Main Street Rides

I’ve often heard the term, “don’t knock it till you try it”. That phrase has never applied to me more than it did in 2020 when I went to work for Bestop. Growing up, I was always into cars, drawn to the raked stance of 60’s and 70’s era muscle cars. Wide tires, rumbling exhaust notes, and the aesthetic of automotive design. In my teens, my affection assimilated the tuner car scene with their twin turbos, aero, and hi-tech tricks to go fast and hug the corners. A tight chassis and a stick shift was all I needed to have fun behind the wheel. Vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler were completely off the radar.

Pickup trucks were a way of life in southeast Idaho where I was raised. My high school parking lot was rife with square body and OBS Chevy, GMC, and Ford trucks. Typically, with a dirt bike or Yamaha Banshee in the bed, shod with sand paddle tires, ready for the St. Anthony sand dunes. I grew to love that era of truck and always loved my grandpa’s trucks; between the two of them, their stable included a late 70’s square body Chevy, a 1978 Dodge Power Wagon, a 1991 OBS Silverado, a 1997 Silverado, a 2005 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel, and a 2000 Dodge Ram, and a 2005 Ford F-150. My parents also had a 1989 Dodge Ramcharger most of my childhood. So, I had an affection for trucks and solid axles as well. Still though, Jeeps were still not on my radar.

Fast forward to 2020… Covid-19 had broken out the year before and my world changed overnight. My coworkers and I found ourselves on a conference call where we learned we would be spending the next three months, potentially more, with no pay or benefits. Benched without pay, wonderful. Halfway through the 90-day furlough, I’d picked up the hobby of smoking meats and was working away on my 240z project in the garage when I get a call from my friend Scott, a college buddy and fellow automotive enthusiast.  We’d both worked at Premier Performance, though at different times. He wanted me to come join him for a new opportunity in Colorado, working for Bestop.

Bestop was the leading manufacture in cut & sow products for trucks & SUV’s. Soft tops, bikini tops, tonneau covers, and camper shells and the Jeep Wrangler was by in large the primary platform they made product for. I wasn’t overly familiar with Bestop, but I did own a Softopper which was owned and operated by the same group, and I was a huge fan of that product. We decided to go on a new adventure, so we packed up our things, sold our home in Idaho, and moved to the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

One of the first things I noticed as I pulled into Louisville, CO in my 350z was that Jeeps were everywhere. If states had a state vehicle like they do with flowers and birds, Colorado’s would be the Jeep Wrangler. They were everywhere and of every generation. I still had the assumption that Jeeps were clunky, noisy, and not very enjoyable to drive on the road. They certainly didn’t fit the parameters of what I looked for in a fun car to own. My 350z checked all the right boxes for me.

It only took a few months for my initiation into Jeep culture to begin. Part of being in sales for a company that makes off-road accessories means being present at off-road events. The type of events that attract your customers and the target audience that you want to expose your product to firsthand. My first event with Bestop and my introduction to the world of “wheeling’” would be the Winter 4×4 Jamboree in Hurricane, UT. Bestop had a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited that had been purpose built to go hit the trails at these types of events. Affectionately referred to as “the booger”, it was bright green in color and in addition to Bestop bumpers and a Trektop to highlight our product, it was built for some serious off-roading. Equipped with a Teraflex suspension lift, DANA 60 axles, ARB air lockers, a Warn winch, full coverage skid plates, Baja Designs lights, a Poison Spyder roll cage, and 37” all-terrain tires, it was built to go just about anywhere.

I towed the JK out to Hurricane, UT behind my Ram and once we arrived at the event, I fully intended to be a passenger only. Southern Utah is home to some of the most epic wheeling trails the world has to offer. Everyone knows about Moab and Easter Jeep Safari, but events like the Winter 4×4 Jamboree and Trail Hero take place in Sand Hollow State Park. Sand Hallow is an off-road enthusiast’s paradise, 20,000 acres of red rock and sand dunes, crisscrossed with trails of varying difficulty with clever names like Double Sammy, Milt’s Mile, and The Maze.

