A Year-Long Weekend Hobby

Gregg McNair's '87 Jeep C...        read full caption Gregg McNair's '87 Jeep Cherokee.

A stock 4.0L inline-six fills...        read full caption A stock 4.0L inline-six fills the engine bay and uses the existing transmission and transfer case to provide the get-up-and-go for Nevada’s resident rock crusher. The hood and interior are about the only parts of the vehicle left untouched.

A Con-Ferr roof rack carries...        read full caption A Con-Ferr roof rack carries the gear, and there’s a fullsize spare mounted below it on the tailgate. A nitrogen tank is at the ready for air tools, and Flowmaster exhaust keeps the Cherokee breathing. Note the rear Dana 44 between the 33-inch meats. Try to imagine the custom-built rock sliders on either side that can get Gregg up and over without leaving half of his vehicle behind.

A custom 1 1/2-inch tubular...        read full caption A custom 1 1/2-inch tubular winch bumper frames a Superwinch 9000 and sits in front of handmade chrome-moly fully adjustable control arms and track bar. Coil springs give 5 inches of lift and accommodate 33-inch Super Swampers. Other goodies include JKS Sway Bar disconnects and Rancho 9000 shocks with custom mounts. The front fenders have been custom-cut to fit the front bumper.

As the Boy Scouts’ motto...        read full caption As the Boy Scouts’ motto clearly states: Be prepared! Hopefully, 200 pounds of recovery equipment and a Hi-Lift Jack will get Gregg and company out of any trouble they can conjure up. Don’t leave home without it.

The interior layout was left...        read full caption The interior layout was left intact with a few perks added for good measure, namely a Sony CD player and a Cobra Sound Tracker CB with a Wilson 1000 antenna. The four-speed automatic tranny is visible and up to the task of power allocation.

Mechanic Gregg McNair says his bionic ’87 Jeep Cherokee is the result of a quest for a weekend activity. With its custom-made front suspension and numerous other McNair originals, the retailored Cherokee aptly illustrates the notion of do-it-yourself assembly. The Cherokee retains some stock parts, but any troglodyte will quickly realize that the brutish nature of McNair’s McNasty wasn’t created entirely by Chrysler.

The menu of McNair-made parts includes chrome-moly fully adjustable control arms and an adjustable track bar for the front suspension and front fiberglass fenders. The suspension was helped by the addition of 5-inch coil springs. For those considering a similar project, Gregg suggests looking for Cherokees with Dana 44 rears and to expect the process to take a substantial chunk of time. The year-long gestation period included broken motor and transmission mounts but also showcased Gregg’s welder-by-trade ability to fabricate his own parts.

As for the broken engine mount, Gregg made his own urethane version and, with the help of an adapter, used a Chevy urethane transmission mount. Front fiberglass fenders gave instant tire clearance for added dexterity over the rough stuff.