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 I
have always loved exploring the mountains near my home.
I've hiked and mountain biked all over the Wasatch Mountains
and Moab, Utah. While in college, some friends got me
hooked, and I mean really hooked, on vehicle-assisted
exploration. One of our favorite things to do was to drive
up old mining roads and check out some of the abandoned
tunnels and ruins in the nearby mountains. I took my '93
Rodeo as far as I dared to push it. Slowly, I came to
the realization that an older four wheel drive with solid
axles and a scratchable paint job was a better way to
go. However, there was no way I was going to give up all
of the space and comfort of my Rodeo. However, I then
I figured out that I could have the best of both worlds
with a Scrambler! An added bonus is that they are somewhat
rare and unique. Being different has always been a defining
characteristic for me. After all, look at the paint job!
After
searching the papers and even the Internet for about eight
months, I finally settled on a reasonably priced Scrambler.
The trouble was, it was in California. I flew down and
drove it back, which was a miracle in and of itself! That
thing was a piece of junk (mechanically, I mean)! It took
about $800 just to get the Iron Duke 4-cylinder in semi-reliable
running condition.
Over
the next three years I would find myself in the garage
modifying, learning, making mistakes, improving, cursing,
and slowly but surely transforming my Jeep into the hulk
of an unstoppable ledge climbing, rock crawling superhero
that it is today (yeah, right).
So
whats under it? Dana 44's with 4.56 gears. The rear is
from an IH Scout II, has disc brakes, and a Detroit Locker.
The front is out of a '74 Chevy, narrowed 9 inches on
the long side and has a Detroit Truetrac in it. The nice
thing about using a Chevy axle is that you get the correct
knuckles that allow the proper steering arms and tie rods
to prevent bumpsteer from the SOA suspension. To get the
proper 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern to match the rear, Ford rotors,
bearings, and hubs were used.
 Stock
military wrapped springs allow crazy flex without the
axle wrap of Wrangler springs. 35" tires on Cragar rims
round out the underneath stuff.
Up
until right now, my Jeep has been powered on four (more
like three and a half) cylinders and a sloppy SR4 transmission.
Currently, a swap is underway, and a TBI 350 and 700r4
are in waiting to be dropped in. (keep your eyes on
Rockcrawler.com for future articles on this swap).
I
swapped in a power steering pump and box from an earlier
CJ, as well as a power brake booster and newer steering
column.
Recently,
I have figured out how to weld, and built front and rear
bumpers tto protect the ends. Home-built rocker guards
keep the extra long rocker panels in good shape. I also,
recently, completed a real slick tire carrier that works
perfectly to hold a 35" spare.
Rounding
off the package are some niceties that make it fun to
drive and comfortable as well: comfy seats, a Tuffy console,
stereo, and back seat for the tag-alongs. To make it different
from other Scramblers, a unique giraffe paint scheme via
Krylon was applied. I've already got a new scheme in mind,
and its going to be BRIGHT, so watch out! My wife and
I love to meet new friends on the trail, so if you see
me stop and say hi. The giraffe doesn't bite!
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