When I was at the helm of Off-Road magazine, I found a '94 YJ Wrangler sitting in pools of its own fluids on the side of the street in St. George, Utah. After finding the owner, I was able to purchase the Jeep and get it home. Rockworx 4x4 in Montrose, Colorado, built the YJ into something special.
We've recently run a few photos of this Jeep in 4WD&SU and on the website. The response to this has been great, with many asking, if the buildup of this Jeep hasn't run, will it run? Although we ran a three-part buildup in Off-Road, hardly any of our readers there cared, so we decided to listen to you and run a condensed feature on the Rockworx YJ here. If you were one who already saw this build in Off-Road, here it is again.
Craig, Will, and Steve at Rockworx built this world-class Jeep using great components. Dynatrac-built ProRock 60 front and rearends with 5.13 Precision Gear gears and Detroit Lockers. A brand-new GM GEN III 5.3L V8 was installed, as were an Atlas 3.8:1 low-range transfer case, a Rad-A-Kool aluminum radiator, and assorted parts and pieces, so everything works. The Toy Shop built a bulletproof 4L60E transmission for the YJ. Howell Engine Developments' OE-quality computer and harness control the engine and tranny.
Rockworx specializes in its own long-arm suspension designs. A three-link front and four-link rear with 12-way adjustable coilovers from Walker Evans Racing up front and coil springs with 12-way adjustable Walker Evans Racing shocks in the back make the Wrangler work great. The triangulated upper rear arms do away with the Panhard bar. Currie Antirock sway bars front and rear allow adjustable control on and off the trail. The crossmember is designed so the flat skidplate can be removed for easy servicing without affecting the transfer case or transmission. Tom Wood's CV driveshafts front and rear get the horsepower to the diffs.
Warn Rock Sliders protect the rocker panels in the rocks. A Currie Rock Crawler shorty front bumper sits ahead of a Warn 9.5xp winch mounted on a Warn YJ winch-mounting plate. With all the fancy bumpers with hoops and other protection available today, there's still something to be said for a lighter-weight, simple setup. A Currie Rock Crawler rear bumper with swing-away tire carrier was bolted up in back. Rockworx modified a 24-gallon Currie stainless gas tank to work with the 98-inch wheelbase the Jeep now has and the ProRock 60 rearend. Craig estimates the tank holds about 22 gallons now.
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