MARCH 2020 VOL. 43, NO.

62 COVER SECTION
E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
22 FRESH FLUID
DIY auto transmission flush.
26 ARMOR UP!
Quick and easy body protection for a CJ-7.
30 DASH REHASH
Make an old truck feel a bit newer.
36 BRAKE UPGRADE
Bigger brakes for a Jeep JK Wrangler.
42 QUICK COOL
Quick transmission cooler install.
44 DRIVEWAY EFI UPGRADE
Fuel injection and ignition upgrades
for older vehicles.
48 AUTOMATIC STEPPER UPPERS
Electronically operated step installed

44 22
on a JL Wrangler.
60 AUTOMATIC SHIFTER
Electronic sport mode shifter.

TECHNICAL
32 CHEVY VORTECH 454
Reviving the engine in a “free” truck.
50 ARE FULL-WIDTH AXLES FOR YOU?
And how wide is too wide?
58 HILLBILLY CRANE
Engine hoist becomes yard crane.

FEATURES
14 BEST OF SEMA: PRODUCTS
The new off-road parts that turned our head.
38 NEVER ENDING CANYON
4x4 buggies on a birthday romp.
54 TACOVERLANDER
2012 Toyota Tacoma suited up
for overlanding.
62 SLICKROCK TRAIL
Amazing scenery and exceptional
campsites.

38 66 RESCUING RAYMOND
Road trip in a big green Ford.

DEPARTMENTS ON THE COVER: Well, this is awkward. Our

illustrious tactical cameraman, Harry Wag-
4 4XFORWARD 70 NEW PRODUCTS ner, snapped an awesome shot of this killer
2006 TJ Wrangler Unlimited owned by—wait
6 READERS’ RIDES 72 NUTS & BOLTS
for it—Harry Wagner. Our 4WOR freelancer,
8 DRIVELINES 74 WHOOPS! Brian Sumner, was piloting Harry’s “pretty
Jeep” through the Slickrock Trail while Harry
guzzled gas in his 1977 F-150, Raymond.
COPYRIGHT 2019 BY TEN: PUBLISHING MEDIA, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

VISITING REAGAN’S RANCHO DEL CIELO
I
’VE SEEN THE SUN RISE AND SET
over the Australian outback 200
miles from any manmade struc-
ture. I’ve driven multimillion-dollar
prototypes that most people will
never even see in person. I’ve had
dinner with the presidents of car
companies. I’ve driven some of the sick-
est 4x4s while leading the world’s most
prominent off-road event. And I’ve sat
at the helm of the three largest off-road
media brands in the world. But if I had to
choose one single thing that stands out
in my 20-year career it would have to be
getting the opportunity to visit Ronald
and Nancy Reagan’s Rancho del Cielo to
inspect Reagan’s 1962 CJ-6.
The funny thing is, I didn’t even set it up.
My buddy, Don Allen, made all the requisite
calls and did all the legwork. At the time I
was the tech editor of Jp magazine and just
strolled up to the front office of the Young
America’s Foundation (yaf.org) in Santa
Barbara, California. After being allowed
behind the velvet rope to get some up-close
photography of Reagan’s CJ-8, I was loaded
into a Grand Cherokee and whisked up the
I-5 to Refugio Road to climb the long, windy
grade to the gates of Rancho del Cielo.
A representative from the Young
America’s Foundation escorted Don and
me through the ranch house and allowed
4 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
us to view what is in essence a very fru-
gal, down-to-earth home, much like the
person who owned it. Want examples?
Because Reagan’s frame was longer than
the bed he slept in, he used a bench to
support his feet where they hung past the
edge of the bed. Yup, the most powerful
person in the free world made due with
an old bed that most likely conveyed with
the purchase of the ranch. Reagan laid
down the linoleum tile flooring himself. All
the kitchen appliances were Harvest Gold
units he got when he was a spokesman
for General Electric. There was one single
television set in the living room. The Gip-
per’s Stetson hats and riding pants hung
not in a fancy closet or armoire but on
open shelving outside the bath. In short:
modest, comfortable, and approachable,
much like the President himself.
After touring the house we were led
outside to Reagan’s tack barn, where he’d
often saddle his horses himself. Parked
inside was the President’s Subaru Brat, a
Cub Cadet riding mower complete with
the Presidential seal, and the often-
photographed, ubiquitous CJ-6 that the
President used himself to maintain the
ranch. Whether limbing low-hanging
oak trees so they wouldn’t be a danger
to people on horseback, building picket
fencing, or clearing brush, the CJ-6 was
BY Christian Hazel
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
the workhorse called to duty, with Reagan
in the driver’s seat throttling the F-head
134 four-cylinder and toggling the T-90
and Spicer 18 gearboxes himself.
I hopped in the driver’s seat and Don
pushed the Jeep out into the open air so
we could give it a proper once-over. The VIN
verified it was a 1962 model. Some body-
work and a repaint in the same maroon
color as when Reagan owned it had been
done, but the factory Foam Green hue was
still visible underneath the toolbox lid and
in areas of the firewall where the repaint
had chipped away. (Just saying, my Project
Hatari! and UACJ-6D project Jeeps were
both a very similar color.) You could still dis-
tinguish bumps and bangs that the post-
Presidential respray didn’t completely hide,
and of course the side-saddle rear utility
seats were still there with the same tears in
the cushions as you can see when Reagan
was piloting it.
No, I didn’t actually get to drive it because
we couldn’t fire the long-dormant engine
without a lot of precautionary preparations
the YAF wasn’t prepared for yet, but I did
get to sit, steer, and brake like the Gipper.
And considering I voted for him in my Sec-
ond Grade presidential election in 1980,
that’s pretty cool. Yeah, I’ve had an exciting
career, but that’s one professional experi-
ence I wouldn’t trade for any of the others.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
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 COMPILED BY Tom Morr
READERSRIDES@4WOR.COM

HIGH-COUNTRY TOY
VEHICLE: 2016 Toyota Tacoma OWNER:
Doug Gosh, Denver, CO TIRES & WHEELS:
35x12.50R18 Cooper Discoverer STT Pro,
18x8 alloy SUSPENSION: Toytec 6-inch lift,
Boss 2.5 front coilovers, 2.5 remote-resi
rear shocks DRIVETRAIN: Stock PERFOR-
MANCE: Borla exhaust OTHER MODS: Insain
Fab bumpers, Baja Designs lights DOES IT
WORK THE WAY YOU WANT?: Yes, it does
great off-road
VINTAGE TUXEDO PARK
VEHICLE: 1965 Jeep CJ5 Tuxedo Park

UNLIMITED OWNER: Jason Miller, East Berlin, PA TIRES &

WHEELS: 30x9.50R15 BFGoodrich KM3, stock
JK FUN 15x5.5 repainted wheels SUSPENSION: Stock
VEHICLE: 2015 Jeep leaves, new Omix-ADA shocks DRIVETRAIN:
JK Wrangler Unlimited T-90 transmission, Spicer 18 single-stick
Sport OWNERS: Rex T-case, Dana 27 front axle, Dana 44 rear axle,
& Mary Willis, Apple 4.27 gears PERFORMANCE: Stock 134ci
Valley, CA TIRES & F-head with a good tune-up, new Solex car-
WHEELS: 37x12.50R17 buretor OTHER MODS: 7,500-pound winch,
BFGoodrich KO2, 17x9 off-road cube lights, Hi-Lift jack mounted to
Pro Comp Vertigo roll bar DOES IT WORK THE WAY YOU WANT?:
SUSPENSION: Rubicon Yes, finally got it trustworthy on the road and
Express 31⁄2 -inch Super back in the boonies ANYTHING YOU WOULD
Flex kit, Fox 2.0 res- CHANGE?: Frame is solid but it needs a new
ervoir shocks DRIVE- tub. Will save that for when my two boys
TRAIN: 3.6L V-6, Dana (2 and 4) are a little older, and we’ll do that
44 axles with Yukon chromoly axleshafts, E-Lockers, Power Stop brakes, 4.88 gears OTHER together. FUNNIEST WHEELING INCIDENT:
MODS: Smittybilt Rock Sliders, Atlas rear bumper, XRC front bumper, LED rock lights, sPod switch Letting my little guys “drive” the Jeep on my
panels, Alpine/Kicker sound system DOES IT WORK THE WAY YOU WANT?: Absolutely! It really lap back in the fields on our property, seeing
provides a nice balance of off-road and on-road capabilities, but allows us to enjoy an extended their faces light up in the Jeep, makes me look
weekend of exploring without having to trailer. ANYTHING TO ADD?: We’re looking into a hood forward to the years to come off-roading and
upgrade, inner fender liners, and onboard air. Planning to do the Rubicon this summer. We really going camping as a family, something we are
enjoy the time together and look forward to the next trail that awaits. missing in today’s society

SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Send us a picture of your ride if you’ve
never done so. We keep a surplus of Read-
ers’ Rides submissions, but only one sub-
mission per person, and we love all off-road
vehicles so send in your entries whether
your rig is stock or not. Make sure each digi-
tal image is at least 1,600 by 1,200 pixels
(or two megapixels) and saved as a TIFF,
EPS, or maximum-quality JPEG file.
WRITE TO: Readers’ Rides, 4-Wheel &
Off-Road, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo,
CA 90245
EMAIL TO: readersrides@4wor.com

> VEHICLE (year, make, model)

> OWNER (name, city, state)
> TIRES & WHEELS (size, make, model)
> SUSPENSION (lift, springs, shocks)
> DRIVETRAIN (tranny, transfer case, axles)
> PERFORMANCE (engine mods)
> OTHER MODS
> DOES IT WORK THE WAY YOU WANT?
> ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE?
> FUNNIEST WHEELING INCIDENT
> ANYTHING TO ADD?
6 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
LINED-OUT BRONCO
VEHICLE: 1994 Ford Bronco XLT OWNER: Rory Beatty, Clarkdale, AZ TIRES & WHEELS: 35-inch
Dick Cepek Extreme Country, Moto Metal 951 with custom paint SUSPENSION: Pro Comp 4-inch,
Rancho shocks DRIVETRAIN: E4OD transmission, BW1356 T-case, Super Duty Dana 50 front
axle, Sterling 10½-inch rear axle with disc brakes, 4.56 gears PERFORMANCE: 5.8L V-8, ported
heads, Lunati roller cam and valve springs, 3-inch Y-pipe, MagnaFlow mufflers OTHER MODS:
Home-built bumpers, Superwinch 9500 winch, Corbeau bucket seats, Tuffy center console
ANYTHING TO ADD?: Love this Bronco, it has Line-X in and out so it laughs off all of the Arizona
pinstripes and is amazing on the trails
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
Unforgettable Adventures.

Feel-Good Savings.
Heed the call of adventure with great insurance coverage.
See how much you could save on ATV insurance.

geico.com | 1-800-442-9253 | Local Office

Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. Motorcycle and ATV coverages are underwritten by GEICO Indemnity Company.
GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, DC 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. © 2020 GEICO
 BY Drew Hardin
EDITOR@4WOR.COM

2021 COLORADO GOES DESERT RACING

C
hevrolet unveiled the 2021 Colorado—
sporting a new look—at the Best in the
Desert Method Race Wheels Laughlin
Desert Classic in October, alongside a
competition version that’s part of the
Hall Racing team.
Chevy says the entire 2021 Colorado lineup will get greater
differentiation from trim level to trim level. For example, the ZR2
seen here will be the only model with the lettered, flow-through
“Chevrolet” front fascia. WT, LT, and Z71 trim levels all receive
updated center bars, lower fasciae, and front skidplates for 2021.
WT and LT will feature an all-new gold Chevy bowtie logo, while
Z71 receives a black bowtie logo.
Chevrolet and the Hall Racing team have been racing the ZR2
since 2017. Their experience in the desert has led to the develop-
ment of 15 ZR2 race parts available through Chevrolet Perfor-
mance. The facelifted truck got off to a good start at Laughlin,
where Chad Hall drove the Colorado to a First in class, though he
was the only entrant in the class. Still, the Hall Racing team has
learned how to keep the Colorado alive in the brutal Best in the
Desert series, earning the distinction of being one of only four of
434 vehicles to finish all 12 Best in the Desert races it competed
in since it started racing.
8 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 “ Colorado gets a new look for 2021
”
THIS
starting MSRP of $125,000. U.S.-
based production will start in

JUST IN
2020, with deliveries beginning
in 2021. The company is accept-
ing $1,000 refundable deposits

• RUMORS ARE CIRCULATING at bollingermotors.com/reserve.

that Chevrolet may be prepping
a version of the Silverado that’s
even more off-road capable
than the current Trail Boss.
Recent photos of a prototype
truck published by SEMA seem
to bolster the validity of the
rumor. Called ZRX, the pickup is
rumored to have a more robust
suspension than the Trail Boss
with Multimatic DSSV shocks,
electronic lockers front and rear,
and shorter bumpers to improve
the truck’s approach and depar-
ture angles. The mule in SEMA’s
photos does have an abbrevi-
ated front bumper, accessorized
by what looks like a combo
brushguard/skidplate. The truck
also has a healthy ride height
over aggressively lugged tires.
SEMA also reports that GM has
trademarked the ZRX name, add-
ing credibility to the rumor.
• LAST MONTH WE TOLD YOU
about the advances Bollinger
Motors is making with its all-
electric B1 SUV and B2 pickup
models. Bollinger recently
announced that each will have a
• BEST IN THE DESERT CROWNED
its 2019 season champions fol-
lowing its final race of the year,
the Method Race Wheels Laughlin
Desert Classic. Jeff Terzo was the
Trick Truck champion, while Jeep-
Speed champs included Bob Seu-
bert (Class 1700), Robert Thom-
asson (3700), and Billy Bunch
(4700). The year-end Ford Long
Haul award, for the car/truck team
with Ford support trucks that had
the lowest total elapsed time of
the year, went to Steve Olliges.
• RYAN ARCIERO WAS FIRST
overall and the Trophy Truck class
winner at the inaugural Lucerna
SCORE Baja 400. Arciero, driving
his Levi Arciero Racing Ford F-150
built by Herbst-Smith Fabrication,
covered the “intensely rugged”
(per SCORE) 390-mile course in 8
hours 26 minutes 32 seconds, for
an average speed of 46.20 mph.
“Everything was smooth for us
today, and the new Joe Gibbs Rac-
ing motor was sensational,” said
Arciero. “Great power, and we have
NASCAR guys in off-road, which is
a super crossover in the sport.”

…AND SO DOES SILVERADO

A
few days after the Colorado ZR2 announcement, Chevrolet said its big brother
Silverado will also compete in the Best in the Desert race series as another vehi-
cle in the Hall Racing stable. Like the Colorado, it finished First in its class (of one)
at the 2019 Laughlin Desert Classic.
The Silverado, which started life as a LT Trail Boss model, competes in the 1200
Stock class, which limits racing modifications to the suspension, underbody, and
installation of race-safety equipment. Hall Racing fitted the truck with a long-travel
suspension, front and rear jounce shocks, and prototype high-capacity Multimatic
DSSV dampers, which were scaled up from the DSSVs used aboard the Colorado.

4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 9

 DRIVELINES

EARTH
was largest in Hawaii, Montana,
Maine, Vermont, and Wyoming.

•
WATCH
RAM RELEASED EPA FUEL
economy ratings for 2020 1500
pickups equipped with the

• SEMA REPORTS THAT FOR

the second consecutive year,
federal government statistics
demonstrated that outdoor
recreation is a key driver of the
national economy and com-
munities around the country.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic
Analysis (BEA) report found
that outdoor recreation in 2017
supported 5.2 million jobs and
accounted for $778 billion
in annual economic impact.
Some of the largest outdoor
recreation activities include
motorized recreation, boating
and fishing, RV’ing, biking, hunt-
ing, camping, and skiing. The
BEA’s report notes outdoor rec-
reation makes up 2.2 percent
of the country’s gross domestic
product, which is larger than
many other industries, such as
mining, utilities, farming and
ranching, and chemical prod-
ucts manufacturing. For the first
time, the report also compiles
economic data for the 50 states
and District of Columbia. Cali-
fornia, Florida, Illinois, New York,
and Texas were the top five
states for outdoor recreation
as a percentage of total federal
GDP. In terms of percentage of
state GDP, outdoor recreation
EcoDiesel V-6 engine option: 32
highway/22 city/26 combined
for 4x2 models, 29/21/24 for
4x4s. That compares with
24/19/22 for a 4x4 Ram with the
V-6 eTorque (mild hybrid) engine,
22/17/19 for a 4x4 with the
eTorque Hemi, and 21/15/17 for a
4x4 with the conventional Hemi.
• CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR
Gavin Newsom signed into law
SEMA-supported legislation (SB
112) that immediately restores
fix-it tickets for cars suspected
of violating the state’s exhaust
EXTREME MILITARY GRADE GLADIATOR
A
noise limit and allows car own-
M General and FCA are collaborating to produce a light tactical
ers 30 days to correct viola-
tions. SB 112 amends a 2018 concept vehicle based on the Gladiator pickup. The Gladiator
law (AB 1824) that removed Extreme Military Grade Truck (XMT), which was unveiled at the
this ability and generated sig- Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Association of the U.S. Army,
nificant concern within the spe- has been upfitted by AM General “with both custom-built and com-
cialty automotive aftermarket mercially available military-grade parts to create an even more
industry and enthusiast com- rugged truck that can traverse the toughest of terrains in adverse
munity. Since 2003, exhaust conditions and is ready to meet varied military customer require-
systems installed on motor ments,” says the company.
vehicles in California with a
As it did with the Humvee, AM General can “convert the Gladiator
manufacturer’s gross vehicle
weight rating of less than 6,000
XMT into mission-specific lightweight tactical trucks based on cus-
pounds, other than motor- tomer requirements,” including variants like personnel transports
cycles, may not exceed a sound and command-and-control trucks. Both gas and diesel versions
level of 95 dB when tested would be offered to military customers. Pending interest in the mili-
under a Society of Automotive tary marketplace, production could begin in the second half of 2020.
Engineers (SAE) procedure. SB
112 does not change this.

