Bud Boren's CJ-7, Pokey	Short Cuts
Bud and Pokey in Corral Canyon on Bronco Peak Photo courtesy of Brad Dokken	Navigation Menu JeepWire JeepWire Tech JeepWire Reader's Rigs JeepWire Feature Rigs 4x4Wire 4x4 Parts 4x4 Tech 4x4 Trails OutdoorWire ORN Site Index Links Index Off-Road Gallery Destinations Gallery Main Expo Center

Owner : Bud Boren

Equipment and Modifications:

Vehicle: 1984 CJ-7 Vehicle name: Pokey Location: Southern California Some of the trails in the past two years: A lot of Moab trails, Rubicon, Surprise Canyon, Jackhammer, Sun Bonnet, Shredder, Dusy Ersham, everything in Southern California, and many more. Shredder Canyon at Santiago's Revenge Photo by Matt Osburn Shredder Canyon at Santiago's Revenge Photo by Matt Osburn Shredder Canyon at Santiago's Revenge Photo by Matt Osburn Shredder Canyon at Santiago's Revenge Photo by Matt Osburn

Motor--Jeep 258 with JFI fuel injection from Electromotive Tranny--NP 435 with 6.69 granny low T-case--Dana 300 with Currie twin sticks Front Axle--MIT built Dana 44, 4.56 gears with LockRight Rear Axle--MIT built Dana 44, 4.56 gears with Detroit Crawl Ratio--84:1 Drive Shafts--Custom built with u-bolts and 7" splines Tires--35x12.50x15 BFG MTs Wheels--10x15" Alcoas (yes, real ones) Suspension--Custom National 6" lift with longer springs and shackle reversal with relocated home built (Steve Friend designed) spring hangers Shocks--Doetch Tech MV-12s on all corners Winch--Warn 12,000 with in dash controls Roll bar--OEM with Smittybuilt front remanufactured to specs Bumpers--Custom built by Bud On Board Air--Nipondenso rotary compressor, system custom built by Bud On Board Welder--Premier Power Welder with 160 amp alternator Gas tank skid--Custom built by Steve Friend Rocker protection--Custom built (w/ air tanks) by Steve McKay Radiator--3 core Modine Exhaust--Ultra Flow Batteries--Dual Optima red tops Steering--Stock box with brace and Hayden cooler, 4XDoctor draglink and tie rod Other Accessories 4XDoctor diff gaurds Tuffy center console and glove box TJ hood latches TJ hard half doors TJ flares YJ stainless steel mirrors LaCarra steering wheel Clifford aluminum valve cover Aluminum rear corner gaurds Mazda Miata seats High Lift Pioneer stereo with Polk speakers Garmin GPS III Cobra CB Hurculiner in tub All urethane bushings Deist 5 point harnesses Dual Holley electric fuel pumps Steve Friend approved feather duster

Pokey at home

Personal Notes from Bud:

Bud and Pokey Trivia
Pokey started out as a perfectly and totally stock 1984 CJ-7 about five years ago. Since then he's been worked over to the point that the previous owner wouldn't recognize it if he saw it. Well, the frame and body and 258 block are all that's left. I've been on quite a few trails with it including Moab, Surprise Canyon, the Hammers, Rubicon, The Dusy trail, Baja Mexico numerous times, just to name a few. Most exciting was probably Suprise Canyon although it was just a lesson in winching for many hours, it left you hanging by your winch for long periods and disaster could strike at just about any time. With only two hands and two feet it can get a bit hairy at times working the winch/brake/throttle/clutch/steering wheel and listening to six spotters all at once.

Pokey's Roll Moab Rim

Pokey's Roll Moab Rim

Moab is very beautiful, we loved it there, course I rolled the Pokester on top of Moab Rim and almost took a long ride down the hard way. Hahaha!! We still loved the experience though. Of all the places I've wheeled that has to be the most dangerous because if indeed you do make an error it could be your last. It adds some excitement to the trails to say the least. I'd say that it ain't no place to be if you have an inflated ego. The Dusy is one of my favorites for wheeling and of course it's down right pretty up there also. The Ruby has the biggest reputation and is a lot of fun but nowhere near as challenging as some of the others, although it's more fun as a party trail and for camping than many of the others.

Bud on upgrades
I've rolled Pokey and as they say, it was an opportunity upgrade each time for me. Ha! Not that I blamed any of the mishaps on the Jeep. They were all my fault in one way or another and just plain part of the game I suppose. Must be! I'm getting real good at it. Sort of like getting your nose broke if you're a prize fighter. If you're gonna keep pushing your personal envelope, you're going to run into someone or something that will push back. Also it's part of the wheeling game, and one of the things that make it so much fun IMO. Anyway, I've managed to restore the beasty thing whenever I happen to get my head to close to the ground with it, so what the hell!

Shredder Canyon at Santiago's Revenge Photo by Matt Osburn

Bud's philosophy on wheeling
One of the reasons (if not the main reason) I love to wheel is the people I've met when either out wheeling, or on the net. It's amazing the friends that I have met from all walks of life through the Jeep and computer that I might never have known if not for these two mind boggling machines. I was born before TV so well, you figure it out!

I've been offroading in one type of truck or another for many years and thoroughly enjoy every aspect of it. I'm just now starting to get into the photo and movie end of the sport. Pretty excited about that. Must be, I've got almost as much cash in the equipment for it as I do in the Jeep. heh heh! Not! But close!

I've seen many changes in the rigs on the trails in the last few years. Some very awesome rig's and some very dangerous rigs. Pretty ones that wheel and ugly ones that can't. As always, the driver seems to make a pretty tame rig do some miraculous things where as a guy with to much cash can put an awsome rig together and still manage to get it stuck and look stupid doing it. This doesn't reflect on anybody I know personally so I better not get any nasty e-mails about it. heh heh! Or it could! If the shoe fit's ya know!!

Coming through Buttcrack

Anyway, the way I figure it is that the rig don't necessarily make the trail easy. Everything has it's limits and some know how to drive and some don't. Personally I like the ones that don't because they're much more fun to watch and film. And when some newbie makes it up some obstacle that looks impossible the look on their face is priceless. Or when some guy/gal attacks something that they think is nothing and blows it, they too have some funny faces to show. Hahahaha! I love to see the best of the best screw it up! It builds character ya know, I mean so I've heard. I just do whatever comes next and hope I don't roll the frieken Jeep most of the time. But then I got no ego over the whole thing and never consider myself better or worse than anyone else so most of the time I'm driving with my eyes shut. Which is good cuzz I can't see that far anymore anyway.

As I see it the guys having the most fun are the ones that got no ax to grind. If there's a personality defect in them, it's sure to surface when the going gets rather nasty. So, as I said, I think the people are much more fun than either the trail or the truck most of the time. And of course there's always the fire pit after the run. Ha! That's always a blast and where you are sure to bring down the wrath of God on yourself if you managed to screw up during the trail ride that day. Me, I try to re-direct the stupidity off of myself right off the bat. Hahaha! hey! Why should I take all that abuse right!!

Bud on the Rubicon by Spider Lake

I don't know what all this has to do with anything but thanks for listening anyway. Maybe I'll be fortunate enough to run into you all on the trail someday. If ya see Pokey running down the trail with some old guy with no hair, no teeth and his eyes shut, it's a good bet it's me so stop me and say hi. It will only take a couple hours. heh heh!!

Bud Boren