Cappa sent me this, and since he was so busy doing work on my flattie, I thought I'd share.

 Really cool picture, IMO.

came from here:

http://forums.motivemag.com/zerothread?id=4652937

Got the body off of the new CJ-2A yesterday. It wasn't all that hard since it wasn’t even bolted on.

 I'm really pretty happy  with my new flattie's frame. It only has some minor rust spots. It still has the original hitch and both front and rear factory bumpers even!

So I winched my new pile up on the trailer with a cordless Warn Pullz-All. It makes pretty quick work of loading non-running Jeeps on a trailer.

I got flattie #2 home and gave it the once over. The body is garbage. Someone made all kinds of hack rust repairs. But the frame is actually in really good shape. There are a couple rusty holes but nothing too bad that can't be easily repaired. No major cracks or crash damage either. Good thing since flattie #1 has a nasty frame that has rust and hacky-butch repairs. Flatty #1 has a halfway decent body but I'm hoping to find a better one at some point.

 Both flattie #1 and #2 have Dana 41 rear axles with two-piece axles. Bummer. Both also have what appear to be operational Dana 25 front axles. Flattie #1 has a running L-head engine, good T-90 tranny and Spicer 18 T-case. Flattie #2 has no engine, tranny or T-case.

Anyway, looks like this is my next project since every other Jeep I have is done and running.

 Actually it's Trasborg's flattie that he just snagged for free two nights ago. Now I'm cleaning it out of his yard before the land lord finds out he has it. Oh, and it's free! I'm on my way to get it this morning. Junk Jeeps are like STDs around here. Sometimes you get them and never even know it.

 I figure between the two piles of rolling parts Jeep that I'll now have I should be able to put one good running flatfender together! Not sure if I'll write much about it in the magazine pages unless there is some interest in a story about turning two into one. What's good, what's bad, what to look for in old Jeeps like these and so on. Lemme know what you think!

If someone knocks on your door and asks for help moving a dilapidated CJ-7 that doesn't run, be careful, you might end up with a free flatfender.

 I don't know when to say when, everyone knows that.

I also have a soft spot for flatties.

Especially CJ2A's.

So, dragging a CJ-7 across town, and then a tow-strap loan for a Hyundai drag led to a free flattie, as only I seem to be able to do.

So here I am sometime after midnight, the proud owner (until daylight maybe) of a free CJ2A. I'll tell you guys the whole story in the morning... if you care. but here's a couple pics of the Jeep.

Oh, and picking a Jeep up from a friends place in the woods and delivering to my house with a boom truck is a great time.

 So we're all moved into our new offices err...cubes, in El Segundo California. It went way smoother than I anticipated. My computer was up and running in minuets just as usual. A few of the guys in the building were having troubles with computers but for the most part it was pain free and we were up and running by lunch time.

 Anyway, here's what the new cube town looks like. I was lucky enough to be put in an office. Sure it has no windows and it resembles a broom closet, but it has a door and four full walls so I can lock out the cubical riff-raff and get some work done. Good news is I think it makes the perfect panic room in the event of a zombie attack. I'm sure I could hold them off for days from in here!

A couple months ago I had some spare time and tubing so I bent up and tack-welded a pair of rocker guards together for my '73 J2000. The main tube and supports are 1 3/4-inch .120-wall DOM and the add-on bars are 1 1/2-inch .120-wall DOM. Yesterday I dusted them off and finished welding them. They are very similar to the rockers I've put on some of my other FSJs (The Panel and Hot Dog). If you search jpmagazine.com you can find 'em. I'll probably add a few gussets and possibly one more support tube in the middle.

Anyway, I figured I'd put them on the truck since there was still plenty of light out. Problem was the truck is too tall to fit in the garage. No biggie, I did it outside. I used three jack stands to position the rockers while I welded legs from the frame out. Today it's way too windy to be MIG welding, so my truck has one rocker guard, at least till the wind dies down. Come to think of it, maybe I'll go test out that cordless flux-core Hobart welder that just came in...

Lots of times you can't just buy a winch mount for your early Jeep - especially if you've got a power steering box mounted on the framerail. But if you've got some tubing, a welder, and a little skill you can build one that'll work in no time.

