Thread: 4x4 in the 70's

I also know about the Wagoneers with the Tornato OHC V6 motor and the steering was that light and low geared you could barely keep up with it.......not many were around.
My dad and uncle also would do Menai on the weekends as we lived in Miranda..........mostly take motor bikes out to Menai near the tip to ride them.
No restrictions and less people around in those days.

The 1960s jeeps had alot,of local content in them.........it was the days when Australia used to make stuff.
I know my current 1960 CJ 6 ......every thing except for the engine block and a few odd components were Australian made.
The Lucas electrics was the first to go.
The Borgwarner diffs, gearbox, transfercase etc are good and close copies of the American produced items.
From about 1965 the locally produced combat 6 ( falcon car motor) replaced the F head hurricane motor in alot of the locally produced jeeps.
From 1974 it was the fully imported stuff (rambler motor CJs ) by Ateco?.......
It was a local production story not well known or much recorded.

Interesting.
I knew about the assembly in Brisbane and a bit of local content, but I didn't realise it was that much!

Dad's car was a '67. (US '66)
The only non Dana Spicer or US Warner bit on the Wagoneer was the g/box and the seats/trim were local.

The front diff was a Dana 27, the Rear a 44, t/case Dana 20. Maybe the drive shafts were made here?
The steering was typical US, way too light and no Castor.Dad put castor wedges in the front axle, it made it a lot, lot better.
The big problem was the steering box was back a long way and it had a relay rod and bell crank at the front connecting to the drag link.
From about '69 or so Kaiser or I'm guessing AMC as they owned them then revised it and had a Saginaw pattern 'box at the front with the pitman arm connecting directly onto the drag link, much like a 90/110.
That was so much better.
I had a fully imported '70 J3000 for work with that setup, (apparently brought in for a mining project according to Stokoe Motors in Melbourne) When the Gemmer 'box was beyond repair I bolted an HQ Holden box in, It was a direct bolt in, and the steering was really good then.

LNC were the importers from '74 through to about '79. They brought a few J20's and Wagoneers in for evaluation too.

The CJ5 and 6 would crack body/chassis mounts badly as the chassis was so flexy. The CJ7 fixed a lot of that stuff, but wasn't anywhere as capable out of the box off road as the chassis and suspension was totally revised, anti-roll bars added, etc.
The older cars flexed well, I used to scare mum badly, it had more body roll than an RRC!

I loved my uncles Series III, I nearly bought it when he sold it, but it ended up the coast somewhere.

For Rick
The Following is my Australian Willys 1960 CJ6 taken recently , up on stands in storage.
I have owned this since I was less than 25 years old.
DSCN0559 by john smith, on Flickr

The pic below note Willys Australia blue plate and conversion to full flow oil filtering.
DSCN0560 by john smith, on Flickr

Note the extra stick for the overdrive.

DSCN0562 by john smith, on Flickr

DSCN0563 by john smith, on Flickr

DSCN0568 by john smith, on Flickr

DSCN0572 by john smith, on Flickr

Old school tyres below and note how the tyre has been touching the inner guard on full flex.

DSCN0575 by john smith, on Flickr

DSCN0558 by john smith, on Flickr

That old jeep has trodden many a road that is now closed off.

This bike was running around at the time the first video of this was taken at the army rd Wirraba.
It would have been another wow, wow if it actually made it onto the video.
It survived doing NSW toughest fire trail many a time because if was fresh out of army auctions, it had large front and rear crash bars and a bullet proof sump bash plate.
If would think it would be the only bike to be still around to ride from that area and time.
This was taken about 6 months ago at the motor life open day at Wollongong.
It also did many other places now closed off including the Sunday rides at Menai in the early 1970s.
At the Northern side of Weeny creek I was doubled up on the back of the same bike climbing up from the creek when the driver of the bike stopped a put his foot out to balance, but a great wash away /hole was there and over we went, my arm took the full force of this and broke it.....I was 7 Years old.
1967 B40 GA BSA by john smith, on Flickr
Ex Aussie Army B40 1967 BSA by john smith, on Flickr.
My mum may have some old Landrover pics from the same time.

Thanks mate.

The Wagoneer had the same VIN/ID plate.

Interesting it has the later Oz spec blinkers (Hella I think) without the spacer.

That is in nice nick, so many of them have rusted away to nothing.
Paint and primer/undercoat was an after thought, especially on the US made cars!
I remember looking at brand new 5's and 6's at Ron Barrett Motors in Penrith as a kid and they had rust everywhere around the edges!

I had so much fun in mine, my mates still talk about it when we get together.
As a 19 yo i installed a panhard rod on the front end to tighten the on road steering up, (I was always caught between going way too fast on road and having fun off road) rose jointed at both ends and all it did was bind the front end up so much I quickly tore my (badly) stick welded clevis clean off the chassis rails!

I forgot, it also had genuine Oz made 10 spoke Sunraysia's, the 3/8" plate centre ones that LNC offered as a wide wheel option with massive amounts of offset.
It did look the goods.

Some more for Rick
Taken too day at work
My mums 1944 Jeep still sporting its old number plates and a 1945 No4 Australian made FMC jeep trailer which I have just finished restoring.
Mums 1944 Jeep at Pace 21/1/2018 by john smith, on Flickr
restored 1945 N04 FMC jeep Trailer by john smith, on Flickr