Scott and I, along with our co-worker Ryan had come to the Winter 4×4 Jamboree to show off some Bestop product and engage with our customer base. A cool but pleasant February morning greeted us as we loaded our gear into the Jeep to head to the staging area for our trail ride for the day. We were slated to tackle Double Sammy that day with a group of customers that owned Barney Brother’s Off-Road in Grand Junction, CO. They, along with a few of their customers and friends would be our guides for the day. “There is nothing like wheeling with half doors” Scott proclaimed as we removed the upper fabric doors from the Bestop Core Doors on the Jeep. Core Doors are an aluminum modular door with a removable center panel and a fabric upper window that is removable. They keep you out of the weather when in place but can be removed and stowed, providing an open-air experience that I now find to be intoxicating.

Meeting along an access road just inside the park, we met up with our group and began preparing our Jeeps for the trail ahead. Letting the air out of the tires, softening the dampening on the suspension and steering, disconnecting sway bars, and folding our tops back to let in the rays. Rolling out to the trailhead of Double Sammy, we traversed across a sandy frontage road with banked turns, whoops, and rocks. This was my first experience on what a good quality suspension could transform a Jeep into. The Teraflex Falcon shocks soaked up the uneven terrain and paired with the aired down off-road tires, the ride was very compliant, and we were able to cruise though the rough and uneven terrain at a good clip. We climbed a rock ledge in our Jeeps that brought us out on the sand dunes which we would traverse for a time before arriving to the entrance of Double Sammy, its location marked with a laser cut steel sign, bolted to the side of a rock formation.

Trails in Sand Hollow State Park have difficulty ratings that range from 2-3 (mild) to 7-10 (difficult). Trails with a rating of 7 or more usually come along with risks of body damage, rollovers and breakage of steering or drivetrain components. Obstacles that include steep inclines, off camber ledges, large boulders, and tight turns are common. Double Sammy, the trail I would lose my virginity to was rated at a 7 out of 10. The initial obstacle, known as a gate keeper, is a vertical sandstone wall followed by several step ledges. With butterflies in my stomach as we approached the wall, I remember saying, “I’d like to know who first had the idea to try and drive up something like this”. I was completely flabbergasted as the front tires first grabbed purchase of the base of the wall, the deflated tires deforming to the surface, maximizing their grip and contact patch. With small adjustments to the throttle, the Wrangler, in 4-low, puttered up the wall like it was a level surface. Staring at nothing but blue sky, I held on to the PRP grab handles on the roll bar and grinned stupidly as Scott chirped the tires over the steps on to the top of the rock outcropping. There is a saying in the wheeling community that it’s the biggest adrenaline rush you can have at less than 3 mph. It’s true.

The biggest shock of the day for me was halfway through Double Sammy after we’d stopped for lunch, Scott hands me the keys to the JK and says, “Your turn”. I must admit that I was extremely nervous but there was no denying that I wanted to try it. Given the nature of this type of wheeling, visibility from the driver’s seat can be a challenge so having a spotter to help guide you through the tough obstacles, especially for a new driver is recommended. Scott walked ahead of me as I approached my first obstacle of the day. The naming of offroad obstacles is a long tradition that brings a bit of mystique to the sport, like conquering a mythical beast. Later in the event a friend in our group would lose to one, coming to rest wrong side up at the bottom of You’ve Gotta Be Nuts. I don’t recall the name of that first obstacle, but it was a large rock ledge in a narrow portion of the trail. As I Pulled level with the ledge my windshield was filled with the view of a rock wall that rose above the hood of the Jeep. “Can I really drive over this?” I thought to myself. “Just do what I tell you to do.” Scott said from atop the ledge, reading my thoughts. Using terms like “driver” and “passenger” for steering inputs, I was staring at the sky again before I knew it. The front tires gripped the wall and simply pulled the front of the jeep up the ledge. “Now with steady throttle, you’re just going to power up and the rear will follow. Nice and smooth inputs” Scott said. Sure enough, with smooth input to the throttle, I steadily powered up and over a rock ledge that was taller than the hood. I couldn’t believe it.

