Member: Eric Bernocco
My wife and I have been members of OTR since about 2000. We have found the club and its members to be some of the best folks around. The club has always been very safety and environment savvy with a focus on FUN! Our first Jeep was a CJ which only lasted about 3 weeks of fighting the carburated smog mess that was so common of the mid-70's American motorcar. We quickly moved to an injected and lifted YJ and the love affair started. Once you have a Jeep you never want to be without one! In 1999 our dream came true with the intro of the WJ. It included almost everything a dirt digger could want with room for the dogs (he he he) This thing could go almost anywhere in comfort with it's revolutionary Quadra-Drive system and give you COLD air to boot. Hmmmmm, what to do now, well it was about 30 days from new when the suspension started coming apart for the first time. After hooking up with TeraFlex to help offer suggestions and feedback on WJ suspension modifications, we found ourselves bolting new pieces on about every three weeks. Finally after going to Easter Jeep Safarri in MOAB we decided to put on the ultimate mod.... a full 8 inches of LONG ARM travel and height. Now with 33" tires and a ton of articulation we thought we could tame Mt Everest. Unfortunately, a ghost of the past came a knocking about that time and we set off for faster parts of the planet with a Vintage NASCAR Winston Cup Historic Racer. Coming full circle in 2007, I purchased a nice used 01 Cherokee which I drove to the 4 x 4 master DAMIAN for critical modifications. DAMIAN brings to Jeep what Daytona and Indy bring to racing, Lear brings to personal Jet Aircraft and Foose brings to custom show car modification. We now have the ultimate personal vehicle that just may solve the age old question of, "what is the quickest way to the top of Everest?" I am happy to say that after spinning all kinds of different wheels, I am very satisfied to be back in the perverbal Jeep saddle again. I can only hope the OTR will welcome me and my family back as cheerfully as I am pleased to be back with them. So there is my story and as I have always said, " You can't put a price on FUN. " Let the rubber meet the dirt (road) and let 'er rip!! I can't wait to take my first scratch or dent from a long awaited off road adventure with " The Club " Now for the 2009 UPDATE: I ran Calico the first week of the year - it was my first time out since my wife donated a life-saving kidney to me on 12-12-2007. While putting this relitively lightly modified XJ thru it's paces I damaged the rear suspension. Well that lead to a decision to go get a better set-up. Now the rig has Skyjacker rear springs in place of the RE set-up. I also added 2.5" spacers to the front springs and relocated the lower shock pick up points to give more rear travel. Of course I had to take advantage of the great deal on a set of 35" tires so all-in-all it is like having a new rig. Off to see how things work this weekend and will report back for the update. COME ON OUT AND GET DIRTY! Vehicle:
2001 Jeep Cherokee
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Pictures:
(Click a thumbnail to see the full-size image)
On Purchase Day
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AFTER!
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Another shot of the new ride.
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The day the FINISHED WJ left for another home in UT
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What the WJ could do after the long arm install
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Just another view
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Doing double duty just before the sale for the TRUCK!
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Our Vintage Cup team with Damian, Eric, Deonna and Yas
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Just another car I love to drive, want a ride?
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The office!
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Another office!
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Can you find Damian? I guess that was after a pit stop!
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Trophy day, what can I say? I want to thank my mom and my dad and ........
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My mechanic at work.
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Hard at work.
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Had to find a good professional mechanic to do the specialized work on such and exotic automobile. This is one of the BEST in the business - trust me!
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One last pose just before the work started.
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After suspension update.
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The day the car was purchased. This car replaced the Slant Nose 930S and it has CUP HOLDERS!
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Ahhh, what fun and what a great bunch of people. Breath deep, it doesn't get much better than this!
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