Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Four Wheeler

This issue of Four Wheeler includes coverage of the Easter Jeep Safari from Moab, Utah. Easter Jeep Safari, commonly known as EJS, celebrated its 56th event in 2022 and that’s a pretty darn impressive number of decades. Imagine how much has changed in the off-roading world and the Moab area since 1967. The growth of the event and the town is incredible, and kudos need to go to the Red Rock 4-Wheelers, who have run EJS since 1983, for the great job it does with the event. EJS’ long history got me thinking about 4WD events that have been around for a long time. For example, the Mile-Hi Jeep Club’s All-4-Fun event in Colorado. All-4-Fun is celebrating a darn impressive 56 years of the event in 2022. This event is…

JERED.KORFHAGE@FOURWHEELER.COM BOOST YOUR BRONCO Lift your non-Sasquatch Ford Bronco with USA-made steel components from MetalCloak. The company’s lift braces bolt into the factory components to reduce risk of unwanted rattles. Two-inch lift braces are made of thick, laser-cut 3/16-inch steel and are fully welded and then finished in MetalCloak’s signature Gold Zinc for a long-lasting finish. MetalCloak includes lift braces for the front and rear of the ’21-up non-Sasquatch Bronco as well as all necessary hardware. INFO: MetalCloak, 916/631-8071, metalcloak.com BRIGHTER TUNDRA ZROADZ can help add more forward-facing off-road light to your ’14-’21 Toyota Tundra with the Baja Bumper Bar. The bar installs using factory bolt locations and features a low-gloss powdercoated finish with space to mount up to four LED pods. Kits can be had complete with ZROADZ LED…

The Jeep Wrangler Magneto all-electric powertrain concept dropped in 2021 and it floored the wheeling world. We noted at the time that we felt it’s the future of off-roading, and a year later we still stand by that opinion. Magneto featured an “axial flux electric motor” where the internal combustion engine once sat, and it delivered 285 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. The motor was powered by four lithium-ion battery packs that had a combined power of 70 kW/h on an 800V system and this helped Magneto accelerate from a standing stop to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds. The motor was mated to an old-school manual gearbox and the stout Rubicon running gear. For 2022, Magneto has been significantly reworked and rebadged as “Magneto 2.0.” Among the highlights: Peak…

The Rubicon Trail is legendary and so is Jeep’s Rubicon option package. It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since Jeep introduced the fabulous Rubicon package on the 2003 model year Wrangler two-door, yet here we are. The Rubicon package took the off-road world by storm and included Dana 44 axles, front and rear lockers, disconnecting sway bar, rock rails, and 33-inch tires. To celebrate the milestone of the Rubicon package, Jeep has trotted out the Rubicon 20th Anniversary concept. The concept is based on the incredible Wrangler Rubicon 392 with its 6.2L supercharged V-8. To improve the Jeep’s performance, a Jeep Performance Parts 2-inch suspension lift, Mopar beadlock-capable wheels, and 37-inch mud-terrain tires were installed. The exterior was treated to some custom touches, including steel bumpers,…

Folding down the windshield can only open up your trail experience by so much, so the Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) team did away with it all together, and then some. Wide open and extreme were at the core of the Jeep Birdcage concept and the lack of front glass was only the beginning of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe-based machine. Birdcage showcases JPP’s 2-inch lift kit, which features coils and Fox shocks specifically tuned for the Wrangler 4xe, and the Jeep rides on 37-inch BFGoodrich mudders with 17x8.5 JPP five-spoke beadlocks. The flat fender flares on Birdcage integrate the factory DRLs and above the header you’ll find a trio of JPP TYRI 14-inch LED lights. Out back, Mopar’s Add-A-Trunk concept decklid panel creates a secure storage space for gear while…

editor@fourwheeler.com Even if the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 wasn’t the first mass-produced, open-top, body-on-frame 4x4, it is arguably the world’s best. These durable SUVs, along with their predecessors (the FJ25 and the truck-based FJ45), are probably the most widespread and globally recognizable 4x4s on the face of the earth. Toyota did a great job of mimicking many great designs from other automotive manufacturers to build a bulletproof 4x4 that has a hard-earned reputation for durability, capability, and reliability. Built between 1960 and 1984 (and between 1968 and 2001 in Brazil), hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of these venerable 4x4s were produced. Daniel (Danny) Solis’ ’63 FJ40 is simple yet effective. With GM LS power, a reliable TH350 transmission, dual Toyota mini-truck transfer cases, a built FJ40 front axle, and…

