OverKill Jeep Thoughts

A day on the Trails - A women guide

2008-05-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Preparing for a day on the off roading trails for a woman is a bit different from a guys. Guys make sure they have tools, extra parts, fluids, winch controller, tree savers, tow straps, fire extinguisher, etc. and they're ready to go.
Now when a woman goes they think of essentials needed throughout the day to make it a little more enjoyable and comfortable.
First, lets look at safety and nuisance items.
First aid kit is a must! What if your guy smacked his knuckle and busted it open while changing that tire that blew?
How about the stinging Nettle plants? The Band aid itch gel is great, or as our daughter calls it "the magic gel". Takes the sting & redness out immediately.
Now bugs...
The gel works great for stings but what about the ticks. Learned a trick from an Army Ranger that sounds really weird but so far works every time. You know the paper matches? Take the sulphur head off of one and swallow it. The sulphur comes out your pores and the ticks will not latch on. They may crawl on you but won't dig in.
Gnat's an annoyance? Mix about half of a bottle of vanilla with water in a spray bottle and spray yourself. Really works and smells good too. You may have to re-apply every few hours but who cares.
Pack a small cooler. Be sure to fill it with water and sport drinks to keep hydrated on the those hot days. You'll want a minimum of 3 drinks per person for a full day of wheeling. Bring things to make sandwiches for the lunch break; bread, lunch meat, condiments. Bring some fresh fruit for energy. Pack some chips for the junk food if you need it or do trail mixes for a healthier side. I've even brought yogart on the trails!
Well, what else do I carry in my pack on the trails? Toilet paper, a few empty baggies for used TP (don't leave anything on the trails or in the woods), wet wipes for quick clean up, healthy snacks, a camera, extra batteries for the camera, a trash bag .
Now if you have kids with you. You will want to bring something to keep them busy in case there is down time. There are break downs on the trail and the last thing the guys working on a rig wants is a kid in the way. Bring baggies and maybe a camera for the kids to use. Leave the video games, ipods and phones at home! Enjoy nature!
There are always things to find on the trails if you look hard enough. We've found clay, different weeds make beautiful bouquets, deciduous tree beads, rocks, geodes, fossils, nuts, pine cones and all kinds of things. Kids love finding new things on the trails. And don't tell them, but they're learning things! We have a wonderful friend that knows all kinds of nature stuff and shows our daughter. We have quite the unusual collection of things and pictures that our daughter has brought home along with some great memories.
It truly is a family sport and quality time together as a family! Enjoy it!

2008 Illini 4x4 Sarafri

2008-05-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

Once again, we had a great time on the trails at the 4x4 Safari put on by the Two Rivers Jeep Club in Southern Illinois!

The first day we headed to the trail Myer's Mayhem, a trail that we've done a few times and really like. Well, this time was a bit different. That area of Illinois had a hard winter with lots of ice and recent rain, so the trails had lots of down trees and very wet. We were only able to do about half of the trail and didn't even see our 2 favorite obstacles this time. We had about 10 Jeeps and a Toyota truck with us.

The first hard obstacle that we came to was a steep muddy hill climb. Nobody made it up even half way, except for us! OverKill's Jeep made it to the top without to much of a problem but lots of mud flying! It was a rush!

The second one was called Hell's Gate. A steep incline (again muddy) to get out of a ravine. It is very common for Jeeps to end up on their sides at this point. A tire has to be in the air when trying the exit properly. Everyone one (except us), was winching out of it. Oh, and we had a little puppy following us all day, so the kids named it Lost. Hope she's okay...

The second day we decided to go on the Susie's Knob trail again. OverKill's Jeep made it up Warren's Revenge with out any issues this year!! (Last year a drive shaft separated as the top was reached). Warren's Revenge is a large rock waterfall and it's at the beginning of the run. Lots of Jeep's break on this obstacle, mainly drive shafts. I had video but the disk decided it didn't want to finalize right, so I lost it... Guess we'll have to do it again next time. The highlight of this run was giving the Toyota a tug out of Full Throttle! I told him he needed to take off an anti-Jeep sticker but he wouldn't do it.

