I needed a new mode of transportation. Something with some style and power. A virtual canvas on which to paint a masterpiece of horsepower and traffic stopping looks. I wasn't looking for a Jeep in the initial search for my new ride. I knew I wanted something dependable, affordable, long-lasting, fun to drive, something I could enjoy taking my friends out in, and customizable. Buying the Jeep was a direct result of test driving the Jeep. It was the first 4wd with decent ground clearance I had ever driven and it gave me a view of the road and the world!

The first Jeep I looked at was a tan Sahara with a hard top. The sleaze ball salesman told me that it was the TJ edition, which I later found out was just the body style name and had nothing to do with performance or enhancement of the model. So just a side note to all you soon to be Jeep owners, do your research! Upon inspection by a good friend, it was discovered that it had been wrecked. That was something I did not want to mess with and promptly told the salesman, "no thanks."

A few weeks after my first Jeep driving experience, another friend that worked at a car dealership called me and told me to get up there right away because a real nice Jeep just rolled onto the lot and it was exactly what I was looking for: a 4.0L in line six cylinder, steel blue paint, soft top and hard top, decent miles, and in great shape! As soon as I pulled into the lot, my heart pounded in my chest. My excitement was written all over my face by all accounts. After a couple days of paperwork and signing the next five years of my life away on a loan, I had the keys to my very first Jeep.

It took me less than 48 hours to use the four-wheel drive! After leaving a local watering hole, I was trapped in a long line exiting the parking lot. Aside from the long line of cars flowing out onto the road, the only thing standing between me and my way home was a small incline about 3-4 ft. tall. Now to many Jeepers out there this is nothing, but to a new Jeep owner/operator, this was awesome. Again, being my first 4x4 vehicle, I had not been bitten by the off-road bug, that is until this moment. I looked at my cousin sitting in the passenger seat and said the last words of many fairly famous Kentucky rednecks, "hang-on, I'm gonna try something." Without another word my cousin gripped the roll-bar and dashboard grab handle with the all his white-knuckled might! I reached down and shifted into four-wheel high, shifted into first, cut the wheel hard left and slowly giving it gas started to move towards the hill. Anxious and nervous I wouldn't make it, I opened the throttle and let the Jeep do the rest. Before I knew it we hopped up onto the main drag, much to the surprise of whoever was behind us! From then on, I used any excuse to use four-wheel drive: field parties, snow days, hunting trips, etc.

After stopping into my local off road shop, Performance Off Road, and seeing some of the awesome rigs they were putting together, I knew just having a Jeep and four wheel drive wouldn't cut it anymore if I was going to consider my self a true "Jeep-Guy". And, thus my Jeep modification days began.

I then began customizing my rig with the following add-ons:

33x12.50 DC-FC II Tires : a great tire on road, and a surprisingly good tire off-road. Guys are getting tons of miles on these tires, and although not made for off-road use they can handle a weekend on the trails without much problem. Only downfall is not being able to clean out mud without using tons of wheel speed.

15" Eagle Alloy Wheels : cheap, easy to clean wheels, simple style nothing fancy. Shine like the summer time after a quick polish, but you won't worry about scratching them when your cutting through the dirt, rocks, and logs.

Five-Point Harness-Ready Bucket Racing Seats : Firm but comfortable seats that really hold you during a steep incline. When I decide to install five-point seat belts these seats are ready to go. Custom mounting brackets had to be fabricated. Seats came with sliders and 'fold forward' mechanism. Also these seats recline, lay flat with a 'crank' style recliner, to adjust exact positioning. Vinyl-like material makes the seat virtually waterproof.

CD Player : Gotta have my tunes on the street and trails!

100 Kenwood Amp : Gotta have my tunes up loud to offend the neighbors!

Rockford Fosgate Speakers : all around - (see above)

Roll On Do-It-Yourself Bed Liner : covering entire floor, interior wheel wells, door panels, dashboard and more. It not only protects against rust, but allows for easy clean up on the muddy days and provides a non skid surface on the slippery days. Also gives the Jeep's interior a custom look and feel.

Banks Header : After all the dress-up and suspension add-on's I got tired of some friends of mine using the phrase "all show, and no go" in reference to my Jeep. Although I had the 4.0L, six cylinder, my 33" tires weighed me down and only added to my rolling resistance. A header upgrade is one of the best bang for your buck add-on's. It's not as expensive as a turbo, but you get more gains than a throttle body spacer and the cost is good for the horsepower gained.

Banks Cat-Back Exhaust : (see above) Plus, it gave my Jeep a deeper rumbling sound. Nothing like a 502 big block, but still a good, clean sound.