STOCK LEXUS
TOPS REBELLE
RALLY
T he X Elles, Rachelle Croft
and Taylor Pawley, drove
a bone-stock Lexus GX 460 to
win the eight-day, 1,440-mile,
women’s off-road rally raid
known as the Rebelle Rally.
The Rebelle is different from
other navigational rallies,
not just because its partici-
pants are all female but also
because the teams must find FORD & ARB CO-DEVELOP PARTS

their way through the Califor-
nia and Nevada desert terrain
by using old-school naviga-
tional tools like a map and a
compass. No cellphones or
GPS allowed.
“Our experience in this
Rally will be one I never forget
and one of the hardest things
I’ve done,” said Croft. “Com-
10 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
peting for eight days with 80
incredible women, you can’t
help but come out on the
other side a different person.
This rally pushes you out of
your comfort zone to show
you what you are capable of
with a group of women cheer-
ing and helping each other
along the entire way.”
F
ord Performance and ARB 4x4 Accessories have announced
they will design and develop off-road accessories and vehicle
recovery equipment for Ford vehicles. The first result of the
collaboration will be a winch-ready bumper for the Ford Ranger,
available in 2020 as a dealer-installed option for $1,495. The bum-
per will attach to existing mounting points, is compatible with the
Ranger’s safety systems and sensors, and will be covered by a Ford
Performance limited warranty. Ford says it can accommodate a
number of Warn winches and Rigid LED light bars, and has antenna
and sand-flag mounts.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
TITAN XD ENHANCED FOR 2020 CALENDAR
L •
ike its lighter-duty stablemate, Nissan’s Titan
FEB. 1: Tire Repair Clinic
XD has been revised for 2020 with retooled
by Badlands Off-Road
sheetmetal, a retuned gas V-8 backed by a
Adventures, Hawthorne, CA.
new transmission, a redesigned interior, and new
Info: 310.613.5473,
driver-assist safety systems.
4x4training.com
To refresh your memory, the XD is a heavier-
duty version of the standard Titan. It rides on a
beefier version of the standard Titan’s platform
• FEB. 8: Getting Started Off-
Road Driving Clinic
with a fully boxed and reinforced ladder frame. The by Badlands Off-Road
wheelbase is about 15 inches longer so the XD can Adventures, Gorman, CA. Info:
accommodate a 61⁄2 -foot bed behind the Crew Cab 310.613.5473,
body (the only body style offered for XD in 2020). 4x4training.com
The XD’s previous Cummins diesel option is gone;
now the only powertrain is the 5.6L Endurance
• FEB. 9: Getting Started Off-
Road Driving Clinic
gas V-8, retuned to make 400 hp and 413 lb-ft of by Badlands Off-Road
torque and backed by a new nine-speed automatic Adventures, Mojave, CA.
transmission. Info: 310.613.5473,
Nissan has not yet released tow or payload 4x4training.com
capacities but did say the XD has a range of avail-
able hitches, including a gooseneck hitch built into • FEB. 14-16: California Four
Wheel Drive Association 2020
the frame, and towing aids that include an inte-
Convention, Clovis, CA. Info:
grated trailer brake controller, trailer sway control,
800.4x4.funn,
tow/haul mode with downhill speed control, and a
cal4wheel.com
trailer light check system that enables one person
to check the turn signals, brake lights, and running
lights from inside the cab.
• FEB. 20-23: Laughlin Des-
ert Classic off-road race by
Best in the Desert, Laughlin,
NV. Info: bitd.com

MIAMI GETS THREE O FIVE EDITION JEEPS • FEB. 22: Rock Crawling

F
Clinic by Badlands Off-Road
or those of you not from the Sunshine State, 305 is Miami’s area Adventures, Lucerne Val-
code. Three O Five is also now the name of special-edition Jeep ley, CA. Info: 310.613.5473,
Wranglers and Gladiators, which debuted at Miami’s International 4x4training.com
Auto Show. The limited-edition Jeeps (255 Wranglers and 50 Gladi-
ators will be made for a total of 305) are based on Sport S models • FEB. 22-23: Getting Started
Off-Road Driving Clinic
painted in what Jeep is calling “Miami colors” of Punk’n Orange by Badlands Off-Road
Metallic or Bright White. They are equipped to suit “Miami’s outdoor Adventures, Borrego Springs,
vibrant environment” with Sky One-touch powered tops, Sport LED CA. Info: 310.613.5473,
lighting, and Miami-themed graphics. The tube doors, winch bum- 4x4training.com
pers, and other accessories on the Jeeps in the photos are options
that can be installed at Jeep dealers.
• NOTE: Have an event? Send
date, location, a description
of the event, and contact
info (such as email, phone, or
website) to 4wheeloffroad@
enthusiastnetwork.com.
Please submit your info at
least four months before the
event due to our press lead
times.

4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 11

 FEATURE

GO WATCH
THE ULTIMATE
ADVENTURE 2019
VIDEOS
BY Christian Hazel
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
FREE ON MOTOR TREND’S
YOUTUBE CHANNEL!
PHOTOGRAPHY HARRY WAGNER

E
VERY YEAR OUR ULTIMATE
Adventure goes somewhere
new. Only once has the event
retraced its steps, hitting the
Rubicon Trail in 2001 and then
again in 2016. Otherwise, every
mile on- and off-road has been
new ground. But with 2019 being the 20th
anniversary of the event’s beginning, we
took things up a notch and began the
event in Alaska. With some participants
driving nearly 5,000 miles just to get to
the starting point in Wasilla, everything
about UA 2019 was big. Now you can see
for yourself because all five of our videos
from the weeklong adventure are live on
Motor Trend’s YouTube channel. Go visit
youtube.com/user/MotorTrend and enjoy
the entire UA2019 playlist. And if that’s
not enough for you, the previous years’
videos are on motortrendondemand.com.

12 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM

 ULTIMATE ADVENTURE 2019 SPONSORS
CUMMINS INC. FALKEN TIRE OFFROAD POWER PRODUCTS SMITTYBILT
Official Turbo Diesel Official Tire Official Retailer Official Winch
800.286.6467 800.723.2553 855.463.3762 888.717.5797
cumminsrepower.com falkentire.com offroadpowerproducts.com smittybilt.com

DANA IH PARTS AMERICA PREMIER POWER WELDER VOODOO OFFROAD

Official Crate Axle Official IH Truck & Scout Parts Official Onboard Welder Official Recovery Rope
800.621.8084 530.274.1795 800.541.1817 844.866.3661
crateaxle.com ihpartsamerica.com premierpowerwelder.com voodoooffroad.com

FAB FOURS OFFROAD DESIGN SKYJACKER SUSPENSIONS

Official Bumper Official Transfer Case Official Shock & Suspension
866.385.1905 970.945.7777 318.388.0816
fabfours.com offroaddesign.com skyjacker.com

4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 13

 FEATURE

E
OUR FAVORITE
VERY YEAR WE GO TO THE SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT MARKET
Association (SEMA) Show and wade through chromed-out show

PRODUCTS AMONG
trucks and over-the-top 4x4s to find the products that will actually
make your off-road vehicle more capable on the trail. As it was last
year, the Jeep Wrangler JL was a popular platform, but this year

THE OFFERINGS AT the Jeep Gladiator JT was definitely the darling of the show. We
skipped the halo headlights and 26-inch wheels in favor of things

THE SEMA SHOW like suspension components that increase articulation and tires that will
allow you to claw your way up the gnarliest of obstacles.

BY Harry Wagner EDITOR@4WOR.COM PHOTOGRAPHY HARRY WAGNER AND COURTESY OF SEMA

BEST OF SEMA

14 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM


2 5
1
MICKEY THOMPSON
BAJA PRO XS
We thought Mickey Thompson was nuts
last year when the tire maker released
the 43-inch Baja Pro X. Well, now we have
the Baja Pro XS, the world’s tallest DOT-
approved light truck tire. Designed after
the extreme Baja Pro X, the Baja Pro XS is
street legal with a tough four-ply bias con-
struction. They will be available in 10 sizes,
ranging from 35 inches tall all the way up
to a ridiculous 58. Mickey Thompson also
introduced the Baja Boss tire in a sticky
compound for dedicated rockcrawlers.
INFORMATION: Mickey Thompson Perfor-
mance Tires & Wheels, 800.222.9092,
mickeythompsontires.com
2
SWITCH PROS RCR-FORCE 12
This patent-pending, 12-switch power
system from Switch Pros uses solid state
technology for a 150-amp capacity that
controls 17 outputs. Programming options
include dimming memory, multi-output
switches, and On-On-Off. The switch panel
has active switch indicators with custom
labels and an RCR-Touch bezel to assist
in switch selection while you’re wearing
gloves. Plus, we love that it is made in USA.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
3
INFORMATION: Switch-Pros by Off Road
Engineering, 949.581.2991, switchpros.com
3
ARB ZERO FRIDGE FREEZER
ARB unveiled a new freezer-fridge with
dual climate zones, a reversable quick-
release lid, Bluetooth controls, and the
most efficient compressor on the market.
The Zero fridge will be available in 73- and
101-quart sizes. INFORMATION: ARB USA,
866.293.9078, arbusa.com
4
ROTOPAX ROLLPAX
The new RollpaX from RotopaX is a round
fuel storage container that includes tube
clamps to mount to rollcages and tire
carriers. The Rollpax holds 11⁄2 gallons of
fuel and is available with CNC aluminum
clamps in a variety of sizes. INFORMATION:
RotopaX, rotopax.com
5
BRACKETLESS ULTIMATE
DANA 60
Dana is offering Ultimate Dana 60 axles
without mounting brackets, allowing
for installation in virtually any applica-
tion, with the end-user adding the proper
mounting brackets. Other than the dele-
tion of the brackets, the axles include all
7
the features of the Ultimate Dana 60, like
10-inch ring gears, massive Spicer SPL
-70 U-joints, and 35-spline chromoly axle
shafts. INFORMATION: Dana Crate Axle,
spicerparts.com
6
COME-UP BLAZER M3 WINCH
We thought that Come-Up’s Blazer winch
with two motors was nuts, but now the
company offers the Blazer M3 with three
8.0hp motors for a line speed up to 259
fpm! Three different gear ratios are offered
depending on how much pulling power you
need, and the free spool is pneumatically
controlled. INFORMATION: Come-Up Winch,
503.783.6142, comeupusa.com
7
SKYJACKER GLADIATOR LONG-
TRAVEL SUSPENSION SYSTEM
Skyjacker unveiled its 41⁄2 -inch Dual Rate
Long Travel coils for the Jeep Gladiator.
These coils have a light spring rate at ride
height and a second, higher rate that only
engages during coil compression. Long
travel allows the coils to expand without
unseating as the suspension terrain chang-
es. Accompanied by long-travel Skyjacker
shocks to match. INFORMATION: Skyjacker
Suspensions, 318.388.0816, skyjacker.com
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 15
 BEST OF SEMA
8
8
PRO EAGLE PHOENIX AIR JACK
Pro Eagle’s new lightweight, portable,
CO2-operated jack is made specifically to
carry on UTVs and other lightweight vehi-
cles—but we anticipate a fullsize option
in the near future. Since it provides over 2
feet of lift height, it is perfect for both utility
and sport UTVs. It utilizes 20- to 25-gram
CO2 canisters that attach to an easy-to-use
regulator, allowing the user to control lift
height and lift speed. INFORMATION: Pro
Eagle, 310-513-8222, proeagle.com
9
PRO COMP FORD RANGER
BLACK SERIES 2.5-INCH
COILOVERS
Pro Comp’s 2 ⁄2 -inch monotube shock
1
design features an impact-forged, hard-
anodized aluminum body with strength and
cooling in mind. Other high-end features
include an induction-hardened, chrome-
plated shaft and internal floating piston to
provide improved damping response and
eliminate cavitation. They are designed to
maximize wheel travel on the Ford Ranger
for fast off-road use. INFORMATION: Pro
Comp, 310.900.5500, procompusa.com
10
“ There are
already a host of
Gladiator parts
”
10
ADVANCE ADAPTERS
ATLAS TRANSFER CASE
FOR JEEP JL AND JT
This gear-driven Atlas from Advance
Adapters is designed as a direct replace-
ment for the OEM transfer case in the
Jeep Wrangler JL and Gladiator JT. The
kit includes a new adapter to mate to
the 850RE automatic transmission
and is designed to retain the original
driveshafts, support mount, and shifter
assembly while also offering a 2WD-Lo
option. INFORMATION: Advance Adapters,
800.350.2223, advanceadapters.com
11
YOKOHAMA GEOLANDAR X-AT
Rugged gets redefined with Yoko-
hama’s new Geolandar X-AT extreme
all-terrain tire. The X-AT is available in 27
sizes, for wheels from 15 to 22 inches in
diameter. It offers ultimate off-road per-
formance without sacrificing any on-road
comfort, making it a great performance
upgrade for a variety of pickup trucks
and SUVs, no matter how or where they’re
driven. INFORMATION: Yokohama Tire,
800.423.4544, yokohamatire.com
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 THE ONLY BRAKES
MADE THIS WAY
Kevlar® based low abrasion, low dust, Edge chamfers for reduced chatter
11 high performance compound in a choice and improved pad
12 of different blends for every driving style contact
and vehicle

NUCAP® NRS® hook

finished backing plates
for superb bond
Noise shims on piston strength and zero
Unique "Brake-In™" side of pad for totally chance of pad de-bond
coating conditions silent braking
rotors fast at pad
install and seats new
pads quicker
13

12
DYNOMAX JEEP GLADIATOR
QUIETCRAWLER PERFORMANCE
EXHAUST SYSTEM GD BSD
The DynoMax QuietCrawler exhaust sys-
tem was designed for maximum clearance
for on- and off-road driving and includes USR RK
two mufflers. An oval Super Turbo muffler
helps to reduce sound without sacrificing
performance, and a Race Bullet muffler
acts like a resonator and helps to eliminate
drone. INFORMATION: DynoMax Exhaust,
734.243.8000, dynomax.com
Combine your choice of these quality UK made EBC pads with our
13
FACTOR 55 ROPE sport rotors which arrive with “thermic black” corrosion resistant
RETENTION PULLEY
Factor 55 has developed the world’s first coated finish for great looking brakes that COST less and STOP faster.
winch friction pulley with a patented rope
retention feature. During momentary slack,
the innovative rubber fingers prevent syn-
thetic winch rope from escaping the pulley
groove, preventing premature rope failure.
Billet machined from 6000-series aluminum
and hard anodized to Mil-A-8625 F, the pul-
ley is, like all Factor 55 products, the new Buy ONLINE or from your favorite
pulley is made in the USA. INFORMATION:
Factor 55, 208.639.1674, factor55.com performance store or order at Autozone. www.ebcbrakes.com

