Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i Four Wheeler

FOUR-CYLINDER JEEP. THESE AREN’T TYPICALLY head-turning words, but when that Jeep is painted Impact Orange and fills up at the diesel pump, you bet we’re interested. We caught up with John Reidenbach on the trail as he crawled his ’98 Jeep Wrangler TJ over some of the more challenging obstacles. John has been through a few Jeep CJs in his wheeling days—upwards of 10. However, fond as he may have been of the leaf-sprung seven-slotters, he fell in love with the (comparatively) plush ride of the coil springs available in the TJ Wranglers. John also told us of his appreciation for diesel engines, noting the fuel economy, power, and torque of the 4BT. All it took to get his Jeep project started was a Dolly Madison bakery truck. In order…

ARCTIC TRUCKS ICELAND HAS BEEN AN INNOVATOR IN THE DESIGN AND re-engineering of modern 4x4 vehicles for polar exploration and travel for over 30 years. So when the company was asked to transform a stock ’17 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Pro into a one-of-a-kind rig on 44s, they were both qualified and eager to oblige. Gisli Jonsson, director of engineering at Arctic Trucks, was put to the task of building something extra special for the client, who had envisioned a truck that could be used as a daily driver and be capable of traversing glaciers on weekend off-road adventures. Gisli and the team at the Arctic Trucks “Special Projects” shop in Reykjavik worked vigorously for the next eleven months to accomplish this goal. Work began by disassembling the rig,…

WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, between the harsh volcanic desert of Kjölur and the rugged peaks of Kerlingarfjöll, when the weather turned from bad to worse. It was impossible to see the track, so we relied on our GPS to get us to our destination. Luckily, we were driving a modified Toyota Hilux AT38, a truck engineered by Arctic Trucks for traveling through the most hostile terrain on the planet. We aired down to 3 psi and motored through the fierce, unforgiving blizzard to Hveravellir Nature Reserve. Our goal was to drive atop the mighty Langjökull, the second largest glacier in Iceland. A day earlier, we approached the runway at Keflavík International Airport and realized that we weren’t in Kansas anymore. Iceland is one of the most remote,…

THE SWEET SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE WHEN THE heater was turned on, along with tiny puddles of coolant on the passenger-side floor mat, were obvious signs there was an issue with the heater core in our ’91 Ford Bronco. After several months of worrying the little drips would turn into something more serious and ruin the new carpet, we finally decided it was time to address the issue. Fixing a heater core can be a daunting task, and if you are the vehicle owner, a task that can hit the wallet pretty hard. In the majority of vehicles such a job requires removing part, if not all, of the dash to get to the heart of the heating system that measures less than a foot square and maybe a couple inches…

“SONI WAS KNOWN TO USE THE TANK TO RECOVER TERMINALLY STUCK VEHICLES, SO THE VINTAGE 1945 KOENIG 12,000-POUND PTO WINCH WAS A NECESSITY.” The name Soni Honegger might be familiar to fans of Four Wheeler’s flagship event, Top Truck Challenge. In fact, this very vehicle graced not only the starting lineup of the inaugural Top Truck Challenge back in 1993, but also the cover of Four Wheeler in September 1989. It’s been nearly 30 years since we photographed Soni’s “Tank,” and in no way has our love of OD Green, fullsize 4x4s shrunk, even though the theme for the aforementioned issue was “Ugly 4x4s.” Soni’s goals for this truck were simple: build something bulletproof and strong like an ox, letting the fancy paintjob fall by the wayside. And so, the…

MAJESTIC EAGLE Read your article concerning ugly 4x4s and I get that comment concerning my ’83 AMC Eagle from time to time. I won my car in a raffle in 2010 and it wasn’t perfect then. Original paint, interior, driveline, etc. Paint has a spot or two of surface rust, but after all, it’s the original paint. Over the last eight years I’ve kept it running and it appears in local car shows and cruise-ins. Sometimes I’ll win something like a people’s choice award or top 20/30 car in show. It still has the original 258 AMC six-cylinder, transmission has been rebuilt, and I’ve put back on a few parts that were missing when I got the car. It doesn’t see off-road use but as it’s a daily driver, the…

JL WRANGLER AXLES Dana now offers axle upgrades for the Jeep Wrangler JL. The line of drivetrain upgrades includes Ultimate Dana 60 front and rear axles, Spicer Performance nodular iron differential covers, chromoly axleshafts, bearing kits, and expanded ring-and-pinion gear ratios. The Ultimate Dana 60 axles are said to be a bolt-in replacement for the front and rear axles on the Jeep Wrangler JL. They are available with 3.73, 4.10, 4.88, and 5.38 ratios and come with an Eaton ELocker. The axles feature 35-spline, nickel chromoly steel axleshafts, genuine Spicer ring-and-pinion gearing, SPL 70 U-joints, full-float design, and heavy-duty brakes with a plug-and-play antilock braking system. INFO: Dana, 800/621-8084, danaaftermarket.com DURAMAX PLUG-AND-PLAY Banks Power introduces the newest product in its Derringer family of performance inline tuners for the ’17-’18 L5P…