Another Safari on the books and a great time! Looking forward to the 4x4 Blast in August with TRJC!!! Which BTW is now open for registration!

Jeep 4x4 Safari

2008-04-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again with Two Rivers Jeep Club putting on the 4x4 Safari! This is one of our favorite runs of the year.
The whole town gets behind this club and this club helps the community with these runs. They raise money for childrens sports and help the people that need help in the area.

All of the trails for these runs are on private property and the club works really hard to maintain them. The trails range from mild to pretty wild! There are pixtures on our website of some pretty exciting times with a video or 2!

I just heard from one of the members down there, and their registration numbers are really down. If you're within a days drive to this, we highly recommend this event. There are door prizes and auctions and raffles both nights, that sometimes get a little crazy. You wheel all day for 2 days. They feed you breakfast and dinner! You can buy sack lunches across the parking lot for the trails. It's top notch and very well organized.

No, we're not getting anything for letting people know about it. We just truly believe it's a great run and we love how the Club donates everything they can back to their local community. This is one of those runs that we said we would not miss since the first one we attended. I actually volunteer to help with registration check-in!

Besides, wait until you see the new modifications we did to the OverKill Jeep this year! (more on that later).

Come on, register for a Safari!!!

Over a year?

2008-03-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been over a year since I've had a chance to update this. Things have been a bit busy to say the least.
Lets see.... Runs that we attended last year.
TRJC 4x4 Sarafi - always a great run!
TRJC 4x4 Blast!
NIJA's 1st Annual Newbie run (Lilly stuck the OverKill Jeep pretty good with water bubble out the louvers)
NIJA's 6th Annual Girls Like to get Dirty Run This was just plain fun!
Oct. Badlands with Buds We did quite a few of these at various places but didn't take pix.

Those pictures should keep you busy for a bit! Be back soon!

New Additional Site for OverKill

2007-01-31T07:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated this and some fun things have happened.
First, we opened a second site for off roading parts and fabrications! www.OverKillOffRoad.com It will be expanding as the year progresses! www.OverKillOffRoad.net is still up and running and will be used for custom builds and information!

Second, NIJA (the local Jeep club) had a ladies run which was a lot of fun and laughs. I'll post more on that later, but you can see some of the pix, just click here!

Third, we've been busy but Mark just had to take time out to build an amphibian 6x6!

Will try keeping this updated a bit better in the future!

Back from the 4x4 Blast!!

2006-08-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived back from the 4x4 Blast! Overall it was another great experience and killer 4 wheeling! I took quite a few pictures, that you can see HERE, and some fun video but I haven't edited or uploaded it yet.
We did "test" our tube fenders again and they held up great but we did get another rather large dent in the hood, On the driver's side this time! The video of that is coming. Lets just say; big ravine, clay mud and rock walls and BIG 2 step incline to exit. The pictures really don't do this "obstacle" justice, lol!
We will be going back!!

4X4 Blast

2006-08-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Remember the run we went to in the Spring put on by Two Rivers Jeep Club in Pittsfield, IL? Well, next weekend is their 4x4 Blast and we'll be going again!
I was telling everyone that there is no way we would go South in August! Too damn hot here, much less heading South! Well, we had such a great time and it was so well organized that we will be going. According to Mark, we will not miss their runs in the future!
If anyone is going from here, look for the flamed CJ and come say hi!

News!!

2006-08-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

We are now the official distributor for Blue Torch FabWorks in our area and on the web!! We will soon be expanding and adding on to our OverKill Off Road website to include some of BTF items and our items using some of BTF's parts! Be sure to stop by!

Exciting news

2006-07-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

Hopefully by the end of August we will be sharing some exciting news with all Jeep and 4x4 enthusiasts!
Here's a hint; You will find about it here first but it will involve this page!!
Stay tuned!

Rock Crawler or Junk?

2006-07-23T12:03:00.001-07:00

Okay, we bought this through eBay thinking that we were going to turn it into the rock crawler that they said it could be...

