Jennifer Schaub of Pinnacle Hill, New Hampshire sent in this fine photo of her '76 CJ-5 on its first time out since she purchased it in August 2004. Modifications from stock include a power-steering conversion, power-assist front disc brakes, new seats, a set of 31-inch tires and a Ramsey 9500 winch. Jennifer's dad assisted her with the changes that she claims "make it ready for backcountry exploration." We like to see female-owned rigs because girls don't typically get involved in our predominately male motorsport. Way to go, Jennifer!
Bill Tarvin of Clifton Park, New York took a photo we'd refer to as the lucky shot. Black is a very hard color to photograph; consequently very few black vehicles actually run in Readers' Rigs. This one however, is just perfect because the light was just right, and the venue provided a good contrast of colors. Bill's '86 CJ-7 has a 258 I-6 mated to a five-speed manual tranny. A Dana 300 transfer case splits the torque between a pair of Dana axles. The front is a 30 with 4:11 gears and an open carrier. The rear is a 44 with like gears and an ARB. To clear 33-inch MTRs, Bill added a 3-inch Black Diamond suspension lift and a 1-inch Daystar body lift. A tried-and-true Warn 9000 winch is on hand for extraction duty, and a York air-compressor system helps keep tire pressure ready for wherever Bill ventures.
This '89 Cherokee belongs to Dan Montuori of Madison, Connecticut. Dan enjoys wheeling deep in local forests after rainstorms. He claims that his winch, a Ramsey 8000, is all he needs to keep his Jeep from getting terminally stuck. Other mods include a 6-inch Skyjacker suspension lift, Bushwacker fender flares, custom driveshafts from Tom Woods, a DynoMax exhaust system, onboard air, and a Lock-Right locker in the rear. A set of 33-inch BFG All-Terrains provides the traction.
Matt McLaughlin of Beaumont, Texas knows what we're looking for in a Readers' Rig submission. This is the basic formula: Vehicle in the dirt, no shadows, vehicle centered, and a cool list of mods. This '85 CJ-7 sports a stock 258 engine mated to a T-176 tranny followed by a twin-sticked Dana 300 transfer case. Stock Dana axles turn 33-inch Goodyear MT/Rs, and a Full Traction shackle reversal helps smooth out the bumps. Matt also built some homemade bumpers, and rock-skids round it out. Nice work, Matt!
Matt McKeon of Glendale, Arizona built this '95 Jeep Grand Cherokee to tackle mild and moderate trails. We like it because we don't see many Grands on the trail, and this one features a decent list of modifications. For starters, a Rubicon Express 3.5-inch lift clears 31-inch BFG A/T tires. A set of Tomken rock rails helps keep the sheetmetal straight, while a Rusty's Off Road skidplate protects the stock transfer case from bashings. The front axle features a Four X Doctor diff guard and a pair of Skid Row Auto lower control-arm skidplates. For performance, Matt added a Turbo City intake tube and K&N filter. There's also a Turbo City-ported throttle body, Borla header and after-cat system.
Edward Knight of Ann Arbor, Michigan takes special care of his vintage 4x4 Ford F-150. The heart of this beast is a very healthy 460 V-8-equipped with a slew of high-end components that help Edward play out at Silver Lake Sand Dunes on the weekends. The drivetrain consists of a stock automatic, NP205 transfer case, a locked 9-inch rearend and an open Dana 44 front axle. On the street, Edward runs 33-inch BFG All-Terrains on Pro Comp Extreme alloy wheels. In the sand, Edward swaps a set of paddles on to ensure ample traction and maximum fun. Nothing like a photo of a cleanly restored rig that actually gets used on the trail.
Steven Carter says he's owned this '83 Dodge Power Ram for about four years. He enjoys wheeling around his hometown of Sacramento, California. The mostly stock drivetrain consists of a 5.2L V-8 connected to the stock manual transmission and NP205 transfer case. To pump things up just a little, Steven installed a K&N air filter, a Flowmaster 3-inch exhaust system, and two custom-built CV driveshafts. A set of 35-inch BFG A/Ts and Rancho RS 5000 shocks round out the list. In the future, Steven plans to swap in Dana 60s with Detroit Lockers front and rear.