RUST-FREE TRUCKS ARE A HOT COMMODITY IN AREAS THAT USE SALT TO COMBAT snowy and icy roads. Hailing from Milford, Connecticut, Shane Dunne jumped at the opportunity to buy a clean truck while he spent time on the West Coast. The ’04 Dodge Ram 3500 was intended to be Shane’s commuter and serve as a hauler for his ’77 Ramcharger, until he got hooked by the hot rod diesel scene. Shane started out on the 1⁄8-mile track in San Diego, California, and the passion for going fast followed him back to Connecticut. He would tow his friend’s race car to the track, drop the trailer, and roll his own Dodge truck to the starting line for truck pulls or drag races. Rolling around on the pavement was fun with 35-inch…

WHEN FRIDAY NIGHT ROLLS AROUND IN THE heartland of America, what better way is there to shake off the workweek than to throw on some boots, grab some friends, and take a ride on down to the mud bog? Smack-dab in between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio, lies Yankee Lake. Back in the 1920s, the 55-acre man-made lake was a popular swimming hole and an escape from the sticky Midwestern summer afternoons. The lake has since been drained and the property has hosted everything from motocross races to performances from David Allen Coe and Willie Nelson. Nowadays, 4x4 fans flock to the property on the weekends for line dancing, funnel cakes, and more tug-pad pullin’ and mud whompin’ than you can shake a muddy stick at. Truck Night at Yankee…

BUMP OUT Q I have a ’18 Ford F-350 diesel with a 2-inch front coil lift. It has Fox 2.0 shocks. The suspension company supplied bumpstop blocks. I’m confused as to why a modest 2-inch lift with all coil and no coil spacers would even need bumpstop blocks. My wrench dutifully installed them, and they are getting kissed every day in normal driving. Do I need them or can I yank them? RENO CEFERINO LAMB VIA FACEBOOK.COM/JOHNCAPPA4X4 A Bumpstops are an important and integral part of the suspension on a 4x4. Modifying or removing them without proper testing, inspection, and suspension cycling can cause tire damage and potentially allow steering, suspension, and drivetrain components to collide, which can lead to an expensive repair bill. Suspension companies typically supply extended bumpstops…

THAT’S INTERESTING The Rezvani Tank is available in the Military Edition. Coughing up $295,000 (to start) includes an optional 707hp Hellcat V-8, off-road package with Dynatrac axles, bulletproof armor, night vision, smoke screen (we’re up for six figures just to get that), magnetic dead bolts and electrified door handles (also that), and other things you can see at rezvanimotors.com. In case you’re wondering about a new organization called Ford Autonomous Vehicles, it’s Ford’s and it’s focusing on autonomous vehicles. Also: We didn’t read any of the 44-page document Ford released about its safety goals for self-driving vehicles and how it’s working with the government and cities and others. Hard to say whether we didn’t because it’s 44 pages or about autonomous vehicles. Throw a dart. U.S. News & World Report’s…

“THE TRUCK WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE as big as it is,” Ted Shinn shouted down from the cab as he turned the key, bringing to life his diesel-powered ’01 Sport Trac. Later on, once the dust had settled, Ted told us that his rig was built to be a “fun family wheeler for mild local trails.” Somehow, we didn’t quite feel right using “mild” to describe Ted’s truck. Rewinding the clock on this “mild” build by roughly seven years, the heavy equipment tech from Eureka, California, started out with an ’84 F-250. The truck was lifted 6 inches, locked front and rear, and the transplanted Dana 60 frontend had a bad habit of coughing out pieces of broken axleshaft. Ted faced a decision familiar to many 4x4 owners—continue to…

“I GOT BORED OF WHEELING MY BLAZER AND WANTED ANOTHER PROJECT,” Erik Storedahl told us, “and that’s when the headache began.” But let’s back up a bit. We heard his blue Chevy Colorado bellowing from down the rocky canyon before we could even see it, and we had to know more. Erik told us a story rife with late nights, junkyard grief, and DIY fabrication. The ’05 Chevy Colorado had been a dream for a while before Erik snatched one at the discounted price of $5,000. The plan was simple—tear the truck down to the frame and body, drop in an ’05 Cadillac motor, bolt up a 4L80 transmission, and after a custom exhaust and some transplanted axles, the truck would be ready to roll. That plan took three months,…

LOOK AROUND. JEEP WRANGLERS EVERYWHERE and everywhere Jeep Wranglers. Recently, the ’07-’18 Wrangler JK has dominated the backcountry landscape (literally), and the all-new Wrangler JL is a hotter-than-hot commodity. In stock form, these vehicles are some of the most off-road–capable, mass-produced 4x4 SUVs you can buy, and each has a remarkable ability to travel over terrain that would leave other 4x4s spinning their wheels. However, there is room for improvement, and the aftermarket has responded with an avalanche of products to make the JL and JK even tougher and more capable. Following is a wide range of products for the JL and JK, presented by our advertisers and conveniently collected for your shopping pleasure. DAKOTA CUSTOMS HEMI JL WRANGLER CONVERSION KITS Hemi conversion kits for the JL! Dakota Customs is…

WHEN THE ALL-NEW ’19 CHEVROLET SILVERAdo 1500 was revealed at the Texas Motor Speedway by helicopter way back in December 2017, it was the polarizing Trail Boss edition that Chevy chose to debut. Looking futuristic, the new Silverado had its fair share of detractors, and lots of questions lingered as to whether the ’19 version would be worthy of the Silverado nameplate. As we’ve found out more about the new truck, we’ve been incredibly impressed, and we finally had our opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new Silverado in Jackson, Wyoming. We drove the top-line High Country, but focused our seat time in the exciting new Trail Boss trim. Overview The ’19 Silverado is larger than the outgoing truck, with a wheelbase that has been stretched up to…