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wheeling on the cheap best beaters to buy build easy do-it-yourself tips factory customs cheap upgrades giant guide to parts pieces building a mud monster august 2009 bolt-on portal axles ultimate ford super duty buildup www.4wheeloffroad.com $5.99 usa $6.99can

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august 2009 vol 32 no 8 cover section wheeling on the cheap 24 cheap tips tricks stuff nearly anyone can handle 32 best beaters to build this stimulus package can work 36 this ain t cheap a lexus rx to look out for 40 wheeling a stocker the real way to do it right 42 daily driver upgrades wheel on the cheap this way special section jeep jeep jeep 50 dream jeeps factory custom and imported specials 82 78 54 gas tank armor how to keep your rear skid-free 56 history of the jeep a timeline to test your i.q 60 the great jeep parts guide you name it these guys have it technical 70 bolt-on portal axles a gear change and lift in one package 74 ultimate adventure build begins part 1 our ford super duty is reborn 76 easy speedo calibration 60 this works for jk jeeps and others to come 80 bestop is half off and half on in this wrangler install 82 heavy metal mudder part 5 we wrap up our monster durango features 48 trick trail blazer beat and beautiful to get the job done departments 5 4xforward 6 in box 12 readers rides 18 drivelines 74 on the cover freelancer 64 road trips rule how we survive working in socal 68 modern marvel dodge an oldie but goodie chris collard snapped the red lower forty wrangler jk while rick péwé went to school on the yellow short bus freelancer jay kopycinski caught the blue blazer to round out our primary colors 78 island wheeling doing the carolina beach boogie 84 new products 86 nuts bolts 91 marketplace 98 whoops copyright 2009 by source interlink magazines llc all rights reserved www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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www.4wheeloffroad.com editorial editor-in-chief rick péwé executive editor kevin mcnulty technical editor fred williams feature editor ali mansour managing editor craig johnson senior web producer edward a sanchez web producer jason gonderman advertising publisher jeff nasi assoc publisher jason bukolt group advertising dir warren kosikov group sales dir jeff dahlin 714.939.2512 advertising sales nick green david hamilton dvin keshish miguel moreno jr ad ops coordinator camille williams administrative assistant glenda mack art direction and design art director alan huber · los angeles sales office · new york sales office · detroit sales office 6420 wilshire boulevard los angeles ca 90048-5515 323.782.2000 261 madison avenue new york ny 10016 212.915.4000 333 west fort street building suite 1350 detroit mi 48226 313.964.6680 500 north dearborn suite 1100 chicago il 60610 312.396.0600 9036 brittany way tampa fl 33619 813.675.3500 truck group svp group publisher doug evans vp group publisher howard lim vp sales and marketing ira gabriel editorial director douglas mccolloch group operations director amy diamond sr operations director pauline atwood · chicago sales office · tampa sales office truck group on the web www.4wheeloffroad.com www.4wdandsportutility.com www.dieselpowermag.com www.fourwheeler.com www.jpmagazine.com www.minitruckinweb.com www.off-roadweb.com www.sporttruck.com www.truckinweb.com officers of source interlink companies inc chairman and chief executive officer gregory mays president and chief operating officer james r gillis president source interlink distribution subscriber services 4wheelandoffroad@emailcustomerservice .com or write to 4-wheel off-road p.o box alan tuchman president source interlink media steve parr chief financial officer marc fierman general counsel douglas bates 420235 palm coast fl 32142-0235 or call 800.800.4294 international 386.447.6385 please include name address and phone number on any inquiries occasionally our subscriber list is made available to reputable firms offering goods and services we believe would be of interest to our readers if you prefer to be excluded please send your current address label and a note requesting to be excluded from these promotions to source interlink media llc 261 madison ave new york ny 10016 attn privacy coordinator source interlink media llc president steve parr president digital media greg goff svp chief creative officer alan alpanian svp manufacturing prod kevin mullan svp integrated marketing brad gerber vp finance colleen artell consumer marketing source interlink media llc svp single copy rich baron vp circ planning ops arlene perez advertising information please call the 4-wheel off-road advertising department at 323.782.2649 related publications car craft chevy high performance circle track corvette fever eurotuner 5.0 mustang super fords four wheeler hot rod jp mopar muscle modified mustangs fords mustang monthly rod custom and super street back issues visit www.primediabackissues consumer marketing enthusiast media subscription company vp consumer marketing tom slater com or write to 4-wheel off-road back issues 2900 amber ln corona ca 92882 cost is $6 each