Once we got it home and really looked it over, we changed our minds. We will harvest some of the major parts off of it for a rock crawler but the majority of it will be re-sold or junked. Whoever started building this originally was a back yard mechanic/ fabricator that really had no idea how to build a trail rig. I'm not criticizing, just being honest.

What's OverKill Off Road and who are we?

2006-07-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

My name is Lilly and my hubby's name is Mark. We are very big into the Jeep thing and have been for many years. Mark has been into 4x4's since before having a drivers license.
He always bought older Jeeps and built them up and made them stronger. Well, finally he decided that wasn't the way to go because it would never be completely what he wanted. So with the last one he started with a frame and added the things he wanted to it. I'll try to get him to write the more technical stuff about OverKill for you later. The picture of it is in our profile or see some of the build-up pictures at http://www.overkilloffroad.net/overkill.htm .

While in the middle of that project he was finding that companies where not offering things heavy duty enough or exactly what he wanted, so being a tool & die maker by trade be started making his own things. Our Jeep club buddies, www.jeepalliance.org , decided they liked some of his ideas and wanted Mark to build things for them. That's basically how we got started with OverKill Off Road in a nutshell.

OverKill Off Road was started in a 2 car garage with minimal equipment. We now have a 40 x 60 building with the equipment needed to build, fabricate and weld, including a car lift! (That was my mother's day gift! lol)

We are currently building another Jeep for me!! We're calling that Lil Overkill. It will be overkill for a daily grocery getter but more then capable on the trails. As long as I can drive it correctly. You can see the pictures to that at Lil OverKill. We're still debating on the final color of it, but that's a ways away at this point anyway.

There is also another project underway in the shop, but I'll have to ask the owner if I can discuss that here. It's pretty cool too!

As a side note - I have an eBay store,
http://stores.ebay.com/Jewels-To-Auto-Parts?refid=store , where there are some Auto Parts at the moment. In the very near future there will be Jeep parts and off roading parts listed, So go check it out too! LADIES - There is a LOT of vintage costume jewelry for you there!!

NEW WebSite, same address!

2006-07-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Good day to everyone!
Just wanted to give a quick update. We started (actually re-designed) our whole website. It's not completely done yet but the basics are there. I will updating it as time permits with details and products!
Some of the links from the older posts may not work so I'm giving a quick list of new links here!
Home page http://www.overkilloffroad.net/
Products http://www.overkilloffroad.net/products.htm
Projects http://www.overkilloffroad.net/projects.htm
Original OverKill
Larry's
Lil OverKill
Pat's
Cherokee
Fun Photos http://www.overkilloffroad.net/photos.htm

Alright, we had to delete the guestbook as morons were using it as their own spam links for un-family like sites, if you know what I mean... BUT if you would like to email me or use the feedback form, I would be glad to add your comments to the site! http://www.overkilloffroad.net/feedback.htm
(we were unable to save the enteries from our previous site. So, if you signed it before, Please do again! We miss you!)
See you there!!
If you have a 4x4 related site and would like to exchange links, we're open to that also. Just email me from www.OverKillOffRoad.net , there's a link to my email at the bottom!

5th Annual Illini 4x4 Safari

2006-06-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, we had the opportunity to go off roading in Southern Illinois. Two Rivers Jeep Club put on an awsome run with 187 Jeeps. It was called the Safari. The club raises all kinds of money for charity during this event. Their town totally backs them and it was so well organized. The trail guides were fabulous too!
It was a great time and it REALLY put our tube fenders to the test! I told Jeff that he had to smack a tree so we could see how the fenders do in person. We've been told by others that they have hit trees and the tube fenders didn't even scratch, much less dent. We'll a little while into the first day, WE hit the tree. It wasn't a small tap either. The tube fenders are fine, but I can't say the same about the hood...
Pictures VIDEOS
warning ~ video's take a while to load on dial-up and satellite.

Jeff's Jeep Project

2006-06-01T05:57:00.000-07:00

We've been so busy building and off roading that I haven't updated this in a while. Here are a few pictures of Jeff's finished Jeep.
We went off roading with him a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. For a smaller (not small) Jeep, Jeff really knows how to drive it!! You can see more of the detailed photos by clicking on the title of this post!

