If we were smart, we would've called the buildup of Jp's Project JR done when it resembled Graham Reese's '01 XJ. The 60th Anniversary Edition runs a 3-inch Rough Country lift to clear the 31-inch tires wrapped around the stock rims. A quartet of PIAA 510 series lights mount to the Daystar Four Real Steel front bumper and a Yakima roof rack holds extra gear.
There's just something about an intermediate '72-'75 CJ-5 that's inherently cool. Rick Standley of Yakima, Washington, must've thought so too because he nabbed one, then outfitted it with a 4-inch Skyjacker suspension, 11/42-inch Con-Ferr shackles, a CV rear driveshaft, and 33-inch BFG MT tires. The front bumper holds a Warn 8,000-pound winch, but otherwise, the AMC 304 V-8, three-speed tranny, Dana 20 T-case, and Dana 30 front and Dana 44 rear axles are factory issue.
Gary Edwards from Perth, Australia, just wanted to "send us a piccy" of his '76 CJ-7. He even wrote "g'day." And we thought that was just an act for Fosters commercials. Gary's CJ sports the factory drivetrain as well as a 4-inch spring lift and a 1.5-inch body lift to swing the 33-inch BFG MT tires on 15x8 American Racing rims. Most of Gary's wheeling consists of sand dunes and West Coast highways. Having experienced Australian corrugated roads firsthand, we'll stick with our rockcrawl trails. They're much easier on the vehicle.
Glenn Smith of Apopka, Florida, owns two similarly painted CJs. One is a '59 CJ-3B and the other is a '60 CJ-5. They both sport totally rebuilt F-head drivetrains and Lock-Rites front and rear as well as 211/42-inch spring lifts. The CJ-5 gets down with a Ramsey REP 8000 winch, 33x12.50-15 Mud King tires, and a factory hardtop on the original body. Glenn has owned it since 1980. The 3B runs 33x10.50-15 Swampers and was treated to a new replacement body because the original was shot when Glenn bought it in 2002.
Lloyd Adams of St. Joseph, Missouri, shared this photo of his collection of CJ-2A and CJ-3A Willys Jeeps. Aside from the slightly lifted '48 2A in the upper right, they all appear to be stock. We'll take a green one and a red one, please Lloyd. And throw in the big garage in the background while you're at it.
Oh man, would we ever love to have a restored GPW like Jim Diamond's '42. Split combat rims, a Browning .50-cal in the back, every pioneering tool known to World War II, and even a '44 BSA folding paratrooper bike in the bed. Jim actually managed to get five Flying Tigers of the American Volunteer Group who flew for the Chinese government under Claire Chennault to sign the hood. Way to keep history alive, Jim.
At least that's how Chris Orr opened his letter to us. Chris and his wife, Nora, hail from Cupertino, California, and are fairly proud of their '02 TJ Sport. Upgrades to the factory 4.0L automatic Jeep include a 4.5-inch Rubicon Super Flex suspension, front and rear ARBs with 4.10 gears, 33-inch BFG MTs, a Warn 9500 winch, and more bumper and armor parts than we can list. After all, we are morons.
This '94 YJ was built to "sit in the driveway and leak until I take it in the woods to punish it for sitting around during the week." Hey, we can't make this up. That's a direct quote from Christ Kurelja of Succasunna, New Jersey. With a 4-inch lift, skyjacker shocks, and 33x12.50-15 TrXus Mud Terrains, he's got a good start on tackling the soggy wheeling available in New Jersey. Add a 4.0L with a slew of upgrades, and you've got a good wheeling Jeep. We'd suggest a rear locker and a snorkel to keep that engine safe, but he chases quads around with no problems as it is.
From Jacksonville, Florida, Billy Powell sent us some pictures of his big '84 CJ-8. With front and rear Strong Axle high-pinion Dana 60s packing alloy shafts and 4.88 gears front and rear, you wouldn't think he'd have any problems in the axle department. Then you notice the set of 37x13.50R17 Toyo Open Country mud tires mounted on Centerline I.C.E. DOT-approved bead-lock rims and see all of that is motivated by an Edelbrock-injected, 383ci, Chevy V-8 pushing the power through a custom-built 700R4 automatic transmission with a 2,600-rpm stall converter and an Atlas II 3.8:1 transfer case, second thoughts arise.