Words by Bryan Irons
It all started with a conversation between myself and BC Jeep Club founder Justin Trevor. These interludes normally consist of admitting how little time we both have to go wheeling. When we do, it’s the typical “come one, come all” callout that ends up with us being surrounded by a sea of off-road rigs with oil change reminder stickers and questions like “what size of tire can I fit?” With that notion, the Vintage Jeep Rallye was born. The plan was a simple one – include AMC-era (mid-1980s) and earlier rigs that would run a local trail in the Okanagan in BC and have a good time doing it."
Bryan Irons
A parade of the vintage iron vehicles on the trail.
A hot and sweaty weekend was chosen at Chute Lake Lodge, located between Kelowna and the hamlet of Naramata. Besides being located on the historic Kettle Valley Railway, the lodge has a fine selection of adult beverages and a great meal to match.
Truth be told, I wasn’t really sure what type of old iron the event was going to attract, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a varying range of vehicles. From a beautifully restored CJ-5 to a veteran Rallye Cross competitor’s J10 pickup, many vehicles turned up owned by folks who traveled across the interior of BC to attend the event. With great people, cool rigs, a beauty day and fuel tanks full, it was finally time to hit the trails.
As our stream of vintage rigs (mostly equipped with loud and boisterous V8s) traveled through downtown Kelowna, it wasn’t surprising to see bewildered looks on people’s faces who have only seen some of these vehicles in parades, while others got a blast from their past.
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Bryan Irons
Gloria and Gord Gibson traveled from Princeton, BC, in their sleeper 1966 J200 that has been in Gloria’s family since it was manufactured. Lurking under the hood is a nicely-appointed GM 350 engine 3-speed automatic engine and NP205 T-case. With a disc brake Dana 44 and a heavy-hitter Dana 60, the duo has plans for a new set of lockers to get even further remote.
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This CJ-5 is exactly what it seems – a beautifully restored piece of 1971 Ohio Steel, lovingly cared for by Gord Jensen. Equipped with the only overdrive of the group, Gord had his choice of 16 factory-forward gears put behind the torquey “Dauntless” V6. We know the Jeep could be placed in any automotive museum of choice, but it produced bigger smiles to those who saw it in action on the trail before he headed home to Salmon Arm.
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If an award could be handed out for “biggest smile” of the day, local Sully Ragusa was the hands down winner. And why not when you get to pilot a 1982 Wagoneer through the rocky trails of the Interior of BC? The 33” BFG Mud Terrains get their twist from the stump-pulling 360 AMC automatic under the hood.
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Justin Trevor was our ring leader for the event as he arrived in his sneaky 1979 Jeep J20. The front Gladiator grill and sheet metal is from a 1966 unit he had stashed at his local dirt rock farm, which made us do a double take. The truck’s strong AMC V8 rumbled its way into the hills with the automatic TH400 transmission and Quadratrack transfer case, which never missed a beat. A few mechanical issues never kept the old truck down for long as the 33” Firestone Destination MT2s hungry for more trail.
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It may not look it, but driver Ian Barrett and navigator Cody Harvey were riding in a race-pedigree 1979 Jeep J10 Honcho. Yes, this competition-bred truck has seen a few Rallye races in its day, but decided to join us in rock crawler trim. Ian was only letting the fuel-injected AMC 360 release a few ponies at a time to the Interco Iroc 37” x 14” x 17” tires through the manual 4 speed. We all knew that given the chance, this truck could scream.
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Bryan Irons
The only piece of trail-worthy metal in my driveway that fit the demanding criteria for this event was my 1985 CJ-7, known as “Stinky Jeep.” The fresh 37” Firestone Destination MT2’s carried this portly crawler up and down the trail with ease (Keep an eye out for an upcoming feature). The 435 hp 407 under the hood kept its cool all day and we were rewarded with some amazing views and the images you see here.
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Bryan Irons
Only a slight lift in elevation was required to fit the 285/75R16 Duratrac tires under the clean sheet metal of Jim Johnson’s 1981 J10. The warmed-over AMC 360 and owner-swapped 4-speed manual gave Jim and the rest of us the “warm and fuzzies,” thinking about how smooth the old rig made its way on the trails throughout the day. I’ll take two please.
Our air-down location was conveniently located in front of some very nice multi-million dollar homes with breathtaking lake views. My rig, Stinky Jeep, the only CJ-7 in the run, most likely brought property prices down a notch by adding a little extra oil to the pristine and smooth asphalt. The astonished eyes of the Abercrombie & Fitch -clad socialites told us they were happy to see us moving on.
Our dusty trail into the mountains was an enjoyable gathering of stumbling carburetors and rattling body panels. With such an array of vehicles in various conditions, there were no trailer queens among the group. We all had to drive home at the end of the event.
A day surrounded by vehicles where the oldest was pushing 40 years old can make for some interesting issues that arise when they are pushed to their limits. Creaking frames and twisting body mounts lead to some pinched wiring, ruptured vacuum hoses and even a pinhole in a radiator once it came in contact with the steering box mounted under it. Nevertheless, they were able to ‘MacGyver’ their wounds back together and with a dogged determination they pushed their way to the bitter end.
The collection of the images will tell the real tale of the event and the vehicles that came together that smoking hot day in the Okanagan. Plans are already in the works for another Vintage Jeep Rallye for 2021. Start prepping your old iron now and we hope to see you next year!