jpmagazine.com Jp 25John and Holly Lupfer’s 1996
Jeep Grand Cherokee was a
perfect example of the type of
vehicle we like to see on the trail. It was set
up nicely for the job it was intended for, had
some personality, and was not over-bedaz-
zled w it h more t ha n it needed. T hey joi ned
us for the 2019 Jp Dirt ’N Drive Presented
by Jeep in their well-built and capable ZJ
nicknamed “Greta.” The origin of the
name came about naturally. John says,
“Like boats we tend to affectionately refer
to Jeeps as ‘she’ and they typically end up
with women’s names. One day on the trail
‘Greta’ was suggested because it sounded
toug h, a nd it seemed to f it, so it just st uck.”
Tough she is—we watched the
stylish Grand tackle challenging trails
with a powerful grace. The Iron Rock
7-inch Rock-Link long-arm suspen-
sion system easily managed to keep
the G2 Dana 44 front and G2 Dana
60 rear axles fully articulating so the
This 1996 Jeep ZJ is
a grand ol’ dame that
can move along a
trail with power,
style, and grace
By Stuar t A. Bourdon
[email protected]
Photography: Stuar t A. Bourdon35-inch Falken Wildpeak A/T tires on
17-inch Spyderlock beadlocks could
stay in contact with the terrain. A PSC
Motorsports hydraulic system helped
keep the tires pointed in the right direc-
tion under any circumstances John might
encounter on the trail.
Power to keep Greta moving is
supplied through a stroked 4.7L inline-
six. When John set out to build the Jeep
for some serious off-roading, he decided
to have his brother (who owns Ridge
Reamer, a race engine shop in Denver,
Colorado) do the work. In the process,
it got a new crank, cam, and lifters. The
extra power coursing through the 42RE
four-speed automatic transmission and
the NP242 transfer case helps turn all
four tires with more juice than the factory
4.0L could have ever provided.
The interior and body were also
prepped for the world of dirt and rocks the
ZJ would be seeing in the future. A Rock
Hard Sport Cage offers added security,
custom bumpers and wrap-around sliders
help fend off hazards, and a Warn winch
planted in the front bumper can deliver
a n assist i f t he Jeep gets i nto a ny ser ious
trouble. That gorgeous paintjob in ’85
Oldsmobile Horizon Blue was sprayed by
Joh n i n h is home shop.
On t he sa me ta i lgate as t he “G reta”
nametag are these hand-lettered words:
“Just Another Grand!” During the build
of his 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee, John
found out what many Jeep enthusiasts have
learned—something that is particularly
fitting for this ZJ—that almost everything
they did to it was “just another grand.”