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 Due to the large volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot reply to unpublished letters or return photos.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
E-mail to:
4wheeloffroad@primedia.com
Reader: I have a suggestion for your magazine. You guys need to put an Isuzu Vehicross on a cover one day! People would like to see something besides the normal rigs. I'm sick of seeing Jeeps on most of the covers and I'd love to read about the Vehicross. I just saw one in Moab and it rocked! I couldn't believe it! That Vehicross embarrassed most of the Jeeps and Broncos and it did it in style. I couldn't believe how comfortable the seats were and how the torque-on-demand worked. It's a cool rig that people would like to hear about. I love your magazine and hope you will take my suggestions for future issues.
Morgan Baugher
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: While we agree that the Isuzu Vehicross is a cool vehicle, it will probably never be on the cover. Like many other "orphan rigs" there isn't a lot of aftermarket support or interest in these rides. Our job is to report on what we see out on the trail. It's actually simple math: If 90 percent of the vehicles sold, bought, and used on trails are Chevy, Ford, Jeep, Toyota, and Dodge, then more than likely that is what makes it to our cover. All 27 people that bought the Vehicross and the remaining 13 vehicles that are still running and the five guys who take those on a trail are all well and good, but still a small portion of the market. Heck, there are more tube buggies on the trail and they rarely make the cover. Are Vehicrosses cool and unusual and worthy of some respect? No doubt. But cover? Maybe eventually, if it was an awesome action shot, but don't hold your breath.
Reader: In your Ultimate Adventure coverage (Nov. '05) the section of the mag where you check out new ORV parks you mentioned our club, Ozarks Jeep Thing. We appreciate it, but you named our club wrong and misspelled the web address. The correct name is the Ozarks Jeep Thing, as you forgot the "s." It should look like this: www.ozarksjeepthing.com. Thank you.
Myk Schulte
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Thanks for the correction, as we found your club to be a great help to us on the Ultimate Adventure, and recommend you guys to anyone wheeling in the area.
Reader: I just wanted to comment on how you guys put together another great event/story. It is great seeing vintage metal out on this event. I was really impressed with Rick Franco's Renegade with an AMC 20 rear axle. How he keeps that together is beyond me! It is nice to see rigs like that being chosen to participate in this event. It makes me feel that I have a shot at it if I so choose to enter in the future. Here is a brief tech on mine with an enclosed picture: '83 CJ7, AMC 360, T18, D20 twin stick, 44 front, AMC 20 rear with a Detroit Locker and 4:56 gears, 37-inch Goodyear MTR's on Bassett bead locks, Warn 8000 winch, onboard air, welder, and custom cage and fenders.
Paul Zwieg
Sullivan, WI
Editor: You do have a chance, Paul, along with many of our other readers. Look for the entry form and full information next month in the magazine and on our Web site, www.4wheeloffroad.com. Good luck!
Reader: I am a senior at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. I am writing to you in regard to my "cheap" truck. I bought an '89 Bronco II for $500, and so far I am barely $800 into my budget. I have added plenty of stop leak and have replaced the seals of the engine block and spark plugs. I also had to take some rust off the roof. The reason I am writing is because when you started the challenge you said you need to beg, borrow, and steal to keep our trucks below the $1,500 budget. I am here to find out if you guys could help me accomplish just that. I want to lift my truck and put some 31s or 30s on (either mud or all-terrain). But I do not have a very disposable income. I remember that you guys put the new James Duff lift on a Ranger, driven by a younger man. I was wondering if you would like to put a James Duff lift on a Bronco II. In a way I'm begging for some help; if it is not possible to put a lift on my truck, then I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to lift it with my minimal budget and my lack of tools. I would be grateful for any help that you could offer me. Thank you for your time and your magazine. I look forward to it every month.
Zach Christensen
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: That was a good ploy, but since we just installed a James Duff lift on a Ranger (are you sure you aren't a plant for James Duff?), we'll decline to install one on yours. However, the whole purpose of this magazine is to help you with your 4x4 in some form or fashion, and we have done that by interesting you in our Cheap Truck Challenge. Look forward to more low-buck tips and trick for lifting all types of vehicles...even your Bronco II.