No, not the stupid cartoon mutt that runs around in tights. We're talking about the little guy you always root for. If we had a dime for every red TJ we bumped into while at Moab this year it'd pay for our gas out there and back. After a while you just don't even care to look. But when we stumbled across Brett Pulley and his wacky bunch of friends, we got sucked into their sphere and quickly found ourselves rooting for the little $300 XJ that could. Brett bought the '88 off Craigslist for the event and had no plans to bring it home. And after watching him drive The Escalator in it, we were rooting for him every inch of the way.
Model: Cherokee XJ
Year: 1988
Estimated Value: $300-and dropping
Build Time: Two days
Owner: Brett Pulley
Hometown: We forgot to ask
Occupation: We have no idea
Years Wheeling Experience: Again, we're slackers
Favorite Wheeling Spot: Moab, Utah
Why Choose This Vehicle to Build: It was cheap and it was available for Easter Jeep Safari '08
Favorite Terrain: Slickrock
Engine: 4.0L
Aspiration: Factory Renix injection
Transmission: Peugeot five-speed
Transfer Case: NP231
Front Axle/Differential: Stock Dana 30, open
Rear Axle/Differential: Stock Dana 35, welded
Ring and Pinion Ratio: 3.55
Front Suspension: Stock four-link
Rear Suspension: Stock leaf springs
Wheels: Mishmash of stock Jeep
Tires: Threadbare P225/75R15 and P235/75R15 no-name brand
Other Cool Stuff: Cheap Hi-Lift knock-off bolted to hood, rear roof and tailgate cut off, tube doors
Favorite Mod(s): Front winch bumper and 3,000-pound trailer winch
Least Favorite Mod(s): Muffler knocked off by a rock
If I Had to Build It Again: I would!
It's not often you can carve out your own signature style with a vehicle as ubiquitous as a TJ, but that's just what former rock crawl champion Chris Durham has done. This is Chris' umpteenth TJ on 40s that employs hardly any suspension lift. With 1-ton axles, huge tires, and a crazy-low center of gravity, Chris' TJ makes short work of off-camber climbs and angles that would send taller rigs tumbling.
Model: Wrangler TJ
Year: 1998
Estimated Value: $25,000
Build Time: 300 hours
Owner: Chris Durham
Hometown: Pickens, South Carolina
Occupation: Owner, Chris Durham Motorsports
Years Wheeling Experience: 18
Favorite Wheeling Spot: Tellico
Why Choose This Vehicle to Build: Creature comforts (A/C, CD player, top, heat)
Favorite Terrain: Rock
Engine: 4.0L, bored throttle body, throttle body spacer, header and exhaust
Aspiration: Factory
Transmission: Factory three-speed auto
Transfer Case: NP231 with Teraflex two-wheel low kit and Advance Adapters 32-spline output
Front Axle/Differential: Chris Durham Motorsports Dana 60 low pinion; Detroit Locker
Rear Axle/Differential: '78 F-250 Dana 60 bored for 35-spline, stock width; Detroit Locker
Ring and Pinion Ratio: 5.13
Front Suspension: Three-link with track bar, 11/4-inch coil spacer to level stance
Rear Suspension: Triangulated four-link, stock coils
Wheels: Walker Evans Racing 17x9 bead lock, 5-inch backspacing
Tires: 40x13.5017 Goodyear MT/R
Other Cool Stuff: Chris Durham Motorsports Flexi-Glass hood (bends 45 degrees without damage), Warn 9500 winch, Chris Durham Motorsports skidplate and front bumper, steering box moved, Poison Spyder Customs Crusher Corners and Rocker Guards, 1-inch body lift
Favorite Mod(s): Suspension being so low
Least Favorite Mod(s): Leaving the stock six-cylinder
If I Had to Build It Again: Do a V-8 conversion for more power