jered.korfhage@fourwheeler.com It’s not for the looks—it’s pure functionality. Preston Gladd cut his teeth operating HMMWVs in the military, crawled the trails with his ’91 Jeep Wrangler, and eventually found that with a growing family and more gear, he needed a 4x4 with fewer flashy modifications and a lot more room to move. “Stock 2500 trucks are plenty capable,” Preston told us, and he cited attributes like fuel range and longevity when it came to selecting his ’17 Ram 2500 Mega Cab. The 6.7L diesel had the grunt he needed whether it was hauling a trailer or a payload of adventure gear, and the truck’s heavy-duty platform was more than capable of handling the rough tracks he had on his agenda. With “Mega Cab” in its name, the truck was more…

editor@fourwheeler.com Undertaking an ill-advised road trip in an open-top 4x4 is always a good idea … or a terrible idea, depending on your perspective. Especially in a ’74 CJ-5 we’d owned for approximately two weeks (you can read how we built the CJ in the Aug. ’22 issue of Four Wheeler). What could possibly go wrong? Maybe everything? Sure, even we can’t always drop everything in the “real world” and head for the mountains on a whim, but when we can, life seems that much better through the adventure, the good and the bad. Still, during the inevitable breakdowns on the side of the road, you’ll probably wish you had invested all the time committed to the trip to a different hobby. Golf, the worship of a small, pockmarked ball…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM SUVOTY PRICE FACTOR I wholeheartedly agree that Four Wheeler provides the most thorough, comprehensive, and practical testing and evaluation in the industry when rating vehicles for SUV of the Year! This year’s test (“2022 Four Wheeler SUV of the Year,” Apr. ’22) was no exception, but it did leave me with one burning question: Is it time for the judges to start considering vehicle price in the overall ranking? The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 is the halo car for Jeep enthusiasts. It also costs $83,695! I would imagine that this price puts it out of reach for many readers (certainly this reader). Just like performance, most consumers consider price when choosing a new vehicle. On the final scorecard, the winning Wrangler tallied 82.39 points. The Ford Bronco (in Third…

jered.korfhage@fourwheeler.com For the 56th year, seven-slotted machines invaded southwest Utah for the annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari. The event traces back to humble beginnings—Jeep Safari was once a Saturday-only affair with only a handful of trail rides and it was run by the Moab Chamber of Commerce. In recent years, the event has been coordinated by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers, a local off-road club, and it has grown in a big way. Now, it’s common to meet off-road enthusiasts who have made a pilgrimage from across the United States and even from countries abroad to enjoy the Jeep Safari, an experience that now spans more than a week. To cap it off, the Jeep Safari Expo returned to Moab’s Spanish Trail Arena. This two-day attraction within the safari was an…

In another big move for Jeep, the company will offer the first electrified Grand Cherokee in 2022. It’s called the Grand Cherokee 4xe and it offers up to 25 miles of all-electric range and 56 mpg equivalent (mpg-e). It’s a big deal, so it makes sense that Jeep took a Trailhawk model and gave it a few creative mods. With a nod to overlanding, Jeep says, the company added BFGoodrich mud-terrain tires, custom Neutral Gray metallic matte wheels, and custom widened fender flares. Other mods include a custom Industrial Blue exterior, Lagoon Blue towhooks, black-painted Rhino Liner roof, Mopar rock rails, LED projector foglamps, custom vinyl side graphics, and saddle-colored upholstered seats with “Rodney” houndstooth inserts. Like the production Grand Cherokee 4xe, the concept is powered by a pair of…

Jeep says the Bob concept was designed to blur the lines between the Wrangler and Gladiator. “Bob” is a reference to “bobbing,” or shortening the beds of pickup trucks to enhance their off-road utility, and in this case also a subdued reference to an early ’90s scandal. Bob started as a standard Jeep Gladiator Rubicon before its bed was bobbed by 12 inches, the B-pillar was removed, the hardtop was modified, and orange canvas was stretched overhead to protect passengers from the elements. Suspension components from EVO Manufacturing and King Off-Road Racing Shocks allow the Dynatrac ProRock 60 axles, 40-inch tires, and 20-inch beadlocks plenty of room to flex. Custom work on the fenders helps to accommodate the big rubber and both bumpers are tailored to improve approach and departure…

