Any hard-core, dyed-in-the-wool Jeeper will tell you that real Jeeps aren't bought, they're built. It's a kind of declaration to all the poseurs and would-be off-roaders that Jeepin' is about more than who can write the biggest check. It's about investing some of yourself in your rig and building it piece by piece to conquer whatever stands in your way.
Don Hughes, the owner of this '95 Wrangler, has spent the last few years diligently building his YJ and has even designed some of the parts on it himself. Get him alone with his Jeep for a few minutes and you'll quickly find that there is story behind just about every part.
Having found that the stock 4.0L straight-six produced ample power for most of his four-wheeling needs, Don simply upgraded with a K&N filter and a Spin-Tek muffler rather than succumbing to the lure of a V-8 swap. Likewise, he felt that the stock AX15 tranny was a more than capable piece of equipment that would hold up well under duress. However, for bulletproof reliability and a respectable 80:1 crawl ratio, Don went with an Atlas 4.3 transfer case from Advance Adapters. For hard-core 'wheeling, it's a stout setup that hasn't failed him yet. Because he spends a lot of time in the rocks, Don also added a power steering cooler and then followed up with an Optima battery to round out the underhood additions.
Ultimately, Don wanted his YJ to be fully capable of going wherever he steered it, no matter the terrain. His instincts told him to swap in reverse-rotation Dana 44 axles for clearance and strength, but for some reason someone advised against it. Because he ended up having problems with pinion angles and driveline vibrations, he ended up falling back on his original plan and had Tri-County Gear swap in the front and rear reverse units. He says he couldn't be happier with how they perform now.
Both 44s are equipped with 4.88 gears and ARB Air Lockers. To avoid any problems with the factory air lines leaking, Don chose to use stainless steel lines that he picked up from G&J Surplus. Both the front and rear diffs are protected by Rock Rings, which help prevent the covers from being peeled back on stray rocks and branches. Capping off the corners are Warn Premium hubs and 11-inch disc brakes up front with 11-inch drums in the rear, tucking nicely inside the Weld 15x10 Outback wheels and Kumho 35x12.5x15 Road Venture MTs. For those of you wondering about the bead locks, Don bought these wheels when Weld was still offering bead locks to the general public. Unfortunately, because of a change in policy, they are now only available to professional racing teams. Sometimes timing is everything.
To get the most lift out of his leaf spring suspension, Don chose to have Tri-County Gear perform a springover conversion using 2-1/2-inch lift springs from Old Man Emu, spring perches from Rubicon Express, and Boomerang Shackles from Currie Enterprises.Don estimates that his rig now sits around 8 to 9 inches taller than stock. To accommodate the new height, Tri-County swapped in new steering components from a 3/4-ton truck, and fabricated an anti-wrap bar to keep the rear axle firmly in place. With Rancho RS 9000 shocks at each corner, Don was ready to move on to the next phase.