RUSTY OFF-ROADING
Shaking down some old Jeeps in the wilds of British Columbia
the ubiquitous “shakedown” run is a time-honoured tradition among gearheads across North America. They could be held after completing a frameoff restoration, long-term upgrade project or even following a DIY oil change or tune-up. Whatever the reason, the feeling of taking out a 4x4 vehicle you wrenched on yourself is one of the great joys of off-roading.
The primary purpose of a shakedown run is to ensure repairs, upgrades and even tune-ups are trail-proven and that the vehicle is ready for the tasks you intend it to do. For some, a good, smokey burnout in front of the neighbours is just what the doctor ordered. But for off-roaders, a trip into the woods is what’s needed.
So it went for our wheeling buddy Justin as he prepared to get ready for a shakedown run in his 1947 CJ-2A. This ramshackle Jeep received all of the TLC that Justin could offer. But he’s no dummy—he managed to rope in our other friend John to bring his ex-military 1951 M38 along for the ride. Justin also invited yours truly with my overpowered CJ-7 to tag along.
Our trip in the late spring took us only a few miles outside of Kelowna, BC. With more than 65,000 sq km (25,000 sq mi) of Crown land, there are endless places to explore. The roof-down sunshine was a welcome change from winter. We were lucky enough to have plenty of mud, snow, rocky trails, and dusty forest service roads to test out Justin’s CJ.
It’s not an adventure without a few hiccups, and we weren’t disappointed. Rusty fuel tanks, a misadjusted carb, a throttle pedal that didn’t want to stay in place, and a few high-centred moments in the snow all awaited us. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Be it a big project or just a little wrench turning, the next time you go on a shakedown run, relish in the adventure, setbacks, solutions and with any luck, victory! 1. Justin’s 1947 CJ2A has an odd-fire Buick V6, which was swapped many moons (and most likely many owners) ago, replacing the factory “Go-Devil” flathead 4 banger. The T-90 three-speed transmission and Dana 18 transfer case are what legends are made of and it could likely run even filled with gravy. Open axles and reproduction Goodyear military tires got Justin stuck a few times during the day, but since the CJ weighs just a wisp over 907 kg (2,000 lb), getting him unstuck was not an issue.