I've used this design on a few Jeeps I've built and it's worked well. First, here's my '53 flattie's mount for its Ramsey 9500. The front and rear crossmembers are custom 0.120-wall rectangular and tubular steel. For the flattie, I went a bit overkill and sleeved some 1.5-inch, 0.120-wall into some 1.75-inch, 0.120-wall DOM. Granted, 1/4-inch wall is overkill, but it's been a comfort on gnarly winches like up Moab's Upper Helldorado waterfall and others. Instead of building a winch plate, I just pierced the tubing to run sections of heavy-wall tubing through. The photos are self-explainetory.

For my old CJ-6, Project Hatari!, I did something similar. I first welded in a 0.120-wall tube between the front framerails that would still allow the channel front bumper to mount up cleanly. Then I ran more 0.120-wall tubes from the stock crossmember and finished it off with a 1/4-inch plate drilled to accept the narrow Warn 6500 Short Drum Portable winch I used on that vehicle. Worked like a charm.

 I took my never-ending Juggy project to the Glamis dunes over the weekend. After 6-7 years of working on it (very slowly) was it worth it? You bet. I've never owned anything with that much horsepower. It scoots!

 Of course, as with any first-time-out Jeep there were a few hiccups. I have a small fuel leak coming from a fitting on the fuel pump, a minor tranny leak at a cooler fitting, a couple bolts were loose, and it overheats a little. I'll head back to the garage and get this stuff figured out pretty quickly.

Although the cooling problem has me a little confused. I'm running a Camaro radiator (designed for a V-8) and I burped all the air out of the system. It doesn't appear to be an airflow problem, it seems like a water flow problem. Even though it's new I'm still pointing my finger at the thermostat. And if that's not it, 4-core radiator here I come.

Another long-term product review for ya. I've been a dedicated Powertank user for over 10-years. There's a reason.

In my opinion, Powertank simply offers the best portable onboard air option out there - period. The regulators don't ice up and slow down with extended use like some cheaper units may. And Advanced Air Systems, the company that makes Powertank, is continually innovating and coming up with cool ideas, from different tank sizes, regulator and mounting options, hoses, accessories, you name it.

At the moment I've got four Powertanks. Two 10-lb bottles and two 5-lb bottles. The 5-lb is a perfect fit in my tight flattie. I have it mounted horizontally on the rear fenderwell inside a sweet, lightweight aluminum bracket by Advanced Air Systems. Although no CO2 tank works when horizontal, the bracket offers easy-access so I can pull out the Powertank to use it. It gives me enough juice to air up several tires and the regulator is teeeny and the other 5-lb bottle is small enough to toss in the tow rig as a backup, although I've never run through the full 5-lbs with normal trail use.

The two 10-lb bottles come along in my larger vehicles. I've got a rollbar-mounted bracket in my M-715 behind the rear seats that takes one 10-lb bottle. I'll usually toss the other in the tow rig or in the back of the YJ if I need to air up for a long drive after a trail ride.

Although their limited CO2 supply still doesn't make them a replacement for a dedicated onboard air compressor if extended air tool use or airing up a fleet of tires is in your playbook, in the decade-plus that I've been using Powertanks as a hardcore off-roader, I've never been left wanting. There's an amazing amount of energy inside even the 10-lb bottles and thanks to the company's stellar regulator systems which have never failed on me, you'll never be unable to access it.

Check 'em out at www.powertank.com

Instead of fabricating or photographing something cool today I played mechanic and tackled a bunch of much-needed maintenance on a few of the project Jeeps.

'53 DJ-3A Flattie: It's been having some engine issues for about a year including an intermittent hard-start problem, a low-rpm stumble, and fouled spark plugs. I finally got it diagnosed to what I think is the Crank Position Sensor, so I tossed a new one in today along with a fresh set of plugs and then changed the oil and filter for good measure. Time will tell if it's the cure. I also installed a fuel shut-off valve at the fuel cell so I can remove the pre-filter for cleaning without dumping 5 gallons of fuel all over myself. The pre-filter gets clogged every-so-often. Normally it happens at Glamis and really limits my full-throttle fun. Now I'll be able to easily clean the filter in the field.