4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 17

 BEST OF SEMA
14
15
16
14
PROCHARGER JEEP
GLADIATOR AND WRANGLER
SUPERCHARGER SYSTEM
The complete ProCharger Intercooled
Supercharger System for the Jeep Gladia-
tor JT and Wrangler JL features the P-1SC-1
supercharger and is 50-state legal. It adds
a 45 percent gain in horsepower, making
425 hp from a stock 3.6L V-6 Jeep. This
bolt-on design is available in satin, pol-
ished, or black finish options. ProCharger
also has new systems for Toyota 4.0L V-6
engines used in Tacomas and 4Runners.
INFORMATION: ProCharger Supercharger
Systems, 913.338.2886, procharger.com
15
ENERGY SUSPENSION
PROGRESSIVE TOYOTA
BUMPSTOPS
Designed by Energy Suspension’s
innovative engineers, these rear coil isola-
tors and bumpstops feature progressive
durometers to prevent hard and uncom-
fortable compression. A direct-fit replace-
ment and massive upgrade over the rigid
rubber OE bumpstop, they are available for
2003-2019 Toyota 4Runners, 2007-2014 FJ
Cruisers, and 2003-2019 Lexus GX470/460.
INFORMATION: Energy Suspension,
949.361.3935, energysuspension.com
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
17
18
16
SMITTYBILT GEN3 XRC WINCH
The all-new XRC Gen3 Winch by Smitty-
bilt includes a 7.0hp motor and boasts an
average line speed increase of 12 percent
over its Gen2 predecessor, adding more
speed and power with less amperage draw
at load. The magnetic remote controller
has a Load Indicator Warning System with
a built-in flashlight. INFORMATION: Smitty-
bilt, 888.717.5797, smittybilt.com
17
RUGGED RIDGE ROOF RACK
FOR JLU HARDTOP
The new Rugged Ridge roof rack for
Wrangler JLs uses a low-profile design
and sturdy steel construction so you can
carry an extra 150 pounds of cargo over-
head with a minimal height increase, mak-
ing it perfect for overlanding and the avid
outdoorsmen. A rack-mounted basket
helps anchor your cargo, while skeleton-
style roof rails make securing the load
with bungee cords or ratchet straps a
breeze. INFORMATION: Rugged Ridge,
770.614.6101, ruggedridge.com
18
MILESTAR PATAGONIA X/T
The Patagonia X/T features a cut- and chip-
resistant compound with a rugged three-
ply sidewall that is utilized for enhanced
durability in rough conditions. Alternating
19
20
open shoulders providing additional biting
edges for superior traction on all terrains.
Alternating step-down grooves integrated
into the shoulder blocks provide tread rigid-
ity for enhanced stability on and off the road,
while the tread pattern optimizes the pitch
sequence for a quieter ride. INFORMATION:
Milestar Tires, milestartires.com
RSI SMARTCAP
19
SMARTKITCHEN
Part of a system of accessories that
maximize the space in your bed to fit your
lifestyle, RSI SmartCap’s SmartKitchen
installs into the SmartCap’s Gullwing door in
under 15 minutes—in when you need it, out
when you don’t. The turnkey camp kitchen
is comprised of a stove, a cutting board,
and secure storage for the included dishes,
cookware, and spices. INFORMATION: RSI
SmartCap, 775.636.9664, rsismartcap.com
20
UNIVERSAL CUMMINS
TO ALLISON ADAPTER
Custom Automatic Conversions has
designed a universal engine adapter and flex-
plate for all years of Cummins engines from
4B to 6B, 24-Valve 5.9L Common Rail, and
6.7L Common Rail engines to mate to a GM
Allison 1000 bellhousing. INFORMATION: Cus-
tom Automatic Conversions, 865.253.1133
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 19
 COVER SECTION: E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
BY Jay Kopycinski
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY JAY KOPYCINSKI
T
HERE WAS A TIME WHEN REAL
wheelers supposedly only drove
stick. Automatic transmissions
were some mysterious slush-
box positioned between your
engine and transfer case. Hit a
rock with the transmission pan
and all the magic fluid would leave said
transmission, rendering your rig useless
FRESH
FLUID
DIY AUTO
TRANS
FLUSH
& FILL
22 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
while buzzards circled overhead. Fast-
forward into the modern world where auto-
matic transmissions are now very reliable
and commonly in use by four-wheelers.
Hydraulic fluid is the lifeblood of an
automatic transmission, and heat and con-
tamination are the enemies of that precious
liquid. In general, transmission fluid starts
to degrade as temperature rises, and that
degradation is said to be cumulative over the
life of the fluid. In other words, the fluid deg-
radation can occur during short exposure to
high heat or during longer exposure to mod-
erately high heat. Hence, it’s a good idea
to change the fluid at recommended
regular or severe-service intervals.
Most automatic transmissions hold
roughly 10-14 quarts of fluid. If you
simply drain what’s in the pan, you will
typically only get about a third of the
fluid out of the transmission. The torque
converter holds a good amount, as do
the transmission internals, fluid lines, and
cooler(s). We’ll show you a fairly easy way
to do a fluid replacement in your driveway
without much hassle.
The basic idea is to use the transmis-
sion’s own internal pump to push fluid out
of a disconnected line, and replace with
new fluid going into the pan. No solvents
or other chemicals are introduced into the
system, and no abnormal pressures are
applied like they can be in other methods
of flushing. Note that some transmissions
will run the pump in any shifter position,
but others may not pump while the trans-
mission is in the park condition.
We finished the work in just a couple
of hours with common tools and a few
supplies that we used to drain and catch
the old fluid. While we were at it, we also
dropped the pan and installed a fresh
filter, so our transmission should be all set
for the next few years of driving.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 1 We gathered enough fluid to satisfy the
capacity of our Jeep transmission plus some,
along with a new filter, a 5-gallon bucket, and
some vinyl tubing. Automatic transmission fluid
(ATF) can be specific to the manufacturer. In
our case, this 2006 Jeep Wrangler uses ATF+4
synthetic fluid.

2 We started by accessing a drain point where

the transmission line leaves the radiator
cooler, sending fluid back towards the input of
the transmission. Our stock cooler uses a snap-
in style fitting. You simply use a hook tool to pull
off the retainer clip, and the hose line pulls free
from the fitting. If you have an auxiliary cooler
downstream from your radiator cooler, it might
be best to drain from the output of that cooler.

3 We used a barbed fitting (Hayden Automo-

tive 397) and a length of 3⁄8 -inch PVC clear
vinyl tubing run into the plastic bucket to catch
the old fluid.

1
4 We plugged our makeshift drain line into
the outlet fitting at the radiator cooler. You
may also find that some fluid will drain from the
disconnected line.

5 We started the warmed-up Jeep and let the

engine run until about 3 quarts of old fluid
was expelled, then shut off the engine. This
action will rid the pan of a good bit of its fluid and
make it easier to remove the pan without making
a big mess. Be careful not to run longer as the
pump may start to draw air into the system.

6 Next, we unbolted and dropped the transmis-

sion pan. Since this pan has no drain plug, it
still held some fluid inside.
2 3

5 6
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 23
 FRESH FLUID

7 9

7
“ If you simply drain what’s in the pan,
Here’s the transmission filter on the bottom of
the valve body. This one was held in place with
two small bolts. It was removed and discarded.
you will typically only get about a
8
”
A magnet inside the transmission pan
catches any steel particles that may pass
by. Ours had a small accumulation but nothing
third of the fluid out
alarming. Our old fluid was fairly dirty, and we
could tell from the slight sheen in the fluid that
the more than 100,000 vehicle miles had put a
bit of wear on the transmission internals.

9 We thoroughly cleaned the stamped steel

pan, then inspected the mating surface for
flatness. Running a flat, metal file across the
bolt holes helps ensure that there are no burrs
that could affect the pan seal.

10 An O-ring seals the filter outlet to the valve

body. Ensure that the old one is replaced
by a new, lubed one when the new filter is seated.
10 11

11 To reseal the transmission pan we used

a Lube Locker gasket. RTV silicone is
another option, but the Lube Locker is quick
and less messy, as the gasket comes with seal-
ing material already applied. The pan bolts
were torqued to OEM spec using the tightening
pattern provided with the gasket.

12 At this point, we added 4 quarts of

ATF through the transmission dipstick
tube. We repeated the pump out and replace
procedure (3 quarts at a time) several more
times until we had purged and replaced about
a dozen quarts of fluid. Then it was a matter of
warming up the engine and transmission, and
doing a final fluid level check. If you do get air
into the fluid and it foams, let it sit a while and
recover so you can run the transmission and
get an accurate measure of the fluid level.

SOURCE
LUBE LOCKER
775.246.6110
lubelocker.com
24 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 COVER SECTION: E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
BY Trenton McGee
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY TRENTON MCGEE
S
HEETMETAL BUMPS AND
bruises are an off-road fact
of life. Sooner or later you’re
going to drop off a ledge just
right, rub up against that
rock you didn’t see, or hit
that stump you were trying
to avoid. Minor scratches and dented
sheetmetal can be written off as charac-
ter. Most of us don’t mind the hard-earned
bruises, but we’d just as soon keep them
to a minimum and add as much protection
as we can to keep the body of our 4x4s
reasonably straight.
ARMOR UP!
26 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
Bumpers are usually the first things that
come to mind when people start talking
about body armor, but other parts of your
vehicle are just as vulnerable to damage.
The rear corners of vehicles seem to attract
damaging obstacles with regularity, par-
ticularly the passenger rear corner. But it’s
the rocker panels that are really the most
susceptible, and the longer the wheelbase,
the more likely that damage will happen.
Extra protection in these crucial areas can
mean the difference between a 4x4 that
looks good for a long time and one that
shows the scars of use and abuse.
Shortly after we acquired our new-to-
ADD QUICK & EASY BODY
PROTECTION TO A CJ-7
us CJ-7 we were shoving it into places it
really had no business being. We knew it
wasn’t going to be long before the nice
straight sheetmetal wasn’t so straight
anymore. A few months after we pur-
chased the Jeep we spent a weekend
adding armor to the body in an effort to
keep the rocks at bay. The rear corners
and rockers required drilling a few holes
in the body, but it was a small price to pay
knowing we could attack more obstacles
without fear of bending painted surfaces.
Installation required some attentions to
detail, but it’s really not that difficult to
add some easy body armor upgrades.
1
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
2 5
3 4
1 We call this 1984 Jeep CJ-7 our “weenie
wheeler,” as we’ve purposely avoided making
any major modifications to it or installing anything
larger than 33-inch tires. We’ve used this Jeep for
everything from long-distance overland trips to
prerunning Ultimate Adventures to serving as a
dinghy for our motorhome. The rear corners and
rock sliders have saved the sheetmetal more times
than we can count, especially once we ruined our
weenie wheeler by adding lockers front and rear.
2 We purchased the Warrior rear corners
from an online retailer. They are available in
several different varieties, including aluminum
diamond plate, and we opted for the smooth
steel corners that are powdercoated black
because we’re allergic to anything shiny. In
addition to finish, the corners can be ordered
with or without the taillight holes, gas filler neck
hole, and so on. The corners are constructed
of 1⁄8 -inch-thick steel. This seems thin at first
glance, but remember, these are designed to
reinforce the corner and spread the force of any
impacts across a larger area. They won’t resist
a major impact, but they’re more than adequate
for average trail bumps and scrapes.
3 Of course, everything needs to be removed
from the rear corners in order to install the
corner armor. In our case, that included the
taillights, license plate holder, spare tire car-
rier, soft-top snaps, and any emblems. The CJ-7
emblem came right off with a little heat from a
heat gun to loosen the adhesive. Our current
soft top is snapless, so it’s a nice bonus that the
corners cover up the old snap holes.
4 On the passenger side, the filler neck needs
to be temporarily removed, which involves
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
disconnecting it from the hoses on the tank.
If your filler neck hoses are anything like ours,
they will likely disintegrate when they are dis-
turbed. Do yourself a favor and order new filler
neck hoses so you’ll have them on hand during
the corner installation.
5 We test-fitted the rear corners and used
some welding clamps to hold them in place.
Even though we didn’t have to, we removed
the rear fender flares to make fine-tuning the
placement of the rear corners easier. You want
to make sure that the top edge follows the body
line as that’s the most visible portion of the
corner. Overall we were impressed with how the
corners fit, especially considering the 35-year-
old sheetmetal and the worn-out dies that
stamped them out in 1984.
6 As well as they fit, we still had to make some
adjustments and small compromises to get
the best overall body alignment, We prioritized
lining up the top edge and the side edge closest
6
to the tailgate, as these would be the most vis-
ible. The taillight holes on both sides lined up per-
fectly. There were no holes for the spare tire car-
rier, so we marked those from the inside as well as
the corner mounting holes with a silver sharpie.
7 The corners included black rivets to attach
them to the sheetmetal. That is probably ade-
quate for a street Jeep, but we intend to actually
use these corners and wanted something a little
stronger. We opted to pick up some No. 10 stain-
less steel button-head screws and nyloc nuts to
secure the corners to the body instead. This is
not only stronger, but it also makes the corners
easily removable if we ever get around to paint-
ing the Jeep something other than turd-brown. 7
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 27
 ARMOR UP!
8 We purposely drilled the spare tire car-
rier mounting holes a little big so that the
built-in adjustment could be retained. Another
unexpected benefit of the rear corners is that
they help reinforce the tire carrier attachment
points on the body, which are known to crack
when you put larger tires on the carrier.
9 The procedure for the passenger side was
largely the same as the driver, just with
extra holes for the tire carrier mounts. You can
see how well both the taillight and gas filler
neck holes lined up with the body, making it
very easy to bolt everything back together.
8
10 Not many people are making new prod-
ucts for old Jeeps these days, but Rusty’s
Off-Road recently released its own version of
rock sliders for the CJ-7. These beefy sliders
are constructed of 3⁄16 -inch steel throughout
and are designed to bolt to the body. They also
incorporate a step constructed of 1.50x0.120-
wall DOM tubing and 1⁄8 -inch dimple-dyed
plate. Not just a handy step, this addition also
helps keep rocks and trees away from the side
and the windshield frame.
9 11 We used a floor jack to hold the rock
sliders in place and line them up with
10
11 12
28 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
the body. The sliders will work with factory
or aftermarket flares, and they wrap around
underneath the pinch weld of the rocker to
offer additional protection. Like the corners,
these are intended to spread any impacts
across a broad section of sheetmetal, there-
fore resisting body damage.
12 We used the sliders as a template to
mark and drill the mounting holes. We
installed them using the supplied 1⁄4 -inch
stainless hardware. Though we would have
like to have seen bigger hardware, there were
several places where 5⁄16 - or 3⁄8 -inch hardware
would not have grabbed a sufficient amount
of sheetmetal. We have since “tested” the
strength of the sliders several times, including
putting the full weight of the Jeep on one of
them. They performed perfectly. We appreci-
ate the fit and finish, such as where the slider
aligns perfectly with the body line present in
the front fenders.
SOURCES
RUSTY’S OFF-ROAD WARRIOR
PRODUCTS PRODUCTS
256.442.0607
rustysoffroad.com
888.220.6861
warriorproducts.com
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 COVER SECTION: E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
BY Verne Simons
VERNE.SIMONS@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY VERNE SIMONS
O
LD TRUCKS MAKE OUR HEARTS
go pitter-patter, our cheeks
flush pink, and our eyes go all
googly. We’re smitten. Sure, old
trucks generally have many
miles and a few dings and
dents and some rust, but that’s
just fine with us. We aren’t perfect either.
Also, old trucks have stood the test of time.
Their mechanics, electronics, and more are
generally simpler, more consistent, and
easier to work on. Some might say reliable.
And even if they do have issues, their issues
are generally known. Furthermore, as fans
of saving the world for future generations,
we know that reuse is better than recycling
(OK, we’re also consummate cheapskates
and would just as soon not make payments
on a new truck right now).
Still old trucks are, well, old. That means
DASH REHASH
30 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
things may be worn out or broken. Our
1998 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Quad Cab with
the 12-valve Cummins diesel is the perfect
example of the kind of old truck we like.
Sure, we occasionally find ourselves look-
ing at newer trucks and thinking, Hey, that
might be nice! But at the end of the day
the old Dodge is still parked in the drive-
way. It’s too useful not to keep around for
towing, scrap metal runs, parts runs, and
more. Plus, despite temptation, we can’t
justify replacing it just yet.
The truck does have issues associated
with its 21 years (man, it’s old enough to
drink). So what should we do? Well, how
about we spend some time and money fix-
ing the old girl up? We’ve done this before,
and we will do it again. This time we focus
on fixing up the dash a little bit in hopes
that we can make the old Dodge feel a
bit newer and make it last a little longer.
We will do this with a little elbow grease,
some glues, adhesives, steel, and a little
help from RockAuto.com. 1
FIXING AN AGED TRUCK DASH
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 3 5
4 6
1 We’re pretty sure our old Dodge has spent
most of its life outside. It is a basic truck,
nothing fancy. We’re also pretty sure it has
spent most of its life west of the Mississippi and
has, at least for the past several years, spent
time outside in the deserts of the Southwest.
Heat, time, and UV rays have made the plastic
dash brittle and cracked it in a few places. The
2 truck’s dash also has a molded-in cubbyhole
that flexed, cracked, and left its moorings a few
years back. Our plan is to spend a few hours and
a little cash to clean this all up.
2 This is our pièce de résistance of the dash
rehash. It’s a dash cover from RockAuto.
com. Our Dodge dash overlay costs $229.79 (PN
22802LL) and comes in a choice of 12 colors.
We tried to pick what was closest to our origi-
nal dash. Installation is simple. First, clean off
the old dash with a window cleaner containing
ammonia. Then make sure that any cracks are
about level (one side not higher than the other).
Test-fit the dash cover. Add the included silicone
glue sparingly, following the instructions (these
parts will flex, expand, and retract differently
due to heat). Finally, pop the part into place.
3 Then you have to make sure the dash cover is
held in contact with the dash. We used bits
of cardboard folded and tucked strategically
and also used some “weights” we had around
the shop. The rags help protect the dash cover
from the weights. We waited overnight, after
which the unit was well attached.
4 This is the back and bottom of our Dodges
factory dash cubby. One bit of plastic was
screwed to the bottom of the dash structure, and
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
then the cubby pivoted up and was attached via
tabs and screws above. The plastic of the lower
part acted like a hinge—a plastic hinge. No sur-
prise that after 19 or 20 years the plastic hinge
finally gave up the ghost, but not until after the
upper mounts tabs broke off the back of the
cubby. We were left with a large, unsightly hole
in our dash and a loose former cubby floating
around the inside of the truck. These little steel
hinges are riveted to the two lower bits of plastic
so the cubby can be secured and then pivot up
into place, replacing the plastic hinge.
5 Here are the upper two mounts for the cubby.
These two tabs broke off shortly after we
got the truck; maybe one was already broken.
Then the cubby flopped down and finished off
the aforementioned plastic hinge. Since the
plastic is brittle, we’re pretty sure using only JB
Weld to hold the bits together would just move
the crack. So we glued the tabs back in place
using the epoxy and then used Automotive Goop
to attach some steel backing. The Automotive
Goop is supposed to remain flexible yet strong
despite heat, vibrations, and so on. Hopefully
this will last another 21 years.
6 Here’s the cubby back in its place as God
and the Dodge Brothers intended. Sure, you
can see the rivets and it doesn’t fit quite as well
as it did from the factory, but it sure is better
than it was before. Respect your elders, you
darn whippersnappers!
SOURCE
ROCKAUTO
rockauto.com
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 31
 TECHNICAL

THE COST
OF FREE
The problem is money, the root of all evil. We apparently would
prefer to spend it on many ragged pieces of 4x4 crap than one or
two nicer 4x4 pieces of crap. We hoard derelict off-road vehicles
and projects in hopes that we can one day take them on an adven-
ture off the beaten (more like “off the paved”) path. That’s why
free or nearly free trucks and 4x4s are very hard for us to refuse.
This is the exact problem with the 1997 Crew Cab Chevy

TRYING TO REVIVE A 3500HD truck that is the focus of this article. It seemed free, a
deal too good to pass up.

