Troubled Child is a 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer purchased Aug 1997 with 86,000 original miles. I built it with a balance of capabilities, from tackling some of the toughest trails, to comfortably driving to trail heads hundreds of miles away, to extended outdoor excursions and exploration. Purpose Built: Nothing beats build-ups based on real-world experience. With 10 years of wheeling and building, TC is ready to take on the challenges of 8-rated trails in Colorado and Moab, with lots of little helpful features all blended into a trail capable, highway friendly, versatile and enjoyable package. Learn more about TC here or Become a fan on Facebook !

Lift: Skyjacker 4" all spring lift with Rancho RS9000 shocks. Axles: D44 widetrac front axle with ARB Air Locker and 9-1/4" minimum clearance, AMC 20 widetrac one piece rear axle with Powertrax Lock Right locker and 8-3/4" clearance covered up with a Crane cover. Tires: Both axles feature 3.73:1 Precision Gear ring and pinion and mount 33x12.50-15 BF Goodrich MT-KO tires that I won from Discount Tire through a contest right here on CarDomain! The ARB is engaged through a custom converted York AC air compressor with 4wd Products 1 gallon air tank, all controlled in-cab or underhood for airing up tires or powering the locker. Brakes: Chevy K10 brake lines in front accomodate the lift and axle travel in front with a braided extended length stainless line out back. Stainless brake hard lines are in progress

Engine: Engine (as of Feb 2007) stock but very strong AMC 360 V8 with 100,000 miles. It replaced a custom built 360 that is currently back on the stand for some more work. That motor was bored 0.030 over and balanced and featured Edelbrock intake, Comp Cams 260H bumpstick, rear main oiling modification, and ARP bolts. Exhaust: Spent gases pass through a 3" aluminized single exhaust encountering a high flow catalytic converter and Magnaflow muffler before their final journey to the atmosphere. Carburetor: To keep pollution to a minimum and keep the trees green, the rig currently runs a Motorcraft 2150 two-barrel carburetor with altitude compensator.  It's dialed in to ace emissions and deliver decent mileage for a huge, lifted truck. Prior to this, it used a very efficient and off-road friendly 800-cfm Quadrajet carefully tuned to the Colorado altitudes. Transmission: The engine is mated to a Jeep A727 (Chrysler TF727) transmission, rebuilt by Parker Transmission & Gear, with TransGo shift kit and a custom-built low stall torque converter for increased compression braking off-road. Ignition: Lighting the fire is an MSD Blaster 2 coil triggered by the stock Duraspark ignition (with two spares in the vehicle at all times!), TFI large cap conversion, sitting on a distributor recurved for AMC by Wlike at All American 4x4.

Off-Road Features: The Wilderness Off-Road roof rack is strong and functional, carrying camping gear, recovery gear, or for nimble climbers, occasionally offering a higher vantage point (or even acting as a ladder to access my roof for hanging Christmas lights).  Most importantly, it carries up to 2 fuel cans, one light 33x9.50-15 spare in full expedition load out, and 500W of off-road lighting for playing after dark. Reverse lights on the roof rack can be switched to always on, always off, or on along with oem reverse lights and provide a 200W flood beam to light up those dark trails. Out back is a Valley spare tire carrier that holds a light 33x9.50-15 spare on aluminum rim and a 5 gallon Jerry can. Killer32 custom tube bumpers protect the front, rear and corners.  Recovery points include  front tow hooks and Warn XD9000i winch anchored to the bumpers and an integrated 2" receiver with Warn shackle on the back bumper. The winch, lights, and electronics are powered by an Optima Red Top and a 94A Delco-Remy 12SI alternator.

Electronics: The vehicle is equipped with both CB and Amateur radio to transmit and receive on 4 radio bands including 2m, 70cm, and 6m and CB. Stereo: XM Satellite radio and 30G Video iPod provide tunes in remote locations. Sound is processed by a 50x4W Pioneer KEH-5000UB head unit and translated to tunes by way of Boston Acoustics FX5 speakers in the four corners, enhanced through MDF door baffles and sound deadening on the exterior panels. Some added kick is provided by an Alpine MRP-M200 200Wx1 amplifier powering an Infinity Reference 1032W dual voice coil 10" subwoofer. And More Extras: Interior goodies include Bestop custom seats, Steel Horse center console, and Grant custom steering wheel. Engine rpm is displayed by an Autometer miniature tachometer mounted to the steering column.  Dimensions: Like all FSJs, this one has 108" wheelbase and with the wider axles and tires, 78-3/4" sidewall to sidewall width in front, and under full fuel load, thanks to the roof rack and dual gas can carriers, measures 96-1/4" maximum height.

I'm a member of the Colorado Full Size Jeep Association