Jake’s 1993 Jeep Wrangler
Short Feature | 1993 Jeep Wrangler | Jake Malpass | IG @t_bird_1985
Photos taken by Jake Malpass unless otherwise noted.
“It’s nicknamed Scrat - the squirrel from Ice Age - because he’s always trying to grab the money from my wallet.” I think most of us can relate to what ETCH moderator Jake mentions about his 1993 Jeep Wrangler. It’s a 2.5L with a 5-speed for row-it-yourself goodness both on-road and off-road. This Jeep has been around Jake’s family for a while, and he mentions that it “used to be my parents years ago and I remember getting driven to middle school in it.” Over his 4-5 year ownership, Scrat has gone through his fair share of shoes - starting with factory steelies riding on 235/75R15 street tires, then moving to 20x9 Gear Alloy 741MB’s on Hercules Terra Trac AT2’s in 275/55R20, then finally settling on Tactick 15x10 steel wheels with 4-inch back spacing (“no spacers here” Jake points out) riding initially on 31x10.50x15 Ironman All Country M/T’s and now sitting on 33x12.50x15 Falken Wildpeak AT3W’s.
Initially drawn to Scrat for the pure fun factor, Jake recently updated the build with a 4-inch Rough Country lift, steel braided brake lines, and a dual steering stabilizer kit. Although he hasn’t been able to put it all to use yet as a daily driver, Jake love that he now has a much more capable trail vehicle. As such, Jake and Scrat are always looking for adventure.
Amongst recent adventures are a blown motor off-roading with friends in the rain where Jake mentions he “over-revved it to the moon and broke an exhaust valve in cylinder 3, which the motor promptly munched” (the motor has been replaced since then with a working unit that was traded for a cheap shotgun). Jake and his wife have also taken Scrat for an extended weekend up the Outer Banks where they “just packed a tent and some camping supplies and took off” - enabling them to visit sites such as the Hatteras Lighthouse, the Wright Brothers Memorial, and the Roanoke Aquarium.
