Yup, bitchin'. That's the only way we can describe Sam and Tracy Patton's '84 CJ-7. As the owner of Sam's Offroad Equipment in Tulsa, Sam built the Jeep to show what kind of work his shop does. We like it! We also like Sam's philosophy of building out breakage. He advises his customers to do a buildup in steps, using the strongest parts available, rather than spending money twice to replace broken pieces.
From the 400-horse Chevy 350, to the high-pinion Dana 60s, to the massive Boggers, this Jeep embodies the direction that we feel four-wheeling is heading. And why not? It works equally well in the mud and sand as it does rockcrawling, where a blip of the throttle sends the Jeep often literally jumping into the air and over obstacles.
We recently watched Sam 'wheel the "HeePee" during 4-Wheel & Off-Road's Ultimate Adventure, as well as at the Warn Rockcrawling Championships in Johnson Valley, California. Despite tackling some of the gnarliest terrain we've seen and thanks to a combination of driving skill and engineering design, he didn't break anything! If that ain't bitchin', we don't know what is.