Customer Spotlight: Ian's Jeep TJ

*This is an old article

Ian Harkins started off his passion for cars, hot rods, trucks and off road vehicles many years ago. He and his father shared a love for cars and hot rods early on. Ian started out working on Corvettes and began off-roading in his home state of South Carolina back in his high school days. Over the years he learned what would work to help him conquer the tough south Easter trails. Back in 2003, he bought a stock Jeep TJ with low mileage and drove it regularly. Over the years it has evolved into what you see below. Ian can often be found on some of the gnarliest off road trails in Laurens County, South Carolina which is home to Gulches ORV park. Ian's Jeep features: 1 tons Chevy GM 14 bolt rear axle and a King Pin Dana 60 front axle with full hydraulic steering

His Jeep is rolling down the trail on a massive set of 42" Maxxis Trepador bias ply tires. The huge lugs on these tires will dig down deep and cling to the edge of a rock. The super aggressive sidewalls also are a big help with traversing deep cavernous ruts on the trail. 17" Motobilt DIY Beadlock kits are mounted on a set of 17x9 steel wheels. The bead lock kits allows Ian to air down the massive 42" tires to only a few PSI to conform to the terrain and increase his traction exponentially. The Motobilt Stubby Jeep TJ/YJ front bumper allows Ian to mount a powerful 9,000lb winch in the event that he actually ever does get his beast stuck. The hefty 3/4" steel d-ring mounts also provide a secure recovery point for the 3/4" steel D-rings if ever needed! Ian built a custom 4 link suspension front and rear with Fox coil overs utilizing Motobilt 4 link tabs, brackets and more! The TJ's custom roll cage all starts with the Motobilt Jeep TJ Dash Tie in cage kit. The stock 4.0 I-6 with an NV3500 5 Speed, Dana 300 with JB Conversions 4:1 gears and 32 spline outputs motivate the Jeep down the trails. If you would like your rig featured in the next customer spotlight, please submit your photos and details to bobby@motobilt.com