Good SHTF Vehicles

[The Heretic]

mine was in for repair when they showed me a bug that had run over a 4x4 cut to about 30" length driver had impacted on fwy, which then jammed under chassis & in very short order wedged into pavement & highlifted the car, making permanent frame flexion & assorted body damages. Driver was nearly psychotic from the weird combination of circumstance....

re: Salem Summer 1968....I was traveling by the VW shop on Market & someone was doing an actual VW burn out across the parking lot....!!!

Yeah, that shop was/is the dealership - different outfit. I think they are owned by Lithia Motors now - big mutli-franchise dealership in the PNW - bought my X1 from them.

German Motors is on 12th street in S. Salem. Small little service only shop started by three guys from Austria. Two brothers and another guy - they all drove VWs - one of the brothers owned/ran the machine shop, the other two ran the service shop. Serviced mostly VWs, but also Porsche and occasionally Audis. I think they have long since retired and sold the shop - I would guess they may have even passed, they would be in their 80s by now, maybe older, except maybe the youngest brother.

 

[KKG]

If you are really into the SHTF you REALLY need to be already driving your vehicle of choice. Once things go South it will be too late to go shopping.

 

[Jamie6.5]

That Nissan diesel was one of the worst engines of all time. They were heavily marketed and also installed in Jeep flight line tugs, boats and even in early Dodge Valiants. I have owned and driven Scouts for 45 years. In the early 80's there were maby a dozen quite new versions sitting at an equipment dealer near Salt Lake. I stopped to inquire about them (I was driving a 2 year old Traveler) it seems they were all Nissan Diesels purchased by a movie production company new 18 months ago. They were used for less than a year. International didn't want to buy them back at any price. Of the 12, 4 we're still operable. The equipment company had bought them very cheep at auction thinking they could make a buck and quickly regretted it. I have junked those engines several times out of boats that were unrepairable while still quite new. The owners that could afford it replaced them with Cummins. I salvaged boats that had been torched by the owners for insurance because they had the engines and could not be economically repaired. Early Scouts (and Jeeps) used Perkins diesels as an option. Many were underpowered but at least they held together and could be repaired if needed. I liked my Traveler a lot but it was impossible to make go straight down the road. It had every conceivable option including power steering. We spent thousands on it trying to improve the driving chairistics with both my dad's undercar tire shop and the dealer with no avail. I came to the conclusion it had to do with the ratio of the PS gear and wheelbase. You had to fight it all the time to keep it in a lane. It really kept you on your toes at freeway speeds.

That's weird. My Terra never gave me problems steering or being easy to drive/control.
If anything it was quite the opposite.
I considered getting aftermarket cruise control but decided against that as I was afraid I'd fall asleep behind the wheel if I had less to do.
I loved that 345 though. The off-idle torque that engine had for a gas rig was phenomenal. I also firmly believe IH did a better job of matching gear ratios to torque curves than anyone.
But what I loved most about that rig was the way it couldn't be stopped as long as it had firm ground somewhere underneath it. Slick-azz Gumbo mud was no problem, even on steep inclines.
It would sink like a rock in a mudhole because the nose was so heavy, but it would push through snow drifts that were higher than the hood, and climb over stumps and downed trees in low range.

If you can't tell, I REALLY miss that rig.

PS to @The_Heretic: The answer for the Traveler tailgate trouble is to separate it (cut it off) right below the window and use the Terra tailgate on the bed, leaving the upper Traveler part intact. A new lock/latch mechanism has to be adapted, but that solves the issue you mentioned.

Or, see if you can find a canopy for the Terra II.

 

[The Heretic]

PS to @The_Heretic: The answer for the Traveler tailgate trouble is to separate it (cut it off) right below the window and use the Terra tailgate on the bed, leaving the upper Traveler part intact. A new lock/latch mechanism has to be adapted, but that solves the issue you mentioned.

Or, see if you can find a canopy for the Terra II.

Yeah - I would go for the half cab/pickup configuration these days. I just find a pickup a lot more useful. I like my Toyota, even with the longer wheelbase, just wish for a diesel in it. I also need to get the front end looked at a bit, although it works well enough and is not dangerous, it just makes noises when turning - part of that is the turn limiting stops are bent/buggered up.

