Stinky's ChiliPepper Jeep

story by Jim Allen
photos by Allen Merritt and David Wikete

Contacts for Grand Lake area 4-wheelers: Hogan’s Off Road Park Disney, Oklahoma 918-435 8001 or 2737


Local Club Contact: Extreme 4 Wheelers Grand Lake Area 4WD Club www.extreme4wheelin.com

Jim Jenkins (aka Stinky) of St. Albans, Missouri has built and ‘wheeled Jeeps and Scouts for over 25 years. Six years ago, he swapped an AMC 360 engine and 727 Torqueflight automatic into his brown ’85 CJ7. He did a spring over lift with high cross-over steering setup to run 35x16 Boggers. The CJ 7 served faithfully on and off-road. But when his wife, Mindee, spotted a cherry, chili pepper red ’98 Wrangler TJ, they fell in love with it and brought it home.

Stinky’s son William wheeling in Grand Lake campground.

About the same time, a new van he had ordered for his appliance repair business arrived, and the dealer only offered $1500 trade-in for his old, but still strong ’94 1-ton GMC van. As Stinky pondered what to do with the old service truck, he imagined transplanting the EFI 454 engine and 4L80E automatic transmission into the TJ. Figuring the mighty mill would be able to sling mud from huge Super Swampers, launch up towering sand hills, and rock-crawl over boulder piles at an idle. Soon the vision became an obsession — one that would cause people to say, “Oh my! Look at all the work that went into that vehicle.”

Jim and his business partner, Kent Fulk who is also a skilled mechanic and welder, devoted all their free time to the project for six months. The big engine was still strong, even at 192K-miles, but they sent the transmission to Commercial Transmission of St. Louis for a rebuild. After removing the original engine and drivetrain from the TJ, they installed a 6” Rubicon Express suspension lift with 4-link control arms. To clear 39.5-inch tires they also added 2” DayStar coil spring spacers, and a 2” Performance Accessory body lift for a total lift of 10 inches. The experts at Rubicon Express helped Stinky select the correct springs and Old Man Emu shocks to handle the added weight of the big-block and 12,000 winch. Stinky said, “Drilling the 10 one-inch holes through the frame to bolt the skid plate and control arm brackets was the hardest part of the whole project.”

Installing the big GM 454 was much like installing a Chevy 350. Computer specialists, Mike Ware, wired the computer and the all-important speed-sensor buffer to match the T.B.I. motor and transmission to the Jeep. Since the Jeep’s dash gauges work with the original engine’s computer, Stinky installed Autometer gauges to keep tabs on the oil pressure, water temp, voltage, and fuel pressure.

Stinky used an Advanced Adaptor indexing ring to rotate a 4.3:1 Atlas 2 transfer case counter clockwise to keep it safely above the rocks. They used a Tom Woods output flange with 1350 CV U-joints, and had A-Line of St. Lewis build the driveshafts using strong 1350 U-Joints. To handle the torque and gear reduction, they had to have heavy-duty axles. Ken welded brackets to the axles to attach the control arms and springs. In the rear, they installed a Ford Dana 60 with 35-spline Moser Axles. Up front, they used a stock GM Dana 60 with heavy-duty Warn lock-out hubs. Stinky stuffed ARB Air Lockers and 6.17: 1 gears in the differentials. A Corvette master cylinder with rear brake proportioning valve and 4-wheel disk brakes easily stops the 39.5x18x15 Boggers mounted on 12x15 MRT Beadlocks.

The body and interior are stock except for the addition of a child seat for three-year-old William. And there are many functional accessories that make Stinky’s Jeep special: The 454’s A/C compressor with a 5-gallon air tank powers the Air Lockers, runs pneumatic tools, and quickly airs the Boggers back up to street pressure after off-road adventures. Bushwhacker fender flares cover the wide tires. A Rock Crusher front bumper carries a 12,000 winch, a full size spare rides on a 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers tire carrier, and rock sliders protect the side from boulders. Wherever Stinky goes, people comment, “Nice Jeep.” he responds, “It ‘wheels as good as it looks.”

The Jenkins family ‘wheel most weekends in the St. Louis area. And they usually spend Memorial Day week camping at Disney, Oklahoma. There they can fish, boat, swim, and trail ride the forest trails. But mostly they rock crawl in the almost endless rock-gardens, bluffs, and waterfalls below the three huge dams that form Grand Lake of the Cherokees. Over a Coke in a campground overlooking the lake, Mindee said, “I hated Stinky’s Jeep during the six months that he devoted to building his magnificent obsession, but now I love our chili pepper red TJ.”