Those axles consist of a Competition Engineering-fabricated Ford 9-inch in the rear and, surprisingly, the stock Dana 44 up front. How the front withstands this sort of power is beyond us, but the open differential, 3.54 gears, and small front tires help. The Dana 44 is steered with a Competition Engineering Pinto-style rack-and-pinion setup that sheds weight from the steering assembly. This wouldn't be the hot setup for a rockcrawler with big articulation, but it is perfect for drag racing. The rear paddles are much harder on parts than the front tires, but Jim fortified the 9-inch with Moser 35-spline chromoly axle shafts, Aerospace disc brakes, and a Moser nodular third member with 4.56 gears and a full spool to prevent any breakage. Yeah, the truck runs different gears front and back, but when the different front and rear tire diameters are taken into consideration, the wheels are spinning at nearly the same speed.
Body and Interior
This isn't a show truck, or even a daily-driver for that matter. The interior has been gutted and now contains an aluminum Kirkey racing seat and a Rhodus Fabrication cage with X-braced doors. The 5-inch Auto Meter Monster tach looks more at home here than in the Honda Civics in which they are usually forced to reside, and is complemented by additional Auto Meter gauges to monitor the engine's vital signs between passes. Otherwise the interior is bare, save for the Hurst shifter and wiring for the MSD 10 ignition.
Despite the all-business interior, the factory doors still open and shut and all of the body is American steel. The rear bedsides are from the factory bed, but were shorted to match the 110-inch wheelbase when the rear half of the frame was removed. Inside the bed, huge wheeltubs keep the 36x17x16 Sand Tires Unlimited Super Scooper paddles with 20 scoops from sandblasting the crowd. Behind the wheel tubs, dual Optima Yellow Top batteries sit at each corner and assist with weight balance. More weight can be added to the rear of the truck to allow Jim and Jason to race in different classes, rather than against each other. This allows the pair to split costs and be competitive for less money, which is smart business in this day and age.
Good, Bad, and What It's For
This Jeep is fast on the track, and the paddles hook up hard. The NP205 seems like an odd choice given the desire to save weight, but perhaps an aluminum chain-drive case would not stand up to the power. There really is no "bad," although a truck like this is so purpose-built that you aren't going to drive it to church on Sundays anymore. When it comes to sand drags though, there are few vehicles than can keep up.
Why I Shot This Feature
Uh, did you read the part where this Jeep makes 1,687 horsepower? This Jeep makes almost as much horsepower as all of the other Jeeps I have featured combined! On top of that, I love that this truck looks so unassuming with its straight sheetmetal and plain white paint. I prefer loud, obnoxious engines to loud, obnoxious paint jobs, and Jim's J-truck delivers in spades.
-Harry Wagner
Hard Facts
Vehicle: '77 J10
Engine: 401ci small-block Chevy
Transmission: Powerglide two-speed automatic
Transfer Case: Divorce-mount NP205
Suspension: Leaf springs (front); four-link (rear)
Axles: Dana 44 (front); Competition Engineering 9-inch (rear)
Wheels: 15x8 Centerline Pro Street (front), 16x16 Weld Pro Stars (rear)
Tires: 12.00-15 Sand Tires Unlimited (front); 36x17x16 Sand Tires Unlimited Super Scoopers (rear)
Built For: Beating Chevys and Fords at the sand drags