The Tierra Del Sol event this past year was held in Ocotillo Wells, California, for the first time in a number of years. The event went off without a hitch and was jam-packed with some crazy vehicles from high-speed prerunners to incredibly built rock machines. While sipping on our favorite beverage in camp, we noticed a big, yellow Jeep tearing through a narrow pass off in the distance. After a few minutes of deliberation, we headed on over to see just what the Jeep was made of and who was behind the wheel. Steve Quinn and his '02 Jeep Wrangler were making their way through a section that many vehicles had previously given up trying earlier in the day. The first thing we noticed was how easy he tackles everything in his path, the second was the unique design of his ride.
The stock 4.0L engine just wasn't enough for Steve's right foot. he called Extreme Image out of Montclair, California, to install a Kenne Bell supercharger providing all the pedalpushing power he would need. | 
In order to get the suspension components to line up properly, Off Road Evolution stretched the TJ-style body several inches. This would also give the vehicle a much better wheelbase for crawling. | 
Off Road Evolution built the chassis front to back, but the extra protection you see here from fenders to rocker guards was provided by Poison Spyder Customs. |
Steve had turned to Mel Wade, owner of Off Road Evolution in Fullerton, California, to build him one badass rock toy. Mel did just that starting with a stock '02 Jeep Wrangler. If you are unfamiliar with Off Road Evolution, check out its website at www.offroadevolution.com and flip through the pages covering some of the shop's projects. Off Road Evolution has quickly be come one of the best off-road fabrication shops in Southern California. With Mel on the job, he knew his future Jeep would be nothing short of spectacular. Let's take a look, shall we?
If you see a vehicle built to crawl without a good winch up front, give them a smack from us. Steve installed the Warn XD9000i winch up front to keep him out of permanent trouble. | 
The fabrication and welding surrounding this Jeep is incredible - something you need to see for yourself. The only thing better than seeing dime over dime welding was the ride quality it provided us on our journey through Ocotillo Wells, California. | 
Steve chose to run 44x19.5R15 Interco Bogger tires on his Jeep wrapped around 15x12 Allied beadlock wheels. The funny thing about watching this vehicle work is although the tires are massive, they really didn't look that big through the rocks. Maybe that's because the rocks he chose to showcase on for us were humongous. |
In order to turn 44-inch tires, you need some help. Stock components just won't cut it. up front we find a strong Dynatrac 60 axle stuffed with 5.38 gears and an ARB Air Locker. The 60 is one of the strongest axlehousings on the market, and Steve needs every bit of help there he can with the type of terrain this Jeep sees on a regular basis. | 
Off Road Evolution custom-built a three-link front suspension that would lift the Jeep 12 inches provided plenty of articulation and ground clearance. The front spindles are also from Dynatrac, and the shocks are Fox 18-inch air shocks. Keeping the front end in line is a howe full-hydraulic steering system and Currie Enterprises torsion bars with Off Road Evolution arms. | 
Climbing underneath, we reveal the Off Road Evolution four-link suspension using matching King 18-inch air shocks. A four-link-style suspension is beneficial to those of you wanting to go slow or fast. It provides a true fluid movement of travel with a hard-to-beat strength in design. The rear links are made of 2x0.50-inch wall DOM tube with 1-1/4-inch heims. Talk about strong. hidden under a skidplate is the Atlas II 4.1 transfer case. |
The rear axlehousing is also a Dynatrac 60 stuffed with matching gears but using a Detroit Locker keeping both tires spinning in unison. Both the front and rear bumpers were also fabricated by Off Road Evolution, and underneath you will find an nth Degree skidplate that had to be adjusted a touch. Following the designs of many rockcrawling competition vehicles, Steve added an ATv winch running to the rear axle. With this in place, he can control the amount of articulation needed from the rear at any given moment. Once again it's the small things that make a vehicle very different from others on the road. | 
The 1-3/4-inch DOM tube rollcage was provided by Poison Spyder Customs and installed by Off Road Evolution. They tied it into the chassis design working in unison with the suspension components. here you can see where the factory gas tank was relocated up and out of the way from underneath the cabin. The hi-Lift was also mounted behind the seats, keeping it safe and secure. | |