M-715: I removed the fuel tank and dropped it off at a local radiator shop that specializes in hot rods. They'll clean it of all the internal rust and then apply a sealer to prevent any future rusting. Once I get it back, I can install the AN bulkhead fittings needed for when I swap to fuel injection later next week.

'89 YJ: Apparently somebody stole all the smog equipment off my YJ one dark night. At least that's my hypothesis of how the cat, EGR, evap system, and miles of vacuum lines went missing. But without all that smog stuff, the speed-density injection runs a little rich and you notice it inside with the rear window rolled up. I removed the coil from the ignition controle module and cleaned up all the connections. I checked the resistance of the stock plug wires and replaced one that was too high. I also replaced the plugs with some that have a higher heat range and put a Performance Distributors low-resistance wire from the coil to the distributor. I also ditched the factory air box and used a piece of driveshaft tubing to mate an old K&N filter to the factory airbox-to-throttle body hose. It's a poor-man's hop-up for sure, but it does pull a bit harder through the gears and the exhaust gasses don't seem to be as rich and frothy. I changed the oil just because.

'48 Willys Murderous Overkill: I glanced at it slightly. That's about it. Whadya want: It was a full day.

Another long-term product review for ya. I've been kicking these JP Cooler soft-sided coolers around for a couple years. For me, they're a zero-to-hero product.

I gotta admit when I first heard about the JP Cooler soft-sided Jeep-specific coolers I though it was sort of a goofy idea. I mean, why would you buy a cooler designed to fit in the space behind the rear seat of a Wrangler or early Jeep? Well, after nabbing a pair and using them everywhere from on the trail in the Jeeps to at the river on the boat, I'm sold.

I originally got two JP Coolers: a 56-quart black one and a 28-quart red one. The soft-sided coolers are narrow enough to slip right between the front seats of a Wrangler or, naturally, in the cargo area behind the rear seat. Other colors are available, but I like the red one best for a couple reasons. First, although the black one doesn't show dirt as easily, it really soaks up the heat of the sun. The ice seems to last a bit longer in the red one. Second, the 28-quart size of the red one makes it more practical for everyday use. Toss some ice and drinks inside and it comes along with you easily. The 56-quart version is really better-suited to just getting strapped down in the back of your Jeep and staying put for your trail ride. I've found I use the 56-quart more as a trunk than a cooler. I'll toss the kid's spare jackets and clothes on one side of the divided compartent of the 56-quart unit and dry snacks and sandwiches in the other. I use the red one more as a real cooler for cold drinks, etc.

As for performance, I think of them really more of a day-pack than an expeditionary cooler. You wouldn't want to rely on them to keep your stuff cold for a wheeling trip more than a couple days. For 3 or 4 days over the Rubicon I'll use my ARB Fridge Freezer or a Coleman Xtreme cooler. In the JP Cooler, I've found that if I use regular cubed ice, most of it's gone by the end of a 90-degree day, which is fine. If I switched to block ice and if the kids weren't constantly opening it to grab drinks and snacks the ice would, of course, last longer.

The grab handles on the top and sides are really sturdy and act as a good tie-down point and the nylon canvas of the exterior is extremely durable. There's an outside zipper that's good for tossing stuff inside for safe keeping and the bungee-type webbing on top is really handy for holding stuff like sweatshirts or Jp Magazine plates when out on the trail.

I've used the 28-quart cooler probably 10-times for every 1-time I've used the 56-quart, but that's just me. If I had it to do over again, I'd order two or three 28-quart coolers instead of the one 56-quart. That way I could throw one cooler in the rear cargo area and still have floor space for my winch bag and/or tool kit. The second cooler would be a good fit between the front seats since I don't run a center console in my YJ.

Check 'em at www.jpcooler.com

 Jeep recently revealed the name of it's next new model via the U.S. Patent Office. Keep an eye out for the Jeep Mojave in the coming years.

