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Reproduced with permission of TruckWorld, Original Publication may be found here.
 A Chicago Woman Builds A "Girlie Truck" That Makes That Phrase A Respected One
Dora Fang's story begins at a Jeep dealership, where in a moment of divine clarity, she purchased a brand-new '97 Jeep Cherokee. Little did she know that getting the Cherokee would alter her life and hobbies, and within three years she would be active in scores of off-roading circles, would own and operate an off-road driving school, and her Cherokee would be transformed from "stocker to shocker." This is quite an achievement considering she had no previous off-roading experience, and the car she traded in was a Honda Accord (we'll withhold the jokes). Nine months later, she attended the Pine Barrens Jeep Jamboree in New Jersey, and says the "camaraderie and fun I had with the people I met changed my life." At that point, her Cherokee was still bone-stock, but that didn't stop her from hitting the hardest trails and submerging her Cherokee in water up to the hood! It was from that point forward that her Cherokee began its transformation into a top-drawer trail machine. Opening the hood reveals a mostly stock 4.0 litre engine, which breathes and exhales better thanks to a K&N air filter and a Flowmaster 3-chamber muffler. The only other under-hood mod is an Optima Red Top dual post battery to help feed the power demands of the winch.
Crawling underneath the Cherokee reveals a stunning number of functional mods, which combine to produce a true performer on the trail. The Cherokee sports 5.5" of total lift, which was achieved with a Rubicon Express 4.5" kit that was supplemented with 1.75" spacers in the front coils and extended shackles on the rear leaf springs. Rubicon Express upper and lower Johnny Joint control arms were installed in conjunction with Rusty's Off-Road lower control arm axle mounts with adjustable cam bolts. A Rubicon Express adjustable Johnny Joint trackbar with replacement bracket was also added to further beef the system. To guard the belly of the Cherokee against rock damage Dora added Rusty's Off-Road transfer case/transmission and engine and oil pan skid plates. Of course, the small details never escaped Dora's watchful eye, and include a Rusty's Off-Road heavy-duty tie rod, Tom Woods rear drive shaft, stainless steel extended front and rear brake lines, and JKS Generation II Quick disconnects. A set of Rancho RS9000 adjustable shocks and 31x10.50-15 BFG Mud Terrain tires add to the Cherokee's exceptional trail performance, while helping it retain day-to-day drivability.
On the outside, the Cherokee's factory Flame Red paint proudly wears the battle scars from Dora's off-roading forays in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. It also wears loads of functional bolt-on mods including a Custom 4x4 rear bumper with tire carrier and Hi-Lift jack mount, a Custom 4x4 front bumper with grille guard and winch mount (she relies on a Warn XD9000i winch for recovery duties), Garvin Wilderness roof rack, and All J Products Boulder Bars for rocker panel protection. In the mud-splattered cab of the Cherokee (you got a problem with that?), Dora has added a Cobra CB, and what could be known as the greatest invention since sliced white bread- a set of Husky Liners.
During 1999, the Cherokee hauled
Dora on over 30 four-wheeling trips, and she used it extensively at
her off-road driving school "Let's Go Jeepin," which she
opened in August of '99 and currently operates out of the Badlands
Off Road Park in Attica, Indiana. During her three years of experience,
she has progressed from owning a Honda (see, we've mentioned that
word twice without making jokes) to a phenomenal trail-ready machine,
with the driving skills to match. Her license plate says "JEEP
CHK," which sums it all up. |