plus $3 shipping and handling please specify the magazine and issue date otherwise your check/money order will be returned please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery reprints contact wrights reprints to purchase quality custom reprints or e-prints of articles appearing in this publication at 877.652.5295 281.419.5725 outside the u.s and canada copyright 2009 by source interlink magazines,llc all rights reserved printed in the usa 4wheeloffroad.com www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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by rick péwé chris collard g the end of freedom overnmental control is a hot-button issue right now but i m proudly made in the u.s.a since 1977 should some of those rigs be legitimately stopped yes absolutely not too concerned with the new world order and black-helicopter conspiracies while i could rant for hours on that subject it would be to no avail i m more concerned with local control increasing to the point where our sport comes into jeopardy such control was recently observed near moab utah where possibly well-meaning but misguided peace officers tried to enforce vehicle code violations while attending the easter jeep safari in moab last april one of our fellow wheelers was pulled over four times in two days to be sure his rig is on the close side of legal and he never received tickets for that but anyone with a clue wouldn t think twice about it or the hundreds of other rigs in the area there is a difference between enforcement and harassment and both can cause any 4x4 area to be less frequented by wheelers in this case the utah highway patrol was actively stalking wheelers they went to specific trailheads off the main highway as well as to where the trails ended yes i said stalking as in waiting down the road with binoculars drawn and ticket books ready working in teams they stopped hundred of vehicles for alleged violations and effectively harassed the 4x4 population like nowhere else should some of those rigs be legitimately stopped yes absolutely in fact my own flatfender had a broken windshield tire tread sticking past the fender and an expired tag but i wasn t stopped even while next to a uhp car true my windshield was down the tread only sticks out an inch on the tiny 31-inch tires and the tag was paid for and in the mail but regardless i was as flagrant a violator as the big flattie that got popped but i wasn t stopped i guess i didn t look the part of the big bad illegal wheeler tearing up the town highway and countryside of course in my opinion neither did our friend will we return to moab after this type of welcome of course i ve been stopped in utah before in similar situations such as for modifications that were legal in my home state reciprocity laws don t always carry much weight when someone wants to take control you just suffer through the consequences and deal with it later one would think that fighting crimes against humanity would rank higher than wasting time harassing wheelers while we contribute grandly to the state economy i almost wanted a ticket so i could fight it in court and stop the madness that prevails don t think it can t happen around your area either it only takes a few people to complain loudly enough that we are as bad as outlaw bikers who aren t and we get carted off to jail for nothing remember that next time you whiz past your local gendarme on the way to a trailhead it can happen to you too s,ift ,eveling +its s$ash 0anels s/ff 2oad !ccessories s ushing +its /ver ,ift ,eveling +its !vailable 877-538-3555 daystarwebcom 4wheeloffroad.com www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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by rick péwé b disappointing tire test efore i start i just wanted to say that i am huge fan of this magazine but am very disappointed with the pit bull rocker review rock-banger s ball mar 09 what was the point of this review as you didn t test these tyres properly without beadlocks i feel this was very unprofessional testing at 5 psi is too high for most bias tyres unless you have a heavy rig and you stated that your test jeep was middleweight since these tyres weren t tested properly the first time could you get some beadlock rims and retest them and give another review it s not fair to us readers or to pit bull as all other bias tyres reviewed had beadlocks sim van gelder weight may surprise you we figured the scrambler to be around 8,000 pounds with those tires and wheels which makes the scrambler well under a heavy 10k truck but certainly no lightweight regardless we really like the tires or should we say lyke the tyres i special tire tread enjoy your mag but i have a question in the may 09 issue on page 80 is a story about a jack hydra-jacking there is a really good photo of a good-looking tire on the jeep i have never seen this thread design before can you tell me the brand roger quade via 4wheeloffroad.com roger that s one of our new favorites the 31x10.50-15 pit bull directional growler and yes there s no r in that designation because it s a bias-ply-wonder for wheeling i ve flat-towed it on pete s jeep for thousand of miles and have about 1,000 