 Is it a Wrangler derivative or an entirely new Jeep? At this point your guess is as good as ours. In the past the Mojave badge was used for a concept vehicle put together in a joint effort by AEV and the Chrysler Underground team. You can find more info about it HERE. But what we do know is that the Wrangler is considered the anchor of the Jeep brand and that its product reach will be extended, likely by derivatives. Could that mean a Wrangler pickup version in the future, or an SRT version? Maybe. But as fact the Wrangler is said to get a major interior change for 2010 and a major powertrain change in late 2010. Plus there are apparently Wrangler special vehicles (such as the 70th anniversary) planed for the future. We'll keep you posted.

Am I running out of blog ideas? Not really, but I test a huge number of aftermarket products every year. Now, here in the blogs I'll start sharing some long-term updates of the ones I really like.

To kick things off, here is the Summit Racing 50/51 wheels my little '89 YJ has been wearing for about the past year. I flat-out love the looks of these wheels on my Wrangler. I can't imagine a better looking set of rims for this rig. Quality-wise, they're still resisting staining, chalking, and brake dust.

The lug nuts are semi-recessed, so you don't need a special thin-wall socket as long as you're not using open, stock-type nuts. The factory closed acorn-style lugs stick out enough to use a thick impact socket.

I've given them some rock rash right around the bead surface, but otherwise they're surviving well. The valvestem location is good for off-roading, too since they're easy to get at for airing down, but not so far out that trail hazzards can grab and rip them.

I originally envisioned larger tires for my little YJ and thought I'd swap out the 15x8-size wheels I'm running with my 31x11.50 Swampers for a set of 15x10s, but since I'm beginning to quesion the need for larger tires on this little four-cylinder vehicle, it's looking like the 15x8s are here to stay.

Check 'em out at www.summitracing.com

 A friend in the industry recently pointed out some news  he read at about Chrysler's 5-year plan. It reads:

“Engines: Fiat technologies, including smaller turbo engines, MultiAir, start/stop systems, and direct injection will be added rapidly. The World Engines (2.0 and 2.4 liters) will gain MultiAir and direct injection, as will the Pentastar V6. Fiat’s dual-clutch transmission will be used by Chrysler. Pentastar V6 will launch in the second quarter of 2010. A twin turbo version of the Pentastar V6 will be launched as will a single-turbo version. V8 efficiency will be increased. Start-stop (engine shutoff at idle) will be applied to the Jeep Wrangler diesel starting Q4 2010 — which indicates there will be a Wrangler diesel — and will be moved to other engines afterwards. A new 6.4 liter Hemi will join the 5.7 liter Hemi with around 450 hp. Chrysler estimates that V6 engines will drop from 54% to 37% of product mix by 2014 with four-cylinders going from 19% to 38% and diesel from 9% to 14% (V8 from 18% to 11%). Cummins diesels appear to be staying.”

Don't get all fired up just yet. It could be referring to the diesel Wrangler currently available overseas. Although predicted future diesel numbers appear to be up and most of our sources point to a diesel Wrangler in the U.S. by the fourth quarter in 2010. The four- and six-cylinder numbers are just as interesting as is the turbo V-6 and larger more-powerful Hemi V-8.

Have we finally crossed the line?

If you flip to the back of the November 2009 issue of Jp Magazine you'll see Sideways - Jeep Chix Edition. Now this is nothing new for us as we've been running Jeep Chix for years, and Jeep Chix Sideways off and on for the past six months or so. But when I opened up this months issue I had to do a double take at the amount of 'rear cleavage' one of the photos was showing.

This got me wondering, what do you guys think? Have we gone too far? Or is this perfectly acceptable for Jp Magazine?

I'll give my thought on the subject later, I want to hear yours first.

So its been a very busy month for me and I am just suprised at how the time flies. I thought it'd been a week or so since I was on here last. 

In the last month, I beat myself up over the Jeepster again. A simple engine swap turned into pulling the front clip off, swapping transmissions and t-cases, welding up holes in sheet metal, welding cast exhaust manifolds and on and on. Nothing ever goes smooth with that thing.

