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hammer-down wheeling fest missouri trail ride madness 9 best american trails to conquer special 4x4 expedition rigs how to survive off-road suspension leveling kit buyer s guide july 2009 $5.99 usa $6.99can www.4wheeloffroad.com new goodyear mt/r tires monster mud truck buildup

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na es es k ak tta co y v m o /e d © 2007 paid for by the u.s navy all rights reserved do do u u yo yo ve ve ha ha tt ha ha w w iitt

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july 2009 vol 32 no 7 50 30 24 9 best trails to conquer we give you our favorites where to wheel cover section 30 don t die dummy you can survive off-road 32 32 4x4 expedition rigs how to really enjoy the outback 54 rolling anvil competitors bombproof race rigs king of the hammers race special section 62 hammer-down racing the fun buggy gets radical 68 40 little lifts and leveling kits a guide to the most popular suspension mod technical 46 ez suspension install lift an old chevy 6 inches 68 heavy-metal mudder part 4 adding bumpers and exhaust 76 rollcage in a box scrambler cage install 82 goodyear mt/r mud tire a new tire for a new day 86 uncle freddy s fab farm getting used to the daily grind 62 departments 4 4xforward 8 in box 12 readers rides 16 drivelines 84 new products 88 nuts bolts 92 marketplace 98 whoops on the cover kevin mcnulty snapped the 72 blazer of tim shigo twisted like a pretzel while fred williams caught a nighttime shot of a cj at flat nasty emerging from the mud like some sort of missouri salamander 50 colossal kaiser a super-clean m-715 features 72 budget blazer family ride built for fun 74 vw clean diesel touareg going the distance in the dirt 78 flat nasty missouri madness trail ride fun noon and night copyright 2009 by source interlink magazines llc all rights reserved.

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by rick péwé watch powerblock on spike and see how sludge can affect your engine t brought to you by protect your car from dangerous engine sludge with castrol gtx what makes me happy greg hutson here s really nothing like a new beginning whether it s the spring has sprung change of seasons a new job a different 4x4 or best of all a new treasure that pops into your life they all give me the same giddy feeling the excitement and rush of adrenalin just like attempting a new line on a rock face in the desert or powering through an unconquered mile-long muddy road in the woods just doing these things is fun and accomplishing anything makes me happy but it just so happens that this sort of stuff usually starts in the spring this year is no different spring has sprung for some people it s spring cleaning that excites them but for me spring collecting gets my blood pumping i round up all the other people s deserted treasures as i write this on the last day of winter i look forward to tomorrow as it s my mom s birthday happy birthday mom and the first day of spring so sort of like a season opener it s time that i get to work finding another project to spruce up the backyard with yep i sometimes can t ignore the treasures that pop up under my nose my friend greg hutson and his friend arv are rebuilding a willys wagon on a suburban chassis and needed to get rid of the detritus left over from the swap never one to say no i agreed to help and be the repository of said riches lucky for me i first had to clean my trailer off and had a great time sorting through its last load of goodies from five years back i ll get to those projects too but first i had to rescue greg and arv s misguided cast-offs from becoming cheesy recycled steel doodads from china after reseating the 16.5 trailer tire with ether and a prayer i set off to salvage a piece of americana with the feeling that spring fever gives me each year thankfully arv had a forklift at the site as a frame axles transfer cases and transmissions can be a royal pain in the back to lift and load in a matter of minutes my trailer was overflowing with quality trash of vehicular dissection i was in heaven yes the whole experience made me happy and that spring is sprung feeling got me going enough to sequester the new load of treasures into the far corner of the backyard next to a 5-foot-tall stack of other jeep frames and bits tarped and tethered the new piles of goodies will have to wait their turn to be tended to i have plenty of other projects that require my time such as the wife s cj-7 the jeepster a red ¾-ton gmc various rusty flatfenders and the bent broken and busted remnants of my very first jeep so i figure that in another five years i ll be cleaning the trailer off for a new load of goodies probably right around spring 4wheeloffroad.com

