Charlie

5/17/2020

(I apologize for the terrible photo, but I was just so excited to get Charlie's story up that I haven't had time for a decent photo shoot.)

I met Charlie in Dallas, Texas. I was down there visiting a friend and had it in mind to bring back with me a memento of the trip. Really, most of the reason I was there was to find something interesting to buy, and I spent most of the weekend into the next week poring through classifieds and keeping an eye out for roadside sales. I had looked at a 1978 Corvette which turned out to be worse than it looked on pictures. It was fun talking to the owner, who had a passion for cars himself. Next, I stopped to look over a 1979 Jeep Scrambler CJ8. My friend had noticed it in his neighborhood with a for sale sign in the window, so we drove by it in the evening. It was good, but not that good. I looked also at a 1979 Ford Mustang 4-cyl turbo Ghia, with a 4-speed manual and factory sunroof. It only had 79,000 miles on it, but wasn't quite what I was looking for. It was a beautiful car, though, and I enjoyed talking with the seller and hearing the story of his car. I was getting a bit frustrated with my search, when a 1978 (I really wasn't looking specifically for 78-79 cars, it's just what I was finding) Corvette popped up with 42,000 original miles on it! The ad was only 2 hours old and the price was a steal, so I called, text, and emailed right away. Nothing. No answer at all. Discouraged, I continued to look as I constantly checked my phone for messages from the Corvette guy. I had saved a listing a couple of weeks ago of a black CJ5, just because it looked so clean. It was out of my price range, so I hadn't called on it, but now I gave it a second look. Should I call? I really wanted the Vette, but it was radio silence over there. Finally, I gave the number for the Jeep a call, and talked to the owner. It was located an hour from me, and he was available anytime. I gave the Corvette guy another try, and he finally got back to me - only to tell me someone was already on their way to look at it! Dang. What does a guy have to do to get a callback around here?!! I told him to let me know if it was still available afterward and headed in the opposite direction to look at a Jeep I couldn't afford to buy.

Following the directions I had been given, I pulled up to a very nice brick home in a newly built development east of Dallas. The garage door was open, so i was able to see the back end of the Jeep and know I was in the right place.  An old man answered the door, and we spoke for a few minutes before walking back to the garage. That's where I heard his story. 

A friend of his had a 1978 Jeep CJ5 which had been parked in his barn for many years. The Old Man had asked many times if he could buy it, and finally one year his friend relented. They dragged it out of the dusty barn on 4 flat tires and loaded the non-running Jeep onto a trailer. Charlie (what I named him) was covered in the dirt and cobwebs of many years, having been all but forgotten after a lifetime of ranch work under the Texas sky. He was a six cylinder Jeep with a 3-speed manual transmission, perfectly suited for riding around the ranch checking fences and running to town for supplies. No doubt a few young people learned how to drive sitting behind his wheel. The Old Man was excited to begin the restoration process but soon discovered Charlie's tub was too far gone with rust to use. So he reached out to Collins Brother's Jeep, a well known off-road and Jeep shop in Dallas. There the Old Man bought a solid, used steel tub from a 1979 CJ5 to replace the rotted out original. While he was there loading up the tub, he noticed a few other items that would help with his build. One of them was a period correct AMC 5.0 liter V8 engine. It made sense to retire the anemic six cylinder in favor of the extra power a V8 would provide, so the engine was loaded up along with a 4-speed transmission and Dana transfer case. 

Charlie's restoration spanned the course of a year, as his chassis was completely stripped of everything and then refinished. All the parts and pieces were gone through and usually replaced with new. The engine was taken all the way down and rebuilt with a mild performance cam, long tube headers, Edelbrock intake, MSD distributor, and topped by a 4bbl carburetor. All combined to make over 300hp, a far cry from the original 116hp inline 6. The transmission was also rebuilt. New gauges were fitted to include a previously absent tachometer. The odometer was set at 00000, since Charlie was essentially now brand new again!

