This fall, it will have been 18 years since I drove my Jeep last. Since then, I have met my sweetheart, graduated from college, married my sweetheart, bought a house (and moved the Jeep), had two children (now aged 10 and 8), moved to Maine (and moved the Jeep, again), and moved to Ohio (and moved the Jeep, again).
The 8-year-old is my son. He has been infatuated with Jeeps for as long as I can remember. He can spot a Jeep a mile down the road, recognize the model and any modifications that it has.
This summer, I have every intention of re-commencing work on the Jeep project. I think it will be a good time to bond and make memories with my little man. After sitting for almost two decades, the project has not become any less daunting. I am fairly sure the “new” engine is going to require a rebuild by now, and there is plenty of custom fabrication that will be required as we put the pieces together. Money is not exactly growing on trees around our house, so we will be limited by funds, but time can no longer be an excuse – I need the time with my son to be a priority.
I think that over the course of the next few years, we should be able to get the ol’ XJ into running condition. He’s already told me that it can be his when he is old enough to drive. I’ve already told him he would have to get his own Jeep (and to go ahead and get one that is in running order to begin with!).