Does this TJ look long to you? Well it is, because the wheelbase has been stretched to 101 inches. The rear frame has been notched, plated, boxed, and tied into the rollcage. Fox modified an off-the-shelf front bumper and made the rear bumper as well as the rocker protection. The front bumper holds a Warn M12000 winch with Master Pull 3⁄8-inch Superline. The rear flares are modified Poison Spyder DeFender units and the front fenders are stock Poison Spyder DeFender units. The body sits on a 1-inch lift and the louvered hood is mainly for aesthetics though it does help to provide lower underhood temperatures. TrailReady HD Series beadlock wheels are surrounded by 40-inch Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar tires. The rig’s Emerald Green paint was applied by Long’s Auto Body in Bremerton, Washington, and any visible striping was done by “Washington’s finest pine and fir trees.”

Does this TJ look long to you? Well it is, because the wheelbase has been stretched to 101

Name: Tony Fox
Champion in: 1994
Driving: 1997 Jeep Wrangler

Tony Fox was up against some tough competition at TTC ’94 (which incidentally was the first year for the Tow Test), including an M38 and a Scrambler 6x6, but he came out on top in his relatively simple ’79 CJ-5. It was powered by an AMC 304ci V-8 and it rode on Dana 44 axles with a leaf-spring suspension. Oh, and 33-inch tires that are tiny by today’s standards. Fox is returning to Hollister in a Jeep, but this time he’ll be driving his wife’s street-legal TJ. Seriously.

Sounding Off
Most memorable moment from 1994: “Being announced the winner. I thought Kevin with the 6x6 was winning the whole time, so we really didn’t know we were contenders and the judges kept everything hush-hush. Close second was blasting through the Mini-Rubi, because the first eight rigs all got towed out and we just cruised through in a really fast pace.”
Wants First Place in: “Tank Trap, because I think it’s got the most amount of points. But really, I’d be happy to do well in any of the events, considering I’m going to be a runt amongst giants.”
Fox says: “I built this TJ for my wife to drive (I normally drive my YJ), and it will be returned to her for wheeling and snow trips after TTCC. Just add some mud flaps and it’s still street legal. Might be the only street legal rig here. I chose this rig because it was easier to adapt for 40s or 42s than a leaf-sprung rig would have been and still be able to return the rig to our normal wheeling activities when it was over.”

“I built this TJ for my wife to drive (I normally drive my YJ), and it will be returned to her for wheeling and snow trips after TTCC.”
—Tony Fox

Occupants of the TJ are kept safe by a Bent Metal Customs six-point rollcage and MasterCraft Safety five-point harnesses on the MasterCraft Safety Baja RS seats. If it gets cool in Hollister, Fox can switch on the seat heaters. The gauge cluster looks stock, but it isn’t. It’s a custom setup with recessed Auto Meter gauges displaying engine coolant temperature, oil pressure, fuel level, alternator output, speed, and engine rpm. The dash pod has a gauge showing transmission temperature and it also houses the winch controls, seat heater switches, and miscellaneous lights. Other interior features include a Subaru radio, Cobra CB, a race radio, and a modified Art Carr transmission shifter.

Occupants of the TJ are kept safe by a Bent Metal Customs six-point rollcage and MasterCra

The Details
Driver name/city: Tony Fox/Port Orchard, Washington.
Occupation: Sales
Vehicle model: 1997 Jeep Wrangler
Estimated value: $20,000
Engine: GM 350ci V-8, TBI, custom exhaust w/Flowmaster Super 44 muffler
Transmission: TH400 3-spd auto
Transfer case: Advance Adapters Atlas 4-spd, 10.3:1
strong> Three-link, coil springs, Bilstein 7100 remote-reservoir shocks, Currie Antirock sway bar/reverse triangulated four-link, coil springs, Bilstein 7100 remote-reservoir shocks
Axles (f/r): High-pinion Dana 60, Foote Axle 35-spline chromoly axleshafts, Detroit Locker/Dana 60, Foote Axle 40-spline chromoly axleshafts, Detroit Locker
Axle ratio: 4.56:1
Wheels: 17x8.5 TrailReady HD beadlock
Tires: 40x13.50-17 Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar

Wager’s rig is unique, to put it mildly. The rig’s core is a custom chromoly tube chassis made from 4-inch-diameter tubing. On this chassis rests an off-the-shelf fiberglass CJ body tub with a Wager-designed-and-built fiberglass windshield frame, hood, and fenders. The hood and fenders are a one-piece unit that can either be tilted in normal fashion or completely removed in minutes. The rig rolls on 46X19.5-16 Mickey Thompson Baja Claw tires mounted on 16x14 custom aluminum beadlock wheels.

Wager’s rig is unique, to put it mildly. The rig’s core is a custom chromoly tube chassis

Name: Geby Wager
Champion in: 1997
Driving: 1992 Jeep CJ-7

Top Truck shook in 1997, but it wasn’t an earthquake that caused it. It was the shock of Geby Wager’s amazing big-block-powered, M561 Gama Goat-axled, independent suspension-equipped CJ winning TTC. The street-legal rig was built to drive on top of snow 4 to 20 feet deep as well as cross country where there are no roads or trails. It apparently handles Top Truck terrain well, too. Wager will be returning to Hollister in the CJ and even after 15 years the rig is very similar to the way it was in 1997.

Sounding Off
Most memorable moment from 1997: “How supportive the other competitors were.”
Wants First Place in: “The Tank Trap. It is the most diverse and so is our vehicle. It also looks like all the events are geared to 54-inch tires with not much opportunity for smaller vehicles, or team skill, without winching. The Tank Trap allows a bit more time for the winching.”

“We strongly believe that you can’t get somewhere that no one has ever been by following tracks. But that can be scary.”
—Geby Wager

Inside, occupants sit in Beard seats and Wager grips a steering wheel lifted from a Pontiac Fiero. A full complement of Auto Meter gauges reside in the rig including oil pressure, coolant temperature, voltage, and speedometer. A custom heads-up display by Creative Motor Sports allows Wager to control the air suspension. There are preprogrammed settings, or he can control it with a joystick. This system gives him complete control of the air springs either individually or as a complete unit.

Inside, occupants sit in Beard seats and Wager grips a steering wheel lifted from a Pontia

The Details
Driver name/city: Geby Wager/Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation: Real estate
Vehicle model: 1992 Jeep CJ-7
Estimated value: N/A
Engine: Cadillac 540ci V-8, 800cfm Holley carburetor, custom headers
Transmission: T-19 4-spd manual
Transfer case: Advance Adapters Atlas II 2-spd and NorthWest Fabworks BlackBox
Suspension (f/r): Independent, air springs, Fox remote-reservoir shocks/independent, air springs, Fox remote-reservoir shocks
Axles (f/r): M561 Gama Goat centersection, custom axleshafts, modified knuckles, custom stub shafts, Speedway Engineering Wide 5 hubs/M561 Gama Goat centersection, custom axleshafts, modified knuckles, custom stub shafts, Speedway Engineering Wide 5 hubs, hydraulic steering
Axle ratio: 5.57:1
Wheels: 16x14 custom aluminum beadlock
Tires: 46x19.5-16 Mickey Thompson Baja Claw