The ’97-’06 Jeep Wrangler TJ is one of the most popular and well-supported build platforms on the planet. Like most things in life, the 93.4-inch wheelbase Wrangler isn’t exactly perfect right out of the box, although the Rubicon models are pretty close. We’ve had our ’97 Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade now, and over time its suspension system, along with our trail appetite, has evolved substantially. Like many of you we started out with a basic budget boost, then moved up to a short-arm lift, and ultimately to a 4-inch Superlift long-arm suspension system. While the long-arm upgrade was a huge improvement over the stubby factory control arms, we felt that the Jeep still had plenty of room to grow.

Have you thrown all of the modifications in the book at your Wrangler, but aren’t satisfied that it stands enough apart from the crowd? Perhaps you have dreams of carrying sod and lumber home from Lowe’s, but don’t like to dirty up the interior of your JK. Have you always felt like that rear bench seat was a waste because no one will ever go wheeling with you anyway? If these statements ring true, what you are missing friend, is a bed. That’s right, a pickup bed for your Jeep—a novel idea, right?

Our Cummins-powered ’96 Dodge Ram 3500 dualie has over 274,000 miles on the ticker. A couple of years ago we hastily purchased it from a private owner in Iowa when our Power Stroke-equipped Super Duty left us stranded on the side of the highway near Des Moines, so we know little about the 3500’s history except that it was used on a farm. The truck is equipped with the NV4500 five-speed manual transmission, which has performed flawlessly so far. However, recently the clutch began to show signs that it was nearing the end of its service life. Its demise was hastened by some engine mods that increased the Cummins’ horsepower and torque, thus resulting in clutch slippage even during normal driving.

Snow Tired
I have a ’10 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4x4. I need a tire that is great in snow and will get me where I need to go when going up and down steep hills in snow. But, I want a tire for towing and occasional off-road use. Can you help me find the right tire for my ride?
Chris Newsman
Roxboro, NC

Corrosion is something you live with on a day-to-day basis in the Northeast, and it’s not just limited to vehicles, it affects everything made of metal. The road salt, the humidity-laden air, soft absorptive soils, acid rain, and road chemicals all work in a harmonic quintet to do their damage to the metals on your 4x4, and they do it damn well too. Factory precautions from manufacturers do help, but over time, this retardant is usually overwhelmed by the environment (natural or manmade), and things can go from bad to worse in just a few months if left unregulated.

Oil filtration might not be as sexy a topic as locking differentials or coilover shocks, but clean oil is the lifeblood of your engine. You may think that your oil filter is not that important, but this small, inexpensive part is far from trivial. It plays a vital role in protecting your engine from premature wear by cleaning the oil as it passes through the filter element. Each moving part in the engine requires uncontaminated oil for proper lubrication and long life.

Buick V-6 Identity Crisis
I would like to install a Buick V-6 into my early solid-axle Toyota. I have found the kits to do this and plan to use the TH350 automatic transmission. I know they made both an even-fire and an odd-fire version, but I’m not really sure how to tell them apart.
Steve Martin
Austin, TX

Sometimes the stuff we dream about turns out to be a nightmare. Like chasing after that hot cheerleader only to realize that she’s high maintenance or the football coach in drag. That often can happen to us as we pursue components for our 4x4s that we think will make us the cool kid on the block, and can easily be the case with engine swaps. The search for more power, lighter weight, and cool looks can be very costly, and being fully educated before you make up your mind on the right powerplant for your off roader is one of the smartest things you can do.

The venerable Warn M8274 winch has the fastest line speed of any 12-volt electric winch ever offered yet it is often underrated. Since it has been around the four-wheeling world since 1974 it’s arguably the easiest used winch to get a great deal on when scanning the eBay and Craigslist ads. Many sellers have no idea of its pulling potential. Plenty of these winches have been in use for decades and a version of the M8274 still exists in the Warn product line today. It’s remained mostly unchanged throughout its life, although there have been some minor mechanical revisions. Improved electrical components have been incorporated as well. A simple rebuild can turn what looks like a worn-out and wasted winch into a very useful tool.

If you’re looking for lightweight, non-rusting, easy-to-install, inexpensive body protection for your Jeep Wrangler JK, you may want to look at Bushwacker’s Trail Armor. It’s made of Duraflex 2000 TPO material that bends instead of breaks and then returns to its original shape. This means you’ll get minor ding, dent, and scratch protection but not full-on body protection like that provided by steel or aluminum body armor. Most Trail Armor products easily adhere using automotive-grade, high-bond tape.

Love your ARB air compressor, but wish it had more output for those big tires or your air tools? If so, you are really going to like the new CKMTA12 double compressor from ARB. This unit merges two of ARB’s well-regarded compressors in to one package for maximum output and performance.

A lift kit and larger tires are often the first mods us wheelers make to our rigs. The height of the lift and the size of the tires are a matter of personal preference, most often based on our needs. And of course, our budget. If you own a ’07 to ’12 GM ½-ton pickup, Rough Country Suspension Systems offers five competitively priced suspension lift kits ranging from 2 inches through 7½ inches.

