Submission information
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 Due to the large volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot reply to unpublished letters or return photos.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
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4wheeloffroad@primedia.com
Captain Obvious wasn't
Reader: I think we should be careful of how we refer to those who, whether we like it or not, are in positions of authority over us. In your (Quote/Unquote section (Drivelines, Jan. '06), President Bush is referred to as "Captain Obvious." Now I know this is a fairly commonly used expression and believe that you have respect for the President, only printing this in good fun. However, the expression is very sarcastic and whether we fully agree or disagree with what the President is doing for our country, if his statement is not immoral in any way, I think that we should be careful how we refer to him. I like to think that we four-wheelers are, for the most part, a good bunch and hope that we can maintain that position in the view of others. However, I think that you guys do a great job with the magazine and I love reading it. I just think that we should all be careful.
J Trimble Mabray Jr.
Lynchburg, VA
Editor: Good point, as it was done in fun, since the quote was "Don't buy gasoline if you don't need it." Seemed pretty obvious to us too, as we can't afford to buy it, and can't afford not to go to work. However, another reader was a bit more antagonistic.
Reader: As a supporter of President Bush, your Quote/Unquote episode is really childish. Evidently you don't realize that the bashing of Bush sounds just like all your other liberal media friends, and I will not renew my subscription when it is due. I realize that the loss of one subscription is no big deal to you, but I will never even pick up your mag again. I will file it under liberal media. Besides, I notice that unless you own a Jeep, Dodge, or Chevy, you don't seem to have too much time for anyone else. Well, have a nice life and I hope you get two flat tires in a heavy rainstorm on your way home.
Name withheld
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: And we're really childish? Oh, come on. We are about as far away from the liberal media as it gets. Make sure you read the whole magazine before you go on your next rant. You might be surprised.
How to get your event covered
Reader: I would like you guys to cover our fourth annual National Scrambler Event in Moab June 22-26. How can I get y'all to cover it?
Scott Mine
New Iberia, LA
Editor: Nothing personal, but we get tons of requests like this a day. Here's how to make your event stand out amid the other requests. First, give us all the information on the first e-mail, the who, what, when, and where. In this case we assume it's the Scramblers Owners Association www.cj-8.org, but we couldn't find anything on the site. A Web site always works well, especially if we can see some great action photos of what's happened before on these events. We also work well over three months ahead of time on our mag and travel schedules, so letting us know early is paramount. For instance, I'm writing this reply just before Thanksgiving, and you won't read it in print until about the middle of March. And yes, our travel schedule right now has us booked through the end of February, and more getting added every day. You did include your phone number (which we didn't print) but e-mail works far better, since we spend so much time in front of this silver-screened devil. Drop us another line with photos (and not the 2 meg ones that take way too long to open up) and we'll see what we can do.
Cheap Truck Challenge guy
Reader: I am a fullsize truck kind of guy, and had my first buildup in your Readers' Rides column back in 2001. It was a simple Chevy Suburban build, a 350/350 combo with a 203 transfer case, a 14-bolt rear, 44 front with 35s, and a 7-inch lift. I had a great time with it for the last four or five years. I realized that I did most of my wheelin' in the dark, sloppy Azusa mud in SoCal, and for the most part I usually just sank the big Sub. I am a big fan of doing most of the work myself, which is why I love the Cheap Truck Challenge series.
I recently acquired a '63 International Scout, minus the drivetrain and seats. The reason I am writing is because I wanted to try the CTC. The Scout itself was free, and then I picked up a 14-bolt and a Dana 60 for $1,300. I already have a TH700R/454 combo, and recently picked up an NP205 case for $200. I traded some old parts that I had for some 16.5x44-inch Boggers and rims, so can you see where this is going? Yes, you're right, I'm already at the $1,500 limit and have not even started putting it together. What do you guys suggest? I would like to some day be able to say that my Scout has graced the pages of your awesome magazine. Keep up the great work, guys. I love the mud.
Ralph Galindo
Otterbox Products
Editor: Cheap Truck Challenge is what it says, a challenge. But that shouldn't prevent you from joining us even if you go a bit over budget. We've all succumbed to that. We started the Challenge to show that real wheelers can have fun on the cheap and don't have to have a megabuck wallet-job with no inkling of how to build or fix it. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it sounds like you have some beefy parts to build the Scout, so how about selling the stuff that you don't need anymore to offset what you have already paid out? Do some creative trading and who knows, you might even make money on the deal.