editor@fourwheeler.com In the previous issue of Four Wheeler we shared the saga of finding, buying, and driving our ’75 Ford F-100 from Reno, Nevada, to SoCal. Well, the story has just begun. Now we’re making a few upgrades to replace worn parts while giving the old Ford a bold new look. Wired Think of wiring as the nervous system of a 4x4. Small wires complete circuits to operate everything from headlights to the vehicle’s ignition. The driver is the brain of the operation and a simple flip of a switch or the turn of a key produces a flow of electricity to a light or a coil. Sometimes these currents are disrupted by broken wires or corrosion. Our Ford decided that it didn’t intend on offering working turn signals or…

editor@fourwheeler.com Intermediate CJ-5s are a bit of a conundrum from a fuel capacity standpoint. The fuel-sipping 134ci I-4 that the original CJ-5s had was replaced with a thirsty AMC 304ci V-8 or similarly thirsty AMC I-6, but the fuel capacity of these early Jeeps did not grow on the same scale as engine displacement. That was the situation with our ’74 CJ-5. It didn’t have great fuel economy and the factory fuel tank seemed to only hold 14-15 gallons. At 9-11 mpg the range was low, really low, making fuel stops frequent and inconvenient. This problem is as old as Jeeps, and we’ve solved it to some extent by the addition of a 5-gallon jerrycan and mount. That seemed like a decent way to get about a third more fuel…

editor@fourwheeler.com The shakedown run; it’s slang for the first trip out in an otherwise untested vehicle. That could be because said vehicle is new to you, or you just made some major changes and you’re not sure if things will work the way you wanted—or will work at all. Over the past few issues of Four Wheeler, we’ve covered some of the mods to our 5.0L ’00 Ford Explorer XLT and we detailed how we made it more capable on the cheap. We added a Powertrax Lock Right locking diff to the front axle (Locked Right, Apr. ’22); we swapped out the full-time T-case for a salvage yard-fresh, beefier, part-time BorgWarner unit (Transfer of Power, Jun. ’22); we trimmed the fenderwells (Cut, Hammered, and Welded, Jul. ’22) so the new…

JERED.KORFHAGE@FOURWHEELER.COM September 1-5 What: Appalachian Toyota Roundup Where: Oliver Springs, Tennessee Hosted by: Windrock Park Info: windrockpark.com September 2-4 What: Labor Day Extended Ride Where: Attica, Indiana Hosted by: Badlands Off Road Park Info: badlandsoffroad.com September 2-5 What: High Sierra Poker Run Where: Shaver Lake, California Hosted by: California Four Wheel Drive Association Info: cal4wheel.com September 3 What: Labor Day Demolition Derby Where: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Hosted by: Buck Motorsports Park Info: buckmotorsports.com September 4 What: Mud Bogs Where: Lisbon, Ohio Hosted by: Tri County 4 Wheelers Info: tricounty4wheelers.com September 7 What: Fall Crawl Where: Farmington, New Mexico Hosted by: Cliffhangers 4 Wheel Drive Club Info: cliffhangers4x4.com September 8-10 What: Killbuck Jeep Jamboree Where: Killbuck, Ohio Hosted by: Jeep Jamboree USA Info: jeepjamboreeusa.com September 10 What: Diesel Pickup Powerfest Where: Lancaster,…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM In the News ■ If you’re a fan of both Land Rover vehicles and horses, you best sit down, because your day is made. The automaker and the U.S. Equestrian Federation have launched a bunch of equestrian-themed doodads and wearables. The horse package includes a custom horse cooler and mudflaps (we’ll take “odd bedfellows for $500”), for a $5,000 price tag. ■ Not truck related, but shoutout to Toyota for sticking a manual transmission into its 2023 Supra. ■ Ground has been broken for the expansion of Navistar’s 110,000-square-foot powertrain plant in Huntsville, Alabama. ■ The next generation of EarthCruiser Overland Vehicles EXP, FX, and CORE will use the Class 4 Isuzu NPR Series platform. ■ Rocket Auto did some surveying and learned 80.6 percent of drivers said backup…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM One of the most anticipated parts of the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, is when the mad scientists at Jeep unveil the latest collection of concept vehicles. For 2022, the Jeep brand and Jeep Performance Parts trotted out seven vastly different, captivating concepts. The collection contained Wrangler Unlimited, Gladiator, and Grand Cherokee models, each bearing a laundry list of mods and in some cases one-off custom parts. The 2022 collection is also noteworthy because four of the seven Jeeps had either full electric or hybrid-electric powertrains. This is the most ever in the history of Easter Jeep Safari Jeep concepts, and an indicator of the rapid shift to electric power.…

