Body & Interior
Since Clifton's only girlfriends consisted of inflatable women living in his closet, he wanted a Jeep that all the ladies would notice when he drove into town. He added an Avalanche competition Stinger front bumper and powdercoated it silver. He ditched the front fenders and had employee Tim build tubular units. In the middle and rear he added Avalanche steel half-door skins, plate-steel rockers, and competition-cut corner guards with flush-mounted LED taillights. Hanging out back is a fullsize spare tire that is attached to the rollcage. The whole thing was then sprayed with lady-attracting red single-stage paint. No more inflatables for Clifton!
Inside you'll find a custom Tim Turner-built powdercoated rollcage that attaches to the frame, and a not-quite street-legal Lexan windshield. An Avalanche Crawler dash filled with Auto Meter gauges and a Premier Power Welder replaces the factory dash. The Jeep's tub was Rhino-lined and stuffed with Beard Street AT seats and a Grant steering wheel. The bed of the Jeep features ammo cans filled with tools and spare parts. A 20-gallon plastic fuel cell and an air pump bring up the rear.
Wheels & Tires
To tackle the Ultimate Adventure trails in Utah and Colorado, Clifton chose 38.5x15.50 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws. He mounted them on 8-lug 15x10 Avalanche bead lock wheels with button-head 31/48-inch Allen bolts for snag-free rotation. The wheels feature 3 inches of backspacing and are powdercoated red, again, for the ladies.
Good, Bad, & What's It For
Clifton built this Jeep specifically for the Ultimate Adventure trails of Utah and Colorado. The long 104.5-inch wheelbase made many climbs and descents a snap and the fullsize-truck width makes the CJ incredibly stable on sidehills. However, there were some sections of trail where the extra width got in the way, making some obstacles more difficult.
As you can imagine, a custom Jeep built in only 31 days will have some bugs to work out. Trail cycling of the suspension had the ram-assist steering smacking some extra bracketry on the axle, but a few quick nips with an acetylene torch had the problem resolved. The trail and highway temperatures on the 1,200-mile trip were in the upper 90s and low 100s. The red CJ apparently had some problems running the temperature near the red zone. Clifton plans to louver the hood to help better dissipate the heat. Clifton was also experiencing some fuel pump problems with the external pump he was using. He plans on building an aluminum fuel cell with a remote fill tube and an in-tank pump to cure the quirky fuel gremlins.
What We Think
One thing we noticed was that this Jeep looked amazingly similar to his stolen Jeep. He said he wanted to build something he knew would work, using parts and ideas he had used before and trusted. With only 31 days to put a rig together you can't afford the trial-and-error method. We dig the fact that he used many off-the-shelf Avalanche Engineering parts. We also like the idea of building a Jeep out of the parts that are just lying around, even if some of the ones Clifton used are high-dollar pieces.
Hard Facts
Vehicle:'83 CJ-7
Transmission:'97 GM 4L60E
Transfer Case:Atlas III 4.3 with 1410 flanges
Suspension:Spring-over with 1-inch lift springs (front)
Avalanche Engineering Quarter-Elliptic Kit (rear)
Axles:Full-width GM Dana 60 (front)Full-width GM Corporate 14-bolt (rear)
Wheels:Avalanche Engineering 15x10 bead locks
Tires:38.5x15.50-15 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws
Built For:4-Wheel & Off-Road's Ultimate Adventure
Value:$22,000 minus labor