----*-----*-----*-----*-----*-----*-----* Show Off of the week: -- June 13 2005 *-----*-----*-----*-----*-----*-----*----
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This Jeep is the result of alot of hard work and scrimped and saved cash, please rate if you like it, enjoy the Pictures and the story, it's worth the read.
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Climbing Eagles Nest on the Constrictor Trail in Utah's 5 Mile Pass with thw 35's still on

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Here is A Classic MOAB pic that I have seen in many magazines, couldn't resist getting one for myself.
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Out on August 5th 2006 in American Fork Canyon, Utah's Mineral Basin Trail with the SLC4X4 Club!
Go to SLC4x4.Com to join.
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Just Like a Roller Coaster, everyone has FUN on the Forest Lake Trail in Utah's American Fork Canyon!

It gets a Little Tippy sometimes on Five Mile Pass.

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And Some Mud now and then when I can find it on the back side of Guardsmans Pass.

But the ROCKS are my Favorite!

This is the original, one and only real MANGLER a Hard Core rock crawler in progress.(I say in progress because it is going in stages, Time and Money are short, and it's also my daily driver, so I still gotta be able to drive it.) In the following pages you will get a little of the story, mods, pics, Family, and a little of Jeep life from my perspective. Look Around awhile, have some fun, and let me know what you think. Drop me any suggestions, hints, and tips also. If you Like it, Rate me up
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Current Update:
The Mangler just got the 1/2 doors and the soft top back on for it's trip to MOAB for the Easter Jeep Safari. I will be staying at the Super 8 there on main street, if you see me, say hello.
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Check out all the pages, Enjoy the pictures, read the story, maybe you will be impressed, Maybe not.

This is how my current addiction all started for me. I needed something a little smaller than the Big Broncosaurus (see page 8). I banged it up a little on a trip to Moab because it was just too big. So I bought a 69 bronco (also see page 8), dumped a good chunk of change into it and decided it was too pretty to bash up. Sold that on ebay, bought a 76 CJ-5, put in a little cash, but it drove like crap on the road, besides it was a little short for my tastes. Sold that on ebay, and here is what I finally ended up with. 1998 Jeep Wrangler Sport, that I have named the "MANGLER".

I will try my best to make this vehicle into what I want, but you never know, that new Wrangler 4 door Rubicon Unlimited is whispering my name.

When I bought this Jeep, this is what I got. It was a little fixed up, fine for some, but for my Cruel Intentions it needed some serious help, But For Just under 12k, I couldn't turn it down.

Thru my assessment of the Jeep, this is what had been done to it so far when it came to me. ((Teraflex 3 inch lift, 32-11.50/15 Mastercraft mud terrains(junk), Rancho 9000 shocks with in cab control(leaky), Alpine Alarm, front ARB, ARB Pump, hard top, full steel doors, 4.0 engine, AX-15 trans, NP231 Transfer case, front Dana 30, and a already once replaced rear Dana 35(scary), mirror movers.))with good miles and a fairly low price, It was a fairly good place to start.

One of the first things I did was to organize a plan to make it into a rock crawling machine. So I began to go thru the books and magazines to get an idea of what I liked, and I also researched pages like this for ideas that would help.

Ah yes but the budget, where does it fit in. At the time I was single, and had a little extra money. It is almost unbelievable how much money you can blow without even realizing it, but ebay helps. I am Just over $30k in this thing over the last 3 years and the Jeep only cost me $12K. OUCH, and I got so much more to do. It is worth every penny when you take it out, wheel it hard and get to show it off!

So first thing to do was to take a good long look at the Jeep and see what needed to be done right now.

It was warm out and so I took the top off. And bought a Bikini top and Header channel. The first thing that had to be fixed was to cover up those ugly seats, they were in good shape, but UGLY.

A quick call to Quadratech and I was putting in new neoprene seat covers front and rear. Also I ordered 2 fire extinguishers and this is where I mounted them along with my Mag Light. One on each side of the front seats. For Christmas I got a set of Catch-All carpeted floor mats. Later From eBay I got this quilted hard top liner and from Rock Hard 4x4, I got this rear cage frame piece.

I updated the interior a bit with a tuffy security console, new pioneer CD/MP3 stereo, Switch for the KC Lights (red arrow) and I added these ports seen here (green arrow) to attach my Ipod or My laptop with a kick butt GPS system made by Delorme, you can see the module here mounted to my hood hinge. The system will track your trails, and guide you to where you are going or want to go by voice if you plug it into those ports. Plus I can play games, listen to music on a External Player or Ipod, or watch movies and hear the sounds thru my Stereo speakers. It's a real hit when we are camping, or just looking to waste some time. (I also carry a Garmin 38 GPS for out of Jeep exploring)

Also on the console you can see the switches for the ARB pump (blue arrow) and Front ARB Locker (yellow arrow). (The old ones sucked so I built a whole new harness and moved the pump to the tray under the Brake Booster). Also in the picture, you can see the B&M Quick Shifter, an Old Cobra CB Radio(Broke)(Got New Cobra 19 CB), and if you look very close to the left, you can just see the holes from the old ARB switches in the dash. I later covered these with the a remote control unit for the stereo(orange arrow), I know, I know, the stereo is within reach, but it looks cool and it covers the holes nicely. Right there in the middle of everything is the led warning light to let the criminals know to watch out for the Alpine alarm .

