Jeep Upgrades

Jim Chick talks a little bit about Bestop’s company background, products, and long-standing relationship with 4 Wheel Parts.

I own, drive, and wheel a 1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ. I bought it used in 2001 off a used Jeep dealer. It was stock with no modifications at all and 79,000 miles on the odometer – not many miles for the venerable 4.0L motor. Backing that straight six is the Chrysler 32RH 3-speed auto transmission, followed by the NP231 transfer case. The axles were the Dana 30 and 35s geared with 3.07s. The interior was original, as was the black soft top. The bright red with a splashy vinyl graphic down both sides matched the color of the fender flares.

I currently own 2 Jeeps.

One is the pink (used to be green) rock crawling competition Jeep. It was originally a 1997 TJ Wrangler SE. The only part on it that is original is the frame. The body tub has been swapped from a 2000 TJ, the grille is an aftermarket piece from Crown Automotive, and the engine is a 4.3L Vortec out of a 2003 GM truck. This thing is a driving billboard for parts available through 4Wheel Drive Hardware. Here is a list of parts you can find on this rig:

Instead of writing an eight page report on all of the jeeps, trucks, and SUVs I have owned, I will instead stick to the majors. The major vehicles will include a 1989 XJ Cherokee, 1976 CJ5, 1995 YJ Wrangler, and finally a 1997 TJ Wrangler.