. Now that’s third-wheelin’! Check it out:
Anyway, I will have a chance to one-up that third-wheel experience this February, when my friend Andreas (whom I’ve written about multiple times before) and his soon-to-be-new wife Josie fly to the U.S. for their very first time! I’ll attend their wedding in Nürnberg in January, then come back to Michigan, where I’ll prepare the 1966 Mustang for a cross-country trip (I’m slapping winter tires on, of course).
Honestly, I’m just excited to be able to introduce the U.S. to these two marvelous people, and to do so by road-tripping a ’60’s Mustang from Detroit to Los Angeles — it should be an unforgettable trip for them, and I hope they have a great time because they deserve it. I’ll write about the whole trip, and introduce you to them; they’re featured in the video below.
So that takes care of the Mustang. What about the J10? Well, I’ll drive that one out sometime in December/early January. That’s when I’m starting to move into the apartment. I want to make sure the place is somewhat livable for when Andreas, Josie, and I show up in February. LA will be their home-base; they’ll just explore the U.S. from there.
Part of me would rather do the honeymoon in the J10, since I know it’s a great road-trip machine (I’ve never done a long road trip in the Mustang), but three-across for 3,500 miles could be rough, especially for the center person. I’ll just have to dial that Mustang in. It’s not far off from being a cruisin’ stallion.
As for the Golden Eagle and Holy Grail? I haven’t figured out what to do there. I could have them shipped, though that’d cost a pretty penny I bet. Maybe I can get a trailer and tow them both with a heavy duty truck? I’ll have to run the numbers. In any case, that’s the plan: Store the XJ, drive the J10 later this year and the Mustang in February, and somehow haul the 1979 Cherokee and 1994 Grand Cherokee out west (I’ll also get rid of my excellent Chevy Tracker). Not the most logical, but the decision is made. I can make adjustments once I’m cruisin’ Ventura Boulevard.
Two thoughts:
1) On the J10: Could you just do a 4.0 swap from one of the bazillions of 90s Jeeps out there? Put the entire thing and ECU in?
2) Wholeheartedly agree on the Golden Eagle. These (and many other old SUVs) are perfect candidates for EV drivetrain swaps. Can’t wait for that series of articles.
“What’s the point of having a beautiful, stock Jeep Grand Cherokee in LA? Seriously, the thing will get 15 MPG in the city, so it’s certainly not worth making my daily driver.”
My sweet summer child, if only you knew.
Wait, what’s going. This isn’t my username…?
@DT you should be able to transport your 4 “chosen ones” in two trips
Trip 1. Take “Redneckvolution” or someone like him (or her) up on their offer to trailer one (possibly 2) of your rides on the 1st “prep.” trip later this month to get your apartment ready.
For this 1st trip you trailer the screaming eagle and either also trailer or drive the J10. Take decent “walkie-talkie” style radios with you for communications between vehicles (if you drive the J10).
Trip 2. On trip two, there will be 3 of you. You take the Mustang + the ZJ. The 3 of you can swap driving duties back and forth. Of course bring the walkie-talkie radios again…
Plus with two cars on the trip, this can act as some added safety of actually arriving all wheels driving!
Just a bit of a suggestion. A hidden Battery disconnect would be a smart move on the old Mustang. Think Eleanor.
I initially reacted to the Golden Eagle decision with “are you F*ing kidding?”, but thinking more about it, it makes sense. It seems like every other week, I see another decked out EV-converted 1st gen Bronco on Omaze valued at $200k+. Gateway Bronco near me does phenomenal EV builds and sell them for big bucks. Of course, those are nut/bolt restos, but the logic is the same. I am definitely looking forward to seeing that beast cruising around on electrons!
David, I appreciate the comments here about Route 66, but the FIRST coast-to-coast highway is the Lincoln Highway. U.S. Route 30 parallels most of the road through Nebraska, and lots of the genuine old road is well marked. One stretch of the original road goes right past my Mom’s house in rural western Nebraska.
Route 66 is awesome, but it’s kind of become a cliche.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Highway
I understand having an attachment to those cars, it’s going to be hard to get everything sorted in Studio City, good luck!
With regards to worrying about driving the Mustang over the snowy mountains, I have a better solution. Take if from someone who drove their Scat Pack from Detroit to SoCal this past winter and was also worried about the same thing.
I checked the weather each morning before we hit the road (with summer tires still) and looked for any possible snow storms coming in the higher elevations. The only places I really worried about were Albuquerque and Flagstaff. Alb looked fine, but Flagstaff was predicting snow. I wasn’t 100% sure how bad it would be, but decided to alter my route further south from Santa Rosa, NM and divert onto I-10 the rest of the way. It was the best decision. The weather was great and I got to see and experience places I’ve never been (White Sands and the World’s Largest Pistachio).
If you go through Santa Rosa, do yourself a favor and stop at the Silver Moon Cafe for the best green chili breakfast burrito you’ll ever have in your life.
Do any of those cars have working A/C? Because you’re going to want working A/C out here, especially if you head out to the desert.
