The rear third member is plugged into a Ford 9-inch housing from a '78 Ford Bronco, which was narrowed 4 inches on the driver-side with the help of Rick Hanse. The axle uses big bearing ends and the new width accepts off-the-shelf axles from a full-size Bronco on the driver side and an early Bronco on the passenger side. Greg traded some parts he had to Randy Harral from Driven Auto Parts for the 35-spline Moser chromoly shafts.
Disc brakes were also added to the rear axle using 4Wheeler Supply brackets and GM calipers and rotors to up the stopping power and shed weight. Up front, a Spider9 axlehousing was obtained from the same parts pile as the high-pinion third members. Greg's company, High Desert Surface Prep, polished Samco Fabrication's shop floor space in exchange for a fully-built front axle. The Spider9 axle uses Spidertrax-fabricated knuckles and Dutchman 35-spline chromoly axle shafts. Outers consist of Spidertrax brakes and Warn Premium hubs.
Spidertrax keyed steering arms are attached with six safety-wired bolts and place the 0.250-wall, 1.5-inch tie rod behind the axle centerline and above the True Hi9 third member. The 0.120-wall, 1.25-inch chromoly drag link attaches to a custom arm welded on the passenger-side plate knuckle. All the steering links use 3/4-inch FK rod ends for strength and misalignment spacers for a wide range of movement. A stock steering pump and ported Saginaw box work in conjunction with an 8-inch stroke PSC hydraulic ram affixed to the axle on a custom mount.
Body and Interior
The body of the Jeep has been battered by years of rock abuse. A CJ grille and hood are used up front in conjunction with Poison Spyder Customs tube fenders that hold up better than the stock fenders while providing additional tire clearance. Poison Spyder Rocker Knockers and Crusher Corners lend additional protection, and also cover up past body damage. All of the sheetmetal and armor was painted the brightest shade of lime green that Greg could find. Arizona Trail Works did the paint in a trade to resurface a patio.
Inside the Jeep, Greg opted for a CJ-style steel dash and gauge cluster instead of the plastic YJ dash. A Chevy tilt column from the Blazer that donated the TBI 350 occupies the driver's-side, while on the passenger-side a full Detail Zone/Ron Francis fuse box sits behind the glove box and makes the CJ look more like the Space Shuttle than a Jeep. The Tuffy console, Acura Integra bucket seats, and Simpson harnesses are more everyday-issue, though. Instead of a tailgate, Greg built a small storage box behind the rear bench seat to hold tools and spare parts.
Samco Fabrication made a cool shifter that bolts to the dash bar on the cage and holds the Hurst Quarter Stick shifter that has been modified to allow shifting from First to Reverse to help prevent rollovers. The cage was constructed back in '99 by Neil Hancock in exchange for a bedliner and doubles as an air tank. A Viair 400 compressor mounted under the hood fills the tank and powers the front ARB Air Locker.
Good, Bad, and What's It For
Greg is not afraid to pilot his CJ through any rocks in his path, and frequently takes road trips to go wheeling throughout California, Nevada, and Arizona. The Jeep does great in the rocks, although it is a little tall. The short wheelbase and leaf springs don't provide the best handling at speed through rough terrain, but Greg plans to add Fox shocks soon to improve the ride. In the meantime, the dented Pro Comp cellular shocks get the job done when rockcrawling.
Why I Featured It
I think that the fact that Greg is a normal guy who built his Jeep up one part at a time appeals to all of us. Parts like the LS1 and Spider9 front axle make this Jeep feature-worthy, but other aspects like the leaf springs and the armor that covers up body damage are things we can all relate to.
-Harry Wagner