Following is a description of Jim Piatt's Jeep, which was the first winner of Four Wheeler Magazines "Top Truck Challenge" competition in 1993. It was also on the cover of Off-Roader, "Britain's Leading Off Road Magazine." Also, more details and photos here For a more complete written description click here

The 1984 CJ-7 is powered with a fresh, GM crate-motor fuel-injected Chevrolet 350 motor with a 4-speed 700 R-4 automatic and an Atlas II 3.8 transfer case. Heavy-duty driveshafts drive ARB air locker-equipped differentials. The front and rear axles are custom Dana 44's. The front is a high-pinion unit and has heavy-duty, tempered axles and Warn's premium best hubs. Steering is done by a heavy-duty, braced steering box and a with hydraulic ram assist.Tires are 35x12.50 Goodyear Wrangler MTRs on beadlocked aluminum rims. You may see some photos with BFG's All Terrain KO tires on there also. I tested these in Moab, Farmington NM, Rubicon and Oregon's sand dunes and can say they work really well. An article I wrote about these was in December '99 Four Wheeler. The wheels are spaced out 1 1/4 inches using alumninum wheel spacers. The wheel wells have been modified to fit the big tires and the fronts were bobbed for looks as well as greater durability. Extra internal bars were added to the fronts for crush resistance.The photo of the airbag also shows the Sway-Loc front swaybar from Off Road Only. This is a two-stage swaybar which can be set for on-road or off-road at the touch of a button in the cab. This is one of the really neat features allowing you to have a very stable vehicle when on the road and a flexy off-road vehicle when on the trail. The paint is Dodge Viper Red with lots of clear coats on top so one can buff it when it gets scratched. The front seats are black leather seats custom made to fit the Jeep sliders and your backside very well! They tumble forward and also recline. Racing seat belts are from Summit Racing. The front Winch is a Warn 9000i which can be detached and placed on the rear hitch mount. (Find a strong friend to help you get it back there). The Ready-Air compressor has its air storage in the roll bar. No added weight.Two taps have 135 PSI for running air tools. Also a regulator drops pressure to 90 PSI. That goes to the ARB air lockers and a 25-foot air hose reel from Harbor Freight for tires. An air pressure gauge inside shows total system pressure and one under the hood shows the regulated pressure.I carry air ratchets, a small impact wrench, an air drill, a nifty air jack, lots of hand tools, and a machete. Stainless steel, high-pressure lines go to the air lockers (for durability, they don't ever see more than 90 PSI). I run the air lockers with air switches, instead of the electric switches and solenoid. Now nothing goes wrong because of an electrical problem. Besides, I like the "pssshht" sound them make when taking the air lockers off. If you are interested in how to rig these, just e-mail me. The hood is held up with my HoodLift kit, which eliminates the need for the prop rod. Now, instead of fooling with that awkward prop rod, I just lift the hood slightly, then the Hood Lift takes over and the hood glides up to whatever angle I've preset and stays there.  To put it back down, I just pull it down and let it close on it's own. Neat, huh?  You can get these mail order from Four Wheel Drive Hardware, 1-800-333-5535, Quadratec, 1-800-745-5337 and others.  Or you can order one directly from me for $125 plus $15 shipping by calling 1-800-579-3024. Also, many local four wheel drive shops carry them. They are available for Jeeps from 1972 through present. (Well, we have put them on lots of earlier Jeeps, too, but that takes a few minutes more)  For a more complete description, click here.For engine cooling, the four-core radiator works great! We also took pains to position the fan in the shroud for maximum air scavenging. I have no cooling problems, anywhere. Two blue-top Optima marine batteries are held down by a nice battery holder from Premier. An in-cab battery isolator switch can select the main or both batteries. We carry extra radiator hoses plus extra heater hose, etc. in the rear, under-seat compartment. The fuel injection is the stock throttle body system with all the sensors that came with the ‘90 Chevy 350 V8. It puts out plenty of power, is very dependable and emissions-legal. It's still powerful enough to break things when your foot gets anxious, gets good mileage on the trails, idles down to 500 rpm so the tranny isn't pushing on the brakes too hard and you can find parts anywhere, but it seldom needs them. Everything is CARB legal. For stopping, stock Jeep disc brakes do the job in the front. The rear discs and calipers are from a 1986 Cadillac Eldorado and the mounting kit from Streetrod Mfg. Co., Colorado (kit # 2590, 5x5.5.) The final touch that makes the braking superb was replacing the stock Jeep vacuum brake booster with a custom dual diaphragm unit from Off-Again. Until the booster replacement, the brakes just didn't feel right and took too much pedal. Now they stop pretty well! In addition you can use the in-cab hydraulic lever-lock to lock the front wheel brakes. The rear has a custom-built Dana 44 housing with extra-heavy tubes for a bulletproof setup. All attahment points have been moved up so under-axle clearance is maximized. The axles are Warn's full floaters with solid hub ends for more strength. I also can easily install Warn's unlocking hubs there if you want to flat tow with the hubs unlocked. You can still tow with the Atlas in neutral and the solid hubs. The rear differential has a heavy-duty 44 covers off Jeep J-20 pickup. The high-pinion front uses a special heavy-duty cover (from a Ford Truck) with the oil fill relocated higher so it can carry more oil.The gas tank is protected by a custom skid plate and the external fuel pump is easily servicable as is the fuel filter. Extra parts fit in a combination of custom-built locking boxes over the wheels and a custom-built box under the hinged rear seatThe interior is heated and air conditioned by a Vintage Air compact unit which does a great job of cooling as well as heating when those needs arise. All controls are in the custom dash where you also find a winch control that will control your winch from within the cab. Overhead and out of harm's way is a great CB unit and a very bright interior light in a custom overhead console. Between the seats is a large, custom-made lopcking storage box. The interior is completely lined with Rhino lining and the floor has an extra layer of insulation under a custom rubber floor mat. Music comes from an AM/FM radio with a connection for a CD changer (one can be mounted in the large center console box) and rear speakers. Three 12v DC outlets can power your refrigerator or charge any mobile devices. A custom steering box brace anchors the steering box. It provides better steering stability and prevents the box from cracking the frame or its mounting bracket. I could really tell the difference in steering when the earlier aftermarket one broke; the Jeep wandered around on the road road. Now it holds very well, even with the big tires, with the box braced.The custom front bumper has attachment points for connecting shackles or a tow bar and a connector for lights when towing. The rear has a strong trailer hitch with a 7-prong electrical outlet. The 3" exhaust system features a CARB legal catalytic converter in front of a mellow-sounding muffler and sounds great! It is clear that there is a V8 under the hood, but the sound is not excessive. Lights: We put an RV interior light inside the top of the roll cage that really puts out good light in the driving compartment. We find that the halogen headlights make lots of light for night running. Also, we have a neat, reel work light in the rear which extends to most of the vehicle.Even more details and photos, click here.