Smith's Indiana Jeep
Steven Smith of Knightstown, Indiana, says his '87 Jeep Wrangler daily driver started off as a disassembled basket case. Mods consist of a 20-inch frame and body stretch, a homemade front shackle reversal, and a narrowed Dana 44 and a Dana 60 with 4.10 gears. The spring-over suspension consists of Grand Wagoneer front springs all around. Power is supplied by a '74 Mopar V-8. Exterior mods include custom bumpers, fenders, and running boards.
Parada's Illinois Suzuki
Alejandro Parada of Leland, Illinois, has definitely taken his '88 Suzuki Samurai to new performance levels. Some of his modifications include a Camden supercharger mounted on a rebuilt long-block, a Calmini Rock Crawler transfer case, a 5-inch lift with new springs, extended shocks, reverse shackles, and 32x10.50-15 Super Swampers on Rock Crawler rims.
Burke's Arizona Jeep
When David Burke of Tucson, Arizona, purchased this '86 CJ-7, it was pretty much bone-stock. To change that, David implemented his own rear suspension design, which consists of quarter-elliptical springs and a three-link. An accompanying list of goodies cites a frontend shackle reversal, and dual Rancho RS 9000s on the front axle and four on the rear.
Bramlett's Illinois Ford
Troy Bramlett of Galesburg, Illinois, picked up his '78 Ford Bronco for $800 and gave it a budget makeover. The list includes a cam and lifters from Competition Cams, an Edelbrock intake, an Edelbrock 600-cfm carb, Summit headers, and a K&N air filter. Another impressive exterior mod was the 45-minute paint job, thanks to the $12 Troy dropped on cans of spray paint.
Baird's California Toyota
This '85 Toyota SR5 belongs to Justin Baird of Riverside, California. He infused the truck with an '88 22R Toyota engine. It rocks on a 2-inch body lift, a 2-inch shackle lift, and Rancho RS 5000 shocks, and rolls on 35x12.50 BFGoodrich All-Terrains with 15-inch wheels. Justin added a Kenwood CD player, RF speakers, and a 200-watt amp.
Submission information: All submissions to Readers' Rides must include an address or a telephone number. Include a complete list of all modifications made to the vehicle. Unfortunately, if we can make out faces of people in the photos, we cannot use them. Also, letters must be signed by the vehicle's owner. Due to the large volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot return photos. Please send submissions to: Readers' Rides, 4-Wheel & Off-Road, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515.