Bolt-in Engine Swap?
I have a ’98 Jeep Wrangler TJ with the 2.5L and I am curious about what V-6s would be an option that would bolt in without any other changes?
Ronny Suggs
Rogers, AR

We never were that thrilled with the axles that came from the factory under our ’94 Dodge Ram 1500, also known as the Long Range Clunker. Up front was a CAD-inflicted Dana 44 with weak ball joints and out back was a Chrysler Corporate 9.25-inch assembly. Both left the factory stuffed with a lackluster 3.55:1 gear ratio. With the 35-inch tires on the truck and the towing duties it sees, we needed beefier axles with better gearing.

When your rig’s brakes don’t function as intended, you have a problem. We recently had this problem with our Midwest-based ’99 Lincoln Navigator. Over the years, the rotors had corroded (ah, the joys of living in the Rust Belt), which culminated with sub-par function as well as fascinating brake pedal pulsations. Something had to be done.

If you hate the factory rear-mounted muffler on your Jeep Wrangler JK, you need to take a look at MBRP’s Off-Road Exhaust System. This bolt-on, after-cat system mounts a much smaller muffler under the center of the vehicle where it’s less likely to be damaged. The system is available in three versions; black powdercoat, aluminized steel, and T409 stainless steel, for two- and four-door JKs. (FYI, if you install the two-door version, you have to use MBRP’s Heat Shield/Charcoal Canister Relocation Kit.) An added bonus is that MBRP says this kit can improve fuel economy by 1-2 mpg and offers an increase of 9 rear-wheel horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque.

Every so often a new product comes along that we simply can’t wait to get our hands on. In the case of JKS’s new Jeep sway bar, the drool factor was high and our patience would be tested. It was hard not to notice the SwitchBlade sway bar with its polished aluminum elements and funny-looking arms, when we first laid eyes on it at the vendor show during Moab’s annual Easter Jeep Safari event in 2009. Back then, we were told that the new product was due in stores the following spring. However, field testing uncovered some potential issues that JKS’s owner, Jim Nicolet, couldn’t live with. So, the launch was pushed out and the product was refined further. As testing continued, we started to get anxious. We’d check in every so often and listen to Nicolet banter about how every last part of the system had to be perfect. A year later, the result is a unique sway bar system that combines traditional broached torsion bar technology with multi-position spring arms that feature five-way adjustability. The product joins the ranks of JKS’s game-changing sway bar disconnects as an industry first. Check out the highlights from our installation as they took place at Overkill Jeep Fabrication in Campbell, California.

Rancho, synonymous with its popular RS-series of shocks and quality lift solutions for 4x4s, has been a major player in aftermarket suspension as long as most of us can remember. Recently, Rancho revamped its lineup with some new additions, including a line of monotube shocks dubbed the RS7000MT.

Ratio Right
I have an ’86 Ford Bronco. This past year I put a 4-inch lift and 35s on it, but it is still running the stock gear ratio. What would be a good ratio to get back the lost torque?
Brandon Hansen
Redlands, CA

There is a feeling of despair that comes with hearing one of your tires hissing away its breath under your 4x4. We’ve all been there. Whether it is a tree branch or a battery tie-down on the trail (yes, we’ve run over both), nothing incites that “oh crap” feeling like a tire quickly on its way down. Typically the answer is a spare, but what if you have plenty more rugged terrain ahead, the puncture isn’t that large, or you aren’t in a safe place to do a wheel and tire swap?

If you are like us, you expect the tires you put on your tow vehicle to do a variety of things well, the most important of which is handle a load. The Maxxis Bravo 771, with its seven-ply tread construction, blurs the lines between a high-capacity over-the-road tractor/trailer tire and a sure-footed all-terrain.

Have you ever wanted to fit 37-inch tires under your ’07-’11 Toyota Tundra? Well it is possible with BDS’ 7-inch High Clearance Tundra lift. High Clearance doesn’t allude to the elevated space in the wheelwells, but rather stands for BDS’ approach to maximizing ground clearance at the crossmembers.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ was offered from 1993 to 1998 and can be credited in great part for bringing luxury to the mass-market, midsize SUV segment. In contrast to the then-popular Cherokee XJ, the ZJ tended to impress older buyers with more citified tastes, and first-time owners of Grand Cherokees were often those who rarely ventured off the beaten path and who regularly visited their dealership for maintenance. The result is an abundance of well-maintained Grands for the present-day pre-owned market.

Gear Lube or ATF for NP205?
I’ve always been told to run 80W-90 gear oil in my transfer case (NP205), but recently I’ve had my transfer case rebuilt, and when I went to drain it and put some fluids in it, tranny fluid came out. It seemed to be the same Dextron 3 I run in my transmission, so I called around and got people who were sure it was tranny fluid and people who were sure it was gear oil, but I wanted to ask some fellow four wheelers who know from trial and error.

Towing is serious business. It doesn’t matter whether you’re pulling a small, single-axle 5x10-foot open utility trailer with a couple of new axles strapped to the floor, a 30-foot dual-axle travel trailer, or a 40-foot triple-axle gooseneck enclosed trailer with your trail rig tucked inside, towing needs to be approached with a “safety first” mindset. Not only may your health depend on it, the health of someone else may depend on it, too. You may have excellent driving skills, but how you configure and maintain your trailer could determine the result when a situation out of your control arises, like if a vehicle cuts you off in traffic or a texting pedestrian wanders into your path.