My AC:
Windows down, an ice cold bottle of water in the passenger’s seat (and latent heat transfer in the form of lotttts of sweat).
Will be watching the electrification of the Golden Eagle with great interest! I have occasionally been visited by the thought of doing the same with a K5 Blazer, someday.
Best of luck with the move, and with coming to terms with the reduced fleet. Earlier this year we moved our growing family of four about 20 miles outbound, and a few months prior I sold my manual Mazda6 (for a profit after 2 years of ownership) and kept my Wrangler (ordered in October 2013 as soon as the Copperhead color came out).
The Mazda was a great car that I loved driving, and I will always remember bringing our newborn 2nd daughter home from the hospital in that car. I do miss it, but I don’t regret selling it when I did. While it will be harder to part ways with my Jeep if that day ever comes, every thought experiment with a hypothetical third car seat seems to wind up with me in a three-row 4Runner, so we’ll have to see what happens there.
The K5 Blazer idea would actually bring back childhood memories of the one my parents had until I was 5. I guess we’re always seeking the right balance between being practical and being sentimental.
Watch weather carefully, and do the southern route (I-40, etc.) if at all possible–get that Route 66 flavor in. So far it looks like this season’s storms have largely missed the southern Plains, and if they have gotten it (and hooboy, they have) it’s melted quickly enough. Western NE looks to be getting socked this upcoming week.
I helped a buddy shuffle two cars from northern Cal (N of Sac) back to Iowa a couple winters back. Between a storm in the Sierra Nevada and Wyoming being completely closed for days due to a storm, the southern route (Sac-Bakersfield-Albuquerque on day one, ABQ-Kansas City-home on day two) worked well.
David. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you’re going to need to rethink your plan.
I did LA apartment living for 10 years and very briefly (for approximately a month) had one car more than my number of designated parking spaces, and I’ve gotta tell you, that was more than long enough.
Reason being, if you don’t have a garage or carport for them, you’re going to be street parking them, and most streets in LA get cleaned twice a week, which means every vehicle in your fleet is going to need to switch sides of the road twice a week. If you forget even once, that’s a parking ticket (money out of your pocket) for each vehicle.
And that’s optimistically assuming that you’ll be able to FIND a parking spot directly across the street for each of them, which, hahaha, of course you won’t, because this is LA! You’ll be lucky if even one of your vehicles is within a block of your apartment, much less three.
So that means twice a week, every week, you’re going to have to walk all over your neighborhood remembering where you put each car, and then driving each one around for 10 minutes trying to spot an opening to park it on the correct side.
It will suck. Within two weeks you will hate it and resent those extra vehicles and you’ll probably already owe the city of LA $100 in parking tickets from forgetting a day or two. By two months, you’ll have removed the plates, scratched off the VINS, and driven them into the LA River under cover of night just to preserve your sanity.
I know it goes against every rust-tinged fiber of your being, but trust me, just pick one.
The plan is to park them at the office!
Where in hell (L.A.) will you store these? I doubt $100/car/month is doable out there.
You haven’t been paying attention, have you?
One of the Autopian principals is connected to Galpin Auto. He’ll be parking the spares at a dealership.
Good choices for the most part. The storage option can be moved to LA later or find a person who needs wrenching and trade.
The Mustang with fit in, the Eagle as and EV is good. I understand the J10 and the off reader.
David,
I’d like to propose something, but let me start with a story. My first car, back in 75-76 was a ’68 Camaro, red with black vinyl tip, automatic with cragar mags. At that time it was just an old pony car, not anything collectable. It had a windshield leak that I couldn’t repair myself and couldn’t afford to have done. So I sold it. That was over 40 years ago, and is one of my few regrets.
Storage options didn’t exist like they do now, and again, no money.
But in memory of my first car that I couldn’t keep, I’d be honored to contribute to someone elses first car being held in storage.
Yes, this is no more rational than storing a car that needs a lot of work that might never be done, but I think that’s what this site is about. Irrational decisions.
David, just throwing this out there – I have a 2012 Ford F150 XLT 4×4 with the long bed and the heavy duty frame/seven lugs and the towing package. I can tow 11k pounds with my truck.
I live in Cincinnati, so not a far drive from your Detroit digs. If you can find a suitable trailer, I can get at least one of the rigs out to LA for you, and I’ll cut you a deal on the drive. I’ve been a professional hot shot logistics driver since 2017 and have proper insurance and such.
Only catch is that I want to co-write an article with you about transporting the rig for you. I also have a B.A. Degree in Journalism and am a photographer/videographer and have low key been wanting to be a contributor for a while, but just been too busy working to get serious about it.
Lemme know, Lord of the Rust.
Well hot damn! Let’s talk!
Towing is the easy way out. This should be a reader convoy driving David’s cars while following him like Kurt Russell in the movie Used Cars.
Nah nah nah.
Let’s follow him like Immortan Joe’s horde chasing the War Wagon in Fury Road.
I call being The Doof Warrior!!!
Wait, like thematically or do I need a costume?
Costumes: optional.
Flamethrowers: required
We could raise money to fund this caravan by holding a raffle where you need to pick which car will fail first, and at what mile marker.