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control for your vehicle 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 bennett nick green david hamilton dvin keshish 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 performance control arm bushing sets maintains better alignment during hard cornering stopping and very rough offroading lasts longer and restores suspensions better than new performance leaf spring bushing sets be more in control­when maneuvering through turns during hard offroad traveling and braking effectively allows the leaf spring system to work more efficiently · 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 admininstrative officer 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 william d bailey chief financial officer marc fierman general counsel douglas bates source interlink media llc president steve parr president digital media greg goff chief financial officer judy anzalone svp chief creative officer alan alpanian svp manufacturing prod kevin mullan svp integrated marketing brad gerber complete master bushing sethyper-flex systemtm complete performance master bushing sets as well as many other individual components are available for popular domestic and import cars trucks and suvs get our new 76 page full color catalog $5.00 includes a free sway bar gauge interlink media llc 261 madison ave new york ny 10016 attn privacy coordinator 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 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 consumer marketing source interlink media llc svp single copy rich baron vp circ planning ops arlene perez consumer marketing enthusiast media subscription company vp consumer marketing tom slater world s largest manufacturer of performance polyurethane suspension components 1131 via callejon san clemente ca 92673-6230 usa 888 276-9072 www.energysuspension.com 6 july 2009 4-wheel off-road copyright 2009 by source interlink magazines,llc all rights reserved printed in the usa 4wheeloffroad.com

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© 2009 hankook tire america corp 1450 valley road wayne nj 07470 1-800-hankook

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by rick péwé i where do they make dodge trucks just picked up the apr 09 issue and feel the need to correct an item in the in box section tim seener of washington missouri wrote in asking why dodge didn t win the 4x4 of the year test the thing that needs to be cleared up is that dodge ram trucks are not built in wentzville missouri they are built in fenton the wentzville plant builds vans for gm there s an hour s difference between the two plants how did you get that wrong i know this because i worked at the dodge truck plant for 11 years until taking a buyout last month plus my dad retired from the wentzville plant so there s firsthand knowledge of both i think the big point about buying american is that yes the transplants build their vehicles here with american workers but their profits don t stay here they go back to the home country sure the big three build vehicles here and elsewhere but the profits come back to the u.s we could go on and on about buying american and the nasty name calling associated with that but how about we just get back to four-wheelin i ve got an 87 suburban and an 01 ram to build ken gibson bourbon mo right you are my mistake was saying that the ram is built in mexico that is true but only hd models 2500/3500s and chassis-cab 3500/4500/5500 trucks the half-ton 1500 is indeed built in fenton missouri even though that facility is often called the st louis plant some 1500s are built in warren michigan regardless the case is closed until next year let s go wheeling of the vehicle just like the passengers while rapidly venting all the c02 will always be inconvenient if the tank gets loose it can also cause bodily injury and one more thing i thought that in the event of a serious rollover it was a bad idea for the driver to hold onto the steering wheel that s a good way to break your fingers as the steering wheel can whip around violently from the tires contacting the ground better for the driver to have his or her own set of grab handles where the fingers will stay safe keep up the good work ryan pope edgerton wi good point many items we carry in our rigs don t survive a turn upside-down also everything in a vehicle should be lashed down or secured including yourself in case of a roll i april rollovers have one for the be aware archive great rollover articles this month apr 09 but i spotted something on page 32 the power tank i doubt the little handle rollbar on the tank is designed to protect the valve from the weight of the truck so be aware when mounting them to keep the valve in the rollcage-protected area i the hospital rate n your apr 09 4xforward hospital game editor rick péwé mentions that reader jeff mello had a 75-percent question of the month answered responses to last month s question is an automatic or manual transmission better for four-wheeling and why a the option of a push-start and when in the right gear i rarely have to touch the brakes long live the stick shift zack green via 4wheeloffroad.com i manual feel that manual is better because it offers better gear ratios and is more durable than an automatic it also keeps all its fluids inside itself and does not require an external cooler lastly all of the components are locked together mechanically not hydraulically that gives the driver a better feel for what s going on the automatic s only advantage is that it s easier to use in crawling situations because there is no clutch mike minnis f auto or me and the rest of the wheelers i have ever met it s automatic all the way they offer a faster smoother more reliable shift to allow maximum momentum and we all know how important that is when in the middle of some serious slop some manuals have long-throw shifters and can be very sluggish not to mention you can drop your auto into first or second and control it as if it were a manual tranny for me this is a no-brainer dale byers clutch is not a heavy-duty model it can slip and cook both the flywheel and itself for towing manual is the best choice automatics are expensive to rebuild and keep cool and they don t come strong enough from the factory i like rowing through the gears of my manual but i also like the no-brainer driving of my auto so undecided is my final answer troy kid chapel big timber mt twice as many readers who responded prefer manuals but even more can go either way depending on the situation manual 20 percent auto 39 percent on the fence 41 percent it all boils down to what you drive how you drive and where you go and apparently how much of a control freak you are for next month s question we will be using the forums at www.4wor.com but as always you can contact us directly at 4wor@sorc.com augusta ks owosso mi i manual also am a diehard manual transmission fan and believe that most people don t like them because frankly they don t know how to drive them with a manual i feel more in control of my vehicle i also have t depends ough question if i m wheeling rocks or trails i want a manual if i m wheeling mud or sand i want an auto the manual is less likely to overheat under harsh conditions but if the 8 july 2009 4-wheel off-road 4wheeloffroad.com

