Not A Ratchet
Ever hear of a flat ratchet wrench with no moving parts? Well, the guys at Craftsman have outdone themselves this time by creating a unique new tool that looks like a combination wrench with a regular box on one end and a weirdly deformed open hook on the other. Called the Quick Wrench, this slick open-ended tool maintains constant contact with the fastener when turning in either direction, but ratchets backward to grip again when needed. The wrench is longer for added leverage and, as with all Sears tools, is guaranteed for life. See your local Sears store for information or call 800/377-7414, Web site www.sears.com/craftsman.
EZ-Rider
Tires rubbing on Ford radius arms is a thing of the past thanks to Tuff Country's new contoured and extended radius arms. These 15-inch-longer arms incorporate a unigue rear mounting design that uses greaseable polyurethane pins and eyelets to increase articulation and suspension travel. The new drop brackets are formed from 1/4-inch material and feature adjustable caster bolts for a full 4.5 degrees of adjustment. Information: Tuff Country, Dept. 4WOR, 4165 W. Nike Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84088, 801/280-2777.
Home Base
For those extended 'wheeling trips, Back Country Trailers now offers a Base Camp Tent option that attaches to its standard Trailer Tent. The 7x15-foot Base Camp tent sits on the ground and provides lots of additional room for extra gear, pets, or kids, while the main trailer tent becomes a master bedroom. Made of the same high-quality rip-stop nylon as the Tent Trailer, the new living area will be a welcome addition as you haul more stuff to the outback. Information: Back Country USA, Dept. 4WOR, 2331-D2 E. Ave. S, Palmdale, CA 93550, 805/273-9155.
Rockin' Gears
In the world of rockcrawlin' there is no substitute for lower gearing. For Toyota pickups, Advance Adapters has developed a set of drop-in replacement gears that feature a 4:1 reduction as an alternative to the stock 2.28:1 ratio. This affords Toyota owners a 76 percent lower reduction ratio for better crawling. The American-made gears are slightly larger in diameter than stock gears and are produced from a special gear alloy material. No modifications are needed to the case, shifters, or driveline, and the gears install in about two hours. Information: Advanced Adapters, Dept. 4WOR, 335 Santa Bella, Paso Robles CA 93446, 805/238-7000, Web site www.advanceadapters.com, e-mail aadapters@tcsn.net.
Spring Fever
Spring into spring with Eaton Spring, which offers a full line of coil and leaf springs, axle pads, U-bolts, bushings, and many other parts. Eaton Spring also offers a computer disk containing the specs and spring rates for each of its 17,000 original blueprints, with applications for most domestic cars and trucks. Eaton has been making springs since 1937 and is licensed by GM and Ford to produce factory replacements for OE parts. Eaton also produces custom springs, which are crafted from American-made SAE 5160 alloy steel. Information: Eaton Spring, Dept. 4WOR, 1555 Michigan Ave., Detroit, MI 48216, 313/963-3839, Web site www.eatonsprings.com.
Ford Flip
For '93-'97 Ford F-350 fans who need better handling and steering control, Off Road Unlimited offers its Shackle Reversal Kit. On these trucks, the stock A shackles will sway from side to side as the vehicle is steered, a problem that is compounded by adding big tires. Using this kit to swap the shackle to the rear of the leaf spring achieves much better handling, due to the trailing effect of the springs. As a bonus, the kit raises the front about 2 1/2 inches, equaling the height of the rear. With the exception of minor welding for the track bar bracket, the kit bolts on, but longer shocks will have to be used. Information: Off Road Unlimited, Dept. 4WOR, 40 E. Palm Ave., Burbank, CA 91502, 818/563-1208, Web site www.offroadunlimited.com.
Carb Bracket Cures
Swapping on a four-barrel carb is fairly easy, until you try to hook up the throttle and kickdown cables. As engine swap artists know, the cable lengths and brackets don't always match up. But now Russell Performance offers a bracket that does it all. The anodized aluminum bracket bolts onto one carb stud and adjusts where the cable snaps in. The kickdown bracket is available in two styles for different types of cables, and is adjustable as well. The new bracket even has provisions to attach the throttle return spring at the bottom. Information: Russell Performance Products, Dept. 4WOR, 2645 Gundry Ave., Signal Hill, CA 90806.