CHEVY VORTEC 454

Of course, working at the world’s largest off-road magazine
only enables our habit, justifying some, if not all, of our projects
because we need them for work. (Yeah, that’s it!) We introduced
this truck to you before, and we even started collecting parts
BYVerne Simons VERNE.SIMONS@4WOR.COM
for the build, namely the locked and loaded 21⁄2 -ton axles we
PHOTOGRAPHY VERNE SIMONS

B
AD IDEAS? WE’VE HAD THEM, AND PROBABLY WILL
continue to have them despite our best efforts.
Like a junkie, we always seem to be looking for that
next fix, only our heroin comes in the form of trucks
and 4x4. We’re not junkies—we’re junkys. We crave
capable off-road rigs both big and small. And like
most addictions, it creates a problem.
32 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
plan to tuck under it. It’s a free truck, which is one of the most
sought-after trucks for people with our particular addiction. And
while it’s not four-wheel drive (yet), it does have a 454 engine, a
beefy transmission, and solid front and rear axles. That’s right—
leaf-sprung beam front axle. These issues, we’ve convinced our-
selves, are easy to overcome given our current path of enabling
our addiction, even if it means spending money on a free truck.
But at what cost…really?
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
1 Here’s evidence that this Chevy 3500HD
hasn’t moved in many years. It was last
registered in 2002. That means there is a good
chance it has been parked since then, but why?
It’s a 1997, so it was only 5 years old when it was
parked and only has 112,000 miles on it. This
truck, along with two others like it, were sold
to our buddy as assets when a company that
owned them went bankrupt. This buddy, Mike,
basically told us that if we can get the truck
running we can do with it what we want. We’re
thinking big tires and Rockwell 21⁄2 -ton axles!
a sputter of life. So that’s good news. The engine
cranks and we have spark.
3 We have spark, but oddly, several of the
spark plug wires had been pulled off the
engine, and some were damaged. We were
not sure what to make of that. We’d probably
replace the plugs and wires on an engine like
this that has been sitting idle for this long
anyways, so meh! Duralast Wireset (PN 4639,
$38.99) fits the bill and the truck.
and fuel pressure at the port at the intake mani-
fold. Nada, no fuel. Our next step was to check
the fuel pump relay, which we could feel clicking
with the cycle of the key, so the pump should be
running. From there we needed to establish why
the pump wasn’t running. We located the fac-
tory plug that sends wires to and from the fuel
pump/tank and checked for voltage, which was
present with cycling the key. Next, we dropped
the tank and pulled the pump and found that the
pump and primary filter (fuel sock) were abso-
lutely gummed up with about half a pound of

2 With a truck that’s been parked as long as

this one has been, you’ve got to start with
4 We also tossed in a Duralast Gold Ignition
Cap and Rotor Kit (PN DR2031G, $56.99) for
good measure—and that was a good call. The
some tarlike substance. Maybe the remainder of
15-year-old gasoline?

the basics. First, we had to see if the engine

would turn over. From there, most engines
want to run, but need fuel, air, and spark. First
step was to hook up a battery and turn the key
on the old truck. We popped a Duralast Plati-
num Battery AGM Group Size 78 with 740 CCA
($194.99 with an $18 core) into the battery
tray and hooked up the terminals. The engine
turned over, and a spray of starter fluid gave us
cap on the truck looked OK, but the rotor wasn’t
properly tightened in the distributor. As a result,
the holes had wallowed out. We’re guessing that
6 Freelancer Trent McGee is a great friend to
have, and for reasons only he will ever know
he’s the one who ended up cleaning most of
didn’t help performance on the old Vortec 454. the remaining “tar” out of the Chevy’s fuel tank
using fresh gas and rags. (Thanks, Trent! Sorry,
5 Since the engine didn’t run on its own, the
next step was to make sure it was getting
fuel, and to make sure the fuel is getting to the
Trent! Now that it has been several weeks, does
your hand still smell like old gas?) Poor bastard.
A good friend is worth his weight in gold.
engine. With the key turned, we checked for fuel

1 4 5

“ Free
trucks
are very
hard to
2 refuse
”

3 6
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 33
 THE COST OF FREE
7 9
8 10
7 With the tank dropped, we installed a Delphi
Gasoline Fuel Pump (PN CFE0114, $72.99)
from our local AutoZone store. And with the
new pump installed, about 3 gallons of fresh
gas, and the tank roughly back in place, we
cycled the key. Now we were reading just over
60 psi at the fuel rail, which is just where we
want the fuel pressure…but still, we lacked fire.
8 We surmised that the fuel injectors were
probably not firing, so the fuel, although
at the rail, was not getting into the intake and
thus not entering the combustion chamber. This
could be because of a lack of signal, or because
the solenoids in the injectors were gummed up
from old fuel. The first step is to test for a fire
signal at the injector, and the easiest way to do
that is with a set of noid lights, but that meant
removing the upper intake manifold. Our noid
light test confirmed that the injector was get-
ting a “fire” signal, so the next step is to pull
and replace, or clean, the injectors.
9 We found a local shop, Rods Carburetor in
Phoenix, to clean and flow-test our injec-
tors. At $120 for all eight, the service was a
steal since most injectors that will work for this
vehicle range from about $120 to $60 each. We
reinstalled them in the fuel rail and put the upper
intake back together to see if the rig would run.
10 We got everything buttoned back up,
including a new Duralast Serpentine Belt
1005K6 ($25.99). With the freshly cleansed
34 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
injectors in place, we were feeling pretty con-
fident that the truck would fire right up. But
we were wrong. The truck cranked away but
wouldn’t catch and run. At this point our story
goes from hopefully optimistic to frowny face.
11 From here we decided to hedge our bets.
That started with verifying that the dis-
tributor was installed correctly, so we mechani-
cally rotated the engine until the timing marks
for TDC on the harmonic balancer lined up and
checked the distributor. It was wrong. Another
180 degrees of rotation still yielded, at best,
a timing conflict. So we pulled the driver-side
valve cover in order to verify that the engine
was at TDC. What we instead verified was that
the engine wasn’t going to run easily without
more work. A pushrod was bent and an exhaust
valve was stuck open—and that valve has
almost certainly come in contact with that No. 1
piston while we fruitlessly spun the engine try-
ing to get it to run. As they say, nothing is free.
The good news is our buddy Mike has a nearly
identical truck with a nearly identical Vortec
454. And while we haven’t made a solid decision
on what course to take next, maybe we’ll try to
start a different free truck that’s also been sit-
ting for 15 years. What have we got to lose?
SOURCES
AUTOZONE
866.853.6459
autozone.com
DURALAST PARTS
800.288.696
duralastparts.com 11
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 HOSTED BY: Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle

Stream all-new episodes now, only on

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 COVER SECTION: E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
BY Verne Simons
VERNE.SIMONS@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY VERNE SIMONS
T’S A FACT. ADDING LARGER TIRES
to any off-road 4x4 is one of the
first things people do. And with
the extraordinary popularity of
the JK Wrangler as a daily driven
off-road platform, there are tens
of thousands of lifted JK Wran-
glers running around in need of better
braking performance.
The idea is simple: Larger tires equate
to more ground clearance underneath the
EASY JEEP JK
WRANGLER
36
BRAKE UPGRADE
MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
lowest point of your 4x4, but along with the
positives comes the fact that larger tires
(and wheels) reduce both the acceleration
and braking of just about any 4x4. Bummer.
Luckily there are solutions. We’ve
talked many times about regearing axles
to regain some of the acceleration, econ-
omy, and feel when larger tires are added.
That is a great, albeit expensive and
intense, solution. We’ve also talked about
improving the brake system to make
your brakes slow down your big-tired
4x4 better. There are several ways that
the average dirthead can do that, but as
with regearing, most brake modifications
aren’t necessarily quick and easy.
Some JK Wrangler owners are more
than willing to get fancy with lots of after-
market brake modifications, but Dynatrac
has an easy bold-on brake upgrade that
doesn’t even require bleeding the brakes.
And despite our lack of scientific acumen,
our simple tests showed that this simple
solution dropped stopping times from
60 mph by nearly 15 percent compared
to factory brakes. The Dynatrac ProGrip
Brake system is available for all 2007-
2018 Jeep JK Wranglers and includes
new larger-than-factory brake rotors,
new brake caliper mounting brackets,
and new proprietary brake pads to give
your Wrangler’s factory front and rear
brakes a huge improvement in both mate-
rial and mechanical advantage.
BIGGER
BRAKES
FOR YOUR
BIGGER JEEP
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 “ Larger tires
reduce both
acceleration and

1
braking of any 4x4
The Dynatrac ProGrip Brake System for Jeep
JK Wranglers comes with larger rotors, new
”
larger (and beefier) brake caliper mounts, and
new proprietary brake pads for both front and
rear. The Dynatrac rear rotors are 141⁄4 inches;
stock are 121⁄2 . The fronts are 131⁄2 inches;
stock are 12. The brake caliper mounts are
taller, allowing the factory calipers to clear the
larger disc diameter.

1 2 The kit comes with detailed instructions, and

the same basic steps apply to installation
of the new parts for both the front and the rear.
The front brake pads do come with anti-rattle
pads that need to be trimmed to fit where the
pads interface with the piston and caliper. We
also noticed that the front pads have a break-in
coating to help the new pads bed to the new
rotors. The instructions suggest using some
thread-locking compound on the hardware that
holds the calipers to the slide pins, and the cali-
per brackets to the axle or knuckle. We’ve seen
the larger bolts vibrate loose and fall out on the
trail, causing lots of problems.

3 The Dynatrac instructions clearly explain

all the hand tools you’ll need to get the job
done. Box end wrenches, 15mm and 13mm, are
used to reattach the caliper to the slide bolts.
2 3 You will also need an 18mm (we used a box
end wrench), 21mm (we used a socket and a
breaker bar), a brake caliper compressing tool
(or C-clamp), and the necessary hardware to
remove the wheels and tires from the Jeep.

4 The Dynatrac ProGrip Brake System fir JK

Wranglers is compatible with most after-
market 17-inch wheels, but wheel spacers are
required when using factory 17-inch wheels. We
were already running the best spacers available
from Spidertrax Offroad just to help keep the
larger tires out of the fenders and control arms
on our relatively low JKU. Both the Dynatrac
installation instructions and the company’s
website have a brake profile template that you
can trim to check clearance with your wheels.
With the brakes all buttoned up, we drove the
Jeep and snuck in some nonscientific, timed
60-0 mph braking tests to compare with the
baseline times of factory brakes. After four runs
the results were in, with a 14.4 percent improve-
ment in 60-0 stopping times. This should only
improve because we didn’t even give the new
brake pads time to seat in on the new rotors.
Pedal feel was also noticeably improved with
the new brakes.

SOURCES
DYNATRAC
714.421.4314
dynatrac.com

SPIDERTRAX
800.286.0898
4 spidertrax.com/products/wheel-spacer
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 37
 FEATURE
1 Kaitlyn Tydeman’s 30th birthday was the motivation for the trip,
although the Sketchy Oregon Boys don’t need too much of an
excuse to go wheeling together. Here she is being spotted by her
husband Graeme. While this is the stuff of nightmares for many cou-
ples, these two have won rockcrawling competition and have the
trust and communication necessary for sketchy climbs like this one.
2 The trail was tight and technical, with no bypasses around
most of the obstacles. That meant single file was
the plan for much of the day. We felt sorry for the
person who had to follow Dustin Emick in his
buggy with 42-inch BFGoodrich Krawlers,
portal axles, and rear steer.

BY Harry Wagner
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY HARRY WAGNER

NO BUGGY
SAID IT
WAS EASY
WHERE SHEETMETAL GOES TO DIE

W
HEN OUR FRIENDS FROM OREGON MADE
a trip to Lake Tahoe recently, they asked
for some recommendations on trails to
wheel. They had been to the Rubicon and
Fordyce, but were looking for more chal-
lenging options. These guys all have tube
buggies and wear helmets when they go
rockcrawling, to give you an idea of what they consider fun.
We have wheeled with the Sketchy Oregon Boys before, and
every trip we seem to end up with broken parts.
38 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
The group ended up talking to rockcrawling competi-
tor and buggy builder Jesse Haines about where to wheel
near Reno. Haines built our lightweight Tracker, which
we have wheeled all over the Hammers and every trail in
Moab. “You don’t want to take the Tracker,” Haines told
us matter-of-factly. While our egos were bruised, we just
brought our camera instead of our rig. This was the right
decision, as the trail left nearly everyone on their roof at
least once. There are plenty of trails that you don’t need a
buggy for, but this isn’t one of them.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
1 2
 NO BUGGY SAID IT WAS EASY

3 4

3 Randy Slawson debuted his new “bash

buggy” on this trip. The past King of the
Hammers winner focused on making his rec-
reational wheeler as light as possible with a
single 2-inch coilover at each corner and a
turbocharged Ecotec LTG engine under the 5
hood. These engines are found in Cadillacs and
use electric steering, so Slawson had to get
creative when adding a steering pump.

4 This trail gets your attention right off the

bat with a huge waterfall. While it is possible
to winch to the top, the trail only gets more dif-
ficult from here so if you need to winch on the
first obstacle you might want to find a new trail.
Chris Bradford was our ride for the day until he
broke a stub shaft in his GFab Jeep buggy.

6 7
5 Chris Basse brought his whole family out on
the trail, although his wife Leah and their
sons walked during the more challenging parts
of the trail. Ironically, Basse didn’t roll at all until
his family was all belted up and they were in the
gully at the bottom of the trail on the way out!

6 There isn’t much Samurai left on Robbie

Cox’s rig. The factory axles and suspension
are long gone, instead replaced with 1-ton
axles and coilover shocks.

7 Kaitlyn Tydeman’s Samurai buggy has

9-inch axles with Dana 60 knuckles. A turbo
1.6L is lightweight yet makes enough power to
spin the sticky 39-inch BFGoodrich Krawlers on
Trail-Gear Creeper wheels. Small-displacement
engines with forced induction seem to be very
popular with this crowd.

8 Mark Schultz taught us a trick about keep-

ing Maxxis Trepadors from burping air or
losing the inner bead, even with beadlocks.
These tires stick like glue, but the thick side-
walls mean that sometimes they want to come
off the rim at low pressure rather than conform
to the terrain. Schultz puts five wraps of duct
tape on the inside of each wheel next to the
inner bead to keep them from coming off. 8
40 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 9 When we wheeled with Will Bradford two
years ago his buggy had Toyota axles and
36-inch tires. Then last year he had 42-inch tires
on the poor Toyota axles. This year he added
a Dana 60 front axle and sticky 39-inch BFGo-
odrich Krawlers. Will is really happy with the
latest upgrades, his buggy went everywhere he
pointed it on this trip.

10 Dustin Emick bought this buggy from Port-

9 10
land’s James Treacy, so he automatically
gets a pass to go wheeling with the Sketchy Ore-
gon Boys. The buggy has rear steer, portal axles,
and 42-inch BFGoodrich Krawlers so it will go
just about anywhere. In the winter, Emick swaps
the tires out for 46-inch Mickey Thompson Baja
Claws and goes snow wheeling.

11 Robbie Cox’s Samurai buggy is shorter and

taller than most of the other vehicles that
were on the trail on this given day. That increased
the pucker factor on the steep climbs, but it also
allowed him to tiptoe through boulders like this
without getting hung up like others did.

11
12 The trail was a combination of big rocky
slabs and loose boulders that moved
around and made the line different for every
vehicle. When you look at how small Kaitlyn
Tydeman’s Samurai buggy is relative to this dry
waterfall, it really puts things into perspective.

13 There were two lines up this waterfall,

with the left life being more difficult than
the right line, with a severe off-camber section.
While the right line was easier, it required you
to drag the tube work along the ledge. You defi-
nitely don’t want sheetmetal on this trail.

