January 2011 Jeep Shots

Sneaky Chad
It all started when Chad Ronzano of Santa Cruz, California, sent in some tech questions about a MJ he was looking at buying as his first car. After he finally got one with help of his dad (Mike), he decided to submit his dad's '83 CJ-5 for Jeep Shots without Mike knowing. Mike's CJ-5 is still running the 4.2L inline-six, but is bolted to a T-18 transmission and Dana 300 T-case. The front Dana 30 and rear AMC 20 are still there, but both are now stuffed with 4.11 gears. The rear also benefits from a Detroit Locker and Moser axleshafts. A 2 1/2-inch Rancho lift provides plenty of clearance for the 31x13.50R15 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws mounted on Mead Racing wheels.

Liberty-Less
Jess and Sabrina Mann of Cedar Park, Texas, took it upon themselves to send us pictures of this '01 Wrangler. They saw where we ran a KJ due to lack of pictures and were appalled. Front and rear Dana 44s both have 4.10 gears, Eaton E-lockers, and Solid differential covers. Old Man Emu long-travel shocks team with 4 inches of lift to clear 33x12.50R15 BFG Mud Terrains.

Father...
It isn't often we get two submissions written by two separate people all in the same email. But Jon and Josh Pyland of Bend, Oregon, did just that and rather than separate them we decided to run them as they were received: together. This flatfender belongs to Jon (the elder of the duo), but was built by both of them. It all started with a custom frame. Then the body was lengthened 6 inches in the passenger area and the bed was shortened 6 inches. A 4.3L Vortec V-6 passes power to a 700R4 and a STAK-flipped Dana 300. Inside, the rollcage is completely custom as is the dash with new gauges. MasterCraft thrones make for a comfortable ride. Front and rear Dana 44s with 5.38 gears put power to the ground through 35-inch BFG Krawlers.

... and Son
Josh (the younger of the two) just turned 18 and bought this Cherokee for $800. In another father-son project, they took six months to tear it down and sell the stock parts to help fund the project. While the stock engine got put back in, it was bolted to a Turbo 350 and NP231. The front Dana 44 and rear Ford 9-inch both spin 5.13 gears and Detroit Lockers. The suspension is a custom Jon-design with front TJ coils and accompanied by Fox 2.0 shocks all around. The BFG KM2 tires are glued to the custom reinforced rims. Electric Grand Cherokee seats provide all the comfort Josh could want out of this rock-crawling grocery-getter.

YJS6
As we usually do, we looked through Dan Hertel's submitted pictures before actually reading the form. This Whitehall, Michigan, resident had a cool roost shot of his '95 Wrangler in the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, but it was way too small to run. While looking at the other pictures, we wondered how he got the six-cylinder to roost so well. Then we read the spec sheet and saw the '02 Corvette 5.7L LS6 in the engine category. Backing the 405hp engine up is a 4L65E and NP241 T-case that hand power off to front and rear Dana 44s. Both axles benefit from 4.88 gears with an OX locker in the rear and an Auburn limited slip up front. The 4-inch lift provides plenty of clearance for the 35-inch BFG Mud Terrain Tires.

Whistling Dixie
Jason Faulhaber is an Illinois native and owns a '92 Cherokee and hails from the town of Des Plaines. A 4.6L stroker hands off power to the stock AX-15 and NP231. The front axle is the stock Dana 30 while the rear Dana 44 was swapped in out of an '89 Cherokee. Both axles were stuffed with 4.56 gears with the rear benefitting from a Detroit Locker as well. The 33x12.5R15 Goodyear MT/Rs don't eat the fenders due to about 6 1/2 inches of lift. All the good things like rock sliders, an ARB snorkel, and a heavy-duty front bumper are present, but Jason's favorite mod is the 118dB "Whistling Dixie" horn.

Little Paws
This '04 Liberty Limited belongs to Jackie Blasiman of New Waterford, Ohio. This is actually the second Lilpaws, as the original was totaled last year. Lilpaws is what the custom license plate reads, and from the relatively small BFG Long Trails and moderate 2-inch lift, the name fits. The Mopar front bumper and Renegade light rack were Blasiman add-ons and she tells us that they are like little tanks on the road. As with all true Jeepers, this Jeep isn't done yet either, with more modifications to come.

Big Bird
This tricked-out '08 Wrangler X Unlimited is Cliff Saylor's pride and joy. Cliff hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico, but this picture was taken in Ouray, Colorado. The front Dana 30 and rear Dana 44 both got 4.88 gears and ARB differential covers. Out back the stock limited slip is all that is being covered, but up front an ARB Air Locker is protected. The front Pure Jeep bumper has a Warn XD9000I winch always looking over it with four PIAA lights keeping guard. The rear bumper/tire carrier is a M.O.R.E. unit that swings open with the tailgate and holds a Hi-Lift. Two more PIAA lights are mounted to the windshield and inside there is a Tuffy underseat drawer, cargo enclosure and a CB radio. Lift comes from a 1-inch Daystar body lift and a 4 1/2-inch AEV Premium kit. The Jeep rolls on a set of 39-inch Super Swamper Irok Radials.