Sunshine Coast
It is so easy to make kangaroo cracks, to talk about how Australians are Down Under or how they drive on the wrong side of the road. But when we got the submission from Casey Stuart, we couldn't get over that he actually lives in a place called Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It sure sounds to us like this '97 TJ got the perfect place to call home. As you might expect, ARB Air Lockers handle the front and rear locking duties, while 4.56 gears help turn the 35-inch Baja Claws and a 4-inch Pro Comp lift coupled with a 2-inch body lift provide plenty of elevation.
Not A Barney Jeep
We had all kinds of lovey-dovey purple dinosaur jokes ready for this entry. How can you not notice the bright purple? However, Dave Fellman of Grafton, North Dakota, went on to tell us that this color is Navistar Truck Purple and the Jeep was shot that color after a full restoration. Everything was returned to '83 CJ-7 stock. The four-cylinder, four-speed manual transmission, Dana 300 transfer case, front Dana 30, and rear AMC 20 were all gone through and brought right back to how they were when new. The only deviation from the way this Jeep rolled off the line in '83 is the big-rig purple, and how can you make fun of that?
Blue Sea Eight
This really clean '85 CJ-8 started off in Maryland, but obviously isn't there now. This picture was taken on the island of Kauai by its new owner, Mark Guthrie. Since moving to Kekaha, Hawaii, this Scrambler's 258ci engine has received a bunch of custom machining, aluminum pistons, a billet crank, a Melling oil pump, a Clifford intake and header, and custom 21/2-inch stainless steel dual exhaust breathing through Flowmaster mufflers, and is reported to put out close to 300 hp. A custom 21/2-inch lift provides clearance for those days when the steel rims and sand tires are put on to prove the power out at the sand drags.
Simply Square
We think we might be getting our chain yanked all the way from Drummond, Oklahoma. The tech sheet sent in with this '95 Wrangler claims the owner's name is Tommie Longest. If that doesn't sound like an adult film star, we don't know what does. Tommie added 4.11 gears to the front Dana 30, swapped in a like-geared Ford 8.8 with disc brakes in the rear, and used an Advance Adapters slip-yoke eliminator and 35x14.50-15LT Super Swamper Boggers to round out the six-cylinder-powered Jeep. From the looks of things, that I-6 sure does get him around.
The Magazine Is Now Perfect
We get a lot of readers writing in to complain about our antics... it isn't too often that one writes in and tells us the magazine is great and only missing one thing: their Jeep. So read the letter from John L. Simon of Saugatuck, Michigan. He sent us a picture of his '03 Rubicon with the 4.0L, automatic transmission, and NV241OR transfer case. The Jeep was modified with a 41/2-inch BDS suspension lift, 35-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claws, a Warn 9000i winch, and a Currie Enterprises Currectlync steering upgrade. Now that we've run John's Jeep, with nothing else missing, the magazine must now be perfect.
Mighty Mite
Jon Thomas of Douglasville, Georgia, sent us this picture that we almost didn't run. On first glance, it would appear he was stuck and gunning it in reverse to get out of whatever hole he was in. Then we saw the mud river coming out from under the hood and could only imagine how deep this '93 Wrangler was. It has the mighty four-cylinder engine, five-speed and NP231 with 2-inch Superlift springs and a 2-inch body lift clearing 33-inch Wild Country MTs wrapped around some American Racing Baja Rims. The rear axle is a swapped in Ford 8.8 and both the Dana 30 front and rear axle got 4.88 gears.
Power Wagon Killer
With 8-inches of Skyjacker supplied lift, 1-inch spring spacers we wouldn't poke fun at Kevin Hopman for owning a Jeep. However, his buddy with a '74 Dodge Power Wagon did, leading to snow-covered hill climb shootout, a Jeep at the top, and busted Power Wagon front axle. This Newberg, Oregon, resident's '04 TJ also has a Tera Low in the NV231, 4.56 gears in the front Dana 30 with an EZ Locker and Detroit Locker in the rear Dana 44 with matching gears, and Alloy USA axleshafts. Goodyear MT/R tires in a 35x12.50R15 size and 15x10 Cragar Soft 8s round out the Jeep build.