Rocky Road Rubi
Vehicle: 2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Owner: Kyle Poole
Tires & Wheels: 33x11x16 Toyo MT tires with 11⁄2-inch wheel spacers
Suspension: 2-inch Pro Comp coil lift, sway bar removed
Drivetrain: Stock Performance Mods: 4.0L I-6 with K&N filter and air box mod for snorkel
Other Doodads: Poison Spyder front fenders, chopped stock rear fenders, AEV heat reduction hood, Warn steering box skidplate, Rancho steering damper
Funniest Wheeling Incident: It doesn’t like water
Does everything work the way you want?: Everything works great
Anything you would change?: 3-inch long arms, more skidplates, 35-inch tires, 4.88 gears, Warn winch, rear tube fenders, rollcage, spare tire carrier—and it still won’t be done!
Anything to add?: Love the magazine and live to wheel
Farmtastic Flopper
Vehicle: 1979 Jeep CJ-7
Owner: Josh Husted
Tires & Wheels: 49-inch tractor tires
Suspension: Homebuilt triangulated 4-link front and rear
Drivetrain: T-18 transmission, Dana 20 transfer case, Dana 70 front, Dana 60 rear with Lincoln Locker, 5.13 gears
Performance Mods: 304ci V-8 with Edelbrock Performer package (camshaft, carburetor, and intake), D.U.I. distibutor, K&N intake, fenderwell-exit headers
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Putting it on its lid because I couldn’t see and needed a spotter
Does everything work the way you want? It’s getting there
Anything you would change?: Coilovers, lower stance, propane injection
Anything to add?: This was my first time welding and I cut the back half of the frame out and started over with a pile of steel and a borrowed welder. You can do anything you set your mind to.
Rockin’ XJ
Vehicle: 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport
Owner: Ryan Smith, Ephrata, PA
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.5 Pro Comp Xterrain tires on 15x8 steel wheels
Suspension: 8-inch Iron Rock long-arm suspension lift, lost rear sway bar, front JKS sway bar quick-disconnect system
Drivetrain: AW4 transmission, NP242 transfer case, Tom Wood’s Slip Yoke Eliminator and rear driveshaft, high-pinion Dana 30 front, 8.8-inch Ford rear with disc brakes, rear Power Trax locker, and 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 4.0L I-6 engine with MagnaFlow exhaust
Other Doodads: JCR front bumper, Rusty’s Off-Road skidplates
Does everything work the way you want?: Getting there. It works better than I thought it would, but the rear needs more flex.
Anything you would change?: Add a front locker, BFG KM2 tires, and rock sliders
Unpopular Aussie
Vehicle: 1974 Jeep CJ-6
Owner: Jason Caruana, Jimboomba, Queensland, Australia
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.5 Cooper ST tires on 15-inch custom steel wheels
Suspension: 2-inch lift coils all around, long-arm rear
Drivetrain: AX15 transmission, NP231J transfer case, ’99 XJ Dana 30 front, ’99 WJ Dana 44 rear narrowed 3 inches, 4.26 gears
Performance Mods: Australian Redesigned Buick 3.8L V-6 EFI dual-fuel propane and petroleum
Other Doodads: Chassis swap CJ-6 body on a TJ chassis, moving the differential 10 inches back to fit the body, all TJ electrical system, 7-inch TJ flares, TJ seats, rollcage
Funniest Wheeling Incident: When going to meet friends at a campsite while towing a trailer, I took a wrong turn and went up a very steep hill and got stuck halfway. My wife got out to try and call for help from the top of the hill and fell over three times trying to get up there. Subsequently I was not Mister Popular.
Does everything work the way you want?: Almost
Anything you would change?: Locker up front and doors
Anything to add?: Love your mag. Keep up the good work.
