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I've been a subscriber for many years now and have had the pleasure of my Comanche gracing your pages (May '07, Hawaiian MJ). I just wanna say thanks for a great magazine. I have learned a lot about Jeeps just from reading your magazine and at the end of each installment I find myself anticipating the next issue, which always seems like an eternity to arrive. I especially like Project JR; I'm excited to see what's in store next for it. I liked the buildup of the front axle "Project JR 2.0" (July '10) and the approach towards keeping XJ outers. How about something a little more down to earth-not everybody is going to whip out the credit card and spend $5,000 on a custom axle. I am currently in the process of narrowing a Ford high-pinion 44 to swap out my 30 in my Comanche, and I speak for many when I say how about a junkyard budget 44 build that is more realistic for the common Jeeper. I'm sure you guys could shed some bright light on a build like that as well as give us a lot of tips and tricks to make our swap go a little smoother. How about throwing in a few more MJ-specific tech articles and stories, too. Thanks again for a great mag!
Andrew Mattos
Las Vegas, NV
To tell you the truth, we have done several junkyard front axle upgrades for late model Jeeps in the past, including the story of how to narrow a Ford high-pinion Dana 44 to fit in a later model Jeep. We used an YJ for that particular story, but the process is similar. Go to jpmagazine.com and search "Homebuilt High Pinion Dana 44," "Junkyard Built Dana 44 Part I and II," and "Perfect 30." These are only a few of the junkyard front axle options we have covered.
Nostalgia
Here I am, staring at the CJ-7 that my dad, my brothers, and I built together. Sure, there have been many Jeeps in our lives, but this one personifies us. It is a Jeep that we all united to rebuild after a terrible accident, one which left my father in immense pain (broken back in nine places). I traded my '07 JK to my father just to obtain this vehicle which means so much to me. My friends gave me a tirade of complaints as they saw my new state-of-the-art Jeep leave. My coworkers asked why I now rode the bus to work as I worked on this Jeep. The answer that I gave could not ring properly with any of them.
This Jeep was my father's Jeep; it is the definitive Jeep that caused me to love Jeeps immensely. Jeep is not just a vehicle but an identity. Why is that? It's because the most treasured moments with my father and brothers have been in a Jeep. Not just any Jeep, though-this Jeep! I've owned many of the models Jeep has produced-hell, I've even driven Scouts. But this Jeep embodies the times that my family and I have had. The times in deer camp finding the ultimate catch, and driving to school eating the best of maple bars available in Orem, Utah. But what the Jeep means most to me is that it connects me, my father, and my brothers. No one could define or regulate where or what we were going to do in our Jeep. It was because of these experiences that I came to realize that to have a Jeep is to enjoy freedom. Not just to make our own decisions, but to live them.
My grandfather was a Jeep mechanic in WWII, and I think he became a dealer thereafter because of this very realization. Jeep is not just a piece of machinery, but an expression of what we all need-connection, freedom, and the ability to make our own path. With all of this in mind, I say to you: Make your Jeep your own, respecting the long line of great Americans that it has come from. In my case, it is my father and grandfather. Jeep is more than a vehicle or a way of life. It is our heritage as Americans. Enzo Ferrari once called it the only "true American sports car." Let's not forget that. Not because of its speed or prowess, but because it offered us a glimpse of what it's really like to be free. Jeep is not a lifestyle but a goal in life. The pursuit of happiness begins with a Jeep!
Dallin Erickson
Orem, UT