14 Going up can be nerve-racking, but we

always find it more frightening to drop
down technical obstacles since you’re work-
ing against gravity. Nearly everyone on the trip
rolled at least once when descending the trail.
The most common cause was a tire dropping in a
hole and pitching the vehicle over.
12 13

“ A man’s got to know

14
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
his limitations
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020
” 41
 COVER SECTION: E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
BY Verne Simons
VERNE.SIMONS@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY VERNE SIMONS
H
EAT IS THE ENEMY OF ANY
and all automatic transmis-
sion. We’ve been told that
anything over 230 degrees
will spell the rapid demise
of any automatic transmis-
sion, and the fact of the
matter is it’s easy to heat slushboxes up.
For one they are, with respect to cooling,
downwind of the engine making shedding
heat to the ambient air that surrounds
them more difficult. Add in some hot laps
through the dunes, a slow crawl through
a technical rock trail in the desert, time
stuck in traffic, or towing a small boat,
42 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
camper, or other toy with your Jeep and
transmission temperature can become a
real problem. And that’s all without tak-
ing the additional heat larger and heavier
wheels and tires put into the system due
to the additional effort it takes for the
drivetrain to keep them spinning.
Luckily we have a quick and easy solu-
tion for anyone who puts heat into the
transmission of their automatically shift-
ed 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler JK. Thanks
to the thermodynamics experts at Flex-A-
Lite we can rest a bit easier knowing our
JKU’s transmission has a bit more fluid,
and a whole lot more cooling surface area.
Best part is the brand new Direct Fit Trans-
mission Cooler (PN 31970) should have a
street cost under $230 and is incredibly
quick and easy to install.
JEEP JK TRANSMISSION
COOLER INSTALLATION
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 3

4 6

2 5 7

1 The Direct Fit Transmission Cooler from

Flex-A-Lite comes with a cooler, necessary
hardware, hose, clamps, barbed fittings, and a
bracket that makes fitting it onto a JK a breeze.
We started by mounting the cooler to the
bracket following the included instructions. The
bracket and cooler are made out of lightweight
aluminum and the hardware to mount the cooler
to the bracket is stainless steel.
support. The kit comes with four self-tapping
screws to mount the bracket to the core sup-
port. We took the install one step farther install-
ing 6mm rivnuts instead of the self-tapping
screws. This is not necessary, but does yield a
slightly nicer final installation.
5 From here we installed the supplied hose on
the cooler and fed it through and below the
radiator and radiator core support. You’ll have to
or may not have this arrow. The alternative is to
start a cool vehicle and drive it a short distance
and then assess the temp of the two cooling lines
either using your hand or a temp gun. The warmer
one should be the one with fluid going from the
transmission to the factory cooler.
7 Once we checked and double checked to
ensure we would be cutting the correct
factory transmission line we trimmed the sup-

2 The next step is to remove the JK’s grille, a

comically easy task. First use a small flat
head screwdriver to remove the factory plastic
retainers along the top of the grille. Pry up the
center and the whole retainer should come out.
make your way under the Jeep to splice the hose
into the transmission coolant line that is feeding
the radiator mounted cooler. In order to maxi-
mize transmission performance you want the flu-
id from the transmission to run through the Flex-
A-Lite cooler first, then the factory transmission
plied hose to length and prepared each end
with the supplied barb and hose clamps. You
can slide the second hose clamp onto the barb
and tighten it enough so it won’t fall off making
it that much easier to splice these two hoses
into the factory transmission line. With the two

3 With the plastic retainers removed from the

top of the grille a sharp yank will pop the grille
cooler, and then back to the transmission hoses pushed together move the last two band
clamps into place and tighten. We then started
loose from its remaining mounts. Then disconnect
the right and left running light from the grille. Set
the grill aside face up to prevent any scratches.
6 The supplied instructions tell you one way
to determine which line from the transmis-
sion is the one that has the hot fluid leaving the
the Jeep, got it to operating temp and topped
off the transmission fluid. Reinstall the grille
and go four-wheeling.
transmission. We also traced the lines back to

4 We then dry fit the cooler and bracket to the

radiator core support. You may want to pop
loose a few wire loom anchors along the top
of the core support. We then marked the four
mounting points from the bracket onto the core
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
the transmission where arrows on our transmis-
sion indicated the direction of flow. We marked
the arrow that indicates flow with a permanent
SOURCE
FLEX-A-LITE
marker to give you an idea of what to look for. 800.851.1510
Your transmission, depending on year model, may flex-a-lite.com
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 43
 COVER SECTION: E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
BY Trenton McGee
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY TRENTON MCGEE
D
ON’T GET US WRONG.
There’s absolutely nothing
wrong with a carburetor.
These largely mechanical
devices have delivered pre-
cise amounts of air and fuel
into engines from the very
first internal combustion engine until elec-
tronic fuel injection took over in the late
1980s. Though tuning a carburetor is rap-
idly becoming a dying art, they are a boon
to off-road enthusiasts for their simplicity.
DRIVEWAY EFI
UPGRADE
HOWELL FUEL INJECTION
& DUI IGNITION
UPGRADES FOR
OLDER VEHICLES
44 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
Things changed when emissions con-
cerns led to the arrival of electronics in the
early 1980s, when carburetors suddenly
became a maze of vacuum lines, solenoids,
valves, and systems so complicated they are
virtually guaranteed to fail. Computer-con-
trolled carbs are universally known for their
poor performance, crappy driveability, and
lousy mileage. While it could be argued that
modern fuel injection is a viable upgrade for
any carbureted engine, it is especially so for
a vehicle with anything more than a choke
wire going to the carburetor.
While all computer-controlled carbure-
tors are bad, among the worst systems
ever devised was the Carter BBD feed-
back system used on 1982-1986 CJs.
We recently received a call from a rela-
tive with a low-mileage 1986 CJ-7 that
had quit running. While mechanics had
thrown plenty of parts at it, most of them
hadn’t been born when the CJ rolled off
the assembly line, and they failed to bring
the Carter system back to life.
We rescued the Jeep from the techs
more used to working with OBD-II ports
and resolved to fix the problems once and
for all with a tried and true Howell throttle-
body injection system. This stand-alone
fuel delivery system retrofits GM’s Throttle
Body Injection System to a wide range of
engines across all makes and models. The
company manufactures a
Jeep CJ–specific system
that is 50-state legal, uses
all GM components, and
bolts in place. It sounded
like the perfect remedy for
our Carter woes.
Here we cover installing the How-
ell system on a six-cylinder Jeep,
but most of the steps are similar
with any engine regardless of
displacement or arrangement. We
installed the entire system in a few
days, mostly in the evenings after
work. We’re confident that any-
one could install a Howell
kit in a weekend, or even
a single day with some
hustle. Along the way
we also upgraded the
ignition system and
took care of a pesky
oil leak, but nothing
we did required any-
thing other than simple
handtools. Though a
fuel injection system
is an investment, it’s
one of the most worth-
while upgrades you
can make to any
older 4x4.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 1 Mom said if you can’t say something nice, say
nothing at all. Sorry, Mom, but this system
is all garbage. A puny computer-controlled
one-barrel carburetor with more vacuum hoses,
switches, valves, and solenoids than a current
model year fuel-injected engine that is choking
an otherwise excellent engine with less than
80,000 original miles on it. There is no reason-
able excuse to keep the Carter system, even if
you are a purist or subject to emissions laws.
CJ-7s fall outside the 25-year emissions exemp-
tion rule that have been enacted in most states,
and the Howell system is 50-state legal, carry-
ing a California Air Resources Board (CARB) EO
number that is recognized not only in California
but also in other states that have adopted the
same standards.

2 Howell makes specific EFI systems for a vari-

ety of vehicles, and its CJ system is a typical
example of just how complete all of the systems
are. Included are a self-contained wiring har-
ness, fuel pump, fuel filter, throttle-body adapt-
er plate, computer, speed sensor, oxygen sensor,
1 throttle body with injectors, fuel hose, a temp
sensor, and a MAP sensor. A small assortment
of hardware is also included, making this one of
the most complete EFI systems on the market.

3 It takes an hour or two to exorcise the Carter

BBD demon, but this is all of the stuff that
will soon occupy a garbage can. Virtually all
of the vacuum and wiring on the engine can be
removed, along with the carburetor and the
confounding number of switches and solenoids.
Luckily the wiring harness for the Carter system
was “added on” to the core CJ-7 harness that
was designed in 1970s, so the whole thing is a
subharness that can be eliminated by cutting
only a single wire (related to ignition). The car-
buretor’s computer resides on top of the heater
box behind the glovebox and should be removed
along with the rest of the carburetor wiring.

4 The adapter provided in the Howell kit con-

verts the fairly odd Carter bolt pattern on the
stock intake manifold with the equally odd bolt
2
pattern of the GM throttle
body. Gaskets for both sides
of the adapter and hardware
are included. The instruc-
tions suggest dabbing RTV
on top of the adapter bolts to
prevent vacuum leaks.

5 The Howell throttle body

is identical to what you
would find in a mid-1990s
4.3L V-6 in a Chevy S-10 or
1
⁄2 -ton truck. The throttle
body itself is remanufac-
tured, but all of the injectors
3
and sensors are new. The
4 nice thing about the Howell
system is that everything is
OE GM stuff, with not a single
aftermarket component.
This means that replacement
parts are common and avail-
able at any auto parts store.
It simply bolts to the adapter
plate, and it’s even set up for
the CJ throttle linkage for a
5 true bolt-on installation.

4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 45

 DRIVEWAY EFI UPGRADE

6 GM throttle body injection requires about

15 psi to run, while the original mechanical
fuel pump that fed the carburetor is only good
for about 5 psi. Therefore, the mechanical fuel
pump is no longer used and Howell includes
a block-off plate for the engine. We mounted
the new electric fuel pump to the inside of the
frame above the belly pan and made sure the
supplied filter was positioned between the
tank and the pump. We used the supplied hose
to route fuel to the throttle body and utilized
the original return line to the tank.

6 9
7 We decided to do something about the
leaky plastic valve cover before we started
stringing the Howell wiring harness across the
engine. Anybody who has owned one of these
Jeeps knows that getting the factory cover to
seal is almost impossible. People usually over-
tighten the cover and warp it, and it’s just a bad
design overall. This one was leaking just like all
the others. It was time to fix it once and for all.

8 We picked up a heavy-duty aluminum valve

cover from Omix-ADA. Not only does the
valve cover look a lot better, but it also pro-
vides a much more reliable seal than the origi-
nal plastic piece. Installing it on a later engine 7 10
like ours does require tapping two existing
holes in the head, but it simply bolts in place
on earlier 258s. It’s not a direct replacement
if you plan to retain the factory air cleaner,
as it doesn’t have the mounting studs for the
assembly like the original valve cover, but most
people choose to upgrade the air cleaner any-
way. We did have some challenges getting the
new cover to seal up, but check out the sidebar
for the solution that worked for us.

9 Since we were already upgrading the fuel

system, why not improve the ignition at the
same time? We opted to replace the stock stuff
with a Performance Distributor from Davis Uni- 8 11
fied Ignition. The distributor drops right in the
place of the factory distributor and uses GM
large-cap HEI technology with an integrated
coil and module. Installation is a simple one-
10 Along with the new distributor we also
installed a set of the company’s LiveWire
spark plug wire sets. These custom-fit wires
12-volt power, and there’s a tach output if your
Jeep is equipped with one.

wire hookup. DUI tailors the distributor curve

for your specific application. The company
had the proper curve on file to optimize per-
formance with the Howell EFI system. Though
quite a bit larger than the stock distributor, the
DUI piece installs with no modifications.
came labeled for each cylinder and even
included some cool aluminum wire separators.
We’re not 100 percent happy with our routing
of the wires and plan to play with them some
more to see if we can end up with a cleaner
look. The distributor itself only needs switched
11 The TBI computer is not sealed and needs
to be mounted in a place that will be pro-
tected from the weather and excessive heat.
We chose to mount the computer right where
the original computer used to be, on top of the
heater box behind the glovebox door. Even

VALVE COVER SEALING TIPS

S
ealing a 258 valve cover can be a real
challenge, even when using an after-
market aluminum valve cover. There’s a
lot of gasket surface, the cover itself is really
long, and placing it on the head evenly is
tricky while fighting various hoses and wires.
Truth be told, it took us three tries to get
our valve cover to seal up. Our first attempt
was with the cork gasket supplied with the
valve cover, which we used with RTV silicone
and let the engine sit overnight before firing
it up. We’ve been told people have been suc-
cessful with this method, but ours leaked.
Attempt number two involved replacing the
cork gasket with a special composite gasket
manufactured by Fel-Pro (PN VS50244R)
made specifically for aftermarket valve cov-
ers on 258 engines. The Fel Pro instructions
stated the gasket should be installed dry (no
RTV), so we did. It leaked.
On a tip from a friend, we cleaned up the
Fel-Pro gasket and reinstalled it with some
copper Spray-a-Gasket from Permatex. We
sprayed the bottom side of the gasket and
the valve cover but let them both sit for a
few minutes so the sealant would get tacky,
then carefully installed and torqued the
valve cover to 50 lb-in. Once again we let the
engine sit overnight. The third time was the
charm, and our valve cover leaks no more.

46 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM

 A B
C
12
13
14
though the GM computer is slightly bigger than
the original Jeep computer, there was plenty of
room once we removed the factory computer’s
mounting bracket (which is riveted to the heater
box). We used some industrial Velcro adhesive
pads to secure the computer in place.
12 Wiring the Howell system may be the easi-
est part of the job. The harness is preter-
minated, and each lead is clearly marked where
it connects. We routed the harness from the
computer through the firewall using the grom-
met from the original harness (A), and mounted
the master fuse, fuel pump fuse, and fuel pump
relay (B) to the firewall just above the engine.
We then plugged the harness into the various
sensors on the throttle body and hooked up the
fuel pump. We mounted the MAP sensor to the
firewall (C) near the brake booster using a simple
L bracket. It’s important that the sensor be
installed with the vacuum port facing down and
mounted within 12 inches of the throttle body.
13 The Howell wiring harness needs just three
wires to be hooked to the vehicle: Constant
power, switched power, and start power. We
hooked the constant and start leads to the hot
and start side of the starter solenoid, and utilized
one of the original computer’s leads for switched
power. It’s important to select a switched circuit
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
15
17
that’s hot in both start and run positions.
14 Like most fuel injection systems, the Howell
TBI relies on an O2 sensor to read and adjust
fuel mixture. Carter BBD–equipped Jeeps have an
exhaust manifold with an O2 port built in, so you
simply replace the old O2 sensor with the new one.
Older CJs don’t have this port, so a weld-in bung,
which Howell supplies, needs to be installed on
the exhaust pipe close to the manifold.
15 The vacuum hose routing is quite a bit dif-
ferent than the old carburetor but merci-
fully much simpler. Fifty-state-legal installations
need to retain the factory temperature switch
that controls the vacuum signal to the EGR and
charcoal canister, but otherwise you simply
hook up the distributor to ported vacuum (right
port as you face the throttle body) and the PCV
valve unported vacuum. The Howell instructions
have a diagram that makes things pretty clear.
16 One of the most often overlooked por-
tions of a TBI conversion is adding a
speed sensor. The TBI uses the speed sensor to
calculate a variety of different things, from fuel
curves to idle speed. The Howell system includes
this speed sensor that installs in line with the
mechanical speedometer cable. It converts
the mechanical rotation into a signal that the
16
computer uses to optimize a variety of differ-
ent things. This is one of the many differences
between using a Howell system versus piecing
together your own system from junkyard compo-
nents. You won’t find one of these in a junkyard.
17 The finished product is much cleaner than
the original rat’s nest of hoses and wiring, not
to mention far more reliable. We topped the throttle
body with a new 9-inch-diameter air cleaner and
then took the Jeep for a test drive. The improve-
ments could be felt right out of the gate, with better
throttle response, more power, and no more stum-
bling as soon as the Jeep was on an uneven surface.
Drivability continued to improve as the computer
“learned” and idle became more stable. Not only did
we fix a pesky oil leak, but we breathed new life into
an old Jeep in a single weekend.
SOURCES
DAVIS UNIFIED IGNITION
901.396.5782
performancedistributors.com
HOWELL ENGINE DEVELOPMENT
810.765.5100
howellefi.com
OMIX-ADA
770.614.6101
omix-ada.com
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 47
 COVER SECTION: E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
BY Christian Hazel
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY CHRISTIAN HAZEL
T
HE FOUR-DOOR WRANGLER
Unlimited has been a smash
hit from the day it entered the
marketplace as a 2007 model.
Given the vast improvements
the JL Wrangler brings to the
table, it’s little wonder Jeep
is still selling every four-door Wrangler
it can manufacture. But not everybody
who purchases a new JL Wrangler wants
to immediately turn it into a hardcore
IT’S NOT HARD TO ENTER EASY!
INSTALL AMP RESE
48
POWERSTEPS ON A
MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
rockcrawler. Many are content to use their
Jeep Wrangler as an everyday commuter
and weekend fun machine. After all, they
are super-capable right out of the box.
However, some things that lend to
Jeep’s off-road abilities make it less than
easy to live with on a daily basis. And
a high step-in height is definitely one
of those things. We had a buddy who
just picked up a brand new JL Wrangler
Unlimited, and while he absolutely loves
the vehicle, it was difficult for his elderly
parents to climb into. Not to mention little
kids and even the dog.
Enter Amp Research and its Powerstep
and Powerstep XL automatic, electric-
powered running boards. The Powerstep
keys into the door light switches and
automatically extends to a lowered posi-
tion when the door is opened and retracts
when the door is closed. For tall, lifted
vehicles, the Powerstep XL offers a 3-inch-
lower stepping surface compared to the
regular Powerstep, and is housed inside
a custom rocker rail. For muddy, snowy,
and other harsh climates, there’s the
Powerstep Xtreme, which is designed to
hold up to heavy caking of snow, mud, ice,
and other contaminants. However, for this
particular application, the regular Power-
step proved perfect. Here’s how we added
some easy entry ability in an afternoon.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM

1 6
2 5
1
Amp Research provides everything you need
for installation down to the wiring zip ties
and connectors. You’ll need regular sockets and
wrenches, Allen-head wrenches, and a crimp-
ing tool. We laid out the parts on our 1971 CJ-6
workbench and got to it.
2 The first step is to install the brackets at the
indicated positions. There is absolutely no
drilling required to install the Amp Research Pow-
ersteps on a JL Wrangler. The brackets install with
two bolts horizontally through the pinch seam
and one bolt vertically into the existing factory
running board mount. The small angled bracket
for the LED lamp should be positioned into place
before the brackets are tightened down.
3 With the brackets mounted, the next step is
to hang the running boards on them and fas-
ten with the supplied hardware. The mounting
EARCH
A JL WRANGLER
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
3
“ Not everybody is building a rockcrawler
plates inside the boards are captured and slide
fore and aft, allowing some adjustment in board
placement on the brackets. We measured from
the rear tire to get the boards evenly positioned
on both sides of the vehicle.
4 The electric motors index into the forward
brackets and are held in place with two
bolts. The instructions say to leave off the
motors and install after the running boards
are mounted to the brackets, but access to the
driver-side motor bolts is very, very tight. If we
were doing it over we would install the motor on
the forward driver-side bracket before mounting
it to the body.
5 With the hardware cinched down we
installed the Powerstep wiring harness. The
harness comes preassembled in a protective
loom and is nearly the prefect length out of the
box. Leaving the fuses out, we connected the
power to battery, and ground to chassis, and
ran the harness down to the electric motors per
7
”
the directions. A portion of the harness needs
to be snaked up through a drain hole in the
passenger-side front floorboard to access the
door light wiring per the instructions.
6 The interior harness connects to the four
door-open wires on the passenger-side kick
panel. Follow the instructions and match the
wire colors to factory. Once that’s completed,
hook the interior harness to the wires that you
ran up through the floor drain plug, insert the
fuses, and test for function.
7 The LED lamps attach to the bracket with
automotive-grade adhesive. When either
door is opened the step will lower and the light
will illuminate. If you want to leave the steps in
the lowered position for loading, just put a little
pressure on it and it will stay deployed until the
door is reopend and closed. Conversely, if the
step encounters resistance when trying to open,
it will retract back to the closed position to
avoid damaging anything.
SOURCE
AMP RESEARCH
800.309.6823
amp-research.com
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 49
 TECHNICAL

HOW
BY Harry Wagner things the long answer is considerably
more nuanced.
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY HARRY WAGNER The first consideration is not the

W
amount of width but rather how you are
IDE-AND-LOW IS gaining it. We have seen Toyota pickups

WIDE
all the rage right running wheels with 2-inch backspacing
now, and it’s easy to and wheel spacers where the brake rotor
see why. The added isn’t even inside the wheel anymore. The
stability that comes solid axles under early Toyotas offer great
from running wider ground clearance and can be built to
axles and a lower handle 37-inch-tall tires, but they are only

IS TOO
center of gravity makes your
vehicle more capable on the
trail, particularly in off-camber
situations. The new JL Rubicon
has axles that are a full 20 inches
wider than the axles under the
55 inches wide. While the 37s won’t break
chromoly Birfields, they will be rubbing
hard on the Toyota frame and leaf springs
during articulation and steering, limiting
the steering angle that is possible. Adding
width outside of the steering knuckle not

WIDE?
original WWII-era jeep MB and
GPWs. The JL frame is also 17
inches wider than a flattie frame
though, dictating some of that
added axle width. Is there such
a thing as too wide though? The
short answer is yes, but like most
only adds leverage to the trunions (or ball
joints) but also creates tremendous scrub
as you turn since the tire travels in an arc
instead of rotating on the contact patch.
A better choice is to swap in entirely
new axle assemblies that are wider than
stock. Consider that Dana’s Ultimate Dana

ARE FULL-WIDTH
AXLES RIGHT
FOR YOU?

