Betelgeuse
Walter Savinovich from some unnamed town in California calls his '06 Wrangler "Betelgeuse," but we have no idea why. It has a 2.4L four-cylinder with a six-speed manual transmission, a ProComp 2-inch suspension lift with JKS Quick disconnects, and 31-inch ProComp Xtreme ATs. Body Armor front and rear bumpers couple with Body Armor side rails for full perimeter protection. An Air Raid intake system and MagnaFlow muffler help the squirrels breath easier, and a Cobra Classic 25 CB is on hand for when the Smittybilt RX8000 winch can't get Walter out of trouble.
Real Woody
This '84 Grand Wagoneer belongs to Joe Kulik and he has quite the way with wood. He peeled off all the stock vinyl junk and then laminated real oak veneer to the doors, stained a flame pattern into the wood, and coated it with polyurethane. To back up the flames, the AMC 360 got a swapped-in four-barrel carburetor, headers and dual pipes. As for the picture in front of the building, while it is normally against our policy, we like the weather-beaten building as a backdrop for a clean-looking FSJ.
Sweet Six
Normally we won't run a shot of a Jeep in the backyard. But this shot was taken right after Scott Conrad of Seffner, Florida, finished a two-year rebuild of the M-416 trailer and '74 CJ-6. Both had the bodies yanked off the frames, with the CJ-6 getting a new body, tailgate, and windshield frame from Willys-Overland. The Jeep frame was coated with POR-15 and the trailer frame coated with black powdercoat before being put back together. They are finished in Chili Pepper red paint. The CJ-6 runs an AMC 304, T-18, and Dana 20 T-case that send power down to a front Dana 30 and rear Dana 44. We could go on, but suffice to say everything has been gone through and we are glad that Scott wanted to send a picture as soon as he had one.
Golden Monkey
When Jeep announced the Golden Eagle edition TJ many people were flinging poo at it like incensed monkeys. Think of Daisy Duke and her Jeep, then take away Daisy and the huge eagle on the hood, and what do you have? This '06 Wrangler Golden Eagle Edition might just be the first one we've seen that we think is cool. Of course, it is more due to the 4-inch lift, 33x12.50-15 Interco TrXus tires on steel rims, and front and rear Warn bumpers than to any sticker package. It doesn't hurt that Niko Kallianiotis of Scranton, Pennsylvania, got a good shot of actually using the Jeep, either.
Late Model Scrambler
The '04-'06 Unlimited Wrangler is going to be our kid's Scrambler. The limited production is going to force prices up in the years to come, and for the time being we are just happy to see people treating them like real Jeeps, not show pieces. This '04 model was sent in by Marc Weedop of Burley, Idaho, and he raided the Teraflex catalog to build it. A 6-inch LCG Pro-Max lift kit with front and rear shorty bumpers, gas tank skid, Belly Up, transmission, and oil pan skids (all from Teraflex) take this Jeep further than it could ever go while stock. Front and rear Dana 44 axles are stuffed with 5.13 gears with an ARB Air Locker up front and a Detroit Locker in the rear.
Grand Rockin'
This '97 Grand Cherokee was submitted by Richard Ting all the way from Pasadena, California, and has a spec sheet half a mile long. This is one cool ZJ. From the long-arm 61/2-inch Rubicon Express lift kit, to the swapped-in 4.88 gears that came with the Dynatrac HD44 front axle and ProRock 60 rear axle, it can go anywhere. Swaybars have been swapped out, too, with an Offroad Only SwayLoc in the front and a Currie Antirock in the rear. An ARB front bumper and Kevin's Offroad rear bumper with tire carrier provide front and rear protection.
Hand-Me-Down
It isn't every day we hear of someone getting a hand-me-down Jeep. Even less frequent is a hand-me-down from a father-in-law. This '57 CJ-6 was handed off to John Wittman of Wickenburg, Arizona, who then ransacked an '82 Chevy for running gear. A 305 V-8, 700R4 (not from the '82), NP208, and a Dana 44 front and 10-bolt rear all found their way underneath. Jeep Wrangler springs in a spring-over conversion provide the elevation, while Rancho RS9000 shocks damp the Big O 33x12.50R15 tires on ProComp steel wheels.
Clean Cold CJ
After reading a full page of modifications, we were surprised to see the stock Dana 30 front axle was still in this otherwise uber-modified '84 CJ-7. The Dana 30 has a Lock-Right Locker and 4.10 gears to match the swapped-in rear Dana 44 with Lock-Right locker. Erik Bledsoe of Spokane, Washington, tells us he is building a Dana 60 front and Dana 70 rear so he can go tackle rocks without worrying about the axles. Other cool things include Holley Pro-Jection topping off a fresh rebuild on the 258 inline-six, an in-tank electric fuel pump and Gen-Right gas tank skidplate, a Warn 9000 winch on a ProComp front bumper, and Rubicon Express 11/2-inch lift reverse-eye leaf springs.
Anti-Liberty
Jay DeShetler of Sylvania, Ohio, sent us this '95 Wrangler in hopes that he wouldn't see any more shiny red Liberties in Jeep Shots. With a 350ci V-8 mated to a Turbo 350 transmission and NP205 transfer case, this is pretty far from a Liberty, much less shiny. Suspension mods include a spring over conversion on 31/2-inch lift BDS springs that provides clearance for a set of 38.5-inch tall Super Swamper Boggers. The swapped-in front Dana 44 sports 5.38 gears and a Detroit Locker, while the rear 12-bolt has matching gears and a mini spool to get the job done and hold up just fine in the mud.
Take Two
This '09 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is the second Rubicon that John Rugge of Rochester, Michigan, has owned. He likes the added room that the 4-doors offer and while the stock engine, transmission, and transfer case are still there, he hasn't left it entirely alone. A 3-inch Rancho lift clears a set of 35x12.50R17 BFG KM2s on 17x9 MKW wheels. Front and rear Warn Rock Crawler bumpers are a step up from stock, with the front bumper sporting a Warn XD9000i winch and KC Blue Halogen Slimlites. The stock gears and lockers still reside in the front and rear Dana 44 axles, and John says they do just fine to get him through the rough stuff.
Swimmer
David Cantrell from some unspecified town in Ohio sent in some pictures of his '78 CJ-7 that he flogs frequently. It features an AMC 360, Turbo 400, and Quadra-Trac transfer case. David then replaced the Flintstone-esque body with a YJ tub he had laying around, added some cheap stock replacement axles, a set of 35-inch tires, 2-inch lift shackles, and the 2-inch Skyjacker springs that the axles were attached to. He takes the Jeep out almost every weekend for action as shown here, beats it, takes it home, replaces the fluids, and then beats it again the next weekend. He says if you can keep the engine running, there is no water too deep-it will swim.
Send us your Jeep Shots! Include at least a 3-megapixel photo, your name, and information about your Jeep. Send 'em to Jp magazine, Jeep Shots, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, or e-mail 'em to pete.trasborg@jpmagazine.com