So you fell in love with Stiles’ Jeep?
Hi!
So this post is a physical breakdown of Stiles’ Jeep in Teen Wolf and how it’s been portrayed in various fanfictions I’ve read. So I guess first things first… without seeing a good interior shot or engine shot it’s very hard to determine what year his Jeep is, though I can tell you 110% that it is the CJ-5 model, most likely in the 1976 – 1983 year range. Since this is a pretty common mix-up with the CJ-7, how can we tell it’s the CJ-5? Easiest way is by the doors.
On the left is the CJ-5; it has a very distinct “S” shape to the door. On the left is the CJ-7; it’s got a nice “U” shape to it. The difference in door shape is because the CJ-7 has a longer wheelbase which makes it more stable, but most of the off-roaders seem to prefer the 5.
If you’re curious about the other CJ models, check it out here: http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f102/
I’m going to cover more of the interior stuff below in regards to fanfiction stuff, but for exterior stuff apparently – according to the cast commentary on Wolf Moon – the hardtop was done by the props team. The doors look like they are either custom or highly modified. I say this because, looking below at where the windshield meets the door/hood, the windshield hinges are not bolted and the door has some strange elongated piece on it. Here’s a comparison picture of another CJ-5 where the windshield hinges are in place. Also, does Stiles even use his mirrors?! Looks like they’re folded back quite far!
Funny OOPS! moment, too. Stiles’ Jeep goes from sometimes having two windshield wipers to missing the driver’s wiper.
Anyways, so stuff I see/keep seeing in fanfiction:
1. Reclining Seats
“Wait, WHAT. What is this luxury?!” I was hoping to find some good interior shots of Stiles’ CJ-5, but they can’t be found as of yet, so I’m basing this opinion on my knowledge of CJ-5s (and a stock one at that; stock means original, btw) as well as my own 1986 CJ-7. If the seats are indeed the stock – and they do look like it – that means the chairs have one or two functions.
The driver’s seat has two functions: a lever for sliding the chair along a bracket closer and farther from the steering wheel. The second is a side lever that that unlocks the seat so it can be pushed toward the steering wheel so passengers can crawl into the back.
The passenger seat has one function: the side lever which pushes the chair toward the dash so that passengers can climb in.
No reclining action at all, folks. Plus, as you can see in the pictures belows… with what room?! Some poor passenger is going to be squished if the chair doesn’t hit the wheel well first.
2. Noise Level Inside a Jeep
Stiles and Scott seem to have a lot of conversations in the Jeep when it’s moving. First thought: “HOW CAN THEY HEAR EACH OTHER?!” If they’re going 20km/h, sure, yeah, but the first time riding in mine between 60 – 100 km/h? “WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY? STILL CAN’T HEAR YOU, WHAT?!” Granted, Stiles’ Jeep has hard doors/a hard top so that keeps noise out but the hum of that engine is a BEAST that rattles the whole vehicle. EPIC, indeed. But not for talking, haha. Next time I take my beast out I’ll keep track of the speed versus noise level, it’ll be a funny experiment. Or maybe mine’s just a screamer, yikes.
3. Passenger Capacity and Sex in the Backseat
Yay, passenger capacity! I’ve read about six people squeezing in. Not only is that dangerous – the CJ-5 holds FOUR people, IF THAT! – but how uncomfortable would they be?! The leg room is tight, there’s not much room for hips, etcetera. CJ’s are freaking tiny and that’s if you don’t even have a console/other crap in the car like camping gear and bags.
Which leads to sex in the backseat! Doable, but you’ve got to be very flexible and ready for extra aches and sliding off the seat. (Good luck :P)
4. Stereo
CJ’s are LOLx10 water tight. Lots of people seem to have problems where it rains and short circuits the radio so they have to resort to Marine standard expensive equipment if they want to have a long-lasting functional radio. This also goes along with the noise level; if talking was bad enough, music is just going to be a drone in the background. The true music is gears shifting, haha.
(The black box area beneath the oil pressure and voltmeter is the radio panel. As you can see, no radio. :P)
5. Park/Gears
CJ’s are primarily standards and it’s been acknowledged that Stiles’ Jeep is a standard as O’Brien had to learn to drive stick. Stiles’ CJ is a 3 or 4 speed; this means that there is a neutral where no gear is engaged, reverse, gear 1, gear 2, gear 3 and then gear 4 if there’s that option. “Park” is for automatics.
6. The term “Wrangler”
Don’t even go there. A CJ is NOT a Wrangler. It makes the CJ people mad.
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So are you considering a CJ Jeep?
If yes, be prepared to put in a lot of money and a lot of time. The newest of the CJ-5 is from 1983, the newest of the CJ-7 is 1986. 30 years is a lot of time for rust, both visible and hidden. This also means that the PO (previous owner or ownERS) have probably done their own work to it.
Personal story about mine: brake lights didn’t work, turn signals still don’t work, the soft top/doors are shredded (yay, carjackers!), the power steering is leaking, lots of rusty bolts like the ones that attach the seat brackets to the tub (body of CJ) that broke off when we were taking the seats out, huge ass wiring mess that wasn’t done correctly. The worst part? Mine is actually in really good shape compared to some of them out there. So check all those things. As well, if you happen to get one with a carpet see if you can pull the carpet up and check for rust/fibreglass fix-ups/bondo. My dad and I discovered a lot of hidden things under that darn carpet, yay. OH! And be prepared to never lock the doors, they WILL break in. And the gas cap has no lock/cover protection so some person just strolling by can twist it off and take all your gas. Speaking of gas, empty your pockets now! It’s a big tank to fill and it gets crappy mileage. Not a good DD (daily drive).
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So after all that I just want to say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that the Jeep has such a reoccurring role in the show and in fanfiction; it’s a character all by itself and it’s certainly one of the attractive pieces as well. J It’s definitely the Impala/Metallicar of Teen Wolf.
Hope this helps anyone either with sating their curiosity or with writing some yummy Jeep fic/meta. If you want any pictures of a CJ-7 for reference (it’s essentially the same vehicle minus the wheelbase length and engine/mechanical bits), give me a shout. Maybe I’ll upload some pics of the awkward back seats, LOL.
(… Can you tell I never write essays? If you stuck along for the ride, THANK YOU! Hope this didn’t scare you off. If anything doesn’t make sense, please tell so I can fix the description or add a video clip or something.)
Sourcery:
Pics of the Yellow CJ-5 found here: http://s1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb391/logans76cj5/My%201976%20Jeep%20CJ5%20Renegade%20Levi/
Jeep Resources (if you want one, READ FIRST then TEST DRIVE. They’re very twitchy, especially if they need a carburetor clean):
It makes me stupid happy when fandom produces something like this.
