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             Discuss 
              This Article 
             This 
              description is the best I can get from piecing together parts of 
              the event from people who were either strapped into the TJ or trying 
              to get out of its way as it rolled down the hill during Shake, Rattle 
              and Roll at Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area, which is a Texas 
              Motorized Trails Commission   (TMTC) Property in Gilmer, 
              Texas.  
            I was able to 
              get most of the way to the top of the hill. The front ARB, wasn't 
              functioning properly, so traction on the front axle was minimal, 
              at best. A couple of attempts at a small ledge got the front wheels 
              up and over.   
              
            When the back 
              wheels got to the ledge, they grabbed, held, and instead of propelling 
              me over the ledge, picked up the front of the Jeep in tractor-fashion, 
              or if a farm isn't in your background, like a motorcycle doing a 
              wheelie. 
            The TJ stood 
              on its tail for a few brief seconds, then tumbled over backward, 
              end-over-end. I think it did a second roll from upside-down back 
              to right-side-up, end-over-end, and then back up on the tailgate 
              again where it caught something that caused it to turn sideways 
              and do a complete roll from side-to-side. When it finally stopped, 
              it was sitting on its wheels at the bottom of the hill. I lost count 
              of the crashes at about 3, or 4, or 5 ... or 3 dozen or so. It was 
              a wild ride! 
            
            A number of 
              Jeepers turned into doctors before becoming wrecker drivers and 
              recovery artists. Some changed from wheelers to psychologists and 
              all took on the mantel of caring friends. Some turned treasure hunters 
              as they recovered bits and pieces of personal property that were 
              thrown from the TJ as it rolled down the hill. An old military compass 
              that I have carried for years and never used was found along with 
              two single spare keys that had been in the center console.  
              
             Since 
              the rollover, I have been contacted via email and phone from club 
              members as well as many wheelers in different parts of the United 
              States. All have offered help of some kind, as well as best wishes. 
              If I could collect on all the help offered 
hmmmm
 I might 
              wind up with a Jeep or two for sale as well as a repaired TJ. So 
              far, I have been offered a custom radiator, a '47 Willys body and 
              a '97 TJ body with no engine, tranny or transfer case. I have also 
              been offered a place to strip the scrap metal off and work on the 
              remainder. 
              
            In the next 
              few weeks I will start removing the scrap and I will decide then 
              whether to install a CJ body, the Willys body or stay with the TJ. 
              I would really like to go "retro" and have a "real" 
              Jeep body on a "real" off-road frame with the coil suspension. 
            I guess I do 
              need to make a comment about the CBrack. It came through like a 
              champ. The windshield was pushed backwards putting enough pressure 
              on the CBrack to cause it to bow downward. Having put over 100 pounds 
              on that very same CBrack without any bowing, I feel certain there 
              is a great deal of pressure against it. All the screws held, no 
              metal was torn and no threads were stripped. It worked!! 
            Doug Chartier is the owner of CBrack. 
              CBrack designs and manufactures overhead CB and control consoles 
              for Jeeps. 
              
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