There is precedent for seeing a killer Jeep on a dragstrip…just off-hand, we come up with the Holy Toledo Jeepster and LSX Willys, for examples. But that doesn’t mean that they are common on the quarter mile. As icons of World War II and off-roading in general, Jeep CJs aren’t usually prepared with slicks and an certified rollcage. Usually, the only Jeeps we see at the strip are Grand Cherokee SRTs. But you have eyes, like we do, and you can see for yourself the black machine before you.

What’s amazing about this build (besides the vehicle selection itself) is that Lights Out 8 was it’s maiden voyage. There hadn’t been any testing prior to…each and every run was a learning pass. One of it’s early passes proved that the short-wheelbase Jeep liked to pogo-stick the front end – great for showing off, bad for racing. With no wheelie bars out back, chassis tuning was performed and for the remainder of the runs, the Jeep launched flatter than a pancake, with little drama.

The combination for the CJ is a small-block, 400ci Ford small-block hooked up with an 88mm turbo, and the entire setup was put together by ProFab Performance. With fresh-paint looks and runs that got ever-quicker, we hope that this leaf-spring CJ makes more rounds later on this year!