miles off road and a few on they grab like glue while delivering a nice ride i sure don t worry about the mild thump townsville australia thanks for reading down under sim we understand your point we wanted to go lower than 5 psi for the test however the tires were only available in a 16.5 rim size at the time and we don t have beadlocks for that size also our idea of middle thump when they start out cold since they quickly round out and work great they are related to the pit bull rockers we tested in a 44-inch size in rock-banger s ball mar 09 try www.pitbulltires.com for more information continued on page 10 reader rant the 11 jeep grand cherokee hat was jeep thinking about when it built the new wl soccer mom minivan jeep how can they kill the grand cherokee name with a fully independent suspension and expensive toys that help you off road what s the fun in that the grand cherokee wk was a great platform why didn t they just improve on it instead of making a true soccer mom jeep grand cherokee i love your magazine so please tell jeep that this wl isn t a jeep and if they need help i m a grand cherokee owner i have a wj with a 4.5-inch lift and it has 32-inch bfgs with the un-killable 4.0l i6 and rides great and gets 17 mpg city and 24.5 mpg highway thanks for the mag and thanks for letting me vent and keep up the great work george roark w a good thing lots of engineers and designers were wringing their hands over this ride and some of them even left the company but even though we know the suspension will hamper its offroad ability and they have deleted the front locker in the quadra-drive ii sys tem shouldn t it be called dual-drive ii now we ll give the poor thing a chance in our 4x4 of the year test when the rig is eligible yes now it is all land rovered up and has some new techno-geek items on it but that doesn t make it a jeep just a gussied-up mercedes crystal lake il we know exactly what you mean jeep touts the new grand as based on the mercedes platform like that s 6 august 2009 4-wheel off-road 4wheeloffroad.com www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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bold off-road attitude exceptional on-road performance geolandar a/t-s all-terrain tires have an aggressive design that will make your truck or suv stand tall every tire packs the absolute latest in technology get ready to experience on-road manners and off-road attitude rounded-edge tread blocks soften the contact between individual blocks and the ground to combat uneven tire wear and reduce noise dual interlocking pyramid sipes maintain tread block rigidity for improved tire wear and excellent all-weather traction new compound technology contributes to long even wear through the integration of silica molecules multi-stepped grooves increase surface area of the tread for improved off-road traction and reduce tread squirm for enhanced on-road capabilities staggered center blocks create biting edges for improved off-road performance five pitch variation helps reduce pattern noise with tread blocks of varied size and shape large tread blocks mean more stability and enhanced handling at highway speeds aggressive sidewall protectors fight off sidewall cuts and abrasions and increase off-road bite call now and we can ship your order today m­f 8:00am 9:00pm est sat 9:00 6:00pm est www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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in box continued from page 6 r hospital rate xoo/lqhri,qwhulru6hfxulw 3urgxfwv egarding your apr 09 4xforward hospital game i am sicker than you out of 20 loose cars some drivers some projects some parts some piles only 4 run one of those has absolutely no brakes and in another the transmission is going out i only own one running licensed insured vehicle out of the lot with the nearest hospital i wouldn t bother dragging myself into being 45 miles away my chances are not very good for survival oh and none of the runners are 4x4s trying to remedy that with the complete rebuild of my 79 chevrolet which for the last 30 years has been two-wheel drive but which will soon be placed properly atop a ¾-ton 4x4 frame it s awaiting some warmer weather for paint and full undercoating with armorthane bedliner i m currently working on whether a 700r4 can be placed in front of a 205 with a 350 turbo adapter keep up the great mag caleb barro both tires will indeed be powered but the smaller-diameter one will travel a shorter distance than the other causing tire scrubbage and strange directional control while trail use problems should be negligible on-street driving should be kept to a minimum and driven with great awareness on an automatic locker the smaller-diameter tire could cause the locker to overrun and disengage that tire if the difference in diameter was too great however when full power is applied then the automatic locker will engage and the result is the same as with an engaged selectable locker he likes us ou re doing a great job sorry that the job includes knuckleheaded readers i particularly wrote to thank you for your policy of not giving much ink to bikinibabes we started a cj-8 as a father-son project when my