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your oil protects your engine your oil 3x based on testing of models equivalent to ph8a 3387a and 6607 under iso 4548-12 for particles 20 microns engine protection is the measure of a filter s ability to not just trap dirt but hold it for the life of the filter but what s protecting fram® extra guard® delivers 3 times the engine protection based on the average of leading economy filters when your oil breaks down damaging dirt and particles can threaten the life of your engine a fram extra guard oil filter delivers advanced engine protection with specially blended glass and cellulose filter media fram extra guard traps 95 of dirt and harmful particles and holds them until your next recommended oil change don t cut corners go with fram engine protection to learn more about advanced engine protection go to fram.com © 2009 honeywell international inc printed in the u.s.a the dirt stops heretm www.storemags.com

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in box running hospital rate it has been a few years since my shoes have felt the grinding dust and my nose has smelled the welding flux burning in jeff s workshop but i just can t imagine jeff being up to 75 percent i don t know where he learned to count california school system but last time i was at his place i m sure there was more iron that couldn t possibly sputter to life he must not have been counting the other two frames out back or the other body under the tarp or the one with the mog axles and no motor or tranny or the other at his dad s place that he didn t have room for you get the picture maybe it s the vin requirement that he s counting on to get him up to 75 percent does it have to pass smog testing rick shouldn t feel that bad 67 percent is respectable especially with the quantities listed heck i m at 100 percent right now but it wasn t more than five months ago when i was at 67 percent and things were looking bad my 67 percent was caused by a wheel bearing that got a bit of metal in it when flat towing for 2,000 miles i m pretty sure i m not the only person who has pulled a hub off and heard the ping ping ping of little bearings falling out onto the concrete philip walton like a pancake but if we don t win we ll at least put on the best show possible o and i mean real like the rest of us not like the evil kid in the movie toy story karl smith mud tire test cop-out k i am not going to whine to you about the truck of the year or too many jeeps or not enough dodges but i do think your answer to jason in the in box in the apr 09 issue was a cop-out you won t do a mud test because it s something you already know last i checked aren t you 4-wheel off-road magazine the first thing i do when test-driving a truck is hit the muddiest hole i can find it s important to me that my truck perform in the mud why wouldn t that be a consideration plenty of tire companies would help you out same as they always do so like i said i think it s a cop-out great mag keep it up just stick to your roots chris via 4wheeloffroad.com thanks for the input however you are misinformed on many levels assertion we try and destroy our own junk fact no we use it to the extreme we do not try and wreck it for the sake of carnage or a good laugh we simply are aware of the possibilities and attempt to do the best with the minimum amount of damage but as adults we also don t whine about a scratch a dent or a broken part yes we have to fix it and yes we have to pay for much of it there is no free lunch assertion our stuff is junk by our own admission fact the term junk is one of endearment we don t use it in a bad negative way i assume that you think a car with a dent and faded paint in your neighbor s front yard is junk as well while it could be a priceless treasure or more importantly handcrafted automotive art remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder just look at your own junk assertion we whine about a limited budget fact true assertion no normal person would purposely trash their ride just because of the cost of repairs fact again we don t purposely