If this magazine has produced any celebrities over the past 30 years, it's the project trucks. Some have inspired your building endeavors, while others have given the aftermarket ideas to run with.
Some just make us shudder in the hallways (did someone say American Gladiators?). Up for debate is whether one even paved the way for a future production vehicle, the Wrangler Rubicon. As with most success stories, everyone wants to lay claim to it. But since we get the final word here, we'll say it: it was 4-Wheel & Off-Road's doing.
Some trucks used as projects were bought and owned by the magazine; others were bought and owned by the staffer doing the building. But here's a dirty secret: Many of the project trucks, especially in the "old" days, were forced down our throats. There is usually no theme or idea when the keys are handed over; it's up to the editorial staff to create a concept-and not take the tempting and easy route of bolting on a couple of doodads and being done with it. "Every staffer was pretty much expected to develop and supervise the construction of one," explained former editor Steve Campbell. "And from my point of view, they all came to be pains in the patoot that suffered compromises borne of both time and politics. Building a vehicle for personal use at one's leisure can be a joy. Building a magazine project while carrying a full writing load and dueling with advertising and staff requirements was most often agony," he added. Confessed former editor Drew Hardin, "You can see a big difference between the project trucks I oversaw and the ones Freiburger did after me. The trucks during my tenure were very much appearance-, advertiser-, and sweepstakes-oriented, whereas David and his staff built projects that really worked."
As technology, vehicles, and four-wheeling evolved, 4-Wheel & Off-Road was consistently staffed with full-blooded off-road enthusiasts. That meant we developed a knack for building trucks that were an execution of a fantasy (the Ultimate Adventure diesel Wrangler), a "what if?" (4xQuad), and a trendsetter (Rock Truggy). "I really like doing them-it's a chance to push the limits, do something outrageous, and really try and get people excited," explained current tech editor and Ultimate Adventure project king Fred Williams.
4-Wheel & Off-Road's first-ever buildup was in the Jan. '79 issue, a van down by the river: Double-Duty 2x4. The lesson was in how to build a streetable off-road van. Things certainly could only go up from there. Hours and years of bench racing in the office, at lunch, on the weekends, on the trail, in the garage, and in the shower (we really do) resulted in advanced powerplants (Mighty Rat), quirky yet functional drivetrains (Project Old Iron), and ulcers (everyone). Here's a behind-the-scenes look at some of the more famous (and sometimes infamous) trucks this magazine has built.
Truck: '73 Chevy
Theme: "To do double duty as a reliable, street-legal daily driver as well as a double-slog-down weekend warrior."
Some Upgrades: 377ci engine kit, improved TH350, 3/4-ton Suburban axles
"[Staffer] Ed Fortson and I got into big fights about that truck," recalled then-editor David Freiburger. "The idea was to be the first of the true low-buck projects that really performed. I wanted to make a big statement after decades of magazine high-dollar new trucks and show trucks. My intention was to do it truly dirtball, with all homemade parts and labor and stuff from the junkyard." Meanwhile, Ed wanted a new but basic engine and fresh paint. "In retrospect, it was really a typical reader truck, but I wanted more character, more ingenuity, and more violence." The truck was purchased for $600, which included a blown-out pumpkin, a missing pinion, and a rusted driveshaft in the bed. Another $400 was immediately thrown at it to straighten the frame. Its final cost was more than seven grand. As the story said, "Yikes! Low-buck ain't what it used to be, huh?"
Truck: '00 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab
Theme: "It had to be able to throw mud, blast over sand dunes, and crawl over rocks with the best of them."
Some Upgrades: 500ci engine, custom four-link suspension, Dana 60s
The Quad Cab was an all-new body style that Dodge was anxious to get on the pages of the magazine. Then-editor Cole Quinnell and staffer-in-charge-of-this-project Craig Perronne knew the buildup was unlikely to be duplicated by readers, but the hope was that you all would find at least one thing cool enough to do to your own truck. Readers confirmed this by complaining that it was too expensive and that no one could really build one like it...but people still ask about it to this day.