2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Hemi - Sprayed Hemi

Performance upgrades for the 5.7L Hemi included a K&N cold-air intake pirated from a Chrysler 300C, and a set of Performance Distributors LiveWires. Since this is a custom installation, an off-the-shelf intake system didn't exist, and the 300C kit just happened to have "good bends." The wires, however, were a set specifically for an '04 Dodge Hemi truck. LiveWires come with space-age, heat-resistant sleeving to provide protection from exhaust heat. The sleeving is heat-treated glass braid and is nonflammable and noncorrosive.

All the power and performance are no good without safety. A Rock Hard 4x4 bolt-in 'cage was fitted to the bulkhead and strung along to the rear hoops. This 'cage allows the soft top to be reused. It can be ordered with an optional bar that ties the bulkhead to the floor and ultimately into the frame. We hope Dan doesn't have to use this 'cage, but it's there if he needs it.

Dan's Jeep is both a handful and a pleasure to drive, all depending on how far you push the gas pedal. A 345hp Hemi is not an uncontrollable beast - you just have to keep one hand on the wheel at all times. The power is managed by the 45RFE automatic transmission and shifts are crisp and timely. On the rocks in 4-Lo, this Jeep really shines. The torque is so available off idle that only slight feathering of the pedal is needed to hop up on ledges that once required more momentum. The bottom line is this is a go-anywhere, do-anything Jeep that will last Dan a lifetime. When they ask, "That thing got a Hemi?", Dan just smiles and says, "Do you want to race?"