May 2011 Jeep Shots

Grandstanding
This $450 '96 Grand Cherokee is Kevin Bess' first Jeep. Kevin hails from Edgewater, Florida, but this picture was taken at a place called Bar Pits. The 4.0L has 210,000 miles on it and Kevin had to replace the 42RE automatic transmission, rear differential bearings, headlights, grille, and grille support. Transfer case duties fall to an NP242 and while it is seen here at stock height, by the time you read this it should have about 4 inches of lift on it thanks to some V-8 Grand Cherokee and Ford F150 coils.

Parajeeps
This father-and-son pair of CJ-7s belongs to Mike (father) and Ian (son) Galland of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The white and blue CJ-7 on the left is an '81 and belongs to pops. It has a 258ci inline-six coupled to a T-19 transmission and Dana 300 T-case. The front Dana 30 and rear AMC 20 got 4.10 gears and Detroit Lockers. The silver and black '86 on the right is Ian's Jeep. It also has the 258ci engine, but runs an Electromotive JFI fuel injection system and is bolted to a T-5 transmission and Dana 300. It, too, got Detroit Lockers front and rear, but spins 4.56 gears. Both Jeeps run 4 inches of lift and 33x12.50R15 BFG ATs.

20-Year Itch
Kyle Wilson of Grand Junction, Colorado, gets to take his '99 Cherokee Sport to Moab, Utah, a couple of times a year. We'd love to live close enough to do that. The 4.0L engine has an aFe intake and a throttle body spacer to liven it up but the AW4 and NP231 were left alone. A 41/2-inch Rough Country lift with short arms up front and a new leaf pack out back pave the way for the 32x10.50R15 BFG Mud Terrain tires on a set of Cragar Soft 8s. The factory front Dana 30 and rear Chrysler 8.25 axles are still putting power to the ground through the factory 3.55 gears. Kyle's goal is to be able to drive the Jeep to whatever trail he wants and then drive it back home again. He figures in about 20 years he'll have attained that goal, but we know no Jeep is ever truly done.

Renegade Lovin'
This '92 Renegade belongs to Chris Meachum of Panama City Beach, Florida, and he tells us that the flares will stay on it until some trail obstacle or tire rips them off. The tires are 33x12.50R15 Dick Cepek Crushers under a 4-inch Rough Country lift. Smittybilt provided front and rear bumpers and the heavy-duty steering is from Rugged Ridge. M.O.R.E. Bombproof motor mounts locate the 4.0L inline-six, a Hi-Lift jack is on-hand for recovery, and a CB radio putting out through a 3-foot Firestick is used for help if recovery fails.

Big Dog
Chris Dick of Virginia, is one of our diehard fans and his '92 Wrangler is sprung-over to clear a set of 35x14.50 Super Swampers. At that elevation, a slip yoke eliminator and CV driveshaft are both needed and in attendance. Otherwise, the 4.0L, AX15, and NP231 are all in unmolested factory condition. A Warn winch sits on the front bumper and Chris tells us he can still hit 75 mph on the way to or from whatever trail he chose to run that day. This photo was taken at the Big Dog Off Road event.

Tiki Bar
You've heard of barn finds, well this '73 CJ-5 was an outdoor find. It sat outside for 19 years before Scott Atwood rescued it from its Alpine, California, purgatory. He wasn't sure about the specifics of it, but tells us he's got $300 into the engine, he put new seats in it, and extended the dual exhaust to the rear. From the dual exhaust comment and the little badge on the fender, we figure it is running the AMC 304 V-8, T-15 three-speed transmission, Dana 20 T-case, and drum-brake-equipped Dana 30 front and Dana 44 rear axle. The picture is taken in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, over Thanksgiving break 2010.

New Year's Day
On New Year's Day we were recovering from the huge Jp magazine New Year's Eve bash at which we partied like magazine editors with all the models from our sister street magazines. Well, Forrest Jeske of Wheat Ridge, decided it would be a good day to submit his '69 CJ-5 for Jeep Shots. It has the stock 225ci V-6, three-speed manual transmission, and a Dana 18 stuffed with a Tera Low kit. The stock Dana 27 front axle and Dana 44 rear are moved further from the frame thanks to some 4-inch-lift YJ springs, and it rolls on 33x12.50R15 BFG Mud Terrains. Forrest tells us there is no power steering, no power brakes, just a good old Jeep that his son loves.

Wheelie-man
Jake Erickson of Orem, Utah, sent us a ton of pictures of his '93 Cherokee to choose from. Unfortunately, the photographer must have been excited when later up this climb Jake had both front tires off the ground and looked to still be going up. The photo was out of focus. The Jeep has about 6 inches of lift thanks to Rubicon Express drop brackets and Skyjacker coils in the front. Out back, a set of 41/2-inch Teraflex springs couple with lift shackles to clear the current 33x12.50s but Jake is saving up for some 35s. The front axle is the stock high-pinion Dana 30 and out back is a Dana 44 swiped from an '87 XJ. The front axle got 4.11 gears and a limited slip while the rear benefits from 4.09s and a Spartan lunchbox locker.

Jeeperarri?
We are not sure why Paul Szabo's '06 Unlimited is named Jeeperarri because he doesn't mention anything about a Ferrari engine in the Jeep. However, all of the images he sent are titled "Jeeperarri xyz." He does tell us it has a Borla header and exhaust system, an automatic transmission and the Rubicon (NV241OR) T-case. This Newport News, Virginia, resident also tells us it took a 31/2-inch Rubicon Express lift to clear the 265/75R16 BFG All Terrain tires. Bulletproof bumpers front and rear along with an oil pan skid, steering box skid, and aftermarket transmission skid provide protection with no weekly shakedown payments. A Warn M8000 on the front bumper provides extraction when needed.