trash our rides that s for 16-year-olds and drunken wheelers i ve seen guys drive off a cliff just to see if they could without blowing up and by gosh it s too bad they didn t assertion we aren t going to give the toyota back in functional condition fact oh so very true why because this vehicle is headed to the crusher after we are done with it it is a preproduction vehicle that toyota like most car manufacturers can t sell part out or do anything else with the lawyers say it has to be demolished so it can never be a liability to the company it got a death sentence when it was born so we plan to drive it to the max ideally we ll win the top truck competition without a scratch on the old girl drive the turtle to the crusher and weep as it gets flattened yes that s short for christine in the heart of iowa thanks for the thought chris you make a good point and we agree with what you do in testing your truck our point is that most new vehicles come with street tires and all we would do by testing in the mud is get the 4x4s miserably stuck we hit the mud for our tire tests sure but in 4x4 of the year we know what would happen to the new rides as far as changing to new mud tires goes yes a great idea except that we are testing stock vehicles many years ago we swapped tires out for all similar treads but soon we realized that by just doing that we were giving some rigs an unfair advantage wait for our next mud tire test i think you ll enjoy it bentonville ar we got lots of responses to my hospital rate column most of them good but there was this other guy who thought it was a terrible idea to justify ownership of junk and ruining property values hey in today s economy a derelict car on blocks in the front yard can probably improve property values o end of the turtle nce again you guys have proven to be the exception rather than the rule you have asked for ideas of what to do with your toyota turtle vote for the turtle drivelines may 09 you claim you will smash bash and generally destroy the thing before you give it back nice going hammer the crap out of someone else s stuff just like you try to destroy your own junk it s junk by your own admission and i know why you always whine about a limited budget but when you go out with the intention of rapid disassembly it s going to cost money no normal person would purposely trash their ride just because of the price of repairs but here you are once again advocating mechanical mayhem why don t you give it back in some condition faintly resembling operational get real 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 90048-5515 fax 323.782.2704 email to 4wor@sorc.com 10 july 2009 4-wheel off-road 4wheeloffroad.com

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n 42.0 8 w ­113.70 vehicles shown with aftermarket accessories from an independent supplier are not covered by the gm new vehicle limited warranty gm is not responsible for such alterations © general motors corporation 2009 hummer.com

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hot shot half a case vehicle 87 chevy blazer owner matt black kamas ut tires wheels 35x12.50x15 bfg km2s on 15x8 pro comp wheels suspension 6-inch tuff country drivetrain 700r4 np208 dana 60 front 14-bolt rear with a spool 4.10 gears performance mods 350ci k&n intake flowmaster exhaust other doodads crossover steering ord steering and frame brace milemarker winch does everything work the way you want so far so good anything you would change 4.88 gears lockers and a cage anything to add the transfer case uses the chevy front half and dodge rear to create an extremely cheap slip-yoke eliminator vehicle 72 chevy k20 owner david oakley fresno ca tires wheels 39.5x13.50 iroks on 17x9 mickey thompson classic iis suspension custom 12-inch drivetrain th350 np205 dana 44 front dana 70 rear performance mods 337ci holley carburetor flowmaster exhaust cower cam msd hei other doodads relocated fuel tank does everything work the way you want yes anything you would change swap the dana 44 for a dana 60 3-inch body lift and 454ci 4wheeloffroad.com big k 12 july 2009 4-wheel off-road