You've likely read the last JP with the Insane Inline 2. I'm gonna let the cat out of the bag... it ended up putting down 693hp/777lb-ft. Every time I think of it, I think "693-777" and it just brings a smile to my face. Tune in for the January issue of JP to see how we got it that far... and could have gone further if we had more time. 

A buddy of mine found a Dodge Ram with a 5.9L gas motor that I'm going to use as a tow rig, now that Grand is gone, and I can start dragging my piles all over SoCal and beyond again soon. Yeah, its a Dodge... if Jeep was still building trucks it'd have been a Jeep.

I just got back from a weekend in Wisconsin, where my buddy flew me up there, put me in one of his Jeeps, and then encouraged me to break it. It is the yellow CJ-7 at the beginning of this blog with a disconnected front driveshaft thanks to those stupid u-joint straps.

Banged out some uber-heavy-duty motor mounts today. No photos 'cause I'm not finished with the mounts, but they'll be stout enough to handle the rigors of prerunning and the 750hp/850lb-ft the 455 will spit out when I whack the Nitrous button.

I even slung the 455 between the framerails to check for fitment. Looks like it'll have plenty of clearance. To work with the suspension and to better the center of gravity when the truck is in the air, I'm gonna lay the engine back about 12 inches from where it is in these photos.

It took almost a full hour to grind nearly 62 years of rust, scale, and grime from the framerails, but now I've got a clean place to work off of. Next time I get a second I'll cut away the firewall to clear the valve covers and then work on positioning the engine where it'll finally get mounted.

Welp, for the first time in a while I laid grinder and tools to my '48 Willys Pre-Rodder buildup, Murderous Overkill.

Yesterday I started in again, cutting off the rear shackle hangers. No easy task, mind you because they were pretty well gusseted and welded. I need to grab some more abrasive discs to grind the framerails down to bare metal and order some heavy-duty poly motor mounts for the Olds big block. Then I can build a new crossmember and mount the engine and tranny.

Once that's done, I can cut off the front frame extensions, complete with spring hangers I built and then get started on the J-arms for the 2WD I-beam suspesnion this beast will sport up front. This'll be my first coilover suspension with bypass shocks, but not my first 2WD Jeep. That honor goes to my orange DJ-3A. However, on that rig I took a 2WD Jeep and made if 4WD. Overkill is going the other way. Wish me luck. I'll need it.

Several years ago I worked with my brother to put together a Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler (this is a pic of what we started with). Collins Bros. Jeep gave us access to the Texas based shop and parts yard and helped us get it running and driving from a near basket case. Since then the Jeep has undergone many modifications including a 4-inch lift with 33x12.50R15 Parnelli Jones Dirt Grip tires on aluminum wheels, fullsize spare tire, 50-state legal Mopar MPI fuel injection system, new swapped-in NV3550 five-speed transmission, clocked Dana 300 transfer case, new Tom Wood’s driveshafts, one-piece axles and Detroit Locker in rear AMC 20 axle, front Dana 30 has a Detroit Truetrac limited slip, 4.56 gears front and rear, Superwinch 9000lb winch, Zena onboard welder, Poison Spyder Customs rocker guards, TJ fender flares, new Borgeson power steering box and shaft, Sony stereo system with 10-disc changer and amplifier, blows cold A/C-converted to 134A, power locks and windows with remote, factory half-cab, new carpet.

My brother is now thinking about selling it. The Jeep runs and drives great. Needs some bodywork, paint and maybe a brake job. Some rust but not terrible. It's not originally from Michigan and it's parked in the garage (not driven) in winter. Just a few of the parts alone add up to way more than the asking price for the whole rig. Click here to check it out : '85 CJ-8

 What kind of demented individual invented points ignition?

 I've never really had to mess with them much, yeah, I know, I'm a younun. But geez, is it even possible to get them working perfectly, ever? And then right about the time you do get them to work somewhat, you leave the ignition on and fry them! Ugh. I've been fumbling with the ignition in my flat rod .Mostly because on the way home from the Off-Road Expo I stunk like unburned fuel from the exhaust of the poorly running engine (I fried the points, again). I think I got it set right now but those suckers are coming out pronto. 1970's and electronic ignition here I come. I just bought a Pertronix.  

