For the ultimate in slow-mo, Mark Hinkley of Laguna Hills, California, swapped in an NV4500 transmission, which required a different bellhousing, slave cylinder, and slave mount. The transfer case is an NP231 with a 4-to-1 gearset, a JB Conversions short-shaft kit, and 2 Lo conversion. A Currie reverse-cut Dana 44 axle is up front, and a standard-cut Currie Dana 44 is out back, both filled with 4.56 gears. All that equals a 116:1 crawl ratio. The driveshafts are from Drivelines Unlimited in Irvine, California.For the ultimate in slow-mo, Mark Hinkley of Laguna Hills, California, swapped in an NV450 Is Mark Hinkley insane? You might think so when you learn that this Cherokee is a '98 model and that he has already replaced nearly the entire driveline. But, hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, and this man's gotta be doin' rocks. You might have spotted Off Road General Store's head honcho on the trail, or even in 4-Wheel & Off-Road, 'crawling a '90 Cherokee Sport, but now he claws the stone in what's probably not only the newest but the most-built XJ on dirt. Not often do we see a capable Cherokee doing seriously rugged four-wheeling, so when we found this Jeep showing off its suspension travel and scaling the slickrock like Spiderman, we had to take a look underneath. And inside. And under the hood. Mark's Jeep has a 5-inch Off Road General Store (ORGS) suspension lift composed of Rancho front springs and remote-controlled RS 9000s, while the rear has ORGS/National springs and remote RS 9000s. Mark also added the latest in arm technology, new uretane-covered front ball-joint arms from Currie, JKS shock mounts, ORGS bumpstops and spacers, and JKS sway-bar quick-disconnects. Who says hardcore off-roading and fresh-as-new paint can't mate? Despite 4-plus trail-riding, Mark has kept his Jeep dent- and scrape-free. The wheelwells have been trimmed to fit 33-inch BFGoodrich Mud Terrains with 15x8 Mickey Thompson Challengers (with 4 1/2 inches of backspacing), and up top is a reinforced Con-Ferr rack with metal mesh in the bottom. ARB IPF Super Rally lights are mounted on the front bumper, and the ax and Hi-Lift jack mounts have been welded for strength. Plans include custom ORGS bumpers front and rear and a Warn winch.Who says hardcore off-roading and fresh-as-new paint can't mate? Despite 4-plus trail-ridi Although he still has the stock inline-six 4.0L engine, he has modified the compartment with dual Odyssey by Hawker batteries. Each offers 925 cold-cranking amps and 62 minutes of reserve (a singular setup equals 1,000 cold-cranking amps and 98 minutes of reserve). Performance perks also come from a Borla Cat Back exhaust system.Although he still has the stock inline-six 4.0L engine, he has modified the compartment wi One of the trickest mods Mark made was to set the pinion angle and then weld a Currie adjustable spring-perch clamp upside down on the axle. He used bolts to clamp the spring in place, so not even a U-bolt or shock mount hangs down, which cleaned up the underside and removed dragging parts from the picture. While he was back there, he added Ford Explorer disc brakes. And in case you were wondering, that massive pack of leaves rides great and allows for plenty of axle droop, yet maintains vehicle control at higher speeds.One of the trickest mods Mark made was to set the pinion angle and then weld a Currie adju Inside, the Cherokee has Recaro seats and Simpson belts. If you're wondering what's going on under the driver seat, Mark didn't like how low he sat in comparison to his '90, so he added spacers for a quick lift.Inside, the Cherokee has Recaro seats and Simpson belts. If you're wondering what's going To keep the interior free of switches and buttons, Mark picked up a stereo-shop trick and hid the controls for the air compressor and the front and rear ARBs inside the ashtray.To keep the interior free of switches and buttons, Mark picked up a stereo-shop trick and An LED display on the dash reminds him when each is in use. By Tori Tellem Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
