1964 Jeep CJ6 - One Slick Six

With the roominess and simplicity of a CJ-6 engine bay, it's almost instinctual to sling an American V-8 between the fenders. Brian's 383 Chevy is fed by a Holley 750 CFM carb. An owner-fabricated cross bar braces the shock hoops against each other and prevents unwanted lateral movement.

An Atlas II with a 4-to-1 low range combined with the ultra-low 7.01-to-1 first gear of the SM420 makes for a machine that creeps along without smoking the clutch. If and when Brian swaps in an automatic, he'll benefit from the low crawling speed and torque multiplication provided by a torque covertor.

Hydroboost is becoming more common on trail rigs. It's more compact than a traditional vacuum booster, and works well with engines that don't produce enough manifold vacuum to power a vacuum booster.

A four-link does away with leaf-spring-style axle wrap, and the quarter elliptical springs flex like mad. Excessive droop travel is a common problem with a quarter-elliptical rear suspension, and can push you over face-first on steep descents. Brian limits the droop using chains in place of fabric limit straps. They're effective, but they'll likely break their mounts in time. There's no cushion when the chain slack is taken up, so all the energy goes right into the frame and the mounting tabs on the axle.

You're looking at shock technology from one of desert racing's golden periods. During the mid '90s, bypass shocks were just becoming integral parts of top-notch desert racing trucks. The high fluid capacity and position-sensitive damping are great things to have at slower speeds, too. These shocks are called Lightening Rods and were made by Rancho back in the day.

The floor is low-maintenance, and has plenty of drain holes in case it needs to be hosed out. Extended brake and clutch pedals mean greater mechanical advantage and reduced leg fatigue at the cost of a longer lever throw. No shortage of legroom here.

Manifold cuisine, anyone?