OverKill Off Road Original Build

2006-04-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well, Our power was out from a storm for most of the day this weekend so Mark couldn't work in the shop. So, I finally got him to sit down and give me all of the specs and details for his Jeep!!!
I have uploaded it to the website. I must say the list is pretty impressive, so go have a look!! OverKill Off Road ~ Original Build

Larry's outside is Done!

2006-04-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

I think the outside of Larry's Jeep is finally done! Here is a quick picture before giving it back to him once again!

Heavy duty (OverKill): Custom winch bumper, nerf bars, front & rear tube fenders with flares, crusher corners, rear tube bumper with tire carrier, all lights in the back and other things that I can't remember...

It'll be back later for rear end work and other stuff.

We Visited the SEMA Off Road show in Indy

2006-03-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated this in a while so I thought I would just say a little bit about the SEMA Off Road show that we just go back from.
The SEMA show this weekend was in Indianapolis, IN. We went again this year to check things out and to look into setting up a booth for next years show. Well, we found out that they are moving this show to Atlanta, GA next year do to conflicting schedules with the RCA convention center. I don't know if we'll be participating in it or not now. That is a long haul to bring 3 to 5 Jeeps with us.
The show itself this year was bigger then last years and we did get to meet quite a few new people. We walked out of there knowing a few things. One, our Jeeps would have blown the doors off of all the others there. Two, we saw some of the products that our "competitors" make and sell. That being said there's a reason we are called OverKill Off Road. I will leave it at that since I don't like saying anything about anyone's product. I think that's just tacky, our products speak for themselves! Three, there are a lot of new tools out there that are really cool so we have to save up so Mark can buy some new ones!!
Overall, it was a great experience and a good show to go to for us. Hopefully we'll be able to attend the next one, even if we don't get a both set up!

New Project: Jeff's Jeep

2006-03-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

This is the latest project going on at OverKill Off Road. This is a 1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ. I don't know exactly everything that is going to be done to it but I do know that it is getting a new roll cage with seats tied-in, crusher corners, rock sliders installed and tube fenders made. I will update you as it progresses.
The owner is anxious to get it out on the trails this spring!!

Larry's Spare Tire Carrier & Bumper

2006-01-18T06:39:00.000-08:00

Here's just another update on Larry's Jeep. We had it for just a day to install his new spare tire carrier and bumper so I thought I would share the pictures.

Larry's Custom Bumper and Tube Flares

2006-01-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

Larry picked up his Jeep last week with the body work and front bumper being done. He wanted it for winter driving, so the rest will be finished in the spring. The rear bumper and tire carrier is being built now.
The body work consisted of a custom built front bumper, fron tube fenders with 5" flares, crusher corners with custom made flares, and new tail lights and turn signals flush mounted. All work except for the paint job ws done here at OverKill Off Road. The paint job was done by our good friend, Greg at WarHammer Customs.

In the spring, OverKill Off Road will be building a roll cage and the rear end. Until then there are other things happening in the shop and we'll share those as they progress!
Stop back by soon, big things are starting to happen and there will be a big announcement coming soon!

Larry's Fenders back from paint

2005-12-20T07:39:00.000-08:00

We just got the tube fenders for Larry's Jeep back from paint at Warhammer Customs. I have to say, They look much cooler in person then the pictures. The rear ones are back too, but haven't taken those pictures yet. I will update that when the tail lights are installed. Here's a few pictures for you to drool over!

Larry's Matching Rear Fenders

2005-12-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Another update to Larry's project. I forgot to take pictures before they went to WarHammer for some "Goodifying", so they were kind enough to send some to me. They have them setting on one of their project Jeeps for the pictures.
These are crusher corners that we've built steel fender flares onto for Larry. If you take your Jeep off-roading, you know that with serious wheeling those plastic flares are worthless. If you want or need flares on a off road vehicle, steel ones are the way to go!

Update on project Larry's

2005-11-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

Well, some parts are in and others are being made for Larry's project. The new front bumper is completed and on. The tube fenders with flares are completed and on. The back crusher corners with flares are being made currently. I just thought I would update this blog with some quick photos taken during the tube fenders being made.

