Body and Interior
The body and front clip of the Jeep are aftermarket fiberglass pieces, and while the frame is still Jeep, John is working on a new frame that's more John-built than Jeep-built. The Deep Jewel green paint was sprayed on by Jerry Hancock in Howell, Michigan, and the blue graphics were done by Sign Design. The rear bumper is aluminum and homebuilt, but not to worry, those rear tow points go right to the frame.
The inside of this Jeep is simple as can be. The electric fuel pumps try to stay dry next to the fuel cell and snatch strap in the back where the rear seat might have once been. Up front is a pair of RCI racing seats, the ignition box, an Autometer tachometer, switches for controlling the engine systems, and a plane-Jane steering wheel. A custom six-point cage tied directly to the frame provides rigidity for the frame and a solid cage in case something goes wrong in a full-throttle assault on whatever John is tearing through that day.
Good, Bad, & What it's For
Anytime a guy has a chain wrapped around the frame, motor mount, and through the bracket on the engine, there is a story in there somewhere. And the story here is John got tired of ripping the polyurethane motor mounts apart every time he went out. The chain was one of those temporary fixes that worked out so well that it was kept.
We would've thought the Dana 20 would explode by now, but with the slushbox in front of it and the mud-only attitude John has, it sure seems to work.
Why I Featured It
I like mud. There is no secret to that. And, frankly, I'm envious of John building a Jeep for one thing and one thing only. Back home, I did my fair share of mud running and pond wheeling. I also did my share of trail riding and more than my share of driving to and from every trail I ran my Jeep on. As such, I never really got to build a Jeep like this one. Mud, first, foremost, and only, equals a cool Jeep in my book.-Pete Trasborg