50 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM

60 axles that bolt in to JKs are 2 inches wid-
er than stock, and Dynatrac’s bolt-in axles
for JKs are available either 3 or 5 inches
wider than stock. The rationale is that if you
need bigger axles you are likely running
big tires. Basic trigonometry tells us that a
40-inch tire will reach the frame at a lesser
angle than a 35-inch tire. Wider axles not
only add stability but also improve steering
clearance between the tires and the frame,
steering components, and suspension links
or leaves with metric 8x170 bolt patterns.
Even with junkyard parts, axle swapping
is typically neither simple nor inexpensive.
Considerations include not only axle width
but also which side the front differential
is on, the wheel bolt pattern, and the
placement of suspension mounts. With
leaf springs, it is sometimes necessary to
outboard the front springs to align with the
spring perches or narrow the axlehousing
(and axleshaft to match). Coil springs can
present an even greater issue if there isn’t
enough room on the short side axletube to
1 2
WIDE AXLE PROS
• Stability
• Full lock steering
• Keep body off rocks
WIDE AXLE CONS
• Fitment between obstacles
• Flinging mud
• Street legality
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
fit a coil bucket or control arm mounts. The
rear axle is much easier since the differen-
tial is typically centered; we recommend
finding the appropriate front axle and then
just getting a rear axle that matches the
width and bolt pattern of the front axle. No
one runs a Sterling 10.5 over a GM 14-bolt
based on merit, but Sterlings are commonly
swapped in since they are the companion
to Dana 60 front axles in Super Duty trucks.
Even with the same wheel mounting
surface (WMS) measurement between
two axles, the overall track width can vary
greatly. We recommend running wheels
with the maximum amount of backspac-
ing that still allows a full range of steering.
The added backspacing not only protects
the brake and steering parts but is easier
on the steering and knuckle components
as well. Any wider and you are just driving
over obstacles that you could otherwise
drive around. Like most things in life, add-
ing axle width the right way isn’t necessar-
ily the easy way.
4
1 Running the tires outside of the body is a
great way to keep rocks away from your
sheetmetal. Unfortunately, it is also a great
way to throw rooster tails of water behind you
on the street, so plan to add mud flaps or throw
yourself on the mercy of the court when you
get pulled over.
2 Having the tires outside of the body makes
it easier to see them on the trail. This helps
you to see not only what you are hung up on
but also which direction the front tires are
pointed at any given time.
3 Even with the same width axles, overall
width can vary greatly depending on wheel
backspacing. These Hutchinson double-bead-
lock wheels are 8.5 inches wide but have 5.25
inches of backspacing to keep the overall track
width reasonable.
4 These custom axles were built to be 63.5
inches wide to allow the use of off-the-
shelf RCV axles instead of having to order
custom axles. The axleshafts not only dictated
the overall width but the position of the third
member relative to the ends as well.
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 51
 HOW WIDE IS TOO WIDE?
ULTIMATE COMFORT FOR YOUR
OFF-ROAD ADVENTURES
T E RRA IN
SERIES
BO M B E R X T RS EM E
ERIES
SERIES
1620 1630 1700

1400 KINGSDALE AVE. REDONDO BEACH, CA 90278 /// P (310) 370.5501 /// F (310) 214-2285 /// WWW.PROCARBYSCAT.COM

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DON’T GET STUCK 5 Don’t do this. Please, we are begging you.
Running wheels with shallow backspacing
WITHOUT THEM! is hard enough on steering and suspension
parts, but then adding spacers just makes mat-
ters worse. We don’t want to see your rotors, or
your powdercoated wheel spacers.
THE FOLDABLE LAND ANCHOR
970.963.4507 • pullpal.com 6 Toyota axles are 3 inches wider than
Samurai axles, making them a worthwhile
upgrade. The narrower frame of the Samurai
LEARN
TO WELD
(compared to a Toyota) allows for full steering
® DVD lock, even when running 37-inch-tall tires.
ONBOARD WELDER 7 Sometimes narrow axles will allow you to
sneak around obstacles that a wider track
970.963.8875 • premierpowerwelder.com
ORDER
width would require you to go over. Other
times, though, the narrow axles work against
TODAY!
you, such as in off-camber situations like this.

8 Super Duty axles are perhaps the most

commonly swapped axles due not only to
their width but their wide availability, strength,
and low price, too. One issue when using older
leaf sprung Super Duty axles is the lack of
material on the short side axletube, making it a
challenge to add suspension mounts.

9 This Jeep is running 42-inch BFGoodrich

Krawlers on 20-inch Raceline beadlocks.
Not only would the factory axles break when
running such a large tire, but they would also
be too narrow to allow full steering lock. The
Ultimate Dana 60 crate axles solved both of
those problems by being much stronger as well
as 2 inches wider than the stock axles.

10 The shock mounts on Wranglers hang

down well below the axletube, but since
they are right next to the tire, they rarely
impede progress on the trail. The farther the
tires are away from the differential, the more
likely you are to catch the diff on a rock.

11 Full-width axles under a Toyota pickup

leave a lot of tire outside of the body.
This can come in handy when you fall into
a crack or are dragging the truck through a
notch like this one.
52 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 9
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4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 53
 FEATURE
N THE PAST, DESERT RACERS AND
prerunners added long-travel
suspension and bypass shocks to
conquer whoops and silt beds but
typically returned to their hotel
or trailer at night. In contrast,
overlanders lumber along slowly
with their heavy suspension, enjoying the
destination more than the journey. Find
TACOVERLANDER
the spot on the Venn diagram where these
two worlds overlap, and you will encoun-
ter Jason Berry’s Tacoma.
This Double Cab Tacoma has Total
Chaos long-travel front suspension, rear
Deaver leaf springs, and King bypass
shocks. It also has a Vagabond Outdoors
Drifter camper and the usual components
you would expect to find on an overland
rig, such as solar panels, drawers, a fridge,
and a headliner covered in patches.
The truck is no slouch in technical terrain
either. Jason added a Currie Enterprises
F9 rear axle and 4.88 gears with ARB Air
Lockers front and rear. The fenders were
trimmed 2 inches to allow fitment of
35-inch Cooper Discoverer STT Pros with
full suspension travel and a low center of
gravity. Relentless Fabrication skidplates,
rock sliders, and bumpers fend off hits from
rocks and other obstacles on the trail.
Oh, and did we mention that it has a
supercharger to offset all that added
weight? Jason Berry has built a Tacoma
that can go just about anywhere, and get
there in a hurry.
LONG TRAVEL
FOR THE
LONG HAUL
BY Harry Wagner
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY HARRY WAGNER
TECH SPECS
2012 TOYOTA TACOMA
DRIVETRAIN
ENGINE: Supercharged 1GR-FE 4.0L V-6
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic
TRANSFER CASE: Factory chain drive
FRONT AXLE: Toyota 8-inch IFS with 4.88 gears
and ARB Air Locker
REAR AXLE: Currie 9-inch with 4.86 gears and
ARB Air Locker
SUSPENSION
SPRINGS & SUCH: Total Chaos +2 suspension
with King coilovers and bypass shocks (front);
Deaver leaf springs and King bypass shocks
and air bumps (rear)
TIRES & WHEELS: 315/70R17 Cooper
Discoverer STT Pros on 17x8.5 Method 105
beadlock wheels
STEERING: Stock rack, extended tie rods
LIGHTING: FXR HID Retrofit headlights, Rigid Indus-
tries 40-inch Midnight LED Roof Bar, Rigid Indus-
tries SR2 20-inch combo driving and Hyperspot
LED bar, Rigid Industries D2 Dually lights
OTHER STUFF: Vagabond Outdoors Drifter camp-
er; SOS Performance big brake kit (front and
rear); MBRP exhaust; Weathertech floormats;
Wet Okole seat covers; Kenwood ham radio;
Warn Zeon 12-s winch; Prinsu CabRac roof
rack; Relentless Fabrication front bumper, slid-
ers, and high clearance rear bumper with swing
out tire carrier; two 100-watt solar panels;
ARB drawer; Alu-Cab fridge slide; ARB 82-quart
fridge; Airflow snorkel; ARB dual air compressor
 TACOVERLANDER
1 Power comes from the original 1GR-FE V-6
engine that has been upgraded with a Mag-
nuson supercharger, URD Y-pipe, and MBRP
cat-back exhaust. From there the factory five-
speed automatic routes power to the original
two-speed, chain-driven transfer case. Jason
Berry has considered adding dual transfer
cases but hasn’t felt the need to do so yet for
the type of wheeling he does.
2 The front suspension uses Total Chaos
chromoly control arms that are 2 inches
wider per side and use 1-inch uniballs between
the factory spindles. The OEM CVs are retained,
but used with extended chromoly axles and
CV boots from SDHQ that allow for increased
angularity without tearing. The King coilover
shocks are fitted with 700 lb-in coil springs and
supplemented by an 8-inch-travel King three-
tube bypass shock that Jason tuned himself.
2 3
4
5 6
56 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
1 7
3 Relentless Fabrication is based out of Reno
near Jason’s Tahoe home, and he used the
company’s products on his previous Tacoma as
well with great success, so it was a no-brainer
when it came time to outfit this truck. Relent-
less products include the high-clearance rear
bumper that features a swing-out tire carrier
and side protection for the bed, as well as the
rock sliders, front bumper, and skidplates.
4 The factory 8-inch rearend was replaced
with a 68-inch-wide Currie Enterprises F9
with 31⁄2 -inch axletubes. The third member is
nodular iron and has 4.86 gears and an ARB Air
Locker. The axle uses Toyota outers and bear-
ings and a SOS Performance rear disc kit with
StopTech four-piston calipers.
5 Jason swears that he isn’t one of those
stereotypical overlanders, but the patches
on the headliner suggest otherwise. Functional
interior upgrades include the Weathertech
floor mats, Wet Okole seat covers, Kenwood
ham radio, and OTRATTW switches.
6 The rear suspension uses custom Deaver leaf
springs on BAMF shackle hangers. King air
bumps work in conjunction with King 12-inch-
travel, three-tube bypass shocks on custom
mounts. The truck had a shackle flip with com-
pression shackles when Jason bought it, but he
returned to the inverted shackle configuration
to improve the ride and allow for more uptravel.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 “ This Tacoma can do
just about anything
”

8 9

7 The Tacoma has been customized to allow

Jason to enjoy multiple daytrips into the
backcountry. The suspension soaks up wash-
board roads, and the Vagabond camper is a com-
fortable place to sleep. The bed of the truck has
been set up for cooking and camping—the only
thing left to do is build a campfire.

8 Jason set up the swing-out for the rear bum-

per with a folding table that holds a Camp
Chef two-burner stove. Between this and the tail-
gate he is able to easily whip up gourmet meals on
the trail. All of the cooking gear goes in the ARB
drawer under his 82-quart ARB freezer-fridge.
11
9 The headlights are FXR HID retrofits by
Ambiguous that use Osram 4,300kw bulbs.
Jason also has a host of Rigid Industries LED 10
lights, including D2 Dually driving lights, D2
amber fog lights, D2 reverse lights, a 20-inch
combo driving/spot light bar in the front bum-
per, and a 40-inch Midnight Series light bar on
11 The Vagabond Drifter uses a 3-inch-thick
memory foam mattress and has enough
space to allow pillows and bedding to be left in
the roof. He has no problem turning night into place. A ceiling fan and zip-out windows provide
day on the trail. plenty of ventilation when it is warm but can
also be sealed up for adverse weather.

10 Dual Optima YellowTop batteries were

relocated to the bed and secured with a
Trail-Gear battery tray. Under the hood the origi-
nal battery location now holds a Blue Sea fuse
panel, battery isolator, and 100-amp breaker.
Two 100-watt solar panels sit on the roof of
the Vagabond camper and charge the batteries
through a Renogy Adventurer solar controller.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
12 Jason opted to have Front Runner
hard side windows on each side of his
Vagabond Drifter. These windows provide easy
access to the contents of the bed while also
being lockable and completely sealed from the
elements. They are actually designed for a Land
Rover Defender but fit perfectly on the camper. 12
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 57
 TECHNICAL

58 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM

BY Verne Simons 1
VERNE.SIMONS@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY VERNE SIMONS

I
DIOMS ABOUND. THEY SAY THAT
necessity is the mother of inven-
tion, and while that may be true,
being a cheap bastard also some-
times helps you build stuff inexpen-
sively that might just work(?) As a
rule we don’t like throwing things
away unless they are really and truly used
up. Take for example the old engine hoist
we had sitting around the shop for years
collecting dust because it was slightly
broken. Specifically, one of the heavy-duty
metal wheels was broken. While we’d tried
to get a replacement, those attempts
proved fruitless. The result was about 95
percent of a folding engine hoist—not
enough to use as intended, but enough
to cause much pause when it came to the 4
thought of its disposal.
Then, as luck would have it, we needed
an engine hoist on short notice, so we
2
1 Our focus group for testing out the idea of our
version of the yard crane was Hank the dog,
a 2-year-old mixed breed mutt who is a genuine
replaced said nearly perfect engine hoist
good boy (most of the time). One thing is for sure:
with its boogered wheel with a nearly iden- Hank’s front feet are always ready to make a turn,
tical replica of itself. Still, we couldn’t get right or left, and he is always happy. We think this
rid of the first hoist, thinking that if nothing crane thing might actually work. Our plan was to
else, its parts may one day be useful. Psy- take this length of 2x2-inch square, 0.250-wall
chologists, pay attention. This may be the tubing and make it one with the main beam of the
crane. Sometimes clamping things together helps
way hoarding problems get started.
determine whether an idea will or will not work.
Hoarders, rejoice! With an idea, a welder,
some scrap steel, and a saw, we have fol-
lowed through on a dream of anyone who has 2 First, we disassembled the hoist to make
some cuts. For the hoarders amongst us, don’t
worry—we’ll keep all the extra parts for spares
ever stubbornly retained something in hopes
that it may one day become useful again. for our other engine hoist. Our plan was to keep
the main beam at about the same angle as it was
Here’s how we turned a broken 2-ton engine
while it was an engine hoist. We also wanted to
hoist into a 11⁄2 -ton yard crane (we are derat- trim down the base because it would only add
ing it slightly for safety’s sake) for moving weight and not help with usefulness of the tool.
heavy items (of our hoard) around the yard. 3

3 After a couple of cuts we started to have

WORK SMARTER AND RECYCLE

something that, at least in our minds,
resembled the crane we were going for. We

VERNE’S
decided that the two bar straps that ran down
each side of the main beam of the engine hoist
were important for lateral (side to side) stability,
so we added some square tube and reinstalled
them. The extra pieces of these straps were
repurposed into gussets to make triangles,
which our engineer buddies tell us are strong.

BACKYARD
4 Here you can see all the 2x0.188 strap gus-
sets we added to the base of the crane.
We think it’s prudent to derate the unit from 2
tons to 11⁄2 . Aw, heck, maybe even 1 ton. Truly
though, our plan is to use it to move axles,
engines, transmissions, and transfer cases
around the yard and off our trailer.

