NEWJO club president Dan Stonesifer's Jeep was rear-ended shortly before our run, so he hit the trails in a loaner '04 Rubicon. The Jeep's owner had added an impressive number of aftermarket components, including a 4-inch TeraFlex long-arm suspension, 35x12.50-16 Super Swamper Trxus tires, a Warn XD9500 winch, a 33 Engineering belly skidplate, and a ton of other armor upgrades.
In case you haven't noticed, over the past few issues we've been making an effort to bring you wheeling from parts of the country other than the West Coast and Southwest. It's not that the Jp staff doesn't want to wheel other parts of the country, it's just that it's pretty hard to leave our comfy little corner of the world where fall, winter, and spring temperatures rarely rise above 75 degrees, dip below 55 degrees, and where it's too dry to breed disease-carrying insects.
But bring you varying terrain we must, so Associate Editor Trasborg earned his frequent-flier miles traveling to various Midwest and Eastern states during the hotter months of 2006. While we didn't set him up with any West Nile or equine encephalitis virus vaccines, we did hand him an expired can of bug spray. Now his complexion resembles that of a ripe plum, and he frequently drools on his shirt and softly babbles to himself. So when it was Hazel's turn to head east, he waited until the first freeze came through to kill off any biting nasties.
If there's one time to hit the trails of northern New England, it's in the early part of October. Not only are the Maple, Birch, and other hardwood trees erupting in gorgeous colors, but all the airborne vermin have been laid to waste by the brisk evening temperatures. To get a taste of what kind of wheeling New Englanders have in their backyard, we contacted Dan Stonesifer, president of the North East Willys Jeeps Organization, or NEWJO.
Unlike the Southwest, where there are thousands of square miles currently open to recreational vehicle use, New Englanders must beg, borrow, and fight for every acre. Our trip out with NEWJO was on private logging company land the club calls Cemetery Hill, due to the 19th century boneyard located on a portion of the property. In return for access to the land, 4WD clubs maintain and clear the trails, fight soil erosion and runoff, and generally take an active part in making sure the areas are utilized in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner so they can stay open. For more info on club runs and events, contact NEWJO at www.newjo.org.
We were really digging the understated yet capable way John Bighinatti's '06 Rubicon Unlimited was built. After making his own front and rear bumpers, bolting on an old winch, and purchasing a set of used Currie rock sliders, John installed a 3-inch BDS lift to clear room for 285/75-16 Toyo MTs. John is contemplating a 1-inch body lift to clear a raised T-case crossmember to alleviate his breakover angle, but otherwise his Rubicon is extremely capable, comfortable, and under warranty. | 
Michael Beatty says he has surprisingly little money invested in his '93 Grand. He won the 7-inch Clayton long-arm suspension in a raffle and bought a pair of already-built axles. The Ford 8.8 rear is locked and runs 4.88s, while the '89 Wagoneer Dana 44 is open. Michael swapped the full-time T-case out for an NV231 with a JB Conversions extreme short-shaft kit and runs 33-inch BFG Muds. | 
Even though there's only about $800 invested in Jason Fournier's '90 XJ, it provided hours of fun on the trail. Jason's XJ runs the Renix-injected 4.0L, auto tranny, and NV242 T-case as well as the stock open Dana 30 and Dana 35 axles. The front springs are Ford F-150 pieces and the rears are S-10 springs, which together net a 3-inch lift. The junkyard suspension clears 33x10.50 Swampers on white wagon wheels. |
An East Coaster who likes to take West Coast lines, David "Rosco" Baandt was pure entertainment in his '73 CJ-5. Rosco installed a warmed Ford 302 and a Jeep T-18 in place of his factory units. The factory Dana 20 T-case runs 2.46:1 Bronco Dana 20 gears. The front Dana 30 runs 4.27s and a Torsen limited slip. A Dana 44 rear with 4.27s and a locker survive the 35-inch General Grabbers. A 1-inch body lift and 2.5-inch springs make this an inexpensive trail veteran of 25 years. | 
Another club member out in a loaner Jeep, Chris Waterman capably piloted James Doughty's '95 Wrangler. Chris was one of the better drivers we encountered on our trip and made everything look easy. The Wrangler spins the 35-inch Pro Comp X-Terrains via 4.88 gears in the stock axles and the little 2.5L four-cylinder. A 4-inch spring-under and a 1-inch body lift provide clearance and a set of four-wheel disc brakes help stop the Jeep in the slimy New Hampshire mud. | |
Whoops, Breaks, and Fixes
We liken the terrain we encountered to a scaled-down version of Tellico, Tennessee: slick rocks, snotty climbs, and muck that required throttle and finesse. We love carnage, and the NEWJO guys were more than happy to accommodate us.
Michael Beatty was so jazzed about his Clayton suspension that he kindly laid his Grand on its side so we could get a better look. | 
Dan Stonesifer deftly maneuvered his borrowed Rubicon around to winch Michael back onto his tires. The Grand escaped relatively unharmed, with just a few sheetmetal dents and no broken glass. | 
Technically not a Jeep, this Samurai's rear spring was fixed with batteries out of the Jeeps. Dan Stonesifer is a Jeep service tech when not on the trail, so he seemed to get the nod for most of the repairs. Dan welded up the snapped spring, but it snapped again in a different spot shortly down the trail. Some creative chaining and strapping got the little Sammi off the trail without further incident. |
The award for most trail fixes has to go to Jason Fournier and his buddy, Nate Brown, who spent most of the afternoon putting parts of the XJ back into working condition. First, a passenger-side front axleshaft U-joint let go-no small feat with an open diff. Then the exhaust fell out of the head pipe, a valve stem got ripped from the wheel, and, finally, the drag link bent itself into a lowercase "U." After straightening it with a winch, Jason and Nate pounded a Hi Lift jack handle on for reinforcement and finished the trail. | | |