K & N Cold Air Intake : Although not a true 'cold air' intake, its a high flow intake and the k&n filters work fantastic and save money over time by not having to replace crappy paper filters.

Warn Front & Rear Bumpers : better entrance and departure angles, stronger protection, hoops for d-rings, 2" receiver hitch in the rear, tire carrier ready

Warn Differential Skid Plates : front and rear - under body protection for the lowest point of my body against climbing over logs, rocks, curbs, honda civics, etc.

Optima Red Top Battery : very reliable and dependable battery, needed to power fog lights, stereo amp, eventually a winch. Also a great warranty, which always helps!

Bushwacker Pocket Style Fender Flares : having a wider tire has a tendency to fling mud, ice, slush, gravel, etc. up the side of my Jeep. Style is killer but protection is necessary and important too.

Procomp Fog Lights : an affordable solution with incredible results. These lights do just as good if not better than my stock bright lights!

Light Guards : front,rear, turn signals - a must have for anyone taking your Jeep to the trails and beyond. A $50 investment preventing hundreds in replacement headlights, taillights, and turn signals.

Radiator Bug Screen : not only gives a little bit of edge to the profile of the Jeep, but also protects my radiator from bugs, rocks, tree branches, mud, and general debris

2" BDS Suspension Lift : wanting to gain more ground clearance, and fit bigger tires was top priority when I was searching for a lift kit. With my Jeep already having 100k miles on it, spring spacers are out of the question. There is no sense in putting new parts on an old suspension, so I opted to replace all 4 coil springs and all four shocks. It was a simple install that took me about a day and a half, only because I was using hand tools, floor jack and jack stands. Air tools and a pneumatic lift would have made it a 4-6 hour job easily. My Jeep rides awesome, and has enough clearance for 33 x 12.50 DC-FC II's with no rubbing except when I'm extremely off the beaten path. With the lift and tires my Jeep has a pretty nice stance and you can definitely tell it's nowhere near stock. All that and a no fine print warranty just in case I break something makes BDS tough to beat.

Runk Side Rails : stout, rugged, functional side rails. These things are like bumpers for the sides of my Jeep. With a hint of diamond plate for some bling, thats not gaudy or over the top. They help with the ladies getting in and out of the Jeep also ;-). They also protect against high centering and enable me to do the limited amount of rock crawling and creek bank climbing that a 2" lift will allow.

I must warn you that modifying your Jeep is addictive and as such, I have even more plans for modifying my rig.

Future Planned Add-ons:

Black Hinges All Around : just to dress it up and give a little more edge and general custom look.

Behind Rear Seat Tool Box : allows for great storage but also allows to keep rear fold and tumble seat in place. Black diamond plate looks killer as well.

Rear Corner Panel Guards Black : added protection to the rear quarter panels against trees, rocks, and drive-thru windows!

Spare Tire Carrier By Warn : to finally complete my rear warn bumper. There wasn't much sense in having a spare tire carrier for a spare tire that I didn't have. Plus spending the $300 also persuaded me to purchase it at a later date.

9.5 Power Plant Winch & Air Compressor By Warn : a winch is a must have out on the trails. Even if it saves you just once, it's paid for itself. The addition of the air compressor is just a bonus, and will get plenty of use around the trails, campsite, and also at home. Many people look to bargain winches, but you cannot find a better quality winch than Warn and they are worth the money!

Windshield Light Brackets & Lights : extra visiblity never hurts on the back roads or on the night rides.

Fu ll Exoskeleton / Roll Cage : I'll be honest, eventually I'm gonna roll this thing over!

5.5" Rubicon Express or a 6" Nth Degree Suspension Lift : these are top of the line quality lifts and when I go bigger this is where I'll look.

Dana 44 Front & Rear Axles With 4.88 Gears : 35's would shred my stock dana 30 and dana 35 axles, not to mention the 3.73 gears would make hills (of any size) no fun. This will give me strength to hold the 35" as well as push them down the road without much loss in power.

Ox Lockers Front & Rear : the best selectable locker setup on the market. Not only do you get a sturdy locker, strong cable, billet 'shifter' engagement selectors, you also get a FORGED differential cover. This thing is virtually bomb proof. Really impressive performance off-road and high quality parts make this a must have for the serious off-roader.

35x13.50 Cut Boggers : for off-road use. Easily the most awesome set of tires I've seen on in action on the trails, creek banks, and mud holes

35x13.50 Discoverer STT By Cooper : for on-road use. One of the meanest looking on-road/off-road tires out there. Last a long time, little to no road noise, and look good doing it.

And after all of this, I'll probably get another Jeep and start all over. It really is a Jeep thing.