The Jeep ’41 retro concept is Jeep’s latest nod to its longstanding military heritage and the Willys. It rides on 35-inch mud-terrain tires that fit perfectly thanks in part to a Jeep Performance Parts 2-inch suspension lift. The exterior color is olive D.R.A.B., and it covers even the fender flares, mirror caps, and 17-inch Fifteen52 Analog HD aluminum wheels. There’s black-powdercoated steel bumpers, a Warn winch, Jeep Performance Parts bumper hoop and half doors, a tan soft top, accent-colored towhooks, and a custom stenciled graphics package from the Jeep Graphic Studio. Inside, ’41 sports canvas-colored seats with digital camo inserts and Serafil 1043 stitching, Rhino-lined heavy-texture floor in D.R.A.B., along with many other custom mods. The Jeep ’41 concept is based on a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe, so its retro…

D-Coder is designed so you can point your mobile device’s camera at any of the 35-plus QR (quick response) codes found on the Jeep Gladiator D-Coder concept to learn more about this rolling high-performance parts catalog. To make parts spotting even easier, most of the add-ons are painted in Maraschino Red. Each part has been thoroughly tested at the factory and they are all available for purchase. D-Coder rolls around with Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) 17x8.5, five-spoke, beadlock wheels while 37-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrains grip the trails. There’s a JPP snorkel to keep water and dust out of the 3.6L V-6 and the cold-air intake and cat-back dual exhaust system from Mopar enhance performance. Other exciting parts in red include JPP steel rock rails, JPP tube doors and mirrors, color-matched Katzkin…

The terrible fuel mileage and high gas prices forced us to park the F-100. As parts trickled in for the next leg of Dentside’s journey, we set them in the bed of the truck. Occasionally we would go to lunch or the parts store to make sure the truck was running well. After a long weekend, we rolled into the shop and saw the F-100 was no longer there. We asked around and found that the shop next door to ours was broken into and the thieves stole Dentside and its contents to move the stolen goods. The good news is that the F-100 has been recovered. The bad news … well, the associated photo of the recovered truck tells some of the story and we’ll have the rest of…

editor@fourwheeler.com Long ago, one of the staffers at our sister publication Jp magazine had an idea … either that or he accidentally bought a ’56 Willys Jeep CJ-5 body with a title as part of an ongoing off-road vehicle addiction. Many current Four Wheeler readers were readers of Jp and you know the staff had many project ideas. The Jp staffer who built the popular Project Ground-Up CJ-5 says that most of his project ideas never came to fruition for lack of a few things: self-confidence, time, and money. Today, that same staffer will admit that he’s not sure why he thought Project Ground-Up was a good idea but looking back he has to admit that it was definitely one of the best ones. The Plan The idea behind Ground-Up…

editor@fourwheeler.com After a pause, the Chicago Auto Show, the largest in the nation, is back! For a long time, the Chicago Auto Show has been known as the go-to show for new truck and SUV vehicle news and we’re happy to report that the 2022 installment is no different. While new vehicle introductions are down in general, the Chicago Auto Show managed to bring out several new trim debuts along with the first public showing of several all-new models. We threw on our walking shoes and hit the floor to bring you the following collection of the coolest new trucks and SUVs from the show. ’22 Ram 1500—Built to Serve: Firefighter Edition Ram Trucks has a long history of honoring those who serve. In 2021, the company crafted five limited-edition…

RADIUS ARMS OR LINKS? I live in Nashville, Tennessee, and I’m building my first 4WD. I’m disabled (no wheelchair) and all I have to work with is my ’84 E-150 and a Dana 44 TTB out of a ’92 F-150. I’ve widened the engine crossmember for clearance and made the center brackets. I’ve been pulling my hair out over the caster gain caused by a mocked-up (from scrap) radius arm. Two-thirds through the suspension stroke and it’s at 10 degrees!?!? I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. So, I’m going to use a parallel four-link instead. I was a machinist, so fabrication is not a problem. What I need your help with is should I use DOM tubing? Also, the stock radius arms use a 1-inch shaft in…

JERED.KORFHAGE@FOURWHEELER.COM Dave Kollman says transplanting the ’56 Willys pickup body onto a J10 frame wasn’t too difficult and that it only required relocating a few body mounts, adding a few bolts, and just a bit of welding—and that was only the beginning. Dave and Denise Kollman bought the Willys from its original owner who had used the pickup as a work truck and for snow plowing jobs. The plan was to maintain the truck’s body but replace the frame with one out of a ’78 Jeep J10. With a matching wheelbase, the new frame would add significant strength to the project, which they’d need for the power upgrades. Dave and Denise used a 401ci V-8 that spent time in two other truck projects as well as in a ’71 AMC…