Innehållsförteckning för January 2020 från Four Wheeler

MELT-RESISTANT MOUNTS Heatshield Products introduces the Lava Motor Mount Shield. The covers are designed to protect rubber, polyurethane, and polygraphite motor mounts from damaging heat and chemical exposure. Lava Motor Mount Shields encase the engine mounts with a Heatshield Products proprietary, specially formulated, volcanic rock–based thermal-barrier material, which is said to withstand up to 1,200 degrees F continuous radiated heat and 2,000 degrees F intermittent radiated heat. The material also resists water, caustic chemicals, and acids. Lava Motor Mount Shields install by wrapping around almost any motor mount with an integrated, high-temperature hook-and-loop fastening system. In most applications, adding the Lava Motor Mount Shields will not require removal of the engine, exhaust, or engine mounts. INFO: Heatshield Products, 844/723-2665, heatshieldproducts.com PICKUP BOX Stowe Cargo Systems introduces the Strong Box. It…

THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT PAUL PERRY’S ’77 Ford Bronco; it radiates a special aura. Part of that is the reflection of the traits it borrows from Paul himself. It doesn’t feel like you’re looking at some random late-1970s Bronco. It seems to be holding time within its sheetmetal. Rust, the passage of it. Modifications, the places visited and awareness of journeys to come. Strength, once a source of weakness. It also wears Paul’s passion—his passion for 4x4s, overlanding, travel, and mission work with his wife, Joy. And, of course, a passion for designing and engineering a Bronco customized to his lifestyle. It evolves as he does. “I’ve always been involved in camping since I was a little boy,” recalls Paul. “My first vehicle I owned was a 4x4 Datsun truck.…

A JEEP PICKUP WAS LONG, LONG OVERDUE. BY THE SAME TOKEN, THE ALL-NEW ’20 Jeep Gladiator was also the worst-kept secret—everyone knew it was coming. That gave aftermarket companies a huge jump on developing parts and accessories to be available as soon as the truck hit dealerships, joining its completely redesigned brethren, the ’18 Jeep Wrangler. The aftermarket now offers loads of ways to customize the two extremely capable Jeeps for four-wheeling, overlanding, towing, or any need you may have. These are must-have products to take your JL or JT to the next level. Following is a wide range of products for the JL and Gladiator, presented by our advertisers and conveniently collected for your shopping pleasure. ENERGY SUSPENSION ROCK-FLEX SUSPENSION FOR JEEP JL COMPANY: Energy Suspension CONTACT: 888/913-6374, energysuspension.com…

CLIMBING A SHORT, STEEP SECTION OF TRAIL IN THE IRON RANGE OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE STATE Recreation Area just outside of Gilbert, Minnesota, was remarkably easy behind the wheel of the EcoDiesel-powered ’20 Ram 1500 Rebel we were driving. With the low-end torque of the newest V-6 turbodiesel from VM Motori under the hood and the ZF 8HP75 eight-speed automatic transmission and an electric locker in the rear differential, the ascent was nothing more than a casual idle to the top. And we weren’t even in low range. The new third-gen EcoDiesel purrs like a kitten, with just the barest of an audible diesel heartbeat. Its 480 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm outshines the Hemi 5.7L and bests its ½-ton diesel competitors. The new EcoDiesel doesn’t disappoint—and it’s available across all…

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED Hope you like these pictures of my ’80 Eagle Sport with a 2-inch lift, 28x8.50x15 Super Swampers, and Weber 38 carb. We road-tripped it after four days of ownership from my home state of Ohio 3,200 miles across 18 states to the coast so we could ship it to our home on Maui. My fiancée and I had an amazing trip, checking out roadside auto show barns in South Dakota, hot springs and the end of Black Bear road in Colorado, and Pucker Pass at sunset in Moab, to name a few. It has been out of regular duty with a rear-main seal leak for a while, but I am getting it back on the road right now for our wedding at the end of June.…

