In 1992 my wife and I were doing a lot of seeing America and camping. We decided to buy a 4x4 so we could get away from the crowds. Our first choice was an Explorer but the prices were very high and not negotiable. We stumbled on the Navajo Sport by chance and were able to purchase it for about $3,000.00 less than the Explorer.

In July of 1992 we took 3 weeks off and hit the road in our factory equiped Navajo. We visited New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. By chance we came across a sleepy little town called Moab (Mecca). A couple of Jeepers I met at the local gas station convinced us to follow them on some of the trails. From that day on I would never be the same. The howling of the engine, the sound of crumbling metal, and the smell of burning clutch, (there’s no smell like the smell of burning clutch in the morning), changed my life forever. 

As soon as we arrived home from vacation I started reading every magazine I could find, trying to learn how to improve the off-road capabilities of the Navajo. Back then we didn’t have the advantage of having such a great place for info like Rick’s web page. My first mod was to install a Rancho 2 ½ in. lift with 31in. tires, 4:10 gears and an Auburn L/S in the rear. That satisfied me for a while but I wanted to travell tougher trails. Next came a 5 ½ in Superlift, W/ superruner steering kit, 33 in. tires and 4:56s w/ an ARB in front. I also did a lot of other changes too lengthily to include. 

About a year ago I decided to go hard-core and build a rockcrawler-daily driver. I installed 35s and an Atlas transfer case. Most of the mods I’ve done lately are to maximize angles of approach and departure, improve center of gravity, and improve articulation. I’ve been helped immensely by Winter Douglas who has designed and fabbed just about anything I can dream up. Future mods will include a Currie 9 in. in front with a spring over, 38in. Tires, 5:10s, and a klune v. Body wise I’ll probably chop half of the top off and install a full-integrated rollcage. And eventually install a V-8 when my 6 gives up the spirit. 

It’s been a long but happy 9 years learning, improving, and committing mistakes as I try to build my idea of the ultimate rig. Will I ever finish? Probably not. Everytime I conquer one trail another one seems to show up that pushes the envelope just little bit more. That’s the beauty of this sport. That and the great people you meet on the way. Happy Trails.

Tom (FAKRWEE) Rios

Some of the trails Tom has run include Rubicon (3 Times), John Bull and Big Bear, Moab, Los Coyotes, Hungry Valley, Miller Jeep trail, Gorman.