If you’re gonna drive a Mustang to LA in January (I did the same think with a Honda Fit, Detroit to Portland), why not make a travelogue seeing what parts of Route 66 can still be driven these days? At least you’d avoid most of the mountain routes, have the best weather, and have access to the best food.
I’ll second this – there’s a lot of 66 left in New Mexico
Honestly for the J10 just clean the crap out of the motor, do a compression test to look for blow by and seal it up really well so you’re not burning oil. Then, unless you’ve done something silly like remove the smog pump, I imagine it’ll pass, just barely but a pass is a pass. Also if it needs the help you could throw a pair of aftermarket cats on it just as a safety measure.
Sadly, it never had a smog pump, and I tossed the original carb for a Motorcraft 2100.
Perhaps a Carb-certified Howell TBI kit is the answer.
Or get chummy with Holley and swap in a Sniper Kit. Surely they have one of those that meets or exceeds the factory emissions.
Its a 258 right? Swap on a 4.0 Head and EFI. You’ll have to replace the brake booster with hydroboost though, thats the only way the manifold will fit.
Not sure that’ll pass SMOG…
Looking forward to the Golden EV-gle! Or something less awkward to pronounce. Sad to see the fleet go, long time lurker. Seeing the FC combust fuel (gravity-fed!) and move was one of the most righteous wrenching sights I’ve seen. Travel safe.
On your way out in the J10 stop by the house. I have a spare XJ Chrysler 8.25 I will give you as a house warming gift.
I was thinking about CA and it’s rather strict smog regs but then I thought DT is probably finally going to convert some of his beloved trash into Electric Vehicles. But by all means, restore the Mustang, which would look uber cool driving up Highway 1
You may what to look into a Montana registration to avoid the smog headaches your almost certainly going to have. The legality of it is questionable, some calling it a loophole, others calling it fraud, so I wouldn’t do it with your daily driver, but for the cars you’re only bringing out on the road occasionally it’s probably a good option for you.
California also has a classic car registration you could do for the Mustangs, it cheaper than a regular registration, but comes with a few caveats, like you can’t rent out your car to movie or TV productions. Something else to look into.
And if your moving to Studio City and you like Indian food, congratulations, you’re going to be close to perhaps LAs best Indian restaurant and one of my favorites called Lal Mirch. Check it out when you get here, and good luck with the move.
You guys really just need to register The Autopian, LLC in Montana. Getting the J10 and Grand Cherokee into CA smog compliance is a fool’s errand.
Whelp, I feel like this is a more reasonable outcome than I was expecting. The Mustang obviously is a keeper. Please please PLEASE give it a thorough fluid film treatment underneath before driving it in the winter though!!!!!
I completely agree with keeping the scruffy ZJ. That’s the one you’ll want to explore with because you’re you.
Electrifying the Golden Eagle, when that first came up, boy that’s a darn interesting proposition. I hadn’t even thought about it from a value standpoint, but man … I bet that thing all cleaned up and electrified could sell for big bucks in California!
Now bringing the J10 to Cali … That is a bold strategy Cotton! Definitely better than putting it in storage. I look forward to reading the articles about trying to get that puppy to pass smog. I wonder how it will compare to getting your van through the TUV?
Storing your XJ is just dumb, but if there’s a vehicle to be dumb about, it’s your first. Fill the interior with dryer sheets and the engine compartment with mothballs to try and keep the rodents at bay.
Good luck with the move my man!
I don’t understand the on-line love for Fluid Film. Mind you it’s not a bad product, I wrote it into our rust protection standard. However, it is intended for parts that are stored INDOORS. It washes off with pressurized water, which doesn’t work so well on automotive chassis. Far better is Tectyl 506, which is good for up to 3 years of outdoor storage on machined parts.
I use Tectyl to store freshly-machined flywheels (I always get two done at once for my hemi sixes) and I also vacuum inside the doors and spray it in there on any new-to-me old vehicle and wipe up the excess.
Krown FTW.
David already has experience with it.
It’s cheap, readily available, easily applied, nontoxic and it works. Not as well perhaps as Tectyl 506. But us Average Wrenchers don’t need a OV respirator and a full body chemical resistant suit to apply it. I don’t think twice about spraying FF in my attached garage with a nuisance odor mask and eye protection. This stuff, yeah no, I’ll let it be used for its industrial uses away from human contact.
DO NOT fuel inject the J10!
The key to passing smog tests is to keep the car as stock as possible. As it sits, it has to pass pickup truck smog test from 1985. That’s a whole lot easier than the alternatives. I easily passed 1983 smog tests with 30 year old 280zx’s for years!
Once you start updating the car – say dropping in a 5.2 or 5.9 from a ZJ – then you’ve got to pass smog from the mid-to-late-90s. 1985 trucks car be a lot dirtier than 1998 trucks 😉
Getting it back to 1985 spec might require 15 miles of vacuum hoses, but it really does beat the alternative.
Isn’t the point to actually reduce smog?
No, the point is to make is such a PITA that you sell your old car and get a nice new one with virtually zero emissions.