DEFINING “RESTORATION” AND “RESTOMOD” is difficult for some, but not for Joe Torres. He knew exactly what he wanted in a “Day 2” Scout—lots of pure ’70s sex appeal and a buildup that offered technological upgrades with a retro flavor. Despite being a Ford Research and Advanced Products Development Engineer working on the most cutting-edge, new developments (can you say “electrification”?), Joe’s mind often wanders back to the thrilling days of International Harvester yesteryear. He credits his grandfather for this, a man who had an IH dealership for about 10 years and drove International trucks all his life. Joe believes the quality gearhead time spent with his grandfather planted the seeds of his engineering career. This Scout is as much a tribute as it is a toy. The build started…

THE LAST TIME CHEVROLET OFFERED A STRAIGHT-SIX ENGINE WAS IN THE ’08 Trailblazer. That fuel-injected 4.2L gas-burner made 273 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, with a combined EPA fuel economy rating of 16 mpg on the 4WD model. The inline-six was impressive, winning numerous awards for its innovations. But it’s nowhere near as impressive as the inline-six Duramax diesel that makes its debut in the ’20 Chevrolet Silverado. GM’s newest diesel, the third offering in the Duramax family, is 3.0 liters of high-tech innovation wrapped in an aluminum block and head. It delivers 277 ponies and 460 lb-ft of torque, coupled with fuel economy numbers expected to be in the 30s. The 3.0L Duramax has more horsepower than its Ford Power Stroke and Ram EcoDiesel rivals, and it flexes…

REGARDLESS OF WHICH PACKAGE IT COMES with, any third-gen Toyota Tacoma is ready to work or play in the dirt as soon as it rolls off the lot. That being said, it never hurts to add a bit (or a lot) of adjustability and comfort to the truck’s suspension. Andrew Wanta had those exact thoughts when he brought home his ’18 Taco and decided that his truck’s first steps into the land of modification would include Elka’s Performance Suspension Complete Kit. When designing the suspension system, Elka focused on comfort. Knowing that most of the company’s 4x4 customers spend a great deal of time on the highway, Elka refused to compromise the on-road ride quality. However, when venturing off-road, the suspension needed to have stable handling characteristics, plush compliance over…

ROLLING INTO THE THROTTLE OF THE ’20 CHEVROLET 3500HD CREW CAB 4X4 DUALIE AND FEELing the power from the 6.6L Duramax diesel as it gets a 15-ton equipment trailer up to speed was a unique experience for us. It’s the heaviest trailer we’ve pulled with a GM pickup, and it consisted of a John Deere dozer sitting on the Big Tex gooseneck beaver-tail trailer. It was daunting to see the pair in the rearview mirror, but it felt totally under control. That is, in part, because the new Chevrolet HDs finally have the towing muscle to handle the biggest trailering jobs most of us would ever undertake with a pickup. A ’20 Regular Cab 2WD longbed 3500HD Duramax-powered dualie is SAE J2807-certified up to 35,500 pounds, and the 4x4 we…

LAST TIME WE PEPPERED YOU with a lot of facts and figures about our 2.0L turbocharged Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited that won the 2019 Four Wheeler SUV of the Year (SUVOTY), so this time, rather than reiterate a bunch of figures, we’ll dive straight into what it’s like to live with this vehicle on a daily basis. And despite the fact that some consumers out there may purchase a Wrangler as nothing more than a weekend toy, we understand the majority will be driving the tires off their Wranglers every day. As for the off-road stuff, let’s be frank. We don’t think there’s a better off-road vehicle built today than the Rubicon Wrangler. It feels light and airy on the trail, sucks up bumps and washboard dips without punishing the occupants,…

Peterbilt and UTI to Offer West Coast Diesel Tech Program The West Coast is gaining career-focused diesel education: Peterbilt Technician Institute Manufacturer-Specified Advanced Training Program. It’s already offered at Universal Technical Institute campuses in Lisle, Illinois; Exton, Pennsylvania; and Dallas/Fort Worth. Now the Rancho Cucamonga campus in California will gain the 12-week program as well. The two entities collaborated to bring this to life, and 12 Peterbilt certifications are possible, including Peterbilt HVAC systems and Peterbilt Service Boot Camp. Students must first complete UTI’s core automotive or diesel program. Upon graduating the Peterbilt program, the newly minted technicians will use their skills at a North American Peterbilt service location. Get more info at uti.edu. ARB Jeep Packages for How You ’Wheel It’s like ARB 4x4 Accessories has read your mind:…