This has been the first year in the last decade I haven't wheeled over the Rubicon.

I've gone over the Rubicon every year since 1999 at least once per year. However, the last time out left a bad taste in my mouth. The MAN closed down our right to camp lakeside with your vehicle at all the cool lakes like Spider and Loon. Now, Buck Island is the only camping you can drive to. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to park my expensive trail rig a couple hundred yards out of earshot. Then, my last trip was less than stellar. I got a little bummed at the constant helicopter ferries bringing supplies to the Springs for the Camp Jeep shindig. And around every turn we ran into "official" groups who tied up the trail and made us wait at every half-way hard rock section. Human feces and toilet paper were everywhere. And I mean everywhere - even at the water's edge at Buck Island. Then, to top it off, somebody dented the door of my tow rig with their trailer and siphoned about 10-gallons of diesel out of my tank while it was parked at the trail head at Loon Lake dam. Eh, I guess this year I just wasn't feeling the need to recreate my last trip. I hear cool things about the Dusy trail up in the Sierras. Maybe that'll be my new go-to fall outing. Regardless, here's a photo my son, Charlie took of me grabbing a pinecone to bring home to Mommy on the way out of the trail last year. Despite all the litter and waiting, it was a really special father-son trip for us. Here's hoping more folks log onto http://www.rubicontrailfoundation.org/ to see what they can do to help keep this historic trail clean, running smoothly, and most of all - open.

 Over the weekend I went to the Miramar Air Show in San Diego, California. I spotted this kinda cool jeep-like rig on display.

Apparently it's used by special forces to meander around on and infiltrate curvy goat trails. It's four-wheel-drive, runs on adjustasble independant airbag suspension (front and rear), has front and rear steering, and was powered by a small diesel engine. Not all that different in size or function when compared to an early MB or GPW. And very similar to the four-wheel-steering Ford GP you can see photos of and read about HERE. Funny how over 65 years later we've gone full circle back to a capable maneuverable Jeep-like military vehicle...only this one costs $120,000.

I wonder if I'm gonna retire as a magazine wank or if my future holds something else.

I'm not implying I'll be leaving Jp anytime soon, but as you get older you sort of take stock of where you are and what you want to accomplish with your life. I've lived many lives and have done a lot of cool stuff, but I still get that nagging feeling like there's more out there for me.

I'm too old to realize one of my dreams of becoming a military fighter pilot. Everybody dreams of flying an F-16 or F-18, but I think I'd have been pretty happy behind the stick of an A-10 Warthog. That plane fits my personality.

I think it'd be neat to be a cop. You're outdoors a lot, the job is pretty physical, and there's a lot of excitement. Plus, you get to bring guns to work. That'd be sorta novel.

When I was a little guy, I had dreams of being a firefighter. Although, I have to admit I don't relish the thought of humping 100lbs of gear up an insanely steep incline in 120-degree weather while a wildfire is chasing after me. Those guys are heros.

Or maybe I'll go back into music. It's been a while since I've been on stage. I only got out of the music biz because I got sick of dealing with musicians and their egos. Most are a bunch of undertalented, overhyped whiners who thinks the world owes them a lapdance and a happy ending.

Hollywood writer? Why not? If I can write a dozen stories in the same genre every month; month after month; year after year, it shouldn't be too hard to spew sitcom dialogue, skit comedy, or movie manuscripts.

Meh, no more time to mull it over. Jp stories are getting due. Gotta write yet another story about a Jeep.

 I've already mentioned that we were moving and currently in the process of packing. The new owners are going to give the 'ol Petersen building a facelift inside and out.

 This has been home for me for more than 10 years and even longer for Jp Magazine. The construction crew has already started work out front. They busted up much of the brickwork, cut down the trees, and tore out the vegetation with a pair of skid steers and a dump truck. I grabbed this shot of the workers busy pulling down the old Petersen sign. As much as I hate how everything in and around the building was brown (including the monster 3-inch cockroaches), I'm gonna miss it and my 11th floor corner office with an awesome view of the city and even the ocean on a rare clear day in LA.