It's rare that we see anything unibody sitting on Boggers. Interco's Boggers are hardcore tires on any vehicle, but on a unibody that transfers vibration so easily...well, you'd have to be one dedicated wheeler to run that kind of combination. What started as a daily driver-getting the budget boost and then a lift-ended up being a time obsession as Tommy Medina went to town learning how to build his own wheeler from "stock to not" with the help of R&D Fabrication. In its current form, Tommy's vehicle runs a 1-ton axle combo, 16-inch coilovers, and big 38 1/2-inch Boggers at each corner. He's got all the mixin's for a badass 4x4, and in both Moab and Truckhaven, California, we've seen Tommy prove that he's got the skills to match his truck's build.
Tech Specs
Engine: 5.2L V-8, Mopar Performance ECU, Turbo City dual intake
Transmission: Factory four-speed automatic
Transfer Case: NP242 transfer case with Tom Woods slip-yoke eliminator
Front Axle: Fullsize Dana 60 eight-lug, 5.86 Yukon gears, ARB Air Locker, Tom Woods 1310 driveshaft
Rear Axle: Fullsize Dana 70 eight-lug, 5.86 Yukon gears, ARB Air Locker, Tom Woods 1310 driveshaft
Steering: PSC full hydraulic ram
Front Suspension: Four-link with upper triangulated links, 16-inch S.A.W. coilovers
Rear Suspension: Four-link with upper triangulated links, 16-inch S.A.W. coilovers
Tires & Wheels: 38 1/2-inch Interco Swamper Boggers on 16-inch Rockcrawler rims with Great Lakes Offroad bead locks
 When we first met Tommy in Truckhaven, California, his ZJ was already on the trailer with some pretty good carnage: He had busted a control arm and wasted a coilover shaft at the same time. When we saw him again in Moab, he'd fixed everything and boxed in this central transfer case and control arm support frame into a reinforced belly skid. Now his NP242 sits tucked under 3/8-inch steel plate, and his ZJ has a better landing pad. Two-inch DOM lower control arms with 3/4-inch rod ends and 1 3/4-inch upper triangulated arms drop from the crossmember and reinforced unirails, holding a fullsize Dana 70 steady under the 16-inch stroke Sway-A-Way coilovers with a combo of Eibach and King coilovers. The D70 is packed with 5.86 Yukon gears and an ARB Air Locker. |  Tommy's front suspension is almost identical to the rear: a matching upper triangulated four-link hooks the Dana axle to the Jeep while it rides on S.A.W. coilovers. Normally you would never want to run a front triangulated four-link suspension because it would cause massive bumpsteer in your crossover steering system during suspension motion, but Tommy has switched to a PSC full-hydraulic steering-ram setup with no solid steering link between the ZJ and the axle, only fluid couplers. The full-hydro steering allows Tommy to turn the Dana 60 knuckles easily. Sitting inside the fullsize '60 is a 5.86 Yukon gearset and an ARB Air Locker to match the rear. |  When it's time to go wheeling, Tommy just yanks his doors to save 'em for a rainy day. Inside the ZJ is 1 3/4-inch DOM tubing that Tommy built with the help of R&D Fabrication in Temecula, California. Outside, Tommy has protected the body with Trailready bumpers and Off-Road General Store Supernerf sliders. To make sure the Jeep doesn't spill its fuel, a Trailready fuel-tank skid was implemented underneath. |