Another legend of the UA, Trent McGee has gone from magazine guy to invited guest and has now fallen into the proud position of official suspension representative for this year's Ultimate Adventure. Watching him blast through the trails in his freshly built TJ buggy was a blast, and made us all wonder how that Dana 30 could survive much longer under all that abuse. We have to assume that the engineers at Superlift are a pleased set of individuals after seeing their suspensions hold up to the abuse Trent puts them through.
Codriver: Sam Gillis
Representing: Superlift
Stomping Grounds: Louisiana
Vehicle: '97 Jeep TJ buggy
Engine: 4.0L
Transmission: AX-15
Transfer Case: Atlas four-speed 2:1, 2.72:1, 5.44:1
Front Axle: Dana 30, chromoly shafts, Super Joints, Warn hub conversion, Superlift Xtreme ring, Detroit Locker, 4.88 gears
Rear Axle: Ford 8.8, Eaton E-Locker, 4.88 gears
Steering: PSC steering box and pump
Suspension: 4-inch Superlift long-arm system with flat bellypan, SSR remote-reservoir shocks
Tires & Wheels: 37-inch BFGoodrich Krawlers on 17x9 Poison Spyder Customs Spyderlocks
Other Stuff: Warn 9.0 Rc winch, JE Reel driveshafts, Mastercraft seats
Best Breakage: Twisted axleshaft, front ring-and-pinion, hub, steering bracket, track bar
If there was one vehicle that could easily be spotted from space, it was Tom Allen's Highlighter yellow Wrangler. Wrenching on the YJ until the very last day, he was able to finish what only a few weeks prior was completely disassembled and literally sitting on a work bench in his garage. Luckily for us he was able to pull it together and showed up without any shakedown time and still managed to dominate each trail he came to.
Codriver: Carl Yarbrough
Representing: PSC Steering
Stomping Grounds: Texas
Vehicle: '87 Jeep Wrangler
Engine: 5.3L
Transmission: TH400
Transfer Case: 4.3 Atlas
Front Axle: Narrowed high-pinion Dana 60, Detroit Locker, 5.13 gears
Rear Axle: Dynatrac Pro Rock 60, Detroit Locker, 4.88 gears
Steering: Prototype PSC dual ram
Suspension: Three-link front, four-link rear, 14-inch Fox coilovers
Tires & Wheels: 39-inch Krawlers on 17-inch Poison Spyder Customs Spyderlocks
Other Stuff: Poison Spyder cage, Ramsey 9,000-pound winch
Best Breakage: Leaking transmission
Redefining what quality craftsmanship really means are the metal magician and his team of fabricators at Poison Spyder Customs. This year he brought out his fire-breathing big-block-powered Bruiser that somehow managed to make even the toughest of terrain look easy. Running his new Spyderlock bead-lock wheels he was able to air down the massive 46-inch rubber and try some lines that have never yet been conquered. His rig is the definition of custom.
Codriver: Keith Bailey
Representing: Poison Spyder Customs
Stomping Grounds: Colorado
Vehicle: Poison Spyder Bruiser
Engine: Ramjet 502ci
Transmission: TH475
Transfer Case: 3.8 Atlas II
Front Axle: Dana 80, Detroit Locker, 40-spline shafts, 1480 CTM axle joints, 5.13 gears
Rear Axle: Dana 80, Detroit Locker, 40-spline shafts, 5.13 gears
Steering: Full hydraulic
Suspension: Four-link front and rear, 16-inch Sway-A-Way coilovers, Sway-A-Way nitrogen bumpstops, abundance of anodized and polished parts
Tires & Wheels: 46-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claws on 20x10 Poison Spyder Customs Spyderlocks
Other Stuff: Optima blue-top battery, Ramsey 15,000-pound winch, 200 shot of nitrous
Best Breakage: Air compressor
Tim Hardy is without question one of the smartest, most hard-core wheelers that you will ever meet. Although he missed the first day due to being stranded in Death Valley with his niece Bridgette, the two managed to find their way back out and continue onto our second muddy destination. As the only independent-suspension vehicle on the trip, all eyes were on the front end of the Vitara to see how long it would last. Although she did give him a little grief, Tim managed to crawl his baby Grand all over the great state of Texas, figuring out along the way what the weak points are and how to machine it back together on the trail.
Codriver: Bridgette Carillo
Representing: Legends of the UA
Stomping Grounds: California
Vehicle: '00 Suzuki Grand Vitara
Engine: 2.5L V-6
Transmission: Factory five-speed
Transfer Case: Samurai 2.1 case mated to the factory case
Front Axle: Factory housing with modified stock air locker, 5.12 gears
Rear Axle: Factory with custom side gear and 31-spline axleshafts, Detroit EZ Locker, 5.12 gears
Steering: Factory
Suspension: Custom 5.5-inch lift
Tires & Wheels: 35-inch BFG Baja T/A on 15x10s
Other Stuff: Warn 6,000-pound winch, custom front bumper and sliders
Best Breakage: Front differential side gears, birfield joint, cracked housing mount