Climb 4WD has a long history leading up to it's creation. Our founder, Nick Davidson, has been an automotive enthusiast as long as he can remember. Starting out with street cars and originally purchasing a 4WD vehicle as a 'winter beater'. It didn't take too long for Nick to realize how much fun his old CJ-7 was, and he began modifying it at every opportunity. Below is a brief history of that vehicle, just to give you a glimpse at what turned out to be the foundation work for Climb 4WD.

"Initially purchased to save a couple of street cars from Ontario winters, the 1979 CJ-7 was an alright purchase for 3500 bucks. It had a 304 V8, TH400 and the sasquatch of Jeep components, the elusive Borg-Warner Quadra Trac. The body had been completely restored and there were already 1" shackles and a 20 gallon gas tank with skid. The Jeep was purchased un-safetied and did need a bit of work to make it fully roadworthy."

"First, came a new set of tires, as the mismatch brew of what was on the vehicle actually included a set of the original wranglers it was issued with in 1979. 31" x 10.5" BFG ATs fit the bill nicely, being just over stock size and making the ol' Jeep look pretty tough. A new windshield and some brake work, got the Jeep road worthy and our adventure begins. (It should probably be noted here that most of the brake work was caused by the first off-road adventure, where the Jeep was pressed to drive through a swamp and only got about half way. 1 hour of blasting around in the bog had pretty much packed the wheels full of gumbo which was left to harden for a few days before the safety)"

"By the second winter, the Jeep had seen a number of interior upgrades and some fresh paint for it's roof, nothing drastic, just trying to make everything operable for the daily 30km commute to work. However, on one faithful long journey from Toronto, the front differential made a loud BANG and then started to smoke. (The Quadra Trac runs in 4WD all the time, searching between the front and rear axle, that's why the front axle was under load). However, it turned out that there was a leak in the front differential case, the 'pumpkin' as it's affectionately called, so the pinion gear had been starved of oil and had consequently melted down."

"This turned out to be some of the first major work to be done to the ol' CJ. A new front axle, complete with ring and pinion was purchased and slapped up under the front end. However, the wreckers has sent the wrong ratio gears. A quick call, had them mailing the matching set for the rear, which to my dismay years later, made a matching set of longer gears…….better for the highway, worse for power and off-roading. The Jeep finished off that winter, on the longer gears, but it was now apparent that the 1979 304 V8 was in a hurting state, being pressed into service even harder by the longer gears, not too mention a few more tries at that boggy marsh with the better tires."

"The following summer, the engine swap began, a complete 1979 360 V8 from a Grand Wagoneer was rebuilt and combined with an Edelbrock Performance package. The whole engine bay was emptied, as the battery, brake system and accessories were all overhauled or replaced. The completed engine swap was a beautiful sight to behold, I had also sanded and repainted any reused part, so the entire bay looked brand new. It was about this time that full-on Jeep-itis hit me and I began to fear for the Jeep's life in the harsh Eastern Ontario winters. I acquired a new 'winter beater' and kept the modifications running all season long. Over the winter all minor hardware was replaced with stainless components and the inside of the body tub was treated as well."

"Well now the Jeep had power, tons of it, enough to scare the pants off you around tight corners that was for sure, as lots of passengers reached for the non-existent 'Holy Cow' handles…..but it still looked like a little old CJ. It needs bigger tires! A complete suspension was installed with urethane all around and the frame and shackles were painted as well. To complement the new height, a set of 33" x 12.5" Goodyear MTs was added on 10" rims. The hardtop was removed and a Bestop SuperTop added so cool air running was easy to obtain. Now we're getting somewhere!! The new lift and tires performed amazingly off-road and the Jeep was regularly seen covered in the brown goop from a local run."

"I was still unhappy with the stance of the CJ-7, a bit narrow for taste and the time had come to beef up the axles. This brought out a lot of discussion on whether to keep or remove the Quadra Trac as it required a special offset rear axle. After lots of debate the axle swap began, and it quickly steamrolled into a complete driveline rebuild. The TH400 was rebuilt with a mild shift kit for crisper engagement. The Quadra Trac was sold off and a Dana 300 with 4:1 gears was rebuilt and adapted to the TH400. The rear axle became a Dana 44 Wide Track from an 86 CJ and the front was its counterpart from the same vehicle. Both axles were sandblasted to raw metal and treated with POR15. All the brakes were replaced, as well as bearings and ball joints. A twin stick shifter was put on the Dana 300 and a Tom Wood's CV driveshaft was setup out back. The new stance was much improved and a set of extended fender flares were installed to maintain local law conformance."

"Is the project finished you ask, no of course not! Since then, a complete MSD ignition was installed, and a custom 2.25" dual to 3" single exhaust was installed. Many interior mods have 'dressed' up Mr. CJ as well, billet aluminum runs rampant in the cockpit and a CD player has improved the tunes while pounding through the muck and rocks."

"Of course, with any project of this nature, it's still moving forward and I have a whole slew of things to do to it in the near future. Stay Tuned."

Nick Davidson
Founder, Climb4WD

Doesn't this sound like fun? It is!!!

Call us and we can do anything you can imagine for your 4WD vehicle, and we'll do it with the same care and quality that we use on our own vehicles. Call today! (613)794-7355