Elder of the Tribe. Vizciano Desert, Baja. My 1970 FJ-55 before there was an Expo

[jefe4x4]

RMP&O wrote:

"I am slightly jealous of you old timer Baja guys. I wish it was still as remote as it was 30+yrs ago."
<SNIP>
I'm afraid that era is long gone. I was in Baja 47 years ago in my Jeep Ute wagon. We had an engine fire, clogged air cleaner, bad gas, a manifold fried spark plug wire and few other small mishaps. But hell, when you're 21 years old, what's the problem/ After the engine fire, which I put out with dirt, I had to rewire the ignition and other wires using tail light wires and other non-essential wire. Good thing it was so simple. I carried 6, 5 gallon metal jeep cans on a roof rack. I had a very stiff suspension (coil helpers over leaves) and it was a very bouncy 10 mph for days to get to Bahia San Quintin and on to El Marmol. I didn't like the looks of the rifles they had guarding the silver mine east of there. There was NO pavement south of Ensenada. About the middle of town it turned to dirt. The road south was graded some years before with built up kind of cut-and-fill areas, but no further works was done so the roadbed just deteriorated like crazy. There were 10 or 12 parallel very rough 'routes' all equally as bad all snaked together that just went on and on. Like another planet.
The Mexican people during that time were very gracious and accommodating. I was there a lot. We got our FJ-40's stuck in salt flats, the beach, on some big rocks, etc.
The book that really sold me on Baja at first was an out-of-print book called "Bouncing down to Baja", written by Bill and Orv Wrtman. Orv was the lighting director at the Hollywood Bowl (where i worked some years after) and his wife, Bill (a she). I believe it was short for Wilamina. They went the length of Baja in 1952 or so and told their story. Published by Westernlore Press, 1954.
I have so many bizzare Baja Land Cruiser stories, I guess I must have my slides colorized (it's a joke, c'mon) and get 'em to digital for you whippersnappers.
regards, as always, jefe

 

[Lord Green]

"The book that really sold me on Baja at first was an out-of-print book called "Bouncing down to Baja", written by Bill and Orv Wrtman."

I've looked for a copy of that book. My mother read it just before we drove to Cabo in '63. I remember that she pooh-poohed it as showing their hastiness. We ended up using and following the Hancock book "Baja California".
I may not be a Toyota owner, but I did have friends with FJ's. I am, however, a enthusiastic Baja traveler.

 

[jefe4x4]

Lord Green,
Once the Federales pulled us over in the middle of the night and interrogated us endlessly, all night at gunpoint, I had had my fill. That was 1977, and the last time.
Only memories now.
We were billowing across Laguna Chapala in the FJ-55 and stopped at the dusty rancho there. I believe it was THE dustiest building I have ever seen. Three of us in the FJ were on our way to the east side beaches and eventually north thru Puertocitos. The hombre said, "Don't you want to buy some gas?" I said, "No i have plenty." He was shocked and said we were the only people ever to pass this way without buying some gas. He didn't know that we carried 63 gallons on the rig and the 307 Chevy V8 got very good mpg's when you were not driving fast.
Another time, about 1972, we were on the tide flats (tide goes way out in n. baja) south of San Felipe fooling around when we got a flat. I was running at low pressure anyway, but we had to change the tire on the tide flats. Hmmm? Got out the jack, and tire iron and was looking around for something to put the jack on (besides sinking sand). We looked up and the tide was coming in at a walking pace. Eee gads, quick do something. The ONLY thing we could find to use as a base for the jack was a 6-pack of Tecate in cans. Oh no, we were going to sacrifice that elixer just to get the rig on dry land? There was a momento's hesitation........ before we got to it, everyone axxholes and elbows to beat the tide. We only got some of the lug nuts on before I pulled out toward the dune backing the beach, driving right off the jack and the poor Tecate, water lapping at the tires and up to your ankles. This was the trip we drove from San Felipe to Puertocitos all on the beach, about 90 miles weaving in and out of inlets and points. This was also the trip that I took three, count 'em, 3 spare tires (two on that big ******** Cepek roof rack)..... and had seven flat tires. The basalt and sharp lava rocks south of Puertocitos took its toll on the rubber. We had a couple industrial hand air pumps along and toward the end had to stop every mile to pump up one of the tires just to keep going.
regards, as always, jefe