I was a kid in a candy store for the remainder of the trail. Loving the sway of the jeep and the challenge of navigating the terrain. The final obstacle of Double Sammy I do remember. A 70 ft tall notch in a narrow outcropping of rock. The Chute is at the very end of the trail and while it is easy to bypass, I felt called to conquer it. I sat in nervous anticipation as I watched a convoy of Jeeps ahead of me tackle the obstacle one at a time, seeming to defy gravity. I have seen videos of quite a few failed attempts with Jeeps rolling backward down the notch and onto their tops, thankfully, I saw those videos after driving it myself.

With Ryan as my potentially unwilling passenger, I approached the start of The Chute with caution. Chad Barney, one of the owners of Barney Brother’s off-road and a Sand Hollow veteran, stood atop the obstacle to guide me. With nothing but a sandstone wall filling my view, my front tires crept up the first few feet of the wall that climbs 70 feet at a 50-degree angle (steeper in some places). As the Jeep climbed, the view quickly changed from wall to sky, a disconcerting feeling as the tires chirped up the first section of the obstacle. Trusting the directions of Chad as he barked recommended adjustments to my tire placement, I kept the throttle steady, and the Wrangler motored up the wall with ease.

The rest of the Winter 4×4 Jamboree was a blast and did nothing to curb my growing desire to have a Jeep of my own. It wasn’t long after returning home that I began feverishly searching for sale listings for Jeep Wranglers. It was during this search that I learned of many of the benefits of www.autotempest.com, a website I have since used frequently to find the cars I’m looking for. Less than a month into looking, I came across a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited with 71,000 miles. Finished in a unique color, appropriately named Dozer, the bulldozer-colored Jeep had tan leather interior, an ARB bumper, Warn winch, and a 50” light bar across the top of the windshield. Aside from that, the JKU was a blank slate, and I was ready to make it mine.

After getting the Jeep home, the first order of business was to remove that pesky light bar which created a horrible amount of wind noise. I’d also not waisted any time in beginning to source the components and upgrades I wanted to turn my Wrangler into the perfect all-rounder. The goal was to improve the Wrangler’s on-road driving manners while also creating an unstoppable off-road machine.

I’d been so impressed with the Bestop JK’s capabilities that I mirrored most of my upgrades to that Jeep, with a few differences. The Bestop Jeep had upgraded DANA 60 axles, something I didn’t have the budget for and with mine being a Rubicon, I was OK to beef up my factory DANA 44 axles that came standard. I have upgraded Dozer in a couple of different stages over my years of ownership with the first focusing on the most essential components for off-road capability and improved on road manners. Before my maiden voyage off pavement my initial upgrades included:

• Teraflex Alpha HD spare tire carrier
• Teraflex RT3 3” short arm suspension lift kit
• Rancho drop brackets
• Teraflex HD ball joints
• Teraflex Falcon adjustable shocks
• Teraflex HD steering upgrade
• Teraflex big brake kit
• Yukon chromoly axle shafts w/ 5.13 gears
• Superchips Flashcal Tuner
• Teraflex Nomad off-road wheels w/rash rings
• 37” Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T tires
• DV8 Fenders and inner fender liners
• M.O.R.E Offroad Skid plates
• Teraflex rock rails
• Sleeve & gusset kit for the front axle
• Bestop fold & tumble bench seat for a 3rd row
• Bestop Supertop Ultra soft top

I prepped Dozer before the build by removing the fenders, inner fender liners, and gave the Jeep a good detail. From there, I trailered it back to Grand Junction Colorado where I spent a weekend with Chad Barney and his crew in their shop swapping out all the factory suspension, brakes, and gears with the upgrades. The cherry on top? A Bestop bench seat from a TJ that Chad created a custom bracket for so that I can have a 3rd row seat in the Wrangler for family off-road adventures. 48 hours later, I was ready to take my own Jeep out on some trails and I couldn’t wait!

So that wraps up the story of how I was bitten by the Jeep bug and what has Ironically become the vehicle I have owned longer than any other. Crawling over obstacles and exploring the mountain trails has become one of my favorite pastimes. I’ve gone on a lot of adventures in my Jeeps and with this introduction to how it all began, I’ll follow up with quite a few stand alone adventures that are worthy of their own posts! Below are some photos of Dozer immediately after we finished phase 1 and some early adventures in Moab, UT and close to home in Colorado to break her in.