Don’t Tell Dad
Vehicle: 1999 Jeep Wrangler
Owner: Michael Swanson, Jacksonville, NC
Tires & Wheels: 34x12.5 Interco TrXus tires on 15x8 Pro Comp alloy wheels
Suspension: 3-inch BDS suspension lift
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: Ram-air cold air intake
Other Doodads: Warn bumpers front and rear and 9500 Warn winch
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Getting buried before I had my license and my dad never knowing [Until now! —TR]
Does everything work the way you want?: I wish it had more horsepower and torque
Anything you would change?: I would drop a Cummins 4BT into it
Do It Yourself
Vehicle: 1984 Jeep Scrambler
Owner: Vinny Civitarese, Butler, Pennsylvania
Tires & Wheels: 33x10.5 BFG tires on stock steel wheels
Suspension: 21⁄2-inch Skyjacker springs and custom shackles
Drivetrain: T-177, D300, front Dana 30, rear trussed AMC 20 with 1-piece shafts, front/rear lockers
Performance Mods: Original 4.2L I-6 with duct-taped factory cold air intake
Other Doodads: Homemade drivetrain and body armor (some with plumbing equipment), converted propane tank for air, vintage CB radio
Does everything work the way you want?: Works well, but never finished
Anything you would change?: 3.31 gears suck and rear bumper is an anchor
Anything to add?: If you can’t afford to buy it, build it!
Jolly Green Jeeper
Vehicle: 1975 Jeep CJ-5
Owner: Tom Petrak, Portland, OR
Tires & Wheels: 32x12.5 BFG KM2 tires on 15-inch Pro Comp black steel wheels
Suspension: Modified Super Lift springs, Warrior shackle reversal, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: T-18 transmission, Dana 20 transfer case with Bronco gears, Dana 30 front with Lock-Right differential and 4.56 gears, Dana 44 rear with Power-Lok differential and 4.55 gears
Performance Mods: AMC 360ci V-8, Edelbrock intake, Chevy TBI, K&N filter, MSD coil, Headman headers, Flowmaster dual exhausts
Other Doodads: York pump for onboard air; Warn M8000; full rollcage; disc brakes; homebuilt bumpers, rocker panels, and spare tire; Hi-Lift jack mount
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Learning how fast you can get into trouble the first time out with front and rear lockers!
Does everything work the way you want?: Sometimes
Anything you would change?: Is that a trick question?
Anything to add?: Jolly Jeepers rule! Just Everybody’s Extra Parts!
Wait, What?!
Best Bird Ever?
Vehicle: 1968 Pontiac Firebird 4x4
Owner: Brian Moses, Wichita, KS
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.5 Futura Dakota RVT tires on 15-inch American Racing polished wheels
Suspension: 23-inch suspension lift, International Scout front springs, stock rear leaf springs, long-travel shock
Drivetrain: Chrysler 727 transmission, Dana 20 transfer case, Dana 44 front and rear, 3.08 gears, Detroit Trutrac rear differential, stock Trac-Lok front differential
Performance Mods: International 345ci V-8 bored 0.30 over, forged flat-top pistons, ported and shaved heads, sodium exhaust valves, digital MSD ignition, 4-barrel Thermoquad carburetor
Other Doodads: The car is not on a 4x4 frame; it’s the original Firebird, but still steers and drives perfectly
Funniest Wheeling Incident: My buddy, who stores everything he owns on his dash, told his girlfriend, “If he can do it, I can too,” and tried to follow me up the embankment of a river. He did a nose plant into the embankment, and everything on the dash—and his girlfriend—ended up in the backseat. She wasn’t hurt, and I laughed my butt off.
Does everything work the way you want?: Beyond expectations! It does an easy 130 mph.
Anything you would change?: Upgrade the sound system to digital with two 10-inch subwoofers
Anything to add?: This is the best thing that ever happened to a ’68 Firebird [Really? —TR]. It’s a true muscle car now. I love running with Corvettes on the highway and outclimbing rockcrawlers that come in on trailers.