HILLBILLY CRANE
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 59
 COVER SECTION: E-Z DRIVEWAY INSTALLS
BY Verne Simons
VERNE.SIMONS@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY VERNE SIMONS

T
HE OLD-SCHOOL LEVER ON
the steering column or simple
aftermarket floor shift that
says “PRNDL” just won’t cut
it when it comes to shifting
these modern multi-overdrive
automatic transmissions,
which can be set up to hold a gear or
shift when directed. Ranging from 6L80,

SHIFTY
SHIFTY
AUTOMATIC ELECTRONIC
SPORT MODE SHIFTER

1
60 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
6L90E, 6R80, 4L80E, AODE, and 4R70W,
shifting is down to you, whether you want
to simply select “D” and let the transmis-
sion shift in full-auto monkey mode or you
want to toggle the gears yourself. The days
of the promised paddle-shifted automatic
in the aftermarket is here.
Our 1969 Bronco project has just such a
transmission behind our BluePrint Bronco
Edition 306ci V-8. The transmission is a
2011 Ford F-150 6R80W built and adapted
to the engine by Performance Automatic.
This transmission, like many newer auto
3
1 With the Lokar shifter out of the packaging,
we began getting a feel for where the unit
would need to sit. This shifter is a modular unit
intended for custom applications. That means
that the mounting feet can be moved around
for various mounting configurations. All along
we’ve been planning to use a floor-mount shifter
on top of the Bronco’s transmission tunnel using
some 1⁄4 -20x 3⁄4 -inch Grade 8 bolts and some 1⁄4 -
20 nutserts mounted to the transmission tunnel
cover. Any shifter will have to sit toward the pas-
senger seat so the twin-stick Dana 20 shifters
will have space to live. Unfortunately we are not
absolutely sure where the T-case shifters will
end up, so we are giving ourselves some extra
space. If we need to move the shifter farther
to the passenger side, we should be good. The
pigtails will be wired up to tell the transmission
how to shift when in sport mode.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
units, requires an electronically shifted
controller (we have one from US Shift, sup-
plied by Performance Automatic, which we
have yet to play with since the truck isn’t
running yet). It also requires a mechanical
shifter to act as an interface between driv-
er, electronics, and mechanical selections
made within the transmission. So what do
we do? We could repurpose some factory
parts to serve as this interface, but with a
truck, and one with a retro feel, a shifter
from a late-model Mustang would seem
out of place.
4
2 Next we mocked up the supplied shifter brack-
ets and shift cable underneath the Bronco. It
became apparent that the shifter is intended to
be used on a two-wheel-drive 6R80 or at least
a 6R80 attached to a passenger-drop transfer
case. The issue is the cable and the mechanical
shift output are on the driver side of the trans-
mission, an area that will be very popular with a
spinning driveshaft coming from our Early Bronco
Dana 20. We realized that moving the cable to
the inward side of the supplied Lokar shift brack-
et and modifying the cable bracket slightly would
make everything work together. To start, we cut
the cable bracket as shown.
3 We then rotated the trimmed bit of the
bracket 90 degrees and tacked it in place
as shown (left). This allowed us to test-fit our
parts to see if the modified parts would work. It
turned out that the tab with the hole that holds
the cable needed to be bent slightly (maybe
10 degrees) past 90 as shown (right). With the
modified bracket TIG welded up, we climbed
back under the Bronco and mounted the new tab
to the transmission using the supplied hardware
and spacers, and then we installed the cable.
4 Here’s the cable mounted to our modified
cable bracket and bolted to the inside of the
supplied Lokar gear shift lever using the supplied
rod end. The new bracket allows the cable to duck
around the driver drop front output of the Dana 20.
5 From there, the cable runs around the trans-
fer case, skirts to the side of the rear output,
and goes through a hole drilled in the floor. You
Our solution was to reach out to Lokar
Performance Products for one of its
Automatic Electronic Sport Mode shift-
ers, specifically one designed to work
with the mechanical and electronic
aspects of the Ford 6R80W transmission.
We installed the shifter and are very hap-
py with it so far, but as the project comes
to an end we will also report back on
how the shifter and transmission work
on- and off-road. For now, check out our
installation of this tricky Lokar shifter
with evergreen good looks.
5
6
want to keep the cable as straight as possible
on its run from the transmission to the shifter.
We did the best we could, given the layout of the
transmission and Early Bronco Dana 20.
6 Up top, the cable then heads directly for
the back of the shifter. It is retained on the
leg sticking off the back of the shifter using a
supplied bolt and bracket. We are not sure how
much, if any, fine tuning we will have to do on the
shifter to make sure that everything is where it
should be, but for now the shifter moves through
the gears wel, and the stops in the shifter seem
to be right where they should be. The feel is as
sturdy and firm as you’d want it. Once everything
is wired up, we will be able to drop the shifter
from “D” to “S” and then bump forward to upshift
and backward to downshift. This should be help-
ful on the trail and on the road should we get
involved in any friendly stoplight drag racing.
SOURCE
LOKAR PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
877.469.744
lokar.com
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 61
 FEATURE
SLICKROCK
TRAIL
HIGH SIERRA OASIS
BY Harry Wagner
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY HARRY WAGNER
LAYING HOST CAN BE
exhausting, for example when
your in-laws are coming to
town for Thanksgiving. Some-
times, though, it is fun to be
host, like when your friends
come to town to go rockcrawl-
ing. For the last several years, a group of
friends (including fellow contributor to
4WOR Brian Sumner) have made it a tradi-
tion to go rockcrawling and camping for
this author’s birthday. We try to go to a new
trail in the Sierra Nevada Range each year,
but after tackling the Rubicon, Fordyce,
and Barrett Lake we had to look for other
options. That led us to the Slickrock Trail.
62 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
If the name makes you think of Moab,
you aren’t alone. This Slickrock Trail is
located off the beautiful and circuitous
Highway 4, above Angel’s Camp in North-
ern California, though it’s a popular area
for wheelers from Modesto and Stockton
looking to escape the summer heat up
at the 7,300-foot elevation of the trail.
While only 5 miles long, Slickrock offers
amazing scenery and some of the best
campsites we have ever found. Also, the
Forest Service recently added a new sec-
tion of trail, including an optional rock
garden, at the north end of Slickrock to
reroute around private property. This sec-
tion definitely increases the challenge of
the trail, which is exactly what our guests
were looking for on their visit to town.
Now, where to go next?
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 SLICKROCK TRAIL

1 2

1 This optional rock garden was recently

added to the north end of Slickrock by the
Forest Service. We are encouraged by the
agency’s commitment to shared access and
willingness to open up new terrain to motor-
ized recreation.

2 Slickrock can be run from north to south or

south to north, although it is arguably more
difficult going north. We actually ran the trail
both directions and camped along the way for
the night to maximize our time in low range.
4

3 This steep ledge is found at the southern

end of the trail. Like much of Slickrock,
there are several different lines varying from
easy to hard providing a challenge to any
vehicle and driver. This was definitely the more 3
adventurous route down the obstacle.

4 The Slickrock Trail gave us the opportunity

to test out Skyjacker’s new dual-rate coil
springs on our LJ. These coils are available in
a variety of lift heights for TJs, JKs, and JLs.
In addition to the superb ride, we appreciated
how much droop the 21⁄2 -inch lift springs had
without the coil coming out of the bucket.

5 We caught Andrew Vincent was out shak-

ing down recent upgrades to his FJ80 Land
Cruiser. He added a 6-inch lift from Slee Off
Road, Yukon Zip Lockers, and 37-inch Pro Comp
A/T Sport tires to his Toyota. The combination
worked flawlessly, not only on the trail but on
the drive to and from the trail as well.

6 The reroute of Slickrock was necessary

since the trail previously crossed private
property, which has since been developed
by the land owner. The new section of trail
includes a climb that still has a lot of small,
loose rocks on it that want to roll out from 5
under your tires. Low gear like the Offroad
Design Doubler in our 1977 F-150 make it pos-
sible to get to the top of the hill without spit-
ting out the rocks.

7 Our friend Phil Villanueva joined us in his

sweet solid-axle Toyota pickup on 37-inch
Interco TrXus M/Ts. These are one of the few
37-inch tires that you can still get for a 15-inch
wheel, and Villanueva says he has been very
happy with how the tires perform on the street
and the trail. Driving up Highway 4 to Slickrock
was a 35 mph, 4,000 rpm, Second gear ordeal
for the truck, but Villanueva said it was totally
worth it to get out on the trail. 6 7
64 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 8 The first time we rack Slickrock we did the entire
trail in a day, which isn’t impossible given the
short length. If you don’t stop and camp along Silver
Creek (shown) or Duck Creek you aren’t really mak-
ing the most of your trip in our opinion.

9 The Vagabond Camper on the back of Phil Vil-

lanueva’s Toyota pickup pops up in a matter of
seconds to make a home away from home. In addi-
tion to a bed, the wedge trailer also allows enough
room to stand up in the bed of the truck when you
need to change clothes or get out of the elements.

8 9
10 We don’t want to give you the impres-
sion that Slickrock is only for hardcore
rockcrawlers. We didn’t see anyone trailer their
vehicles to the trail, which is wise given how nar-
row and twisty Highway 4 is. Plus, every trail is
more fun in a little flatfender.

11 The great thing about Slickrock is that there

are several areas with different lines to chal-
lenge built rigs while allowing smaller vehicles to
still pass through unscathed. We appreciate that
this allows friends to all go wheeling together
without anyone getting bored, even if their vehi-
cles have different capabilities.

10 11 12 There are some epic campsites along Slick-

rock Trail, with our favorite being the ones
along these granite slabs at Silver Creek. Even on
a July weekend we had our pick of campsites and
there were only a few other people around. We
didn’t bring our poles but heard several reports
of people pulling fish out of nearby Lake Alpine.

13 We got some grief about our “pretty Jeep,”

but Brian Sumner drove it through Slickrock
Trail without spinning a tire. This LJ is a bit of a
sleeper with the AEV Conversions Highline Kit that
looks factory but allows the fitment of 37-inch
Falken Wildpeak M/Ts with only a 21⁄2 -inch lift.

14 Slickrock was pretty tight for our fullsize

Ford truck, but Bradd Davidson got the pick-
up through the trail unscathed. The wide sheetmet-
al not only makes navigating the truck through the
trees a challenge but also hinders visibility. Taking
12 it slow and using a spotter were key on Slickrock.

“The Forest
Service added
more obstacles
”

13 14
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 65
 FEATURE
BY Harry Wagner less. After taking an oath of secrecy about through the book and make a rough plan of
the location for Ultimate Adventure 2019, what we wanted to stop and see and where
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN SUMNER my friend Brian Sumner and I took eight we wanted to go for the night. Each day we
AND HARRY WAGNER days to drive from Reno to Wasilla a month covered around 400 miles, which we felt

M
E: I’M GOING TO DRIVE
my truck to Alaska
this year for Ultimate
Adventure!
EDITOR HAZEL: Yeah,
lots of people are doing
that. Trent already
drove the Rover up to prerun the route.
ME: Oh, but I’m going to drive a truck
with a big-block!
EDITOR HAZEL: Yeah, the Watsons are
driving their shop truck with a 454 in it.
ME: Oh, but I am doing it on 42s!
EDITOR HAZEL: Yeah, the Messers are
driving up their Cherokee on 42s.
So maybe this trip wasn’t as unique as I
had hoped, but it was memorable nonethe-
prior to the start. Tech Editor Verne Simons
and I had previously driven my 1977 F-150
(dubbed Raymond, since everyone loves it)
2,300 miles to Cabo San Lucas and back,
so I wasn’t too worried about the reliability
of the truck, just wearing out 42-inch-tall
tires and feeding the thirsty 460 engine a
steady diet of 91-octane premium.
We started on familiar territory, north
from Reno through Bend and on to Portland
on a path I have taken many times. From
there we made our way up the interstate
and crossed the border at Abbottsford,
where the route became less familiar. My
copilot, Brian, was armed with The Milepost,
a book that provides details about stops
along the Alcan Highway in startling detail.
At the end of each day we would look
was necessary in order to complete the
3,000-mile trip in a reasonable time and still
allow for some sightseeing.
Other participants traveling to the UA
swapped drivers and drove straight to
Wasilla, arriving drained for the exhausting
week ahead. Then they turned around and
drove straight home! When you own a busi-
ness or only get two weeks of vacation a
year, there aren’t many other options. But
we did have options, at least on the drive up.
My plan was for crony Ken Smith, who
drove the Ford on UA, to drive the truck
back to Reno after the event. Things took
a turn for the worse when we hydrolocked
the engine on a particularly deep water
crossing in the Eureka Trail System. Ken
knew better than to try and start the

ULTIMATE
TO ALASKA
& BACK
THE HARD WAY

66
(MIS)ADVENTUR
MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 Starting the Cassier Kluane Lake is the largest lake in the Yukon
Highway in Gitwangak you Territory, and along its shores the U.S. Army built
really start to feel like you a road during World War II. Or more appropriately
are in the northern terri- tried to build a road, as they were unfamiliar with
tory. Authentic totem poles the freeze-thaw cycles of the area. Here you will
line the streets of Gitwan- also find the ominously named Destruction Bay. We
gak, and we encountered were fortunate to pass the area without incident.
First Nation peoples fishing
for salmon with dipnets. We alternated camping and cooking with
The huge totem poles hotels and dinners at restaurants in order to
dwarfed our Ford truck. keep the budget reasonable. Each night we
would lay out a plan for the next day regarding
which stops we wanted to make, where we could
purchase fuel, and how far we planned to go.

Boya Lake is a British Columbia provincial park known for its

sparkling clear water. The lake bottom consists of marl, which is
a combination of silt and shell fragments that are white in color.
You can rent canoes here and hike around the lake to fish and find
beaver dams. We could have easily spent all day at Boya Lake.

engine. After we were winched out of the
river, he pulled the plugs to get the water
out and changed the oil. Everything was
fine for the rest of the trip, until the last day.
LA Speed built the 460 with hydraulic
roller lifters from Comp Cams, and one of the
lifters got water in it during the submarine
impression. It operated fine until lack of
lubrication killed the lifter. Swapping a lifter
isn’t a huge deal…unless there are no parts
to be found. Ken ended up driving the orange
double-ended JK back from Alaska, and UA
the truck still wasn’t back together.
I had considered shipping the Ford to
Seattle on a barge, but it had to be running
to do that. Although the truck wasn’t run-
ning, the clock was, so with few options left
I hooked an empty trailer behind my Ram
and drove north. I made it to Wasilla in three
days, and Cole had got the 460 running so I
didn’t even have to winch it onto the trailer.
I was drained, though, from driving 16 hours
a day and sleeping in my truck, and I still had
to get home. Another good friend helped me

RE
attendees Frank and Cole Wininger were
nice enough to let me leave the truck in their
shop. Cole even offered to fix the Ford for
me since he shares my affinity for these old
Blue Oval trucks. After taking a week off for
UA, though, the Winingers got busy at their
drilling company, trying to get caught up on
work before winter hit. I was worried about
winter as well, and at the end of September
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
out (there’s definitely theme here) by flying
into Anchorage at the last minute and driv-
ing back to Nevada with me. David Wiggins
didn’t get to spend eight days sightseeing,
but he still got to experience the Alcan
Highway and see plenty of the breathtaking
scenery and wildlife that drew us to Alaska
in the first place. To quote The Beatles, “I get
by with a little help from my friends.”
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 67
 ULTIMATE (MIS)ADVENTURE
We backtracked a few miles on the Alcan after
finishing up the Cassier Highway to check out
the Signpost Forest in Watson Lake. We assume
the town is named after Stephen Watson from
Offroad Design, but no one could confirm this for
us. Do you see a sign from your town in there?

We hadn’t seen any wildlife on our trip

until we started on the Cassier Highway, and
then we saw four black bears in a span of 20
kilometers. Off the Cassier Highway we vis-
ited the town of Stewart, which is known for
its abundance of bears.

“Then things
got complicated
”

The cavalry arrived in the form of David Wig-

gins. A firefighter in Elko, Nevada, David had
Johnson’s Crossing is the southern terminus of the Canol Road, which was built during World some free time and booked a last-minute ticket
War II to transport oil from the northern territories (Canol is a portmanteau of Canadian oil). The to Anchorage to help us drive home. We won’t
southern 200 km of the road is a beautiful gravel road, while the northern 200 km has fallen into say that we couldn’t have done it without him,
disrepair. We hear it is impassible, but we want to go back and find out for ourselves. but we certainly wouldn’t have wanted to.

We added
a new intake
before the UA
that feeds air
from behind
the grille. We
thought it was
high enough
for water cross-
ings, but we
were wrong.
Ken Smith
pulled the plugs
and changed
the oil, but we
ended up losing
a lifter on the
last day due
to lack of
lubrication.
68 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 Alaska is such a rug-
ged and beautiful state,
and despite making mul-
tiple trips this summer
we still only scratched
the surface. We will
definitely be back again
to explore more of the
mountains, glaciers, and
mining towns.

Dense fog made for

slow going for much of
our drive. Between roads
we were unfamiliar with,
towing a trailer, and
wildlife on the roads, we
slowed to a crawl until
While the rescue trip was a mad dash, we did take time to stop at Liard the fog lifted. This was
Hot Springs for a relaxing soak. Copilot David Wiggins is a hot springs frustrating since we were
aficionado, and this was a condition of his before he would fly up to share on a short timeline, but
driving duties. A provincial park, the hot springs are affordable and very we certainly didn’t want
nice. You can even camp at the park. to risk an accident.

The sunsets were beautiful on our return trip, they just came way too
early in the day. We prefer to drive during daylight hours, particularly when there is
wildlife on the road, but the short days in October meant that we had to drive at night.
Going 50 mph pulling a trailer felt like we would drive for hours and not get anywhere.

4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 69

 THOR A-PILLAR GRAB HANDLES
Trail Head Off Road offers a universal
A-pillar grab-handle kit. It mounts sol-
idly to the vehicle’s A-pillars using the
kit’s included Rivnuts and hardware.
The handles are designed to include
assist ingress, particularly in lifted
unibody vehicles. INFORMATION: THOR,
trailheadoffroad.com.
OFFROAD DESIGN PERFORMANCE GM BUSHINGS WITH KEVLAR
Offroad Design (ORD) now upgrades its GM truck suspension and steering systems
with exclusive Kevlar-reinforced polyurethane bushings and steering end boots. ORD
chose the formulation because Kevlar is reputed to double material strength for greater
split-resistance and longer wear under load. The new material is standard in all ORD
crossover steering systems, HD shackles, and greasable spring bushing kits. INFORMA-
TION: Offroad Design, 970.945.7777, offroaddesign.com.

