SAN JUAN SCENIC JEEP TOURS

Founded in 1946, the San Juan scenic jeep tours are the oldest and largest in Colorado.Over their course of history, they have employed many jeep pickups, from 1 ton Willys to the FC to the Gladiator/J-truck. They are still in business and they still employ the J truck, mainly the J-20. They also make use of modified FSJ cherokees. However, they are planning to bring back two of the old FC-170s from the 50's. Scramblers are also in use by the company. All of the vehicles are rebuilt with custom rear seating areas to hold the passengers. Here are some pictures of Jeep pickups that they have used over the course of their 60 years of business.

A highly modified san juan FC. It has been placed on a military truck chassis and modified with monster-truck like wheels, that appear to be created by connecting two tractor tires. I found this picture on the FC Connection web page, and if you want to read the article, click here. It is currently being worked on, as the FC connection's webmaster bought the truck.

A good shot of one of the FC-170's that San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours used. Note that the roof of the vehicle has been cut off, but the doors and windshield remain intact. I will get more pics of the San Juan FC-170s soon.

A work in progress- a Cherokee being modified for tour duty by San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours. Note the metal tubing behind the cab, which is the begining of a rollcage to protect the occupants in case of a rollover. Many of the J-trucks/Cherokees are still in service with San Juan, proving the longevity of these vehicles. Before...

......and after. This is a picture of the completed Chero, complete with a new paint job and occupant seating in the rear. Note the custom stripe on the vehicle's side. Also, note that the roofs were not chopped off of these vehicles unlike on the FCs

Another work in progress. Note the scrambler and light from a J-truck to the far left in back of the guy. Also, notice that the stripe differs from that on the other vehicle. This shot also gives a good view of the rollcage under construction.

A very good shot of a San Juan Cherokee in action. Note the similar stripe to the above vehicle, as well as the rear-mounted spare tire. These people look like they are having a good time in the FSJ, but should the guy with the glasses really be standing up? Perhaps he is overjoyed at having the privilege of riding in a truly magnificent piece of machinery.

In 1976, San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours strayed from their usual colors of red and white and painted their vehicles, such as this J-20, in a Stars-n-Stripes style paintjob for the celebration of the United States' Bicentennial. Note that while the cab has been painted Red, White, and Blue, the passenger area remains the traditional red and white.

This picture shows one of the Scramblers used by the Jeep Tours.Note that it has not been repainted in the traditional way of San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours, but instead keeps its factory-stock paintjob. Also note that the wheels are mismatching, and the small San Juan sign above the rear fender.

This picture shows a good view of the grilleguard used on some of the San Juan trucks. Besides that there is nothing unusual about this truck that makes it different from the many other J-trucks/Cherokees in the San Juan fleet.

This picture shows a J-20 used by the Jeep Tours with a bizarrely unpainted cab. Most of the time the cabs were painted the same color of the cab but I guess that in this case San Juan ran out of time painting this one? Or maybe this was soon after the bicentennial, when the Stars-n-Stripes paint job was possibly painted over.

A sketch by Don Carlton of a San Juan Cherokee taking a break. Note the grille guard. I have never seen one of these on a San Juan FSJ.

These are 2 Cheros in San Juan's new paint scheme. They don't look to bad, considering their age. Thanks to www.jeppgladiator.com.ar for these pictures.

thanks to www.jjournal.net for pictures and info on the San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours Company

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