Overland Jeep Takes Underground Adventure

Scott Willeford’s ultimate overland Jeep takes on unexpected adventure.

Why did Scott Willeford build his Jeep up? In a word, Covid. A longtime a fan of an outdoor lifestyle, Willeford’s final push to getting off the grid was global shutdown. After an inaugural overland adventure in his stock 2018 Jeep JLU, the three-year build process commenced. Now, the Jeep, with Boreas XT overland trailer in tow, handles long trips and tough terrain with ease as Willeford explores the southwestern United States.

Roots in the Outdoors

Getting outdoors was the obvious course of action for Willeford after the world shut down in 2020. Growing up adventuring across the United States with his parents’ 37-foot motorhome, Willeford’s love for nature was fostered early. After a childhood spent camping, Willeford was ready to get outdoors.

Getting outdoors was the obvious course of action for Willeford after the world shut down in 2020.

Willeford’s childhood prepared him for all kinds of (mis)adventures on the trail. His earliest explorations were full of what he calls “Huckleberry Finn moments” that taught him to think on his feet, a skill he’s used often more recently.

…His earliest explorations were full of what he calls ‘Huckleberry Finn moments’ that taught him to think on his feet.

The Jeep started Willeford on his latest adventures and has grown with him as he’s gotten deeper into the lifestyle. “The further we went, the more people we found who were just like us,” Willeford says, “People who inspired us to be good stewards of our sport and our land.”

Getting Off-Grid

When Covid shut down the world to travel, Willeford took the Jeep into local national forest and BLM lands. He and his wife started their adventure on extended camping trips, then slowly started to build up the Jeep.

“Every trip we went on, we came back with something else we needed to do to the Jeep,” Willeford says. With every trip, Willeford’s desire to go deeper off grid only grew. In August of 2020, he added the Boreas XT trailer to round out his overlanding setup. That last addition finally got them ready to take a true off-grid trip.

In the Jeep with trailer in tow, Willeford and his wife set out on their first deep off-grid adventure, spending three weeks in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado.

Double Duty

Sitting on a 3.5-inch lift and 37-inch tires, Willeford’s Jeep can handle pretty much anything. That doesn’t stop it from being his daily driver, though. It’s rarely not in use. The Jeep takes the Willefords everywhere, from driving around town to a 4,978-mile trip from Texas to Montana and back.

For a daily driver, the Jeep has some serious weight to pull around. The build is supported by heavy duty 1-ton axles; Willeford calls it an “extreme overland rig.” The addition of the trailer brings his setup to full capacity. The full Jeep setup, trailer included, functions as Willeford’s base camp for adventures in Moab, Ouray, and the rest of the locations on his bucket list.

Underground Adventure

Unplanned adventures always have the chance to be the most memorable, and Willeford really has a knack for finding those “Huck Finn” experiences. A recent adventure found Willeford and his Jeep in just about the last place you’d think to find a Jeep: underground.

A recent adventure found Willeford and his Jeep in just about the last place you’d think to find a Jeep: underground.

On the Willefords’ last trip, they met up with another overlander who’d heard about a local backcountry route that included an abandoned railroad tunnel. Willeford likes to travel old-school; he does 80% of his navigation with paper maps. The tunnel isn’t marked on maps, though, so they turned to the locals to point them the right way. From them, they learned that the tunnel was about a mile and a half long, flooded with up to 24 inches of water. Of course, Willeford wasn’t deterred.

That mile and a half tunnel took the drivers nearly 20 minutes to traverse. That’s right: two 9,000-lb vehicles, both pulling trailers, crawling through a flooded railroad tunnel, with no idea what’s at the other end. Talk about needing to think on your feet.

With no idea what hazards might be lurking under the water and only their vehicles’ lights to guide them, the two overland rigs crept through. Willeford remembers his worry spiking. In just their rigs, they would’ve been fine. The trailers, though, multiply the risk factor exponentially.

After a long, grueling 20 minutes, they made it out safe, into the light at the end of the tunnel. Would he do it again? Willeford confidently says, “Hell yeah.”

Powering Up the Jeep

Willeford’s favorite addition to the Jeep is his KC HiLites lighting setup. Between his headlights and two light bars, he’s fully outfitted with the sharp, clean lights we all know and love. Up front on the rig are 7-inch Gravity LED Pro headlights, Willeford’s most-used modification.

