Veteran Rewarded With His Old Wrangler Souped-Up By WyoTech Shop

WyoTech automotive technical school in Long Beach, California, hosts a car show every year that’s not just a great place to go see beautiful automobiles; it’s also an event that pays tribute to our armed forces by donating a special vehicle to those who have sustained injuries during service.

We were lucky enough to catch the goings-on Sunday, August 18, 2013, when we attended the show, now in its sixth year. There were some great surprises on display, including a gaggle of classic Pontiac Star Chiefs. You can see the full show coverage here.

One man, Staff Sergeant David Lyon, had a surprise of his own. The Marine and veteran of the Afghanistan conflict was and still is a lifelong off-roader, being born in Utah and enjoyed four-wheeling in places such as Moab, as well as near his current home in San Diego, California.

Tragically, the injuries forced Lyon to hang up the keys for a while. But thanks to the Semper Fi Fund, WyoTech, and 4WheelParts, Lyon was able to get back in the driver’s seat of his beloved Wrangler.

4WheelParts donated the parts to retrofit the Jeep, and it was outfitted on-site at the Long Beach WyoTech campus by a crack team of faculty and students, some of whom were veterans themselves. The Jeep received a Flashcal Flash Tuner, LRG 106 20×9 Wheels and Pro Comp XMT2 LRG Tires. An SEL-Series LED Light Bar was also part of the gift package.

Further modifications included a Smittybilt XRC Rock Crawler Winch Bumper with grille guard and D-ring mounts, as well as a Rubicon 2.5-Inch Standard-Coil Lift Kit with mono tube shocks. It all came together to create an awesome, off-road-ready Jeep. Hearing it fire up was a real treat too; you could see this rig was all set to get to back to the trails.

SSgt. Lyon surveys the work done to his Jeep. Photos by Stuart Bourdon.

Those of us from Power AutoMedia attending the show were in awe of this machine, and we know it’s got a great future ahead of it. Wherever it takes Lyon, we expect there shouldn’t be any trouble, no matter how rough the terrain gets.