Can you remember back when you first started wheeling? Maybe you were 16 years old and Dad let you borrow the old trusty four-wheel drive beater for a night out on the town. My father had one of those trucks. A long wheelbase '79 Chevy half ton 4x4. It was stock and puke green. My father used the vehicle as a work truck for his contracting business. To me, it was a powerful ugly beast that must be broken like a wild horse! That son of a gun would roast the tires in every gear on wet pavement. Man, I can't tell you how many times, as I look back over the years, I almost blew that sucker up.

I remember putting the truck in reverse and getting up to about 15 mph. I'd throw that thing in 2nd and dump the clutch. It looked like a puke green dragon emerging from the layer of death, vomiting smoke all around it's fire-throwing pipes.

As foolishness went, all efforts were soon diverted to dirt. I found out really fast what that extra lever was for and I was hooked! All of the sudden, things were different. I needed ground clearance and bigger tires! Back in those days, height was the ticket, no matter how you achieved it. The green machine became the green monster and I won't go into details to how this "professional" lift was gained. My buddies had bigger, badder trucks and their dads had more money. I couldn't go as far as they could and I got stuck a lot, but I wasn't scared! One day, I'll have the "baddest" off-road vehicle in town. I'll show'em!

Flash Forward...
Jon Hendrix called me on the phone one day a few months ago. He had a lot of questions about building a CJ-5. We talked for a good while and it wasn't long before I knew that Jon had a dream to realize. He owned a 1979 CJ-5 that had "build me" written all over it. Jon and I discussed his options and one thing lead to another. As time went on, a plan was put into action and we started gathering parts. Jon wavered nothing. He chose the best of everything. He wanted everything on this vehicle new, rebuilt or custom-fabbed by me.

A lot of thought went into this rig before we actually started, The plan called for a 101-inch wheelbase. However, Jon decided he wanted to squeeze an LT1 from a 1996 Chevy Camaro under the hood. To achieve this the engine would need to be moved forward a few inches to create a decent driveline angle. I wanted to mount the engine forward and low to allow for a seriously low center of gravity.

We started Jon's build-up by tearing down the CJ-5. We stripped it bare and hung the body from the ceiling. In order to fit the LT1, we had to cut the frame and widen it.

Jon chose an NP435 tranny and a Dana 300 transfer case. In the Dana 300, we installed a Tera-Low 4 to 1 kit and an Advance Adapters 32-spline output shaft. We hooked the driveline up via Advance Adapters products and everything went together flawlessly.

For axles, Jon chose a military Dodge dually Dana 60 and a Chevy 14-bolt rear. I wanted extra wide axles to put the Jeep on extreme angles without rolling. We loaded them with 4.88:1 gears and Detroit Lockers. The wheels are custom bead-locks, offset to the inside on the front and outside on the rear. This gives Jon a stance a couple of inches wider than a single-wheel one ton truck. The beadlocks are outfitted with 39.5-inch boggers, but he wouldn't give in to letting me cut them. The front Dana 60 is custom-built to accept dual 2500-psi hydraulic cylinders to handle steering duties and Mile Marker Selectro hubs handle the lock-in.

After completing the frame, Mike Trammell Paint and Body sprayed it metallic silver and everything started coming together. The suspension is sprung-over in the front with custom XTV Boner Shackles. The rear is custom ¼ elliptic with Firestone air bags. The air bags are for Off-Camber Equalization (OCE). We ran two air tanks for serious pressure and mounted the individual controls and gauges to the right of the driver's knee for ergonomic comfort and easy access in tight situations.

The floor pan on this rig needed some serious attention. Mother Time had taken her toll on this old rig and some custom body repair and Herculiner came to the rescue. Herculiner provided a can of their floor liner and necessary application tools. We first repaired the damaged areas and then stripped the remaining floor and bed. We followed Herculiner's instructions to the letter and the product responded nicely. We applied three coats overall and used the extra product on excessive wear areas. One gallon can of Herculiner and some elbow grease were all it took to completely turn this rotten floorpan into a strong, slip-resistant structure.

There are a lot of extras that make this rig special. Here are a few of them:

• The front and rear corners have custom bolt-on XTV tube fenders and the back yields a full-size spare, bead-locked Bogger.
• The cross-member holding the drivetrain is solid-mounted to the frame with enough room to remove components.
• The tie-rod is mounted in back of the axle, in order to keep out of the way of the hydraulic cylinders in front.
• The cage was designed to hold necessary components as well as seats and supplies. The engine was custom-wired and the computer was installed in the glove compartment.
• The windshield pins were drilled out and quick-release pins were installed for efficient removal.
• The Jaz fuel cell was outfitted with a rolled metal breather tube to allow flow, while preventing leakage in case of a roll.
• The four-link rear suspension is inverted with the custom axle brackets housing the upper and lower links, as well as the shocks.
• The orbital valve for the hydraulic steering is mounted half-way in the dash to mock a steering column.
• Original dash and gauges were utilized with the exception of an aftermarket tachometer.
• A Currie Twin Stick shifter for the transfer case was installed.
• A Be Cool aluminum radiator handles cooling.
• Prothane body bushings dampen vibration.
• Ramsey winches are mounted both in the front and the rear to handle any stucks. The rear is integrated into the bumper, so as not to lose clearance or get whacked on rocks.
• A quick-disconnect steering wheel allows easy entry and exit for the tight CJ-5.
• A Windbreaker bikini/full top from Australia takes care of the weather. This top is really cool. It is a full soft-top that folds up within itself into a bikini top.

Overall, this rig is custom-built from the ground up to handle whatever obstacles comes Jon's way.

You want photos?     We've GOT PHOTOS! --->>>

It's got to start somewhere, and for Jon, it started with modifying the frame in order to squeeze the Chevy LT1 between the rails.

Profesionally-applied metallic silver paint completes the frame production work.

Initial positioning for the arms and airbags. The Firestone airbags are part of Jon's Off-Camber Equalization (OCE) system. After real-world testing, the bags were relocated for more efficiency.
Click here to see video of the bags in motion.

With the motor in place, the body was lowered onto the frame. Weenie, stocker tires were used during the build-up to make reaching in the Jeep easier. Pictured in the back is the XTV Raptor.

With a flexy suspension, 39.5" tires on massive axles, and more tricks than Las Vegas magician, Jon's Jeep is one serious bad boy ride.

All content including photos and text Copyright © 2001 ROCKCRAWLER 4x4 and Off-Road Magazine