Off-Road.com's Sept. 98 Feature Vehicle

With only 3000 miles on the odometer, Andi installed the Teraflex lift system. A shade of things to come....

...And come it did! Andi puts the TJ through it's paces on "The Bread Loaf" on Moab's "Killer Kane" trail.

Stylin' and Profilin'! Mountain bound TJ. Graphics by Jenson's Pinstriping of Salt Lake.

Even with the sway bar connected, the TJ/Teraflex combo is impressive on a ramp, but the real potential is exposed when the quick disconnects are unleashed.

In it's current configuration, Andi's TJ nails down a ramp score of 920. More articulation will be achieved with a switch to longer shocks and extended brake lines.

Notice the angle of the front axle compared to the rear?

Lower control arm, coil and shock at full articulation.

Under full articulation the TJ stock upper control arms twist in their mounts. The replacement arms from Teraflex cure the problem and allow more suspension flex and less frame twist.

With the TJ's limited storage capacity, every square inch of space must be used to the fullest. A fire extingguisher and tool box rests inside the factory lock box.

The Warn XD9000i winch stands ready
"just in case."

Front and rear ARB buttons and compressor switch. Positive 4 wheel traction is just a button push away!

Rock crawling. A more "manly" motorsport is hard to find. The testosterone fueled drive to conquer the most god-awful trails in existence, is a hard one to deny. Then there's the comradery of sitting 'round the campfire with your buds after flexing, twisting, finessing and powering your way over, around and through it all. Lets not forget the "shop talk". Lockers and crawl ratio, and winches, and fuel injectargg arGG ARGG!!! "Manly" stuff. Guy stuff. No girls allowed in the tree house stuff.

Except there's a small problem. While Bubba was out marking his territory and feeling secure in his manliness, Off-Road.Com's Managing editor, Andi Vogt, was out on those self same 4+ rated trails, crawling, winching, and driving with the best of them. Quite literally, "with the best of them," including many runs with luminaries from the off-road world like Phil Howell writer/editor 4WD&SU, Rick Russell, and the Currie family.

She's also a member of one of the better known "extreme" 4WD clubs in the country. Storm Mountain 4X4.

Says Andi....

"Storm Mountain 4x4 Club is made up of many big rigs and heavily experienced drivers. They like to tackle trails with "impossible" in the name. If there are a few options up an obstacle, you can bet they'll will go the "big dog" way. The club has many members that have been pictured in all the major magazines, and for two years in a row have had contestants in the Top Truck Challenge"

In addition to her time on the trails and with her club, Andi takes a very pro-active role in her state 4WD association and their commitment to public land issues.

"I am the Newsletter Editor for the Utah 4-Wheel Drive Association, working hard to keep Utah trails open to the public. The Association is made up of more than 35 Utah clubs and is actively seeking membership in United and the Blue Ribbon Coalition."

In The Beginning....

Andi's TJ started life as a work-a-day white 97 Sport model, equipped with the factory Dana 44 option, auto tranny, and the fuel injected 242CI straight 6 engine. Truly a capable vehicle by any standard, but not nearly ready for the kind of wheelin' Andi had in mind. She wasted little time getting started, and within 3000 miles, the modifications began.

Andi started off by installing a Teraflex suspension system w/ quick disconnects herself. (Yes "herself", with help from a friend.) It was a marked improvement on the stock TJ's already impressive articulation. With the extreme terrain to come, the TJ was going to need all the flex it could get, and Andi chose the Teraflex because of it's outstanding reputation for quality and performance. Mepco contributed a set of Bilstein shocks to the TJ, which proved to be a dramatic improvement over the originals. Desert technology strikes again.

As it sits, the TJ ramps 920 with the sway bars disconnected. The addition of longer shocks and lengthened brake lines will soon result in the Jeep blowing past the magical "1000" barrier in high style. In the mean time, a 920 score will just "have to do"....sigh...... ;-)

Next on the list was the addition of 2 ARB Air-Lockers and a re-gearing of the axles to 4.10. Beach's Off-Road Specialists handled the installation chores in preparation for the addition of considerably larger than stock BFG 33x12.5 Mud Terrain T/A's mounted to American Racing aluminum 15x10 rims. Discount Tire siped the big rubber, greatly improving their traction characteristics on the Utah slickrock where the TJ spends much of it's time.

While a 4.56 gear set would provide a better crawl ratio with the 33's, the soon to be made addition of a "4 to 1" gear set in the transfer case will more than compensate. The greater inherent strength of the 4.10 set also leaves a broader margin for driver error, and results in a more reliable vehicle overall. In the 4+ rated territory where Andi likes to play, reliability is always a primary concern.

To further enhance that reliability, Beach's went on to fabricate a 3 x 4 in. rear bumper/tire carrier and a set of 1 1/2 in custom nerf bars. The bars have been welded to the frame, adding strength and protection to the Jeeps undercarriage and rocker panels.

Out front, a Warn XD9000i winch and mounting assembly from Six States Distributors provides enough pulling power to extract the TJ from just about any bad situation that Andi could find herself in. When fully loaded with spares, supplies and camping gear, the "little" Jeep weighs in at around 5000 lbs. - well within the winches rated capacity. Add a snatch block to the mix and, well, .... there's not much that will stand in it's way.

Beauty & the Beast

Who says a hard core rock rig has to be ugly to be functional? Since the TJ spends a good portion of it's time on the road, Andi wanted form as well as function. To that end, Jenson's Pinstriping of Salt Lake City, Utah, laid down the eye catching custom graphics, including the "WooWoo" lettering - Andi's CB handle. WooWoo? It stands for "Woman Owned - Woman Operated," a fact for which she is justifiably proud.

While the interior and seating remain mostly stock, there are several additions, including a Uniden Pro520XL CB radio, and overhead sound bar to keep the tunes crankin'. Other modifications to the interior include disconnected air bags because of the nature of rock crawling. Air bags are notorious for going off at some pretty inopportune times - say, a hard bump atop a ledge, with a few hundred foot drop on either side.

Depending on the trail and/or weather, Andi switches between a factory hard top, and a BesTop Bikini top from Mepco. On the higher rated trails, the hard top usually stays in camp as the added weight of the heavy fiberglass shell raises the TJ's center of gravity, considerably.

Tucked away under the hood is the air compressor that feeds air to the nearly bulletproof ARB's. Controlling their function is the job of two dashboard mounted switches plus one for the compressor itself. The installation is as clean as they come, and appears delivered from the factory. (Now there's a thought that would set many a Jeeper drooling!)

Yup, it's enough to give Bubba a complex. "Women driving Jeeps? Women "BUILDING" Jeeps??....HUMPH!" Here at Off-Road.Com, we feel sorry for Bubba....almost. While Bubba's sitting there blocking the trail, and pondering the blow to the male ego, he ought to be paying more attention to his rear view mirror. There's a woman back there in a TJ, and she's more than capable of driving around him!

Questions or comments about Andi's TJ?

E-Mail
woowoo@off-road.com