Wayne Lentz 1997 Jeep Wrangler (Spring 2003 Featured Rig)

Wayne (User Name on RME is WLJ) moved from Wisconsin to Utah and brought his 1972 CJ5 with him. He quickly learned that a Jeep setup for Mud, sporting 12.5 to 1 Compression and a Short Wheelbase isn't the right Combo for the Utah rocks. The CJ was sold and a stock TJ was bought to replace it. 2 years later, there's hardly a part that hasn't been replaced or upgraded!



Engine- 4.0L Straight Six.

Mods: Rock-It Air tube and K&N air filter, Power Aid Throttle Body spacer, Rubicon Express 62mm Throttle Body, 3-core Radiator and a Flex-lite Electric fan to keep it all cool.


Transmission- Jeep AX15 5 Speed and a Hand Throttle.

Transfer Case- Atlas II 4.3!!

Axles-

Front:
Currie-built, Ford 9”. High pinion with ARB, 4.88 Gears, Warn Inners and Outers shafts, Warn 5x5.5 Hub Conversion, and the Housing has been Shaved on the Bottom.


Rear:
Currie-built, Ford 9”. High pinion with a Detroit, 4.88 Gears, Warn Full Floater, Ford Disc brakes, Welded on skid protection. Also Shaved on the Bottom.


Suspension- Rubicon Express, Long Arm Kit with 5.5” of Lift. Currie Anti-Rock bars help keep it all in balance when the going gets twisty.

Tires & Wheels- Wayne runs 2 sets of wheels and tires. One set is a little more Street-friendly, the 37” MT/R's on CenterLine Hell Cat’s 15x8.5's. But, when things get nasty there's a set of 36” SX Swampers with 15X8 Allied Beadlocks waiting to play.

Protection- Off Your Rockers Corner Guards, Currie Front bumper w/ Steering brace & gearbox skid plate. Also from Currie are the Rear Bumper with spare tire carrier and for rocker protection are the Currie Rock Ribs.

Winch- Warn 9500HS on a Custom Mount.

Interesting Facts- LED taillights, KC back-up lights, Kilby Gas Tank skid plate and for roll-over protection, a MORE Cage w/ additional spreaders. Tom Wood Drive Shafts sent the power to the Diffs; (Wayne has a full set of spare shafts!!) Yellow Optima Battery provides the juice, Hard and Soft Tops, Full and Half Doors, a Cobra CB, 1” Daystar Body lift, 1” Motor Mount lift, Halon fire extinguisher and a cool Custom Aluminum Box replaced the Back seat, for storing tools and spare parts.

Whats Next?- There's thoughts about a rig with a little less sheetmetal..... like, say..... a Tube Buggy!

In the mean time, there may be a Dana 60 in the works, to replace the rear Ford 9".



Some of the things that have given Wayne the most satisfaction include; Installing the Suspension, mounting the Currie 9" Axles and well...... everything! Wayne has done all the mods in his garage. (I guess you can do that when you're a Mechanical Engineer!) When Wayne isn't wheelin his Jeep, he also occupies his time with Rock Climbing, Road Racing his '89 Mustang, Tele-skiing, Kayaking, Camping and playing in the Outdoors.
 
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Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Wayne's TJ has been over many of the Trails in Moab. From the Moab Rim trail to Posion Spider Mesa and Lower Helldorado, the TJ has crawled almost everywhere.

Here's the TJ on The Moab Rim trail-
 

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Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Lurking under the Front of the Jeep are the shaved Ford 9", Rubicon Express Suspension parts and a Currie Anti-Rock bar.-
 

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Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Finally, a pic from the rear, with the Top off. The Tire Carrier, LED Tail Lights, Corner Guards and of course, mans best friend can be seen.-
 

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Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
In parting, Wayne has a bit af advise he'd like to share with those looking to build a Rig in the future.-

"Research, Research, Plan, Plan, Stick to your plan and Build what works for YOU."
 

WJL

Registered User
Location
Eden, Utah
yep those were the rims I sold you. I do like the Hellcats a little better, also not as nervious when wheeling now, bolt pattern is the same all the way around.

Did you ever find two more?
 
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