G2 1350 JL DRIVESHAFTS
G2 now offers 1-ton-rated driveshafts with 1350-series U-joints for new Jeep JL Wran-
glers. They are designed to operate at up to 32 degrees of angularity. The shafts are made
from 23⁄4-inch-diameter DOM tubing and include solid-body 1350 U-joints. Each shaft is
dynamically balanced to eliminate vibration. Front and rear applications are available for
all JL models. INFORMATION: G2 Axle & Gear, 877.852.7720, g2axle.com.

SST TREMEC TR-4050 SWAPS

CASCADIA JK HOOD SOLAR PANEL
Cascadia 4x4 offers a 100-watt solar
panel kit specifically designed to fit the
hood of 2007-2018 Jeep JKs. The low-
profile solar panel is only 3 mm thick.
The complete plug-and-play Cascadia
Vehicle Specific Solar System can report-
edly be installed in under 11⁄2 hours. It
continuously charges the vehicle’s bat-
tery during daylight and can help power
auxiliary accessories such as refrigera-
tors, inverters, and more. The system can
also provide jumpstarting juice. INFOR-
MATION: Cascadia 4x4, 604.562.8809,
cascadia4x4.com.
70 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
SMITTYBILT STRYKER
WRANGLER REAR BUMPER
For Jeep JK and JL Wranglers, Smit-
tybilt offers the Stryker rear bumper.
Construction is from press-formed 3mm
cold-rolled steel. The stubby design
increases clearance while saving weight.
Other features include integrated D-rings
and lift points, removable mesh panels
for customization, and auxiliary backup
light cutouts. Finish is dual-stage black
powdercoat. INFORMATION: Smittybilt,
888.717.5797, smittybilt.com.
Silver Sport Transmissions (SST) offers
PerfectFit transmission swap kits for a vari-
ety of applications. The Tremec TR-4050
five-speed kit for Jeep Wranglers includes
the transmission, bellhousing, pilot bush-
ing, flywheel, clutch, transmission mount,
shifter and tower, hardware, fluids, and
instructions. The TR-4050 advantages
include a 6.16:1 First gear and a 0.76:1
Fifth gear overdrive. SST can also mate
the TR-4050 to popular non-Jeep engines,
including the Cummins 4BT and 6BT; the
Ford 5.0L and Windsor small-block and
Coyote; the Chevy small-block, big-block,
and LS; and the Mopar small-blocks and
Gen III Hemis. A41X automatic kits are also
available. INFORMATION: Silver Sport Trans-
missions, 888.609.0091, shiftsst.com.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
 BY 4WOR staff
EDITOR@4WOR.COM

PRO COMP
SUPER DUTY
COILOVERS
For 2005-2019
F-250 and F-350
trucks, Pro Comp now
offers an adjustable
front coilover kit. The
kit provides between
3 and 4 inches of lift.
The kit uses nitrogen-
charged 2.5-bodied
monotube shocks
with remote reser-
voirs. Mounting hard-
CPT SCOUT POWER STEERING CONVERSION KIT ware and bumpstop
Crawler Proven Technology (CPT) offers a complete power-steering conversion kit for 1969- extensions are includ-
1971 Scout 800A and 800B 4x4s with the IH 304 V-8. Components include a new steering box, ed. INFORMATION: Pro
pump, pump bracket, pulleys, belts, hoses, hardware, and instructions. Installation involves Comp, 800.776.0767,
cutting and welding. INFORMATION: IH Parts America, 530.274.1795, ihpartsamerica.com. procompusa.com.

AEROMOTIVE SILVERADO/SIERRA CHANNELLOCK

PERFORMANCE FUEL PUMPS SPEEDGRIP PLIERS
Aeromotive now offers a line of fuel A new line of the
pumps for performance-modified 1999- famous tongue-and-
2018 gas-powered Chevy/GMC groove pliers has a fast-
trucks. They are designed as adjust feature. The adjust-
complete in-tank upgrade ment button locks the
kits and come with the pliers into the select-
pump and baffle/basket. ed channel, pre-
Single-, dual-, and triple- venting slippage.
pump systems are available Manufacturing
to support power outputs of uses robotic laser
800 to 1,300 hp. Available flow rates are heat-treating to
published as 340-450 lph. INFORMATION: strengthen the
Aeromotive, 913.647.7300, aeromotiveinc.com. patent-pending
crosshatch teeth
RUFFSTUFF FORD F-150/RAPTOR and no-slip com-
9.75-INCH DIFFERENTIAL COVER fort grips to ease
RuffStuff set out to design the tough- hand fatigue. The
est-available F-150/Raptor diff cover for SpeedGrip pliers
applications dating back to 1997. Each are offered in a
is handbuilt from 3⁄8 -inch plate, welded three-plier combo
inside and out, and machined perfectly pack as well as in
flat for leak-free sealing. The fill plug has three individual
a 1-inch inside diameter for easier filling sizes: 8, 10, and 12
and level checking. Options include a inches. The pliers
Lube Locker gasket and 12-point 5⁄16-inch are made in the USA
bolts with washers. These USA-made diff and also feature a
covers are backed by a lifetime warranty. limited lifetime war-
INFORMATION: RuffStuff Specialties, ranty. INFORMATION: Channellock,
916.600.1945, ruffstuffspecialties.com. 800.724.3018, channellock.com.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 71

OVERHEATING TBI 350
Q I put a Chevy TBI 350 in my buggy last
year. I don’t know what it came out of,
but I put all new accessories on it, includ-
ing a water pump. I also installed a new
thermostat, a new four-core aluminum
radiator, a new fan shroud, a 16-inch Spal
fan, and all new accessories and belts. It
overheats constantly and even runs hot
at idle. Whether it’s under load or idling,
the temperature just keeps climbing. If I
leave the cap off and run it up to operating
temperature, when the thermostat opens
it gushes out coolant out of the radiator. I
don’t think it’s an air pocket, as it has been
burped, but coolant keeps gushing out. I
thought it was a head gasket, so I did that
three weeks ago and still have the same
issue. Temps at idle are 210 degrees or
more and slowly keep climbing, and temps
while driving are 240-plus. Any ideas?
ROB R.
Via nuts@4wor.com
A Overheating issues can be frustrating,
but we’d be willing to bet solving yours
is going to be pretty easy. You mentioned
that you installed new belts, rather than a
single new belt. Multiple belts indicate that
you’re running a traditional V-belt drive
system as opposed to a single serpentine
belt. This, plus all of the symptoms you
describe, points to having the wrong water
pump on the engine
When Chevrolet went to throttle-body
injection in 1987 it switched to a serpentine
accessory drive system at the same time.
This is significant because the routing of
the serpentine belt required the water
pump to spin in the opposite direction of
engine rotation. The traditional V-belt drive
systems used prior to 1987 had a standard
rotation pump, meaning that the water
pump spins in the same direction as the
engine. The front of TBI 350s and 1986-and-
earlier engines are physically identical, so
72 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
accessories all interchange, including the
water pump itself. In other words, putting
a serpentine system on an earlier engine
is a bolt-on affair and vice versa. Standard
and reverse-rotation pumps look identical
externally, with the only difference being
the design of the veins in the water pump
itself. This small but important change is
what makes the water pumps specific to the
type of accessory drive system being used.
If a reverse-rotation pump is installed with
standard V-drive accessories, the pump will
cavitate because it’s running backwards
and does a very poor job of circulating
water through the cooling system.
We would double-check the part number
for the water pump you installed on the
engine if you still have it. If you ordered a
pump for a TBI engine but are running V-belts,
more than likely you have the wrong water
pump on the engine. What you need is a
pump for a 1986 or earlier application. Fortu-
nately, the fix is inexpensive as both types of
Chevy water pumps are plentiful and cheap.
One other thing worth mentioning is
whether or not you’re running a heater.
We’ve noticed that it can be very difficult to
purge all the air out of a small-block’s cool-
ing system when the heater hose ports are
capped off or eliminated. The circulation of
coolant through a heater core was part of
the engine’s overall cooling system design,
and capping off the heater hose ports cre-
ates pockets for air to get trapped. If you’re
not running a heater, we would recommend
connecting the heater hose ports together
in a loop rather than just capping them off.
You’ll find it makes purging the cooling sys-
tem a lot easier.
BUSTED DANA 30
Q I have a Dana 30 in my TJ with a Griz-
zly locker. I broke the long side axle-
shaft and now it won’t come out. I welded
an eyelet to the shaft and tried using a
winch to pull it out, and it’s just trying to
pull the Jeep off the jackstands. I tried
hitting and pulling, to no avail. Now I’m
thinking of making a slide hammer out of
some pieces I have lying around here. Any
other ideas?
BROOKS H.
Via nuts@4wor.com
A We’re assuming the ears on the broken
axleshaft haven’t spread and are pre-
venting the axleshaft from sliding through
the hole in the knuckle. We’ve had to beat,
grind, and even cut off the ears of an axle-
shaft in order to remove it in the past. If the
ears clear the knuckle, then most likely the
splines have twisted in the side gear of the
locker, and this is preventing the shaft from
coming out. If you had an open differential,
the solution is to remove the cross shaft in
the differential, pull down the other side,
and use a long bar to beat the broken axle-
shaft out. But since yours has an aftermar-
ket locker, there’s no cross shaft to remove
and you’ll need to get a little more creative.
You have a couple of different options
for getting the shaft out, one of which you
already mentioned. You can weld a nut to
the center of the axleshaft and use a slide
hammer to drive the axle out. Another
option is to fashion a press using some all-
thread and some steel that straddles the
hole in the knuckle. Find a chunk of steel
that’s longer than the hole in the knuckle
(the thicker the better), and drill a hole in
it. Position the steel on the knuckle, slide
the all-thread through the hole and thread
it into the nut welded on the axle, and then
use another nut against the piece of steel
to pull the axleshaft out. Once out, you’ll
want to go ahead and pull the locker out to
inspect the side gears. It’s not uncommon
for the splines to be messed up, especially
if the shaft didn’t just twist but actually
broke inside the side gear.
LONG-ARM TTB
Q
I have a 1994 Bronco with a TTB
frontend. I acquired a set of extended
radius arms for free. I already have a
6-inch lift and all the drop brackets, so I
would just be adding the longer arms. Is it
worth the work?
EVAN M.
Via nuts@4wor.com
A
Absolutely. The stock Ford TTB radius
arms are made of thin stamped steel
and are comically short. They work fine
with stock suspension, but once lifted the
arms seriously inhibit suspension travel.
The longer radius arms improve suspension
travel, reduce bushing wear, and just plain
look better.
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM

The one question is which combination of
frame brackets you are supposed to use with
the longer arms. Some aftermarket radius arm
designs involve relocating the stock radius
arm mount on the frame, some have their own
frame brackets, and some use a combina-
tion of the factory mount with a shorter drop
bracket. If possible, see if you can get the
mounts from the same source that’s giving
you the radius arms, or at least look at the
frame and see what mounts were used. If not,
try and identify the manufacturer of the arms
and see if you can find a copy of the installa-
tion instructions. These instructions should
tell you what mounting configuration was
used and the measurements needed to relo-
cate the brackets on the frame.
Don’t forget to install some new bushings
with your new-to-you arms, and you can
count on needing an alignment once the
arms are installed.
SNORKEL, HOLD THE DORKEL
Q I have two trucks that I wheel, a 1980
K20 and a 2006 Chevy 1500HD. I’m
looking for a snorkel that I can adapt to
either vehicle, as I can’t find anyone that
makes a snorkel for either vehicle. I live in
northern Canada and we have lots of deep
waterholes, so I need something better
than the factory intake. I find most home-
made snorkels look horrible and would like
something with better fit and finish. I know
it won’t be perfect, but I’m hoping you can
point me in the direction of something that
looks clean. Thank you for the help, and
hopefully someday I can join the Ultimate
Adventure with you guys and really test out
my equipment!
DANIEL W.
Via nuts@4wor.com
A Unless you own something like a Jeep
Wrangler JK or JL, finding an off-the-
shelf snorkel for your vehicle is next to
impossible. And we, like you, have seen some
homemade snorkel setups that are anything
but visually appealing. While it’s possible to
make a working snorkel using bits from the
plumbing and garden departments at your
local hardware store, it’s just about impos-
sible to make that stuff look good.
Fortunately, you’re not completely on
your own when it comes to making your own
snorkel. We’ve had excellent luck making
our own intake systems and even snorkels
using the U-Build-It product line from Airaid
(airaid.com). Though intended for under-
hood applications, the Airaid UBI system
consists of a roughly U-shaped tube that is
4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
available in 3-, 31⁄2 -, 4-, 5-, and 6-inch diam-
eters. The tube has a variety of straight and
angled sections that you can cut and piece
together using silicone clamps to route the
intake pretty much anywhere. The UBI tube
is textured plastic, but it’s pretty thick and
UV-stable, so it looks much better than black
PVC from the hardware store. Tech Editor
Verne Simons built a snorkel using UBI com-
ponents, and it looks pretty professional in
our opinion. The filter hat was something he
made, but the components used are straight
from the Airaid UBI catalog. The company
offers couplers and reducers, assorted hard-
ware, and even a carburetor hat that should
work perfectly on your K20. You’ll likely need
to modify the stock air box on the 1500HD,
but connecting the UBI tube to the box
should be pretty easy. Lastly, while it’s not
something that Airaid offers, we have occa-
sionally seen the snorkel-shaped tips online.
SOLDERED CRIMP CONNECTORS
Q I found some electrical connectors
online that looked like they would
work pretty well for 4x4 applications. They
are an insulated crimp connector with
solder built in. Once you crimp the wires
together, you use a heat gun on the con-
nector that melts the solder and shrinks
the insulation at the same time. It seems
like they would be about as easy as regular
butt connectors while offering a better
connection. Have you used them, and if so,
what do you think?
GARY V.
Via nuts@4wor.com
A
We’ve seen the connectors you’re talk-
ing about. At a glance they seem to offer
the best of both worlds: the mechanical
clamp of a crimp connector and the superior
connection of a soldered connection. Crimp
connections are preferable in high-vibration
BY Trenton McGee
NUTS@4WOR.COM
environments because the mechanical
lock keeps the wire securely attached, but
they don’t offer the same conductivity as a
soldered connection. Soldered connections
offer superior conductivity but are more
likely to work-harden and break. With either
connection it’s a good idea to have a weath-
erproof cover over the connection to keep
out moisture and prevent corrosion.
While we haven’t tried them ourselves, we
are still a little skeptical. The makers have
clearly altered the chemical properties of
the solder inside to melt at a lower tempera-
ture than normal solder. Normal solder won’t
melt at the temperature most normal heat
guns are capable of generating. We don’t
have an electrical engineering degree, but a
reasonable conclusion would be that solder
that melts at a lower temperature won’t
be as strong. It also seems like it would be
tricky to apply just the right amount of heat
to melt the solder without scorching the
shrink tubing, and it would be difficult to
inspect the finished connection to ensure
the solder fully melted and the shrink tubing
uniformly sealed. Still, it’s hard to speak with
any authority without some hands-on expe-
rience, so we’d be curious what anyone else
has to say about them, either good or bad.
Though it’s a little more labor intensive, we
prefer to use uninsulated crimp connector
and dual-wall heat shrink tubing. Once the
connector is crimped, we solder it and then
slide the heat shrink in place. The heat shrink
we use is lined with adhesive, which melts as
the tubing shrinks and adheres to the wire
insulation, forming a weatherproof seal.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
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address below with “Nuts, I’m confused”
as the subject. Include a picture, if appli-
cable, no smaller than 1600 x 1200 pixels
(or two megapixels) as a TIFF, EPS, or
maximum-quality JPEG. We also read the
forums on (4wheeloffroad.com).
WRITE TO: Nuts & Bolts, 4-Wheel & Off-
Road, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo,
CA 90245
FAX TO: 818.566.8501
EMAIL TO: nuts@4wor.com
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD MARCH 2020 73

SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Send us your wheeling foul-ups! Letters
must be signed by the vehicle’s owner. Due
to the large volume of mail we receive, we
regret that not all submissions can be used
and none will be returned. Digital photos
must measure at least 1,600 by 1,200 pix-
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WRITE TO: Whoops!, 4-Wheel & Off-Road,
831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245
FAX TO: 818.566.8501
EMAIL TO: editor@4wor.com
74 MARCH 2020 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
BY Harry Wagner
EDITOR@4WOR.COM
LOOSE LEAF ISN’T JUST FOR PAPER the Cherokee all the way from Phoenix to
S teven Messer’s 1979 Jeep Cherokee
is super-built, with an LS3 engine,
an eight-speed automatic transmission,
Alaska and back for Ultimate Adventure
2019. On the last day of the trip though
they broke a center pin on the front, driver-
and 1-ton axles capped with 42-inch tall side leaf spring. This is the pin that holds
tires. Perhaps surprisingly, it still uses the the spring pack together and locates the
original leaf spring suspension. All of that axle. A spare center pin is inexpensive and
power and big tires mean that a crazy-flex- doesn’t take up much room, but Steven
ible suspension isn’t necessary on the trail, didn’t have one. Fortunately Rick Péwé had
and the leaf spring suspension is stable a center pin in his “junk drawer,” and with
enough to do freeway speeds all day long. the help of UA crony Keith Bailey, the Mess-
In fact, Steven and his wife, Kathy, drove ers were back on the trail in no time.
MARCH 2020 VOLUME 43, NUMBER 3
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD (ISSN 0162-3214). Copyright 2019 by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
Published monthly by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC, 275 Madison Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. Single copy
price is $6.99. Subscription rates: U.S. and U.S. Possessions, one year $18; Canada, one year $30; all
other countries, one year $42 (includes surface mail postage). Payment in advance. U.S. funds only.
POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send
address corrections to 4-Wheel & Off-Road, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.
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