OverKill Weekend at The Badlands

2005-11-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

We went to The Badlands Off Road Park in Attica, IN with a couple of friends. We had perfect weather for off-roading, cool (cold) at night but up to the mid 50's during the day with sunny skies! We were able to get some great photos and even video tape of the run. We had a great time and the people that worked there were great!
They have a little bit of everything at the Badlands; Sand dunes, rock crawling, mud, water, streams, woods, hill climbs...
Enjoy the pictures!
The Yellow Jeep is our good Friend's, Greg with War Hammer.
The Scrambler is our friend, Bret!
And of course the aluminum one is ours! OverKill Off Road!

These are just a few of the pictures we took. If you would like to see the rest, you are more then welcome to see them here. You can enlarge them there also. Man, these pictures look pretty mild compared to actually being there. It was a blast! Our daughter's favorite was the hill climbing and rock crawling. She's totally hooked!

There are updates coming to Larry's project and www.OverKillOffRoad.Net Soon, so check back often!

JeepFest 2005

2005-11-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well, we went to the JeepFest 2005 at Jack Wolf Jeep Dealer a couple of weeks ago. If wasn't near as big as they said it was going to be. The weather probably didn't help that though. They did put on a nice day, just not what we told it was going to be. They had a pig roast, live music, give aways, Scott Taylor's race truck and Scott himself was there. For those that don't know who I'm talking about you, he races off road trucks for Roush Performance, Ford Motor sports, Skyjacker and others. Scott also finished 3rd in points this year! Super guy that we've known for about 6 yrs. How we met is another story!
Anyway, back to the JeepFest. First they put us, our Jeeps and our Jeep Club in the dealer car lot parking lot but everything else was in or close to the building. And since it was cool and misty most of the day, everyone else hung out inside. There wasn't any playing with the Jeeps like last year, so basically we sat around and talked to others from our club most of the day.
Here are a few of the pictures that I took.

Check back soon for some great pictures and a lot of fun from this past weekend! We took the Jeeps to Attica, IN The Badlands Off Road Park!!

JeepFest 2005 is coming this weekend!

2005-10-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. If you're in our area this weekend, Oct. 22nd, there is a JeepFest 2005 happening! It is taking place at Jack Wolf Jeep Dealership in Belvidere, IL from 9am - 4pm.

OverKill Off Road will be there with a booth. We will have a few bumpers on display along with the Jeep.

Last year we went as part of our Jeep Club and had a good time. But this year the dealership has moved to a bigger & better location! They will be having different vendors with booths. I know that SkyJacker will be there with Scott Taylor (Ford Off Road Race Truck driver), but I don't know who else besides OverKill Off Road. This year should be a great time!

Here are a few of the pictures from last year for you to look at. And I'll update what happened next week! Hope to see you there and don't forget to stop by OverKill's and say hi!

New Project - Larry's Jeep

2005-10-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Last week we got in another project Jeep for the shop. The pictures are already on the website if you want to take a look you can find them here... http://www.overkilloffroad.net/14928/23198.html

This is Larry's Jeep. Basically all he asked was to do to it what we would if it were ours and had so much to spend. Also, no pink or flowers!! I told him we were going to do it with purple and rainbows, he hasn't replied yet! Just kidding of course, we wouldn't do that (would we?)!

What we are going to do is put a different rear end in it. He's already blown out the Dana 44, twice. We are also going to build tube fenders for it, re-enforce the rear panels and build tube flares for it since he's pretty much demolished the plastic ones. It will also be getting a new roll cage with the seat mounts tied into it and new seats. I think there's a new bumper going to be made too but not quite sure on that one yet.

We've started the process of taking it apart and cutting the front fenders but I'll wait until it gets a little further before taking more pictures. This should be a fun project to do! We'll keep you updated via here or the website, www.OverKillOffRoad.net

Autumn on Parade - Oregon, IL

2005-10-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Oct. 2nd, the Jeep club, northern Illinois Jeep Alliance (www.jeepalliance.org ), that we're members of participated in the parade at Autumn on Parade in Oregon, IL.

