With 44-inch Swampers on 15x10 MRT double bead-lock DavCo outer rings, Phil has a big monster of a Jeep. The '73 CJ-5 may look large now, but after we were done shooting we saw Phil barter some spare parts for a set of 52-inch Michelins! We can't wait for the next time we see this thing on the trail.
Garage engineering usually involves a welder, a six-pack, and a tape measure, and one rarely ends up with a lightweight rig. After quite a few years of garage engineering, Phil Beauchamp of Oklahoma City was rewarded with this big fun yellow toy. What started out as a '73 CJ-5 is now a rockcrawling, hillclimbing, mud-flinging machine.
Phil has definitely given in to peer pressure with nothing but positive results. When your stomping grounds include Clayton, Oklahoma, and your pals all run 44s, the pressure to step up to big components is there. Phil didn't want to be sitting on the trailside and wanted to run giant Swampers, so the obvious choice was 21/2-ton Rockwell axles. Considering that his Jeep now weighs close to 31/2 tons (6,400 pounds actually), it is more than appropriate.
To get everything spinning, this two-seated short bus runs a healthy AMC 360. We call it a short bus because of the bright yellow color that comes from a full body coating of spray-on bedliner. There aren't any red lights flashing, but there is a T-18 four-speed followed by an Atlas 4.3 transfer case. Phil seemed to have a good time for our cameras and wasn't afraid to coat his rig in some Okie goo. Sometimes a lightweight rig just isn't as important as big fun.
Coil springs and Rockwells make a sick combination. The rear axle runs 6.72:1 gears and is equipped with a Detroit Locker and rear hydraulic steering. The 6,400 pounds are dispersed--55 percent to the front, 45 percent to the rear of the rig. When asked why it weighs so much, Phil declared, "If there was a choice between 1/8- or 1/4-inch metal, I used 3/8." | 
The front Rockwell also runs hydraulic steering and 12-inch coils. The frame was stretched 10 inches and reinforced to accommodate the 112-inch wheelbase. Both axles run 1410 U-joints in the driveshafts as well as pinion-mounted disc brakes. The links are made of 5/8-inch wall, 2-inch tubing with giant 11/4x1-inch Heims at the ends. |
The bored, balanced, and blueprinted AMC 360 breathes through an Edelbrock manifold while getting its squirt from a Holley projection fuel-injection system. This all runs the horses through a Ford T-18 and into an Atlas 4.3. The healthy powerplant and low gear options supply both mud-spinning power to the 44-inch Swampers and rockcrawling control. | 
The cabin seats two and houses a Tuffy center console and glovebox. However, the rear-steer control joystick occupies one of the cupholders. The diamond-plate dash is filled with Auto Meter gauges, a line lock for the brakes, and a trick lever setup that engages the brakes for technical hillclimbs or rock obstacles. The six-point rollcage is coated in bedliner, as is the entire body. |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |