It was back in mid-'06, and we were at Currie Enterprises picking up a 9-inch housing for one of our project vehicles when we spied the little '88 MJ in the corner of the parking lot. At first it looked like just any other Comanche with a mild lift and moderate tires. But then a glint of gun-metal silver paint from the custom front axle caught our eyes. And then we noticed lots of red anodized aluminum visible in the shock locations. This little parts hauler deserved a closer look.
We promptly dragged John Currie out of the shop and over to the MJ for a quick tour. Given the Currie boys' enthusiasm for off-road motorsports, it came as no surprise that the little junk box purchased to haul oily parts around Anaheim, California, had quickly been treated to a minor restoration and some upper-level modifications. After all, like most of us, they're true gearheads at heart. And like most us, they can't leave anything alone.
We saw enough cool tricks, smart mods, and refurbished factory parts on this little MJ that we decided on the spot it deserved a feature shoot. Before you go getting riled and call us sellouts for shooting a feature on an advertiser's vehicle, take a minute to realize we would've shot this rig no matter who owned it. It's just one of those Jeeps that warrants emulation.
Chassis
To serve this pickup's split personality as a weekday parts hauler and a weekend prerunner chase vehicle, the Curries pulled heavily from their company's parts catalog. Proven through years of Jeepspeed, rockcrawling competitions, and regular ol' recreational use, a Currie Enterprises XJ/MJ 5-inch suspension was installed up front. The kit includes new adjustable control arms with Johnny Joints. A pair of ACOS adjustable coilover spacers were installed to dial in the ride height, and a Currie Antirock antisway bar with aluminum arms prevents unwanted body lean when rallying corners.
Out back, the factory Comanche springs were relocated from a spring-under to a spring-over configuration, netting roughly a 3.5-inch lift. The inside of the rear fender was trimmed to accept another Antirock antisway bar. The rear bar helps keep the rig stable in big corners and strikes a much finer balance between understeer and oversteer, compared with running a front antisway bar by itself.
Walker Evans adjustable remote-reservoir shocks are used at each corner to deliver a smooth ride and control, no matter what the terrain, and a Currie adjustable track bar, heavy-duty tie-rod setup, and steering-box brace round out the steering modifications.
Drivetrain
To us, the coolest part of the whole vehicle is the Currie Enterprises 8-inch Ford front axle. We think it's a perfect solution to Jeepspeed and other Jeep owners who plan on going fast and jumping their rigs. It's hard as hell to properly truss a TJ/XJ/YJ Dana 30 or Dana 44, and even if you do manage to do so without distorting or warping the tubes, you stand a good chance of exploding the cast-iron centersection in really rough terrain. The 8-inch housing is fully trussed and plated to survive in the harsh environment of off-road racing. An added bonus of the diminutive 8-inch housing is that it affords more uptravel and more clearance between the unibody and diff than a comparable Dana 30.
Inside of the 8-inch housing, a lightweight aluminum Currie centersection loaded with 4.63 gears, a Detroit Truetrac differential, and a billet pinion support connect with 4340 alloy 31-spline shafts. The front axle features a Warn 5x5.5 conversion kit to deliver Dana 44-type outers, complete with locking hubs and 1/2-ton spindles and bearings.
Out back, a venerable Currie Enterprises trussed 9-inch axle is loaded up with a Currie 9+ centersection and similar 4.63 gears and Truetrac diff as the front. A pair of alloy 31-spline shafts and Explorer disc brakes with internal parking brake shoes round out the package.
Under the hood, the stock '88 Renix-injected 4.0L engine still pumps out the juice. The engine is bone stock, save for the addition of a Borla header and a 2 1/4-inch exhaust.
A stock replacement clutch links the engine to the factory Peugeot transmission. True, these transmissions are the 90-pound weaklings of the Jeep world, but until the factory tranny gives up the ghost, it's gonna stay put.
Behind the ticking time bomb, a sturdy NP231 T-case complete with a Currie short-shaft kit and 1310 CV driveshafts front and rear serves quietly and dutifully.