I ran into this guy who was selling an Insta-trunk for a wrangler, so I bought it and then customized it up a bit to meet my needs. The first thing I did was carpet the thing so it matched better with my jeep interior when the rear seat is removed, also I found some chrome plugs to cover the 4 holes in the sides to make it just a bit more waterproof. Next I got my hands on some angled aluminum and made some braces to make the top able to hold more weight. To the top I added this net to keep my junk from rolling around, and under it I keep a bag full of tools, a bag full of recovery gear (shackles straps, snatch block, gloves, bolts/nuts/washers, winch remote, stuff like that). Also I threw in a Jeep repair manual, Moab trail guide, Jumper cables, Air Hose and Attachments, Duct Tape, toilet paper, A Few Trash Bags, bungee cords, a trouble code reader, Shovel/Axe/Saw combo, and a hammock (you never know when your gonna need a NAP!)

To keep everything dry when it rains, I also purchased a Trail cover from Best top. I had to make a few modifications to it. Firstly it had nothing to hold it down to the vehicle. It normally is held down by some straps that attach to the rear tail lights and the bottom of the body on the sides, well with the rock sliders and the LED tail lights; I had to get creative with the straps. But it finally fits well, and keeps everything dry. Since I bought A full soft top, I have SOLD this.

Next I turned my attention to the Tires.
I had decided that I was going to go with 35-12.50/15's on black 15x8 steel wheels, but I hadn’t decided what type. I had some good experiences with the BFG MT's on my Bronco, but I had heard good things about the new Goodyear MTR's. So I decided to give them a chance. I ordered some black lug nuts, wheel locks and center caps. It took a set of 2 inch spacers and a 1 inch body lift to fit them under there with the 3 inch lift the Jeep came with, but it was just a temporary fix. I Have a Much Better Lift Now (see page 3) ((NEW 37's See Page 3))

With the new "Lift", I needed a new rear driveshaft. So I ordered one up from rubicon express and also a Hack'n'Tap.
it was the cheap way to go and it worked for awhile, but the flange was always comming loose, even with lock tight and lock washers. (see new Super Short SYE and new driveshaft on page 3)

Well of coarse now I needed gears so I called Up a Local 4x4 store and ordered a set of Superior 4:88's for the front Dana 30 and rear Dana 35. Since I have an ARB upfront, I went to have these installed at a local 4 wheel shop. While in there I had them put in new front axle u-joints and check out the ARB. (I know why dump money into a Dana 35, but it was in there, see page 2 for Upgrade to a Dana 44 with a full detroit)

I also had to figure out how to carry that big tire on the back of my Jeep, so off to the 4x4 shop again for a Warn rear rock crawler bumper with a tire carrier and I saw these rear light guards too. The extension sticking out of the receiver is for my bike rack, I had to add this to get my rack out past that tire.

In the engine compartment, I decided that the 4.0 straight six will do fine with only a few mods till it dies . So here is what I did. First I put in an Optima Red Top battery. A Borla cat back exhaust and new style exhaust header were next, A B&M Short Throw Billet Shifter was put in, and a Polyurethane Tranny mount. Next Was an AEM Brute Force Air Intake Kit, and Throttle Body Spacer. Since I had to pay for all these mods myslef, I decided that this was a great place to put all the Logos and Stickers I got with my parts, I would run them on the outside if they were sponsers, but I have none. Also I added a list of trails I had done that I will update when I complete more of them. Also there is a Battery Cut off switch that goes to my winch. Hopefully soon there will be a Welder and a York compressor under there also. (see mod to make room for upcomming York on page 4)

What to do at work when you are bored!

Got Any Good Jeep Tips? Please share them, and I will surely post them.

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Click a Page Title below to Jump to that page.

Page 1 You Are Here
Page 2 More Mods
Page 3 New Lift
Page 4 Newest Mods
Page 5 Trip Pics
Page 6 Trip Pics 2
Page 7 Trip Pics 3
Page 8 Trip Pics 4
Page 9 SLC 4X4 Club
Page 10 Adventures of Little Mangler
Page 11 Complete List of All Mods
Page 12 Logos and parts pics from my Jeep
Page 13 Comparison Pics
Page 14 Jeep Life
Page 15 Carnage(trail damage)
Page 16 Shows, Trophies, & Show off pics!
Page 17 Jeeps & Chicks Pics!
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----*-----*-----*-----*-----*-----*-----* Show Off of the week: -- June 13 2005 *-----*-----*-----*-----*-----*-----*----