 

[ATCclears]

My daily driver into the city is a 2000 Ford Expedition with 4WD. It's hard on gas at 13mpg, but it's in good shape (had it since new, 167K miles now), and it has 4WD and some ground clearance should there be a SHTF and I need to maneuver around something.

I'll probably look to a midsize pickup (Toyota Tacoma?) when something really expensive fails on the Expedition. I have a 2001 F-350 with the fabulous 7.3L diesel but that is too much of a beast to take into the city.

 

[Argonaut]

The 7.3 is a great engine (IHC) too bad it was waisted on a Ford product (editorial comment) they are best in an orignal IHC chassis with an Allison or manual transmission. Ford never figured out how to build a strong enough transmission or running gear to take full advantage of the qualities of the engine.

 

[Jamie6.5]

The 7.3 is a great engine (IHC) too bad it was waisted on a Ford product (editorial comment) they are best in an orignal IHC chassis with an Allison or manual transmission. Ford never figured out how to build a strong enough transmission or running gear to take full advantage of the qualities of the engine.

Is Ford responsible for the glow plug and gp-relay system? Or is that on IH?

The two things I never cared for about that engine was the gp system and the mechanical lift pump mounted in the valley under the intake manifold.
When that lift pump leaks the fuel dilutes the crankcase oil.

 

[The Heretic]

 

[The Heretic]

 

[41mag]

My Sweet Bride® has been yearning for some 'yard art'.....maybe we could make a deal....

 

[EPS]

just saying go big or go home​

 

[The Heretic]

This guy has backup transportation:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=580464375670226

 

[CamoDeafie]

Alternatively, turn a gokart flat chassis into an improvised Mechanical Mule?

Or could add small diesel engine to this instead of human pedal power. Supposedly 500lbs cargo capacity

 

[EPS]

Got one or two for you too Argonaut I know your a boat guy lol

 

[KKG]

Alternatively, turn a gokart flat chassis into an improvised Mechanical Mule?

Or could add small diesel engine to this instead of human pedal power. Supposedly 500lbs cargo capacityView attachment 470038 View attachment 470039

While it looks nice, I can see way too many things that could go wrong.

 

[CamoDeafie]

If someone could restore or build something similar to this, it could be good for the Willamette/Columbia/Molalla/Santiam river systems... if no dams in the way

While it looks nice, I can see way too many things that could go wrong.

Same here, a reason I never built one. Personally a single wheel travois/handcart would be more useful for my needs

 

[EPS]

If someone could restore or build something similar to this, it could be good for the Willamette/Columbia/Molalla/Santiam river systems... if no dams in the way View attachment 470048 View attachment 470049


Same here, a reason I never built one. Personally a single wheel travois/handcart would be more useful for my needs

Lol yep you know there is a company up here that has these beach landing boats that take stuff to people on the San Juan islands

 

[EPS]

Got one or two for you too Argonaut I know your a boat guy lolView attachment 470046 View attachment 470047

Lol you drive the boat I will shoot the guns .lol problem solved

 

[Argonaut]

If someone could restore or build something similar to this, it could be good for the Willamette/Columbia/Molalla/Santiam river systems... if no dams in the way View attachment 470048 View attachment 470049


Same here, a reason I never built one. Personally a single wheel travois/handcart would be more useful for my needs

That appears to be an LCM 6 or 8 converted to a gun boat. I have owned and operated many of each. They make ideal salvage vessels. We frequently decked them over, welded the bow door, made machinery and living spaces below deck with a crane and pilot house on top. The 6's came out close to 60 feet. We operated 6 or so at a time up and down the coast along with our tugs, barges and larger LCU landing craft. Boats can be the ultimate vehicles for self reliance. My 100' tugs carried over 30,000 gallons of fuel as did one of my 118' landing craft. We would cruse to Mexico and buy bunker fuel for 25 cents per gallon and use it to fuel the entire fleet. I have thousands of photos but nothing digitized

 

[Argonaut]

Lol yep you know there is a company up here that has these beach landing boats that take stuff to people on the San Juan islands

I sold many boats to them as well as loggers in the islands.