Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i Four Wheeler

Like you, I look forward to my annual tax return check. Much to my wife’s dismay and annoyance, I almost always find a way to use at least a portion of it for something 4x4 related. My wife and I have been married for almost 35 years, so she’s put up with my tax return check shenanigans for a long time. It started early. About three years into our marriage, I proposed that we spend the money on a set of used aluminum wheels and 36-inch mud-terrain tires for our ’76 Blazer. She was irritated but went along with it. I was stoked. Those 36s were considered big back then, they made the Blazer look awesome, and they worked great in the Illinois farmland. After I killed the Blazer, I…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM CRATE CUMMINS Cummins introduces the Cummins Repower program, a crate engine program specifically for the enthusiast market. It will offer brand new Cummins diesel engines from the factory, direct to the consumer market. The first Cummins Repower engine offering will be the R2.8 Turbo Diesel. It is said to include the other major components needed to ease the installation process, as well as all the necessary documentation to make the swap 50-state-emissions-compliant. INFO: Cummins Repower, 800/343-7357, cumminsrepower.com 1-TON PLUS CV If you’re having trouble keeping driveshafts alive in your lifted highhorse 4x4, Tom Wood’s Custom Drive Shafts may have just what you need. The company now offers bolt-in 1410 CV driveshafts for almost any application. They are ideal for heavy fullsize vehicles and can be adapted to Dodge, Ford,…

IF YOU’RE AT ALL LIKE US, THEN YOU PROBABLY SPEND NEARLY every extra penny you have on 4x4s and off-road parts throughout the year. So when a big chunk of change like an inheritance from a long-lost relative comes along, of course you probably grieve at least a little, but your mind goes wild with all the modifications it will allow you to afford. That is as long as you can keep it out of the hands of a significant other, who most certainly has been eyeballing a new leather sofa, bunk beds for the kids, or a European vacation. You may not have wealthy relatives, but there is a cash resource that many of us receive every year. It’s called the Government 4x4 Buildup Assistance Program, otherwise known as…

AWISE MAN ONCE DESCRIBED THE PROCESS OF HAVING KIDS, raising them, and watching them grow as a painful joy. We use the same two words to describe every annual Specialty Equipment Market Association Show (better known simply as the SEMA Show) we’ve attended in Las Vegas. The 2016 SEMA Show was no different. We’re always as excited as a five-year-old running through Santa’s Village to see the new products and built vehicles at SEMA. However, after day two, our eyes glaze over and we concede that there is no possible way to see absolutely everything during the four-day show, at least not without wearing our feet down to the nubbins. Having the opportunity to assemble one of the hundreds of show trucks may seem like a dream come true, but…

KEN.BRUBAKER@FOURWHEELER.COM MAKING WINTER FUN I just read your Firing Order on “Make Winter Fun” (Jan. ’17), and I wanted to share with you a pic from our wheeling trip last year. It was me and my JK and my friends’ Ford Ranger, Chevy S-10, and Toyota Tacoma. We weren’t having many issues until we got to a mud pit that was frozen over. Well, some ATVs that went before us told us that it wasn’t that bad, so my friend with an S-10 tried to go in. Sadly, it was a quick drop and he ended up balancing his S-10 on its drivetrain. I tried pulling him out, but it took another rig (the Ford Ranger) linked to me and me to him to pull him out. What a crazy…

WHEN IT COMES TO SOAKING IN THE SUN, THERE SEEMS TO BE TWO types of people. There are those who can’t get enough of it and others that blister just at the thought. We typically sit somewhere in the middle. We love being outdoors but don’t see the need to perfect any sort of ideal tan. In fact, we’ll take a nice cool shade anywhere we can get it. Oftentimes on the trail or in remote camping spots, shade is a pretty rare commodity. This means if you want any relief from the sun, you’ll need to haul your own shade with you. While toting an E-Z Up to your kid’s ball game isn’t much of a hassle, trying to squeeze that along with a weekends worth of trail supplies…

KEN.BRUBAKER@FOURWHEELER.COM May 4-6 What: Big Bear Jeep Jamboree Where: Big Bear Lake, California Hosted by: Jeep Jamboree USA Info: jeepjamboreeusa.com May 4-6 What: Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree Where: Coal Township, Pennsylvania Hosted by: Jeep Jamboree USA Info: jeepjamboreeusa.com May 6 What: 16th Annual Jeep Blessing Where: Mesick, Michigan Hosted by: Cadillac Jeepers Info: cadillacjeepers.com May 6 What: Getting Started Off-Road Driving Where: Gorman, California Hosted by: Badlands Off-Road Adventures Info: 310/613-5473, 4x4training.com May 6-7 What: Trucks Gone Wild at Vermonster Where: Rutland, Vermont Hosted by: Trucks Gone Wild Info: trucksgonewild.com May 12-14 What: Molina Ghost Run Where: Hollister, California Hosted by: California Four Wheel Drive Association Info: cal4wheel.com May 18-20 What: Land Between The Lakes Jeep Jamboree Where: Marshall County, Kentucky Hosted by: Jeep Jamboree USA Info: jeepjamboreeusa.com May…

We asked the judges which one of the two vehicles in this year’s test they’d most like to own, and we asked ’em to pony up the reason why. Official scoring is irrelevant here—this is all about personal preference. Here’s what each judge chose. Stuart Bourdon, Jp Technical Editor I have to admit the Nissan Armada we tested performed well in the sand and snow, and it was quick. However, I remain firmly convinced that the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk would be the better choice for my driveway. It did very well in the snow and in the sand, and although it’s not made for hardcore rock-running, it performed exceptionally well on mild-to-moderate off-road trails. The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk also looked sharp and was enjoyable on the highway. I could…

Granville Salute DUE TO MANY REQUESTS, WE’RE REPUBLISHing some of Granville King’s “From The Back Country” columns as space permits. These columns ran in Four Wheeler from 1984 until Granville’s passing in 1989 at age 70. Granville was a retired aerospace engineer and television screenwriter who lived off-grid in a trailer in Baja, Mexico. His off-road experiences were many, and his storytelling was amusing, riveting, timeless, and unparalleled.…

As the ’80s drew to a close, we cast an over-the-shoulder glance at the decade from a four-wheelers point of view and published a story in the Dec. ’89 issue of Four Wheeler about how much had changed during that timeframe. Early in the story we pointed out that the term “SUV” was invented during the decade. Also, mini-trucks came onto the scene as fuel prices rose. Tires also went through a metamorphosis, as diameters grew and radials became accepted and widely used. Computers and digital components replaced their mechanical/analog counterparts in the engine management department to provide cleaner burning, more effective powerplants. We also noted the growth of stadium racing and monster trucks, both of which grew by leaps and bounds (no pun intended) during the ’80s. The meat…