hydraulic
ram assisted
steering kit to go along with their heavy-duty pump and Type II steering
box. The Rock Ram and Type II box still allows some steering feel and feedback,
especially important during high-speed runs. Extra tough 1.25x.500" chromoly
tie rod and drag link with heim ends were fabricated to ensure that the
common problem of tie rod or drag link failure didn't happen to the Fire
Ant.For rock protection, the body was mounted one-inch higher on the frame by using modified and cut body mounts. Currie Enterprises rocker guards and front and rear Rock Crawler bumpers also keep the rocks at bay. Underneath, custom 5/16" aluminum skidplates act as the crossmember and also protect the transmission and engine oil pan. A Warn XD9000i was installed to keep everything moving in a pinch.
To protect the occupants, James Gang Racing was recruited to build a beautiful full roll cage with "Spotter Bars" to keep the spotter in contact with the Jeep. The interior of the Wrangler is enhanced with Beard Super Seats with S-line seatbelts and a custom dash with Autometer gauges from James Gang Racing. The stock shifter from the Grand Cherokee was retained and John reports that it works quite well. A 1/3 horsepower Currie 12-volt compressor and battery cutoff switch was installed under the front passenger seat.
Fire Ant impressed us when we went out to shoot photos. There's a ledge that no one had been able to climb yet, whether they were in a regular Jeep or rock buggy. After playing around on it for a while, John was able to get the Fire Ant up it. This was quite an accomplishment, as TJ's usually don't climb as well as most other 4x4's! The V8 was an eye opener, too. It had plenty of low-end grunt, but the surprise came when we turned to go up a long dune. The engine revved and revved, seeming to be quite happy up near red line and pulling like a freight train at high rpm. The five-speed, computer controlled tranny was a little strange, as it shifted gears, unlocked and locked the torque converter and did lots of things that made us raise our eyebrows. Once we got used to it, though, we found that the
