Off Road Park Maintnance - After The Party

To us, one of the nice things about the Western Maine Mountain Jeepers is that they allow non club members to join in their trail rides. That way, a beginner or prospective member can see if the trails and club are a good fit for them and vice versa. We're toying with the idea of flying back, buying a 3B, building it, and hitting the trails with the group next year. Any buildup ideas for us?

Doug Wilson's killer '70 Jeepster Commando served as the hay hauler for the day. Running front and rear Scout Dana 44 axles with 4.10s and Powertrax Lock-Rights, it capably pulled the military trailer through everything. The rig has an '89 4.3L V-6, TH700R4, and Dana 20 T-case and makes way for the 35-inch tall Q78 Swampers with a 2-inch body lift and a spring-over suspension. The trickest part is the 8,000-pound Ramsey PTO winch on the rear bumper powered by a PTO shaft that goes through the custom-made, rear-mounted fuel tank.

Our '58 Willys cover truck is owned by Pete Phillips, built by Jon Spence, and driven by Brian Kendrick. The Willys still runs the stock Dana 25 front and Dana 53 rear as well as the Spicer 18 T-case and factory manual steering. The original 226 six-cylinder has been yanked in favor of a Chevy 350 with a TH350 tranny. In case you're wondering, that snazzy paint is '62 GMC School Bus yellow-and we're totally down with it. Go to www.4petesake.org to learn the full story behind this Willys.

Our club liaison and chauffeur for the day, David Smith, motored his '47 CJ-2A with what can only be described as tractor-like efficiency. The little rig just keeps chugging with the stock 134 L-head running a Pertronix ignition and a T-18 swapped in from a '69 J-Truck with bellhousing machine work performed by David. The front is a '77 Dana 30 and the rear is a '53 Dana 44, both with 5.38s and Lock-Rights. Dave uses 3-inch-longer Commando springs and a 1-inch body lift to clear the way for 33x9.50 BFG MTs on stock 15-inch Scout rims.

Another 3B running one of Jon Spence's homebuilt bodies is Jason Grindell's '54. Jason swapped in a Buick 225 because he drives the thing on the street quite a bit. There's a T98 four-speed tranny in front of the stock Spicer 18. The front axle is a swapped-in Dana 30, and the rear is a homemade high-pinion Dana 44 built from a Ford front axle; both run 5.38s and Detroit Lockers. Longer Holbrook leaf springs with offset centerpins clear the 34x9.50 Swampers and a reverse-rotation, power-steering setup from a Ford van turns the tires.

It's not often we run into more than one set of Q78-sized tires on one trail, but Eric Murdock's '89 YJ shared the Jeepster's choice of tire size; Eric's YJ runs the 258, AX-15, and NP231. However, the Dana 30 front has been upgraded with 4.11 gears, Yukon shafts, and a Lock-Right. The rear Dana 35 was tossed for a Ford 8.8 with 4.11s and a Lock-Right. A Trail Master 3 1/2-inch suspension clears the rubber.

Rodney Copeland's L-head apparently makes enough power with its 0.080-inch overbore, Clifford camshaft, Solex carb, and header to completely frag one of the early Bendix U-joints. Rodney had a spare, but the shaft shattered in the diff, so he limped in 3WD for the rest of the day. The '46 2A's highlights include 32-inch Swampers, Holbrook springs, and front and rear Lock-Rights.

Jeff and Trisha Allen listed the year of their CJ-5 as a '76-'79. While we're sure the factory didn't take that long to build it, it does house a "70-ish" 401 V-8 with Holley Pro-Jection, a '78 T-18 four-speed, and a '78 Dana 20 T-case. The front axle is a '73 Dana 30 with '80 disc brakes, and the rear is a '73 Dana 44 with one-piece shafts. An OX in the front and Lock-Right in the rear spin with 3.73 gears, while a 2 1/2-inch Skykacker suspension clears the way for 34x10.50-15 Swampers on 15x8 American Racing wheels.

By the end of the day, the steering arms on the big Willys were loosening up. Luckily, T.J. Copeland carries a Ready Welder in his '80 CJ and was more than willing to share. After tacking the arms to the cast knuckles, the Willys limped the rest of the way out.