IF YOU’RE JUST JOINing us, this is Four Wheeler’s 2019 Week to Wheelin’—brought to you by Golden Star Classic Auto Parts—where we took a heap of brand-new parts and a custom-built and custom-painted early Bronco body and turned it into a living, breathing Bronco in only one week. In our last story, we joined Classic Truck Supply in Plain City, Ohio, and watched as the expert builders assembled the early Bronco body from Golden Star Classic Auto Parts reproduction sheetmetal and decked it out in a two-tone BASF paintjob. With the Bronco body in the MotorTrend Group Tech Center, we assembled a team of handpicked builders to help bring it to life in a week. MotorTrend Group Tech Center’s Jason Scudellari and Christian Arriero were joined by Christian Hazel, editor…

LOOKING FOR AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO CAMP? We were, but we had certain criteria. We wanted to be off the ground, and we wanted to stay dry when it rained. We wanted something with enough room so that we could move around and not feel cramped. We wanted to point and laugh at bugs because they couldn’t get to us. Did we mention it had to be inexpensive? We chose to give the Napier Outdoors Sportz Truck Tent a whirl. Napier developed the first Sportz Truck Tent in 1990, and the company was one of the first to produce and market truck tents in North America. By the late 1990s, the company’s truck tents were offered as a genuine accessory by GM and Ford, and thus began a whirlwind of…

WITH AGE COMES EXPERIENCE. WE’VE ALL HEARD this expression, and it hits home for anyone who has ever built multiple Jeeps. Take Dave Roberts, for example. With some of the most incredible off-road trails just outside his backyard in Broomfield, Colorado, this off-road enthusiast has spent years building four-wheel drives to get him all over the amazing state safely and reliably. From full-blown buggies to Hemi-powered JKs, he’s been fortunate to own, wheel, and build a variety of machines. In fact, his latest ’18 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon build is the sixth Jeep he’s built. While he entrusted the heavy-lifting portion of this JL build to the guys at Dixie 4 Wheel Drive in Moab, Utah, the lessons he learned from his previous builds gave him the knowledge he needed to…

ALTHOUGH IT MAY NOT BE THE FIRST VEHICLE YOU WOULD THINK of, the four-wheel-drive, 7.3L, turbodiesel-powered Ford Excursion can be a great overlanding vehicle. Built on an eight-lug, ¾-ton Super Duty chassis, the Excursion has solid axles and can easily pull a large trailer. The huge rear cargo area can be configured as a sleeping area with ample storage, including a slide-out–style overlanding kitchen, and still have room to spare. All of these considerations were carefully evaluated by Steve Adams, and he knew his ’00 Excursion would be the perfect overland vehicle for backcountry adventures. Adams looked to Full-Traction Suspension for the parts to majorly transform the Excursion’s harsh, stock leaf-spring suspension into one that would be supple off-road. To do this, he had the company install its front Instant…

JK LONG ARM Q My friend has a ’17 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. He’s looking to move up to 35-inch tires and asked my opinion. I told him to look at long-arm kits as they improved the ride on my ’05 LJ, but his shop told him that a short-arm kit will get him a better ride than a long-arm kit. I know it’s only a 2.5-inch lift, but does that jive with you? It sounds suspicious to me.DAREK CONNOLEVIA FACEBOOK.COM/JOHNCAPPA4X4 A It’s always interesting when a new-model Jeep Wrangler comes out. Enthusiasts and manufacturers alike initially tend to grasp at the known and develop the same products that were successful on the previous generation’s Wrangler. I’ve been fortunate enough to see this process occur three times for the Wrangler…