Over the next five years, Charlie enjoyed family life with the Old Man and his wife. They both enjoyed their drives and loved the thumbs up they got from passersby. Their two granddaughters learned to drive sitting high in Charlie's seat, down Texas country roads, their Grandpa coaching them. Then in the past year, in a blink, Charlie's life changed. The Old Man's wife lost her battle and died. The house became quiet and empty, the Old Man alone and grieving. As the year went on, the Old Man decided to let Charlie go. Whether from the now painful memories of past evening drives, or just the need to move on to something new, the decision was made to sell the Jeep.

Charlie had been on the market for almost a month when I drove up to the house, unaware of all which had transpired in the life of this family. We all have hopes and dreams, passions and pleasures, pain and sorrow - which was why I was there. When I first saw Charlie close up, I knew he was something special. Everything was still so clean and new, even after 5 years of use. There was a crack in the driver's seat, and some blemishes in the paint, but all very small and insignificant in the light of the good. When the Old Man first fired up the Jeep, we both smiled. The engine barked to life and settled into a rolling thunder of sound. Good choice on the V8 and side pipes! After a thorough walkaround and test drive, I explained my budgetary restrictions and made a significantly lower offer than his asking price. He came back a little higher and I left it at that - not willing to haggle too hard on this one. 

We went into the house where we made the cash exchange and talked for a bit more. He seemed to enjoy talking, as a cat looked on with its bored expression. Handing me a folder containing every receipt for the build, we walked out the door to the driveway where Charlie was waiting. There under the front of the Jeep was a wet spot, and the crazy thought which flashed through my mind was that Charlie was shedding a tear. He was grieving, too, after all those fond memories with the old man who had brought him back to life after being dead so many years in a dusty barn. I assured the old man that I could fix the coolant leak and not to worry. I could tell he felt bad that it happened. When you buy old cars - even restored cars - you expect a bit of this.

I loaded Charlie up on the trailer behind Big Red and strapped him down for the long trip back to Minnesota. It was fun seeing him in the rear view all those miles, and he makes me smile even now siting in my garage. We are waiting for his new radiator to show up, then we will have some summer fun. It will be hard to see him go when the time comes, but Charlie will always be making smiles no matter where he is.

07/21/2020

It's been a fun summer with Charlie so far! He is usually my choice when running errands - at least when it's not raining. My wife and I took him to a car meet near us. He was the only Jeep in attendance and very well received. There's something about a short little CJ5 with a great lumping V8 noise. He gets so many thumbs up! I was at the store the other day and a man walking by gave Charlie a glance but kept walking out of sight past the car parked next to me. I started Charlie's engine and it barked to life, settling into its usual low, growling idle. As I left my parking spot, the man was revealed standing stock still with his mouth open, smiling. As I drove by, he yelled his approval, asking what engine was under the hood. At my reply, we both smiled and laughed as I waved goodbye. That's the kind of surprise Charlie doles out in spades. He surprises with joy.

We trailered him to an off-road park last month to see how he would handle it, considering that's really what he was made to do. Of course, Charlie didn't disappoint and climbed around on and through the trails with ease. That was the first time I felt his true nature showed completely. Wow, it was so good! I finally figured out to drop his tire pressure and disconnect the front swaybar for the best results. We spent 3 hours out there without one hiccup.

I haven't done anything to him other than replace the radiator, change the oil, and loosen a sticking choke cable. He has been flawless and so much fun in the 300 miles I've added to his odometer since May.

I'm still waiting on the title, but when it comes I will be preparing him for sale. That thought makes me sad.

The choke cable was sticking, but a little lubrication solved it. On Charlie's front bumper, the winch continues to sit unused. Ever.

07/22/2020

I had noticed a slight vibration in the driveline over the past couple weeks. It had been getting worse, and this morning I noticed a clunking toward the rear when going from 1st to reverse, or when accelerating hard. I had crawled all over him, looking for the problem, but nothing was readily apparent.

Today, I had the brainstorm of strapping my GoPro camera to the undercarriage. I thought it might help to see what was happening while I drove. Sure enough, it was obvious what the problem was. 

Head over to the For Sale page to see more pictures and videos!