Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i Four Wheeler

LIGHTING UPGRADES ARE JUST ABOUT THE hottest thing in the off-road world at the moment. We’re not sure when everyone’s enthusiasm for nighttime driving increased or why so many people suddenly took to the craze, but make no mistake: auxiliary lighting is back in a big way. Unlike the KC Daylighter craze of the ’80s, the new lighting revolution is all about LEDs. While LEDs have been around for decades, they are just now making it to the mainstream at the OEM and aftermarket levels. Yes, windshield lightbars are currently a touch on the trendy side, but LED headlights are an actual result of the need for a better headlight. One vehicle that seems to get the most LED attention is the Jeep Wrangler JK. This is largely due to…

THERE ARE FEW THINGS THAT EXCITE US MORE than pulling out of our driveway and beginning a road trip that has no end. When we bumped into Bryon Dorr and listened to his tale of breaking away from the daily grind in the Ram-based XPCamper (aka EEXP Overland Adventuremobile) that has become his home, we wanted to hear (and see) more. We caught up with Bryon after his recent circumnavigation of the U.S. and shakedown trek in Alaska. The platform is a Cummins turbodieselpowered ’01 Dodge Ram 2500 fit with a custom-spec pop-up abode from XPCamper. The front Buckstop aluminum bumper is fit with a Warn 16.5ti winch, Factor 55 ProLink XXL winch thimble, and a collection of PIAA lights. Grippy General Grabber AT2 all-terrain tires are fit to Method…

THERE’S SOMETHING VERY FITTING ABOUT A Jeep event in Butler, Pennsylvania. After all, it’s where the Jeep began. Yes, Willys-Overland, of Toledo, Ohio, is most famous for mass producing the standardized World War II jeep and turning it into an American icon. Still, we shouldn’t forget that the Bantam Car Company of Butler, Pennsylvania, created the jeep template and was the first to turn a vague idea into reality. That’s just one reason Butler is such an awesome place for a big Jeep event. It started in 2011 when the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau had an idea to do a big Jeep event. They had a five-year plan, and every event they did exceeded the previous. For 2016, the event was handed off to the Friends of the…

THE TROUBLE WITH OVERLANDING IS THAT THERE IS TOO MUCH COOL functional camp equipment available. Just when you think you have the perfect swag for your 4x4 adventures, when everything has a place and packs away as tight as a Jenga puzzle, you go and find that cool camping widget you simply cannot live without. Then you get to completely relearn how to pack for a trip. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to save you from that experience. In fact, we saw so much cool stuff at the 2016 Overland Expo West you might as well forget everything you know about your personal packing procedure. Every year we attend the Overland Expo held at Mormon Lake, Arizona, we find at least a few new items we shouldn’t have to live without,…

AT FIRST GLANCE, THE US SPECIALTY Vehicles (USSV) Rhino GX looks like it could be an armored paramilitary machine built for SWAT teams. And that’s partly true. Although the unit we drove was not armored, the Rhino GX’s body can be upfitted through one of USSV’s affiliates to meet that demand. However, the buyer who has made USSV successful building customized 4x4 vehicles like the Rhino GX is more likely to be that high roller with a collection of supercars, luxury vehicles, and high-end sports cars, and is now looking for something a little different. Priced at just under $200k, the Rhino GX is the sort of vehicle that “the most interesting man in the world” would find impressive. We got the chance to drive the Rhino GX when the…

Through the years, we’ve featured many cool reader 4x4s in Four Wheeler and some doubled as work-ready rigs. One was Alex Christianson’s ultra-cool ’85 Chevy K30 wrecker that we featured in the Aug. ’98 issue. Interestingly, Alex was a former Top Truck Challenge alumni, and he competed in the 1997 event in his ’69 Blazer. He did really well too, winning the Tank Trap, Mini Rubicon, and Mud Pit events. We ran into him a few weeks after Top Truck at the Bloomsburg 4-Wheel Jamboree in Pennsylvania, where we had a chance to photograph his “other” rig. The wrecker had a 350hp, 420–lb-ft 355ci V-8 engine topped with an Edelbrock Performer intake and 650-cfm Holley carb, NP 435 four-speed manual transmission, NP205 T-case with 2-ton output shaft and 1410 yokes,…

AN AUTO MANUFACTURER DOESN’T ROLL 75 YEARS ON INERTIA ALONE. There have been plenty of one-hit wonders in the American auto industry, and the World War II Willys-Overland model MB 1⁄4-ton truck could have been another. A combination of correct choices, hard work, timing and luck created the foundation for a brand that has stood the test of time, time after time: Jeep. Yes, we know Willys-Overland didn’t invent the type of vehicle that became known as the jeep, nor did it produce the first one. What it did was make the lowest bid on a large production contract for a standardized model, win it, and then ran with that ball for a cosmic touchdown. The standardized WWII 1⁄4-ton had DNA contributions from many sources, not the least of which…

REGARDLESS WHETHER YOU CALL IT OVERLANDING, 4X4 CAMPING, OR SIMPLY PITCHING A TENT WHILE off-road, we all use similar equipment and techniques. If you believe there is always room for improvement, then you can’t miss the Overland Expo West, held every year at Mormon Lake Lodge outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. This year’s 10th annual event hosted 255 registered exhibitors and 10,000-plus attendees from as far away as Australia, Ecuador, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and Switzerland. If you live closer to the East Coast, don’t fret, there is an Overland Expo East held annually in Asheville, North Carolina, as well. For more information about the Overland Expo and future events, check out overlandexpo.com.  Sometimes traditional camper and motorhome sales centers don’t fully understand off-road camping needs and issues. The…

THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF THE OVERLAND EXPO IS ALWAYS THE VEHICLES on display. And it’s not just the vehicles inside the event gates, it’s the 4x4s at the event too. You’ll find really cool creations in the camp area, on the road around the Expo, and in the parking lots. Overland Expo West 2016 was an absolute smorgasbord of 4x4 vehicles and capable overland campers. We saw everything from professionally built $245,000 Unimogs to Jeeps, pickups, and homemade converted camper creations built from retired fire and military vehicles. You’re sure to find lots of ideas for your overland 4x4, no matter what you are working with. For more information about the Overland Expo, check out overlandexpo.com. The new ’16 Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 vans have piqued the interest of many off-road…

AIRFLOW TOW QI have a ’99 K2500 Suburban with a 454ci V-8. I tow a 7,500-pound trailer. The combined weight is 15,000 pounds. I had to supercharge the big-block to 5 psi to keep up with the diesels. I also added midlength headers and a MagnaFlow exhaust. I doubled the factory secondary transmission cooler size, and I added a 1,000hp radiator package from BeCool. It’s basically a stock aluminum radiator with aluminum tanks instead of plastic. It allows you to ditch the mechanical fan and add two 16-inch electric fans. The fans are rated somewhere around 1,925 cfm each. What is the cfm rating of my factory mechanical fan? Are these electric fans really going to support about 400 hp pulling 15,000 pounds up a 4 percent grade at 65…