Photos by Eddie Perez and Fidel Gonzales

Well, as I told you last month, the Project Jeep took a tremendous beating down in Baja while we covered the Baja 2000. By far the most beat-upon part of the Jeep was the wimpy, "Disco-Jeep" stock suspension. With all of our equipment and 12 days of supplies, Norm and I overloaded the little leaf springs to the point that they were flexed so far that we practically rode the bump stops from Ensenada to Cabo and back.

Pro Comp, BFG, Goodyear, Super Swampers - 4-Wheel Parts has the brand you're looking for - and much more.

What's an Off-Roader to do, when the suspension is completely shot and the next trip into the desert to cover the latest Off-Road event is right around the corner?

Well, you do what comes naturally, you contact the folks at 4-Wheel Parts Performance Centers. And that's just what we did. They have a reputaion of quality parts and service, so there was no question as to where to turn for help. We set a date with 4-Wheel Parts' newest Performance Center in the heart of Las Vegas. Located just off the strip, you'll find everything you need at their new, 8,000 square foot retail store and service center.

The staff at 4-Wheel Parts Performance Centers in Las Vegas are ready to help you find the parts you need.

I had the pleasure of meeting the professional staff at 4-Wheel Parts. From Tim Hall, the Store Manager, to Brian Forest, the Shop Foreman, the staff was eager to assist me in any way.

In talking to Brian, who has worked at different auto shops throughout the Las Vegas Valley, he told me that he enjoys working here because of the"One-Stop" shopping that 4-Wheel Parts provides its customers. "At other parts and service stores, they may install a suspension, but they normally have to send the vehicle somewhere else to have the alignment done, or the tires mounted, or the new gears installed. At 4-Wheel Parts Performance Centers, we do it all on site. You won't find that at anywhere else". Brian said.

Occasionally, I listened in as the staff worked throughout the day, helping customers with questions and giving their expert advice.

The day of the install - a '99 TJ was in for a lift too.

Currently, 4-Wheel Parts is installing two to three suspension lifts a day. Add that to the other services they provide - selling and mounting tires, lights, bumpers, filters, winches, Jeep tops, floor liners, - the list goes on and on, and you can understand just how busy they are.

So busy in fact, that after only 6 months of their Las Vegas Grand Opening, they are already talking about a second Las Vegas location!

The 4-Wheel Parts service area. Up to seven trucks can be in here at once.

The job at hand was the installation of the 5" Pro Comp Coil Suspension Conversion and Slip Yoke Eliminator Kit. Included in this kit is Pro Comp's 33x12.50/15 Mud terrain tires and American Eagle wheels. With the help of Curtis Gerloff, 4WP's Regional Service Manager, Brian began the task at hand -

Humble beginings - The stock front suspension on the Project Jeep.

Then, he removed the drive shaft and the sway bar. The front axle is supported with jacks to allow removal of the front leaf springs. Next, Brian removed the front drive shaft from the transfer case.

Making room for the coil spring mount. Minor grinding is all it takes.

The grinding removes just the high spots on the axle welds. Once the grinding is complete, holes must be drilled into the existing lower shock bracket that is welded to the frame. The shackles are installed over this coil spring mount and the smaller of the two front arms is bolted to this top bracket. Bolted to the shackles is the lower bracket that will hold the longer of the two front control arms.

Also on this bracket, the lower coil mount is attached. Before installing the coil mounts, the bump stops are removed and again, grinding is necessary. A little grinding around the shock mount will allow the upper coil spring mount to fit in place.

The new front coil suspension install is almost complete.

The longer of the front control arms will utilize the existing leaf spring mount. The same steps are repeated for the installation of the mounts/brackets for other side of the front suspension. Next, the sway bar is cut in half and an extender piece is welded between the two pieces in order to widen sway bar. After re-installing, attach the sway disconnects.

Notice the newly welded, longer sway bar and the longer sway bar links - the front is finished!

This bracket is also the new mounting point of the track bar. A bracket is attached to the steering arm that will hold the other end of the steering stabilizer. At this point, the Slip Yoke Eliminator Kit was installed.

The rear drive shaft and U-joint have been removed.

After removing the housing, drain the tranny fluid and remove the tansfer case cover.

Removing the old housing. A new deeper housing will replace this one.

Once the old springs are removed, remove the bump stops. Grinding of the cross member is necessary to allow the mounting of the upper coil spring mount. Then holes are drilled into the frame to attach the upper mount.

The old shaft (on the left) is replaced by the shorter, heavy duty shaft (right).

The axle mount bolts on and provides a mounting point for the shorter of the two rear control arms above, and the mounting point for the longer control arm below the axle.

Also on these brackets is the mounting point for the lower coil spring mount.

Curtis is installing the new housing.

I couldn't wait to see the new look. With the Jeep's full weight on the ground, the front and rear track bars get tightened. Then, the test drive begins!

The new, longer rear drive shaft.

Note: The above steps are not all-inclusive and there are torque values that must be followed. The entire install takes about 2 days. You can purchase the complete suspension kit and install it yourself, but we thought we'd leave the install to the professionals at 4-Wheel Parts Performance Centers. Why not leave it up to those that do it best?

Before - Shop foreman Brian, ready to begin the transformation.

New and Improved and ready for action! Notice how much higher the Jeeps sits.

After leaving 4-Wheel Parts, I decided that a real road test, or should I say Off-Road test, should be performed With Norm and Fidel accompanying me, we headed out to Logandale - the site of November's Hump and Bump and took the Jeep through some tough obstacles, including Bronco Falls - a very steep, tight slope that caused its share of casualties during the Hump and Bump, including one Suzuki that ended up on its roof.

What can I say? The new suspension handled everything we threw at it. We flexed it, we extended it, then flexed it some more.

Testing the new suspension - Entering the first slope of Bronco Falls.

What about Pro Comp's Mud Terrain? Well, we put them to the test, too. We made sure to treat them worse than most people treat their In-Laws. We beat them against rocks and tested their traction against slick rock and even ran them in the sand dunes. The outcome? The tires held up like true champs.

We never lost traction, even when on the steep slope of Bronco Falls. The sidewalls held their own against the sharp-edged rocks that are common around the hills overlooking Overton.

This is the true test of the suspension. It passed with flying colors!

I had assumed that the suspension was just settling in, and that after returning to 4-Wheel Parts for my 10-day follow-up, the pulling would disappear. Brian did the regular 10-day check-up and re-torqued all bolts and basically made sure that all was well under the Jeep.

Just another day at the office. The Pro Comp tires never lost traction - even on this steep slope.

My old style of street driving was to mash the gas pedal when taking off and quickly let off when I needed to slow down. Those driving days are gone now, and most of the torque-steer seems to have vanished along with it. The new Explorer Pro Comp suspension and Mud Terrain tires have given ORC's Project Jeep a totally new, extreme look. I must take a moment to thank the staff at the 4-Wheel Parts' Las Vegas branch, and especially Brian Forest for giving 110% effort.

They were more than happy to answer all of my questions before, during and after the install.

Riding off into the sunset after another successful obstacle.