Good, Bad, & What's it For
This Jeep combines race tech with good ol' Jeep tech for a package that works very well together. There is something about picking up a Jeep with a V-8, auto, and just adding what is needed to get it out there. Kevin is a machinist by trade, and the meticulous and clean nature of the work he's done with this Jeep shows through.
We would like to see the Jeep a little lower to the ground, as would Kevin, but as he says, "It works like this, so why go through all the work to change it?"
Why I Featured It
I've been looking more and more at building a Grand Cherokee, and there are a lot of cues in this '94 that I've been wanting to use. The full 'cage inside the Jeep, with the factory power seats in the front, and stock seats in the rear are good examples. Most of the guys I see building these get rid of the rear seats or make it so hard to get to through the jungle gym of tubes that they might as well be gone. Not so here. The front and rear bumpers and rock rails tied back into the frame, suspension, and 'cage are another one.
All in all, it is a Jeep that's capable of hitting some serious trails, but keeps a lot of the everyday comfort and driveability it left the showroom with.
-Pete Trasborg
Hard Facts:
Vehicle:
'94 Grand Cherokee
Engine:
5.2L V-8
Transmission:
46RH automatic
Transfer Case:
4.0:1 Atlas II
Suspension:
Custom link setup with coilovers
Axles:
Rockcrusher high-pinion Dana 60 (front), Summers Brothers Ford 9-inch (rear)
Wheels:
17x9.5 Allied Chrome Steel Rock 8s
Tires:
13/37-17 Super Swamper Boggers
Built For:
Carrying the kids and wheeling anything Kevin wants to wheel
Estimated Cost:
$25,000