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 Due to the large volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot reply to unpublished letters or return photos.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
420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515
fax 323.782.2704
E-mail to:
4wheeloffroad@primedia.com
What Month Is It?
Reader: This might be a stupid question. I have always wondered why magazines release with a date months in the future. I just got your October 2006 issue. It's August 1! Wouldn't it be easier to just call it the August issue? Great magazine though. You guys have helped me with a number of ideas for my rig. Thanks.
Scott Stephens
DeForest, WI
Editor: The original idea of pushing a cover date forward was to get a jump on the competition: "I have my April issue out in March, while they only have theirs out in March." Then the competition moves their date forward, and we move ours, and no, it really doesn't make any sense in reality. Also, it doesn't take three months to get magazines out like it does ours. I think Newsweek would have to change its name if it came out three months after the fact. But this is the system we're stuck with, and it won't be changing anytime soon. By the way, I'm writing this in the middle of September for the January issue, which will be on sale November 7. Go figure.
Junkyard Tranny Swap
Reader: I am writing in regards to your story "Aisin the Hole" (June '06). I did the AX15 conversion to my '87 Comanche about two years ago. In regards to the tranny mounts, if you unbolt the mount from the crossmember and flip it over, it will fit perfectly. My AX15 came out of a '91 Cherokee. They were both 4.0 Jeeps so I didn't have to modify one thing. I got the tranny for $100 from a pull-it-yourself junkyard. It was the best thing I have ever done for my Comanche. Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Andrew Davidson
St. Louis, MO
Editor: Thanks for the information. We had a lot of interest in that story, and many more readers are attempting to do their projects now as well.
Editor Pw's Birthday
Reader: Hey man, just read about your big 5-Oh. I hope it was a birthday with a full tank of gas and nothin' but dirt in front of the Warn. Hope your flex-fan-inspired centrifugal balance weight from Moab worked on your driveline too. I just wanted to let you guys know that there are still a few of us non-whiners left in the world. I don't care what brand of paddle grinders you use on your VehiCross, I don't care that there's not a monthly full feature article on my FJ40 , I don't care about diesels or stereos or what kind of marine grease you lube your bearings with. All I care about is wheeling in the most beautiful places in America, and reading articles that teach me to do it better. I wonder if these guys just write in to feel smug. "I noticed on page 45 you say to tighten the bolt to 35 lb-ft, but I can tell by the markings on the bolt head that it is a metric bolt, which should be tightened to Newton/meters and I am a big stupid jerk so you should give me a license plate, wah wah wahhhh." I say a big dab of yellow death right on their fat mouths, and top their ice cream with used gear oil. You guys rock! Keep doing what you do and let all those other guys eat Midol!
Marc Martinez, Shelley, and Josh
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Mark, you were the only reader to send me a birthday greeting, so thanks for making sure I wasn't going to whine either!
What Happened to my Plates and Gift?
Reader: Hey, what's up? I will be brief. I am a subscriber to 4WOR plus others. You have surpassed Four Wheeler. I love your mag. Two questions. Quite a while ago I received an issue with a blank picture of your new UA FJ (Ultimate Adventure FJ Cruiser, July '06). The article said that everyone that submitted a colored-in picture would receive a small gift...either from Toyota or 4WOR. Any updates on the gifts? Plus, I was wondering about the highly prized 4WOR license plates. I mailed in the necessary stamped envelope (4xForward, Sept. '06). Any updates on that? Thank you in advance.
Larry Specht
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: So here's the deal. Demand for both the gift for the FJ paint job offer and the 4WOR license plates offer far exceeded the supply, and we have been overrun with requests. Not only that, we are doing all of the letter opening, sorting, stuffing, and mailing ourselves. With more than 2,000 requests each it's been an enormous job, and we have sent many gifts and plates out. We'll keep sending them as long as we're able, so hang in there!