 

[jefe4x4]

Cruiser guy,
Yep, that's the one. I'm surprised it isn't a rust bucket, especially along the roof line. The Toys of that era had very little rust protection.
I played bass trombone in the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 38 years and got to go on a lot of tours around the world with the orchestra. In my first year in 'the band', 1969, i owned a '66 FJ-40 with a factory pto driven winch. Looks like the same winch on your '76.
My first tour was Japan for 3 weeks in September of '69. We played Nagoya, the headquarters of Toyota International. I was young and stupid enough to take a taxi over to the main office and request an audience with the president of Toyota! I wanted to tell him that the factory 3 speed was insufficient and needed to be replaced by a 4 speed with a lower first gear for us folks who 4 wheeled in the mountains. Simple. I got to the outer office and was greeted by a Geisha with tea and styrofoam crackers. I spent some time there being interviewed by more and more upy-ups. After a long time I actually got an audience with the head man at Toyota. Through an interpreter I pleaded my case before the exalted one. He nodded occasionally and I could see the gears turning in his head, so to speak, and then the meeting ended. Everyone bowed and it was over.
Who knows if anything I said actually came to pass from that meeting, and I have great humility about it's outcome. However, within two years, Toyota introduced their next transmission for the FJ size rigs, which was a....you guessed it...an all syncho, 4 speed transmission with a lower 1st gear.
regards, as always, jefe

 

[RMP&O]

Cool stories Jefe! I have been to the same places you mention, like many people but not in all it's glory as you have. Again, wish I could have done this 30yrs or more ago!

 

[cruiser guy]

Cruiser guy,
Yep, that's the one. I'm surprised it isn't a rust bucket, especially along the roof line. The Toys of that era had very little rust protection.

You didn't see what I started with!! I got it for free so that might help you imagine where I started. I tried to keep it away from salt once I finished the restoration.

 

[a.mus.ed]

Cruiser guy,
Yep, that's the one. I'm surprised it isn't a rust bucket, especially along the roof line. The Toys of that era had very little rust protection.
I played bass trombone in the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 38 years and got to go on a lot of tours around the world with the orchestra. In my first year in 'the band', 1969, i owned a '66 FJ-40 with a factory pto driven winch. Looks like the same winch on your '76.
My first tour was Japan for 3 weeks in September of '69. We played Nagoya, the headquarters of Toyota International. I was young and stupid enough to take a taxi over to the main office and request an audience with the president of Toyota! I wanted to tell him that the factory 3 speed was insufficient and needed to be replaced by a 4 speed with a lower first gear for us folks who 4 wheeled in the mountains. Simple. I got to the outer office and was greeted by a Geisha with tea and styrofoam crackers. I spent some time there being interviewed by more and more upy-ups. After a long time I actually got an audience with the head man at Toyota. Through an interpreter I pleaded my case before the exalted one. He nodded occasionally and I could see the gears turning in his head, so to speak, and then the meeting ended. Everyone bowed and it was over.
Who knows if anything I said actually came to pass from that meeting, and I have great humility about it's outcome. However, within two years, Toyota introduced their next transmission for the FJ size rigs, which was a....you guessed it...an all syncho, 4 speed transmission with a lower 1st gear.
regards, as always, jefe

Great story, and quite the résumé. I'd bet you have many more great stories about some of the musicians you've worked with.

 

[FJRanger]

Great stories, thanks for sharing!

Love this one as it reminds me of my last trip to baja.