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compiled by ali mansour 60 to 1 vehicle 60 ford f-100 owner larry d shreckengost huntsville al tires buckshot mudders suspension custom 6-inch with air shocks drivetrain stock performance mods 223ci other doodads 12,000-pound winch does everything work the way you want it s perfect anything to add it has been a great hunting truck and has never let me down barter bogger vehicle 38 ford 1/2 -ton pickup body rock city chop shop chassis owner matthew carr white lake mi tires wheels 44-inch boggers on custom 16.5x16 chrome wheels suspension custom drivetrain th400 np205 21/2 -ton rockwells performance mods 468ci custom headers other doodads wagon wonderland vehicle 05 dodge ram power wagon owner john worker yorba linda ca tires wheels 35-inch bfg km2s on stock wheels suspension stock drivetrain stock performance mods aem intake gibson exhaust superchip programmer other doodads onboard air warn winch does everything work the way you want everything suspension seats full hydraulic steering does everything work the way you want yes anything you would change paint and fenders anything to add between swapping parts and bartering on craigslist i was able to build the entire rig for less than 4,000 bucks works but the lockers are slow to engage anything you would change nope rover boat vehicle 85 land rover 110 owner don lang roblin manitoba canada tires 7.50x 16 michelin zxls suspension stock drivetrain r-380 it-230 rear detroit locker performance mods 300tdi with tuned pump and a straight pipe other doodads custom snorkel power steering and sliders does everything work the way you want works good but could always be better anything you would change more suspension travel big ger tires and paint 4wheeloffroad.com 4-wheel off-road july 2009 13

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readers rides vehicle 92 toyota land cruiser owner victor tan davao city philippines tires wheels 265/75/16 cooper discovery stts on 16x8 american racing atx suspension 2-inch coil spacers with bilstein shocks drivetrain detroit e-z locker in philip-n-go the front toyota electric locker in the rear performance mods 2lte k&n air filter other doodads warn m8000 hella lights airlift helper bags does everything work the way you want yes anything you would change more power and efficient toyota 1kz engine aqua horse vehicle 93 ford bronco owner van everette mechanicsville va tires wheels 35x12.50 mud terrains on 15x10 outlaw iis suspension custom 6-inch via a straight-axle conversion drivetrain c-6 dana 44 front with arb air locker 9-inch rear with detroit locker both axles are fitted with chromoly axleshafts and are out of a 78 bronco performance mods 351ci 0.030 over edelbrock intake heads cam and carburetor other doodads york onboard air custom rear bumper with swing-away tire carrier funniest wheeling incident packing every spare part i though i would ever need and then breaking the one thing i didn t have a spare for does everything work the way you want so far but it has taken three years to get here anything you would change 1-ton axles front bumper and a winch anything to add straight-axle conversion is the best upgrade i ve done the carburetor is the worst port time vehicle 98 toyota tacoma owner zach hamilton portland or tires wheels 35x12.50 bfg m-ts on 15x8 pro comp wheels suspension custom straight-axle conver sion wagoneer front springs 63-inch chevy 1 /2 -ton rear springs 12-inch travel bilstein shocks drivetrain dana 44 front lockrights 4.88 gears performance mods 2.7l other doodads custom bumpers sliders and skidplates warn winch onboard air does everything work the way you want it s getting there but i am still working out the bugs from the straight-axle conversion anything you would change selectable lockers bigger tires and another transfer case would be nice anything to add great magazine keep up the good work submission information send us a picture of your ride if you ve never done so we keep a surplus of readers rides submissions but only one submission per person and we love all off-road vehicles so send in your entries whether your rig is stock or not make sure each digital image is at least 1600 x 1200 pixels or two megapixels and saved as a tiff eps or maximum-quality jpeg file write to readers rides 4-wheel off-road 6420 wilshire blvd los angeles ca 900485515 fax 323.782.2704 email to readersrides@4wheeloffroad.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 vehicle 98 dodge durango owner chris jessy green myrtle beach sc tires wheels 38.5 thornbirds front boggers rear 15x10 soft 8 suspension 11.5 inches via a custom solid-axle conversion drivetrain 46re nv231 dana 44 front 91 rear 4 4.88 gears performance mods 5.2l jet myrtle mopar performance chip throttle-body spacer performance coil flex-a-lite fan edelbrock headers other doodads 3-inch body lift custom steering does everything work the way you want needs lockers anything you would change coil swap for the rear in the works 4wheeloffroad.com 14 july 2009 4-wheel off-road

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