son was 15 some things he doesn t need i subscribed in his name in part because of your clear focus on the truck and wheeling business at hand i m also with you on giving space to both the extreme builds and the budget-minded end of things one for our dreams one for our weekends in all good job sir glenn biasi y drexel mo this is the kind of response we got from the majority of you guys although most have a hospital a few miles closer check out advance adapters and novak adapters for your conversion caleb xoo/lqhri6895hdu&dujr6hfxuh6wrudjh reno nv thanks we do our best to give everyone a bit of something they want without overdoing it thanks for reading i xoo/lqhri3dwhqwhg7uxfn%hg6wrudjh really freaked out hyperventilated the whole way on my first 4wd experience does that mean it s not the sport for me is this usual i found it sheer terror adele melbourne va sorry to hear that adele it is not usual some trepidation and fear is normal but not terror i d recommend that you find a different instructor or take up knitting that stuff terrorizes me i hydro steering issues really enjoyed ali mansour s article on full hydraulic steering going full hydro june 09 here s my question if the pump or ram fails on a trail somewhere is it still possible to steer the vehicle back to camp i love the prospect of converting my rig to full hydro but i also like the insurance of a steering box thoughts tom armstrong 7xii surgxfwvduhuljrurxvo whvwhglqfoxglqj djjuhvvlyh euhdnlq dwwhpswv lqfoxgh d olplwhg /lihwlph :duudqw 7kh ihdwxuh rxu sdwhqwhg 3u xdug vhfxulw v vwhpdqgduhfrqvwuxfwhg lq wkh 86 zlwk khdy gxw zhoghg vwhho dqg doxplqxp lqfrusrudwlqj wkh ilqhvw txdolw fudiwvpdqvklse phulfdqzrunhuv &khfn rxw 7xii ·v ixoo olqh ri ryhu vhfxulw surgxfwv:lwkdssolfdwlrqviruryhu yhklfohvlqfoxglqj-hhsv7uxfnv689vluh 5hvfxh /dz qirufhphqw 0lolwdu rx·uh vxuhwrilqgwkhvhfxulw vroxwlrq rxqhhg $yhklfohlvexujodul]hghyhu vhfrqgv7khdyhudjhyhklfoheuhdn lquhvxowvlqdorvv$uh rxu kdughduqhgydoxdeohvsurwhfwhg o auto locker issue n page 44 of the apr 09 issue forward progress item 12 states that the tiny pizza-cutter tire looks funny but will help you get off the trail this will not work if there is an automatic locker in the axle as you know tires must be the same size with an automatic locker or an engaged selectable just thought to point that out as some may not know rob fritz chino ca feature editor ali mansour replies given the specific application size and weight of the rig breaking a sector shaft would almost be more likely than destroying a double-ended cylinder if either were to die it would be a real challenge to drive it back to camp if the pump were going out i think it would give you some type of indication noise slower steering and so on so i think the real question is what to do if the cylinder gets damaged 4wheeloffroad.com 56 6 85,7 352 8&76 twenty-nine palms ca good point rob but not entirely true with an engaged selectable locker zzzwxii surgxfwvfrpzru 78 www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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i m thinking that as long as the seals are not completely gone and the ram isn t broken in half you could likely devise some sort of catch-pan for the leaking fluid and continue to add it as you make your way slowly back to camp in the end mechanical linkage is probably better insurance as long as it s tough enough for your rig i super 60 front axle just read your article about the dana super 60 june 09 used in the ford f-450 and the f-550 trucks very interesting last fall i bought an 08 f-250 fx4 with the snow plow package and a front axle gawr of 5,600 pounds i also bought the ford service manuals for it upon reading your magazine article about the dana super 60 i went out and measured the front axle tube diameter and it is 3.75 inches the ford shop manual for the 08 model year f-250 to f-550 shows only a super 60 front axle across the lineup i m curious at this point if there are variations of the super 60 i know the f-450 and f-550 have a wider front track bill duffy via 4wheeloffroad.com editor of diesel power david kennedy replies you ve got a great front axle even though it s not the super 60 all 05-and newer ford front axles use 3.75inch diameter axletubes only the f-450 and f-550 feature the super 60 axle with 1 /2 -inch wall thickness tubes yours are 3/8 inch wall thickness if your truck has 4.30:1 axle gears it actually features the 10-inch ring and pinion though submission information 4-wheel off-road welcomes letters to the editor letters must include an address or a telephone number so the sender can be verified once verified your name may be withheld at your request letters published in this magazine reflect the opinions of the writers and we reserve the right to edit letters for clarity brevity or other purposes due to the large volume of mail we receive we regret that we cannot reply to unpublished letters or return photos digital photos must measure no less than 1600 x 1200 pixels or two megapixels and be saved as a tiff an eps or a maximum-quality jpeg file write to editor 4-wheel off-road 6420 wilshire blvd los angeles ca 900485515 fax 323.782.2704 email to 