Lord Green,
Once the Federales pulled us over in the middle of the night and interrogated us endlessly, all night at gunpoint, I had had my fill. That was 1977, and the last time.
Only memories now.
We were billowing across Laguna Chapala in the FJ-55 and stopped at the dusty rancho there. I believe it was THE dustiest building I have ever seen. Three of us in the FJ were on our way to the east side beaches and eventually north thru Puertocitos. The hombre said, "Don't you want to buy some gas?" I said, "No i have plenty." He was shocked and said we were the only people ever to pass this way without buying some gas. He didn't know that we carried 63 gallons on the rig and the 307 Chevy V8 got very good mpg's when you were not driving fast.
Another time, about 1972, we were on the tide flats (tide goes way out in n. baja) south of San Felipe fooling around when we got a flat. I was running at low pressure anyway, but we had to change the tire on the tide flats. Hmmm? Got out the jack, and tire iron and was looking around for something to put the jack on (besides sinking sand). We looked up and the tide was coming in at a walking pace. Eee gads, quick do something. The ONLY thing we could find to use as a base for the jack was a 6-pack of Tecate in cans. Oh no, we were going to sacrifice that elixer just to get the rig on dry land? There was a momento's hesitation........ before we got to it, everyone axxholes and elbows to beat the tide. We only got some of the lug nuts on before I pulled out toward the dune backing the beach, driving right off the jack and the poor Tecate, water lapping at the tires and up to your ankles. This was the trip we drove from San Felipe to Puertocitos all on the beach, about 90 miles weaving in and out of inlets and points. This was also the trip that I took three, count 'em, 3 spare tires (two on that big ******** Cepek roof rack)..... and had seven flat tires. The basalt and sharp lava rocks south of Puertocitos took its toll on the rubber. We had a couple industrial hand air pumps along and toward the end had to stop every mile to pump up one of the tires just to keep going.
regards, as always, jefe

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

This actually is jefe4x4. I changed my email addy and expo won't let me have two.
About 1972, my brother Jim and Irving Bush, a colleague from the Phil took a trip down to Baja. Three of us in my built FJ-55. Unfortunately, we went thru Ensenada on 17 SEPT, Mexican Independence day (or battle memorial) so the Federales were out in force all over the city pulling people over for public drunkenness. We were again pulled over by the Feds and they gave us a hard time (trying to impress the several chicks in the big army looking tent near by). By the time we got out of there it was late in the evening. We were now not going to stop for anyone or anything. We neared Maneadero a checkpoint south of town that still had no pavement. In the low light we could see a guy sitting in the shack readying to come out and take his 'mordida' (the bite) of a couple bucks from the gringos. Someone said, "Let's run it!" The stupid pedal on that big V8 went to the floor and we blew past the hombre and the shack at about 80 MPH. I saw him vaguely thru rear view mirror and the dust just return to the shack as he had no vehicle, phone, or radio to chase or inform anyone with. It was a great trip after that. My bro rode on a plywood sheet that was attached to the ******** Cepek roof rack and sat on one of the spare tires located up there. He rode up there for hours on dirt roads. We ambled south to Laguna Chapala and east to some hidden beaches along the gulf and up to Bahia de Los Angeles and up thru Puertocitos, San Felipe, and north to the border. Those days are long gone. I hope to dredge up some old pix and do a little expose of early land cruiser action. When I was in Japan in 1969, I snapped a pic of a local TLC: FJ-43, a rare beastie in these parts.
The trips are not over though. Next week, 3 off-road equipped truck campers and a Forerunner are doing the Mojave Road. All my brothers (Jefe, Jerry, Jim, John), my son, a couple other brothers and a cousin are 'doing the road'. We're expecting to do it in 3 days/3 nites: About the same speed they did in 1874 with the heavy freight wagons.
Coming up the Lippencot Lead Mine road in Death Valley:

regards, as always, jefe

 

[NGUDE]

jefe,

i'm having an absolute blast reading these stories!!