This Jeep is one well-lit rig. Beyond just the KC headlights, Willeford’s Jeep also rocks two light bars, one overhead on the windshield and one on the front bumper. These keep the trail well-lit when Willeford is off roading and give him the style he’s looking for. “For off-road use,” he explains, “the Gravity Pro LEDs provide the best light with an old-school look that speaks to KC’s legacy in the industry.”

Another game changer for Willeford was the addition of the Currie Enterprises 1-ton axles. The HD60 and LP60 axles geared at 5.38 not only extend his rig’s ability, they also increase his confidence to go further in search of new places.

Most of Willeford’s upgrades to the Jeep are on its exterior, protecting it from dangerous terrain and giving him the power to go wherever he wants. Road Armor Stealth front and rear bumpers, rocker armor, fender flares, and fender liners keep the Jeep’s exterior safe. Up front on the Jeep is a Road Armor 12,000-lb Integrated 12V DV Electric Winch.

Off-Road Capability

Giving him even more power are steering modifications, including an RPM 2.5-ton Tie Rod and Track Bar. He’s also added Rock Krawler X-Factor 3.5-inch Mid Arm lift and Fox 2.5 Performance Elite Shocks.

The Jeep gets through all kinds of obstacles on a massive wheel and tire setup. The 37×12-inch Nitto Ridge Grapplers wrap around 17×9.5-inch Black Rhino Arsenal Wheels with 4.54-inch backspacing, giving Willeford all the height and power he needs.

Though he’s a paper maps guy, Willeford keeps a Garmin InReach Mini on board, in case of emergency, and uses Gaia GPS as a backup. He’s also got a Rugged Radios GRMS and Race/Business Band Radio, plus a WeBoost OTR Cellular Signal Booster.

Upcoming Adventures

There’s more in store for the Jeep in the future. Up top on Willeford’s list of upgrades to come are new seats. “We spend a lot of time traveling around the country and my body has pretty much had it with the stock JLU seats,” Willeford explains. As for a replacement, his top choice is a set of PRP Elite Enduro Seats. Plus, they’re currently on the hunt for a hardtop, some skid plates for underbody protection, and custom interior storage solutions.

Willeford’s personal mission is to explore as much of the southwestern United States as he can. His wife, meanwhile, wants to visit every National Park. Between the two of them, as Willeford says, they’re “on a quest to discover and explore the places I have read about in history books.”

2018 Jeep Wrangler JLU

PLATFORM

2018 JEEP WRANGLER JLU

ENGINE

3.6L PENTASTAR MOTOR; MAGNAFLOW ROCK CRAWLER SERIES CAT BACK
PERFORMANCE EXHAUST

SUSPENSION

ROCK KRAWLER X-FACTOR 3.5-INCH MID ARM, FOX 2.5 PERFORMANCE ELITE
SHOCKS (FRONT AND REAR)

WHEELS & TIRES

BLACK RHINO ALISO SIZE 17 X 19.5 WITH 4.54-INCH BACKSPACING
(FRONT AND REAR), NITTO TIRE RECON GRAPPLER SIZE 37X12 (FRONT AND REAR)

INTERIOR ACCESSORIES

GARMIN INREACH MINI; RUGGED RADIO GRMS AND RACE/BUSINESS BAND RADIO; WEBOOST OTR CELLULAR SIGNAL BOOSTER

EXTERIOR ACCESSORIES

KC HILITES 7-INCH GRAVITY LED PRO HEADLIGHTS, OVERHEAD WINDSHIELD 50-INCH GRAVITY PRO6 LED LIGHTBAR, FRONT BUMPER GRAVITY PRO6 LED PAIR PACK; ROAD ARMOR 12,000-LBS INTEGRATED 12V DC ELECTRIC WINCH WITH SYNTHETIC ROPE; ROAD ARMOR STEALTH FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS, ROCKER ARMOR, FENDER FLARES, AND FENDER LINERS; RPM 2.5-TON TIRE ROD AND TRACK BAR

ADDITIONAL MODIFICATIONS

BOREAS XT OVERLAND TRAILER

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Editor’s Note: A version of this story previously appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Tread Magazine.

Photo Credit: Scott Willeford