4wor@sorc.com 4wheeloffroad.com www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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compiled by ali mansour vehicle 95 gmc 1500 z71 owner dan mcdonald sparta mi tires wheels 35x14.50 pit bull rockers on 15x12 eaton wheels suspension 6-inch rough country with custom rear springs drivetrain th400 4.56 gears performance mods 383ci vortec heads 700-cfm throttle body custom computer chip k&n air filter funniest wheeling incident driving four hours to drummond island only to have the transmission break within 10 minutes of arriving does everything work the way you want yes anything you would change solid-axle conversion with coil springs and a four-link rear suspension anything to add i d burned through a dozen professionally built 4l60e transmissions before i got smart and dropped in the turbo 400 hot shot this is sparta stock rocks vehicle 97 ford f-250 owner steve coultas colfax in tires wheels 285/75/16 baja all terrains on 16x8 american racing suspension rancho shocks drivetrain stock performance mods 7.3l other doodads bed cap funniest wheeling incident misjudging the length of the white rim road and having to spend the night in the truck does everything work the way you want yes vehicle 79 dodge ramcharger owner spencer curtis saluda nc tires 33x12.50x15 tsls suspension 4-inch skyjacker drivetrain np203 dana 44 front 9.25 rear performance mods 340ci plucked from a dodge charger other doodads custom emergency brake and body work does everything work the way you want yes anything you would change bigger axles tires and lift 4wheeloffroad.com double-d charger 12 august 2009 4-wheel off-road www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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©2007 mna inc bfgoodrich tires because roadside assistance requires well a road rugged trail t/a® all-terrain t/a® ko mud-terraintm t/a® km2 this is not the time to find out you picked the wrong off-road tire with twenty straight score baja 1000 wins under our belt you know bfgoodrich tires can handle any terrain any conditions anything mother nature throws at you control is all the backup you need learn more at bfgoodrichtires.com www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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readers rides paso wagon vehicle 00 jeep grand cherokee owner james olbrisch el paso tx tires 33x12.50 pro comp xtreme mud terrains suspension custom long arm with rancho shocks drivetrain np247 tom wood s driveshafts dana 44 axles performance mods k&n intake and flowmaster exhaust other doodads custom bumpers from kennesaw mountain iron rock off road sliders funniest wheeling incident lost a spring before i found out about limiting straps does everything work the way you want so far it works great but can always be better vehicle 00 jeep wrangler owner andrew wickham san luis obispo ca tires wheels 37x14.50 toyo open country mud terrains on 15x10 steel suspension 4-inch pro comp drivetrain np231 slip-yoke eliminator ford 8.8 with a super 88 kit dana 44 front with superior axleshafts and an arb air locker ctm u-joints warn hub conversion performance mods airaid intake and magnaflow exhaust other doodads currie steering cut fenders does everything work the way you want i love the low center of gravity but the short arms don t work that well at high speeds anything you would change long arms rear locker tube fenders and a cage anything to add thanks to the poly goats and sc4wdc for the all of the help open yellow arctic ninja vehicle 88 suzuki samurai owner joe shaw wasilla ak tires wheels 38.5x11 boggers on 15-inch steel wheels suspension spring-over-axle conversion using 4-inch wrangler springs drivetrain 6.5:1 transfer case toyota mini-truck axles lock rights 4:37 gears performance mods pfi 16-valve 1,600cc out of a 95 sidekick other doodads arb bumpers ramsey winch tom wood s driveshafts does everything work the way you want yes very well anything you would change extend the wheelbase 10 inches wass wheeler vehicle 00 toyota tacoma owner nate wass brighton co tires wheels 255/85/16 bfg km2s on 16-inch factory suspension custom kit using all old man emu components drivetrain trd rear e-locker with an inchworm harness a lock-right front aisin hubs 5.29 gears performance mods four-cylinder k&n intake other doodads bobbed 12 inches off the bed custom rear bumper arb front bumper ors sliders wet okole seat covers does everything work the way you want yes anything you would change 1-inch body lift bud built flat-bottom skids marlin crawler gearbox and custom front bumper vehicle 01 ford excursion owner james spikes tires wheels 35x12.50 mud terrains on 16-inch aluminum wheels suspension 4-inch pro comp drivetrain rear detroit locker performance mods v-10 custom cold air intake flowmaster exhaust computer upgrade other doodads arb front bumper fab fours rear bumper with a custom tire carrier does everything work the way you want yes anything you would change add front go pro locker winch and supercharger 14 august 2009 4-wheel off-road 4wheeloffroad.com www.storemags.com www.fantamag.com

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