Thread: 4x4 in the 70's

God that was good Lewy, takes me right back to when I was a kid absolutely obsessed with 4wding.

Those old Dunlop RTM's, Bridgestone jeep Service and BFG APL/All Purpose Lugs (Dad's favourite) really lacked grip and compliance !
I think the jeep Service had better grip, (deliberate lower case J) but Dad abandoned them as they wore out too quickly for his liking.

I should have some old Super 8 footage of Dad's that I took as a 10-11 year old of some trips with the Sydney Jeep club that I'd totally forgotten about.

BTW, CJ5 and 6 Jeeps of the same era had better articulation !

Shame about the gearing with only 3 speeds....

[edit] Wirraba Ridge ? Note the G60 Patrol towing the Series II just past the 6 minute mark. Talk about nostalgia!
[2nd edit] Dodge Power Wagon, MB Willys, Series 1's !

Looking at that makes me appreciate just how far 4WD's have come in the last 40 years.
Most of the places these old landies got stuck are now a walk in the park with a modern 4WD

Originally Posted by Lewy110

Found this after watching the SWB in Wonnangatta video

4x4 in the 70's - YouTube

This video just blew me away.
,My father, uncle and friends used to camp in a road cutting just before the creek........I think its called Weeny creek ?
I was only about Seven to Eight years old and remember the landrover club coming though on different times when we camped over a few years of time.
I remember the fourbies having trouble with the sandy bank after getting across the creek.
I remember winches were few and far between and the we never used tree truck protectors and the dead winching tree at the top of the face at the narrow neck.
Diff locks unheard of.
But to see my uncle driving his shorten Volkswagon buggie and seeing dads one in the video is just mind blowing.
The first buggie seen in the video of my dads still exists in a poor state.
The deep bronze green landrover with red painted hubs would have been my dads................it was a trade mark so to speak of his landrovers and jeeps......they were usually exarmy.
The blokes on the bikes I think were friends of my uncle.......
The bike side of things was interesting.
The yamaha DT1 had only just been around for a few years.
They would come onto power and with a light front end would flip on the rock ledges.
My Dad and uncle where heavy into bikes and in the mix was some B40 ex army BSAs.
The bsas had stuff all suspension travel, but the motor would hang on at zero revs and the front end was heavy and so wouldnt lift and therefore still competitive with the new jap bikes.
I own one of the Bsas used on Wirriba ridge end to end many times and I ride it today after buying it from my dad when I was a teenager.........it survives in very good condition after much dropping and abuse.
I am going to have to watch this video in much detail and see even if I can spot my dad or my self in it and other people I used to know.
Most are now past on.
Ron

Originally Posted by 101 Ron

This video just blew me away.
,My father, uncle and friends used to camp in a road cutting just before the creek........I think its called Weeny creek ?
I was only about seven to Eight years old and remember the landrover club coming though on different times when we camped over a few years of time.
I remeber the fourbies having trouble with the sandy bank after getting across the creek.
I remember winches were few and far between and the we never used tree truck protectors and the dead winching tree at the top of the face at the narrow neck.
Diff locks unheard of.
But to see my uncle driving his shorten Volkswagon buggie and seeing dads one in the video is just mind blowing.
The firsy buggie seen in the video of my dads still exists in a poor state.
The deep bronze green landrover with red painted hubs would have been my dads................it was a trade mark so to speak of his landrovers and jeeps......they were usually exarmy.
The blokes on the bikes I think were friends of my uncle.......
The bike side of things was interesting.
The yamaha DT1 had only just been around for a few years.
They would come onto power and with a light front end would flip on the rock ledges.
My Dad and uncle where heavy into bikes and in the mix was some B40 ex army BSAs.
The bsas had stuff all suspension travel, but the motor would hang on at zero revs and the front end was heavy and so wouldnt lift and therefore still competitive with the new jap bikes.
I own one of the Bsas used on Wirriba ridge end to end many times and I ride it today after buying it from my dad when I was a teenager.........it survives in very good condition after much dropping and abuse.
I am going to have to watch this video in much detail and see even if I can spot my dad or my self in it and other people I used to know.
Most are now past on.
Ron

That is very cool Ron.

The deep bronze green landrover with the red hubs I remember the trips up the climbs from Sydney on the Putty road.
The Short wheel base series 2 landy was fully loaded to the canvas roof.
Mum was in the passengers seat, I was sitting in the middle, avoiding dad diving for second second gear on the climbs or my leg would cop it.
The Landy was always pulling a trailer with either a Volkswagon buggie or three motor bikes with all the fuel and spares.
A dashhound dog would have a bed on top of the gear behind my dads head in the landy and the dog would stick its head out though the sliding window.
The winding sound that comes from the straight cut first gear on a series 2 landy climbing the steepest pinches of the putty rd road will always live with me.
It the real early days to the Putty end of wirriba dad wouldnt take a tent, but just unbolt the canvass and frame from the rear of the Landrover and sit it on the ground..............we would sleep under that.

The landrover club allways had a supply of axles on hand.........they would tend to chew though them.
We would never drop tyre pressures as the old dunlop road track majors would never flex in the side wall, so it mattered very little.
Some of the early toyotas, landys and patrols had home made hand cranked winches .
The old video never shows the true steepness.
The old army road over the wirriba range was badly rutted and steep with rock ledges.
The old wirriba army road goes striaght over the top of the great dividing range in some very mountainous terrain.
The Volkswagen buggies were built for this track and they worked well.
Shorten two foot and only a pipe frame for body work they were very light and could be man handled.
The traction was very good despite being only two wheel drive.
With the good Volkswagon suspension they would go from one end of the road to the old cement works dam and back again in a day, while the same trip could take days if travelling in a club group.

Just watched it again.
My dads red hub painted deep bronze green landy , ex army...........you can see the army brush bar...........dont know whos driving it.........my dad driving the first Volkswagon buggie and my uncle driving the second one with the wider rear tyres
starting near the 11.30 minute mark.
The filming date would be 1972 to 1973.
Just so much of a blast to see this.
Would love to catch up the person who filmed this....? If they are still around
Pushing to nearly 50 years ago.........I not long ago turned 54.
I remember the Landrover club driving past as a 7or8 year old kid and those same vehicles........wow wow !

That's awesome Ron. It's been on there since 2014 but it's the first time I have seen it.