We had to be there for line-up at 11am with the parade not starting until 1pm. Not too big of a deal since there were quite a few Jeeps and friends until about 11:30 when it started raining. Of course most of us were not prepared. No rain gear no tops on some of the Jeeps, including ours! We parked them under some huge pine trees and put the floor mats on the seats and a friend of ours, Chris, bought some trash bags to cover the backs.

About 1pm they had us pull out from under the trees and line-up. Great, now we were sitting IN the rain with no protection. At least OverKill had the steel plate on top still, so there was a little protection from straight on rain. We got pretty wet! Then just as we started pulling onto the road at the start of the parade, the rain stopped and the sun came out!!! It turned out to be pretty nice once the parade started going!

During the parade, we climbed up Greg's tires quite a few times. Greg and a couple other big Jeeps forgot to lock in their front-ends so they couldn't do it back but the crowds loved it. OverKill has an air locker. With wet pavement a few of the Jeeps did little burn outs, they loved that too. The club did win the Novelty 1st place trophy for the parade and we didn't even know that there were trophies! That was cool!

What's great about participating in the parades as a club is that people become more aware that off-roading can be a family sport. There are families of all kinds involved. We have our daughter in her custom car seat ( http://www.overkilloffroad.net/14928/index.html ), Another couple had their 2 small daughters, there were others with their teenagers and there were a couple of older teenagers driving their own Jeeps.

It's also fun to watch the little kids' faces when we pull up with a bright big Jeep! They point and their faces light up. Our Jeeps look like big tonka toys to them and they loved it.

The picture on top was the only picture I got and kind of bummed about it but it was too wet to get out the camera. I'm going to have to look into the waterproof set-up that's available for it! The yellow Jeep is Greg's (president of the Jeep club) and of course OverKill is the other one! Here's a couple other shots of Greg's Jeep... http://www.overkilloffroad.net/14901.html

Just some pictures of OverKill

2005-09-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

Just thought I should probably add a few pictures of us off roading. It really does get used for what it was built for, not just a pretty Jeep! There aren't a lot of pictures of our Jeep doing the extreme things because I prefer to ride then to get out and take pictures.

Attica 2004

MudFest 2005

OctoberFest 2004

Fun w/ friends

Family Fun Pig Roast 2005

OctoberFest 2004 w/ Hooter's girls

UpGrade to OverKill's Engine - TPiS

2005-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to get Mark to sit down and give me a list of technical stuff on OverKill yet but I do know that he upgraded the motor! It has a small block Chevy in it that had the fuel injection set-up (I think that's what it was called) out of a camero. (see more pictures at OverKill Off Road web site - www.OverKillOffRoad.NET )

We had to upgrade that, it wouldn't do wheelies! He recently purchased a kit from TPIS that included an intake manifold, 52 mm throttle body, fuel rails, fuel pressure regulator and the matching cam. Now it sounds like a drag car! This kit is suppose to give it 100 more horse power, so that should put it over 500 horse.

Well, Mark thought something still wasn't right so again he called the guys at TPIS and they were more then happy to hear from him and sell him a new computer chip! The chip came in on Tues., he installed it on Wens. and took it for a test drive.

Okay, remember this Jeep has 39.5" off road tires. There are big black marks on the road leading to the shop now. Anyone that knows oversized built-up vehicles; know that big motors + big tires + burn-outs = broken drive shafts!! Even I know this. He was just so excited that it is finally running the way that he wants it to, he wanted to see if it would do a wheelie! Good thing a friend of ours builds custom drive shafts, but they're expensive buggers to keep replacing.

I do want to say that Mark really likes the guys at www.tpis.com . They are very knowledgeable and very friendly, we highly recommend them for upgrading motors.

Well, that's the highlights of the newest improvements to our OverKill. Don't forget to stop by www.OverKillOffRoad.net . There will be Jeep & Chevy parts coming soon to http://stores.ebay.com/Jewels-To-Auto-Parts?refid=store so keep checking!