Long have I dreamt about a vehicle Off Road capable. I was 11 years of age when my dad explained to me the difference between our 2WD Ford Bronco and a 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser. I saw this Land Cruiser and it was beautiful. It was partially covered in dry mud, with big tyres and a long flexible whip antenna. I asked my dad why was it covered in mud and what was that antenna doing there if it already had its stock radio antenna. He told me that vehicle was used to race in a former national competition called Fun Race 4x4.
At this 4x4 race people from all the country with their modified 4x4s, gathered in a certain location and raced through remote parts of the country. It was an expensive sport for sure. Sponsored by Toyota, by the way. There were 5 categories: Tourism, Tourism Pro, Standard, Standard Pro and Extreme. Tourism being the easiest one where there was no race but a gentle trip sightseeing the beautiful landscapes of my country. 4x4 vehicles of all brands were accepted in this category and Tourism Pro. From Standard and upwards it was a proper race. Only Toyotas were allowed (being an event sponsored by Toyota, obviously), and Extreme was the hardest of all. It was the proper Off Road race where, in this case, was done by teams of two vehicles. I asked my dad if we could participate with our Bronco in tourism and he went on explaining to me again the difference between our 2WD Bronco and the 4WD Land Cruiser so popular those days. That sunday I saw on TV the premiere of that year's Fun Race edition.
I did not like the race, to be honest. I found it stupid. People with their VERY expensive vehicles driving like crazy through mud, tyres exploding, engines overheating, broken axles; but above all, what seemed to me a horrible abomination was the destroying of the ecosystem. On the other hand, Tourism was perfect. They would gather and go through rainforests and savannas sightseeing the ASTONISHING landscapes my country has. I was immediately hooked. I wanted to do it. I wanted to see those nature wonders with my own eyes. I wanted adventure. But I needed a vehicle. And one in particular caught my eye. It was a small platform, two doors, american made bad-ass looking vehicle: a Jeep CJ7.
From that day on, I saw that vehicle as one of my life goals. I would draw it in school, talk about it, dream about it, everything. I thought that maybe when I was old enough, say 18 years of age, I'd be able to buy one. But I did not want to just buy it and drive it. I've had the soul and mind of an Engineer since I was a wee lad, so I wanted to buy an innoperative one and restore it from zero. And I wanted it to be the biggest and best project ever done with my best friend: my dad.
Years passed. My sister (older than me by 6 years) got into University, best student in her career, my parents got her the car she wanted (a brand new Chevrolet Corsa 1.6), never had my sister any worries more than studies because my parents got her whatever a teenager/young adult would need economically and socially. I thought this would be my fate as well, but I've always been simpler in terms of material stuff. I just dreamt about an old Jeep CJ7, nothing else. Not even the money to restore it. That I could manage to earn by myself. Some more years passed, economy got worse and worse, my parents divorced and I stayed with my mom, I lost trail of my dad for over 2 years and suddenly, when I graduated high school, I realized that all that I dreamt was gone. Not even my best friend was with me. Just the dream of sightseeing wonderful things in the world kept me awake.
I graduated from a military high school, so, in a way, I was ''trained'' to be tough of mind and body. I washed my face, stood firm and got into the Navy's Officer Academy, because salt water flows through my veins too. I thought that at least one dream will become true. That in the Navy I would sail across the world, seeing all kinds of things and eating this and that. But boy... Was I wrong. Everything went badly and I ended out of the Academy. Now I was all lost again. Economy was getting even worse, and I had no idea what to do. The idea of the Jeep and awesome adventures was almost forgotten. It was there, but very at the back of my mind. Thanks to my mom's guidance I found my way into a Merchant Navy University where I could fullfil my cravings for adventure and my creativity as an Engineer (we graduate with two titles from here: Maritime Engineer and 3rd Merchant Navy Officer). Some time later I decided to start saving for my Jeep.
Years passed. Everything was getting harder and harder. Studiying was very, very hard, because of a number of reasons only people from my country knows and undestand. As I grew older, my cravings for adventure and engineering the heck out of everything were not fullfiled yet. Some more years and everything was getting worse. Economy got to the point were you could not even buy 1Kg of beef with your monthly salary, hence, my savings for the Jeep were useless. I was desperate. University was not enjoyable. To this point I still had no friends, career seemed impossible to finish because of the economy; and none of my dreams were becoming true in any way. I haven't lived anything a teenager or young adult would have. I've never been to a party, disco, camping with friends, go out to dinner with someone. I was always alone. Just reading books about science, adventures, engineering, OVNIs, extraterrestrial life, solved and unsolved misteries of the world and web pages of the same sort. I falled into a deep depression. For 3 semesters I just ate what I could. Even going through 2 or 3 days without eating. Sometimes because I did not have money to buy food, sometimes because the food I had I wanted to make it last as much as I could eating just the necessary to walk to the university and viceversa (there was a public transport crisis also). This Jeep and adventures dream was vanishing again. In my depression, I put that dream back into the forgotten ideas crate. And, to make things worse, my long time girlfriend and I broke up right in the middle of my worst point in life yet. I wanted to die...
I pushed on as hard as I could. Fighting every ill tought I had of ending my life. Only two semesters more and everything was over. I did not know how I was going to literally survive. And then I met her. I met the most beautiful woman in existence. She kindly helped me when I needed it the most. She comforted me and showed me there still was a lot of things to live for. I told her about every dream I had and she was the only person in this world to smile and reply: ''please, tell me more''. She made me remember all my dreams of adventure, engineering, travel, food, sailing, everything, my Jeep! And there I was again, back on track. Finished University, went on board a merchant vessel for a whole year for training and I was going to get paid 500USD monthly! I could finally graduate as 3rd Deck Officer and Maritime Engineer and BUY MY JEEP!. Sadly, due to the economic crisis of my country, the company I worked for as Deck Cadet never payed me my salary. I worked for free for a whole year and I had no other choice but to do it and be quiet about it. I just sat in my cabin, thinking about all the plans I'd made for the Jeep I was going to get. But again, that dream just slipped out of my fingers. Or did it?
Three days before my end of contract and disembark, the Company gave me 500USD. I was in awe. I'd never had so much money in my hands. I wanted to go running or swimming to buy me a Jeep! But I had to know better. How else was I going to afford not only the Jeep itself but all the work that it had to be done? I had to multiply that money. So that I did. We disembarked, I went back to the University, graduated with my two titles and with that money I made a little bussiness amidst the worst economical, social and political chaos in the world. And to that, add Covid-19 pandemic! Thanks to the Force and my beautiful girlfriend's economical and management advices, at my 27 years of age, year 2020, I managed to secure the very long awaited price...
A 1984 Jeep CJ7 Renegade:
And as I always planned, it needs A LOT of work. But everything will be done by my hands and hopefully, my Dad will be on board for the project too.
I will be posting the updates as I tackle everything in this build to convert it in my first overland vehicle.
Thanks for reading.
Stay Safe.
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