I love this... let us know how it all turns out.

 

well it got a good once-over last night and here is the honey-do list so far:
motor is blown
tranny works but oil is smelling bad/burnt
heater core shot
broken passenger small rear window-taped over

seats could use seat covers
missing rear seat-it was torn up
brakes look fair
shocks look worn
front tires are bad for sure-looks out of alighnment

the donor vehicle has a good engine, seats, and windows, (don't know about the heater core) plus someone has already offered some shocks. The club has also raised over 600 dollars so far. I'm sure we'll probably get a few more donations now that the Jeep has been somewhat assessed.

I think the donor XJ is getting picked up this weekend, but they're still working all of that out since the trailer and the tow vehicle belong to 2 different people. Not sure when wrenching will begin. We're putting the lift kit on our ZJ at somebody else's house this weekend but the XJ is not far from home. I may be able to get some better updates and possible pics if I have time to swing by.

Positive vibes, everyone!

 

dang! I would have donated the spare Motor I have for this guy.

 

UPDATE:
The club has replaced or repaired a TON of parts on this XJ with a lot of help from local businesses (given free, or at deep discount) and tonight the Jeep will be returned to the veteran. As many members as can will show up in their jeeps, as well as several other veterans from this man's battallion. He has no clue of any of this other than he's getting his Jeep back and it runs now. XJ will be delivered in an enclosed trailer so he won't even be able to see it until the last minute.

The local news station is supposed to be on hand for the unveiling, and has already published a short back-story:
http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12539755
kinda poorly written IMO but it's something!

I'll have more updates and hopefully some photos this evening. Right now we gotta dust off the ol' ****** (perfect day to go perma-topless, plus everything is taking place right up the road from us) and get dressed to meet up with a few club members for dinner before everyone caravans to the official meeting spot.

 

Wow that is amazing, you should try to get a video of this whole thing.

 

that is truly awesome its amazing that there are still some good hearted people out there and of course there jeepers

 

great read. its awsome how everyone came together to help him out.

 

That is an absolutely amazing story. I always love to read about stuff like this. Cant wait to hear more. Thanks to your club for helping a veteran!

 

there's a video clip on this page, but it pretty much follows the print story. The club member they interviewed is the guy who originally stopped to help when he saw the Jeep broken down by the side of the road.
http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12539755

the old vet was very happy to get his ride back! We backed it out of the trailer while he was blindfolded with a flag then revealed it to him. Everything was going great but then the radiator started spewing like crazy....aaaaargh! Fortunatley we were within about 10 minutes of every auto parts store in town, and found one in stock nearby. Spent the next few hours doing a radiator swap right there in the parking lot by flashlight. There were about 8-10 Jeeps in our group and everyone stayed around until the work was done, even the people who lived several hours away.

Bottom line, the Jeep got fixed and everybody made a new friend

I have a few pics I'll upload later, it's a bit late now.

 

people in our area of the south are good people, just the other day i was turning around and hit a soft spot in a ditch and almost flipped over and got stuck, and wouldnt you know it the first car to pass by stopped and asked me if i needed help getting out....and he was in a FORD TAURUS! im just surprised at the kindness of some people

 

This is such a bad *** story, I'm really glad to see that there really still is good in the world.

 

for real...good stuff jeepers...makes me proud to own a jeep and live in the good ole volunteer state...

 

a few pics here. These are just the ones that I took, I'll get more later as other people post them.
http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...eep/VA%20Jeep/

forgot to mention that there was also enough money raised to give him over $500 in "walking around" money.

 

This is what i LOVE about the off road community. I have been brought up riding dirtbikes and any time there is an issue, anyone who can help jumps in to do so. People have given me rear tires and even bikes to ride when mine had major issues(for the weekend). They have got to be the friendliest group of people i have ever had the honnor of knowing. Now that i have joined this forum and noticed a similar trend among Jeep owners I am very happy to have a jeep and extremely fortunate to having found a web site like this. Kudos to your club! They did a great thing!

 

i give all who helped 2 thumbs up for not only helping a fellow jeeper but a man who was willing to give his life for us wish i could of been there to help your club in my opinion is the best