Step One: Win the Parts. Step Two: Build the Jeep
They rolled into town towed on a three-Jeep trailer, dusted their boots, and dismounted. All three Jeeps, two YJs, and a TJ coordinated their contemptible Ferrari Yellow paint jobs. Even their attention-attracting windbreaker jackets were Jeep-coordinating Ferrari Yellow. Later that Jeep Safari day, we crawled along on the Poison Spider Mesa trail in Moab. That’s when we met Dennis Wood, a technician and All Terrain Auto Care owner from Salt Lake City. Dennis’ YJ sat capably on the side of the trail while he and the crew helped his buddy with a broken driveline. Of course we did not know how capably until we continued with him up to the Golden Spike. What must have at one time been mild interest blossomed into wild enthusiasm for ’wheeling.
His buildup story begins with a set of Rancho 9000s and its controller he won as a prize. The problem was this—at the time, he didn’t own a vehicle that would fit the 9000s, so then and there he decided that he had to build a Jeep. A few years later and a measly $10,000 that he tells his wife he’s spent, Dennis lives by his T-shirt’s slogan, “Jeeps are Built Not Bought.”
The body and frame are all that’s left of an ’88 Wrangler YJ. An ’89 IROC 5.7L pounds power surges from under the hood. A robust Dana 44 front axle houses 4.56 gears and a Lock-Right locker. The rear Dana 60, locked by Detroit, holds 4.56 gears. Behind all four 15x10 Ultra wheels are disc brakes. The 35x14.50 Swampers just wouldn’t look right without a spring-over, a shackle reversal, a 2-inch body lift, and matching yellow Rancho 9000s. He painted those too. Dennis’ attention to detail doesn’t stop at the yellow shocks. The imported Hydromatic 350 tranny assists crawling with a 3.50:1 First gear ratio. Additionally, he finds that the enjoyable lower gearing in the TeraLow transfer case lets him float over obstacles with minimal power surges from under the hood.
We all know that the right combination of power, traction, and gear control are critical when addressing the demands of the terrain. Dennis understands. He plans. He is his own research and development team. We recently caught up with him in Moab, Utah, and watched as he traversed some more difficult trails.