Reader: Every month I look forward to getting your magazine. It always has something that applies to me. Whether it is my Chevy truck and towing related or my homebuilt Cherokee, at least some part interests me. I was reading my most recent copy and noticed how many people complain. One guy complained that all you cover are Jeeps and Hummers. I want some of the crack that guy's smokin'! I decided to try to see things his way and looked for oddball wheelers. I found a straight-axle S-10, a fullsize truck, 'Yotas, Isuzus, Nissans, Fords, Jeeps, Chevys, Dodges, and my personal favorite, Jeepspeed Cherokee catching mad air. Do some folks have nothing better to do than write you guys and tell you how to do your job the way they want? Well I just want to say you're doing a hell of a job. Keep up the good work. Please continue building crazy high-dollar crap I'll never see. I like crazy stuff. The amount of engineering you go through inspires me to build myself a big-block 'Zuki. Please continue to cover brand-new trucks and crossovers I'll never care to afford. The only, and I mean only, thing I would like to see in your mag is the XRRA. That's neat! So, keep putting out a great mag and I'll keep forking out my 10 bucks every year without complaining.
Kris Mcleran
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Enough said. Thanks! Oh, and check out the coverage of XRRA racing next month!
Reader: I received my stuff a while ago, and I thank you for the decals and keychain from the paint contest you had for your Toyota. They were most appreciated. I was wondering, however, about the license plate I never received. If you ran out, what happens to our addressed envelopes with postage? Do they just get chucked away and then we have to resubmit them if you ever have that deal again? This is a waste of money and effort on the people who didn't get one. It is kind of upsetting to follow the instructions of my favorite magazine and then not get a plate that I can proudly display. I realize it was a first come, first serve thing, but what about all of us whose mail takes longer to get to California? We get the shaft, since it will be less likely that ours will be part of the first come, first serve thing. I guess I was just really looking forward to getting a plate and am disappointed that I haven't got one.
Brian Wendt
Manitowoc, WI
Editor: Brian, believe it or not, we sent a plate out to everyone who followed the directions, and even some that couldn't. The limited offer instructed readers to enclose a certain size self-addressed stamped envelope with the proper postage on it. Some people sent dollar bills and no envelope to us, some forgot to write their address on the inner envelope, and some even enclosed a couple of quarters! Add the fact that the post office doesn't always deliver the mail you send and that some people couldn't even get enough postage on the first letter, and you see what we had to deal with. We're sorry you didn't get a plate, but if you send us a great photo of you and the magazine in an awesome place for Coolest Reading Places, we'll try and get you a plate.
Reader: This is in regards to "Seatbelt Etiquette" from Bob Greene (In Box, Dec. '07). I have a '48 Jeep Willys, completely stock sans a new Solex carb. I just wanted to note that perhaps seatbelts can be a dangerous thing. I fold my windscreen down when I wheel, so if I flip over (hasn't happened yet), it won't shatter and impale me. But without a rollcage, the top of the Jeep only comes up to the bottom of my ribs. So if I have a belt on and I'm stuck in it and it goes bottom-up, I'm getting broken in half. So I take it off when I wheel, so hopefully I'll get flung free if something were to happen. Which I think would agree with Texas law if the cops stopped me at the lake. For a pre-'60s vehicle to pass state inspection, seatbelts aren't required unless they came from the factory with stock attachment points for belts. Which leads me to my question: Did the Jeep Willys come with seatbelts originally? It kind of looks like the guy just drilled holes and bolted them on, but that could be original. I can't find blueprints or answers online anywhere. Any help would be appreciated! I'll send pix when I get back to the States.
Amy Hertel
Southwest Asia
Editor: The photo in question seems to show a Scout II with factory seatbelts. However, on a flatfender it's easy enough to drill a hole for a seatbelt mount, since they weren't factory. Mine's kept me inside for over 30 different rolls and flops. However, almost any law enforcement officer, coroner, or experienced off-roader knows that the lack of a belt won't save you except in the far-freakish circumstance. The odds are that the vehicle will roll over you after you've been flung out, and kill you in the process. I've personally had a belt mount break during a violent roll, and I wasn't flung out. In fact, if I didn't have the cage to protect me and a bit of common sense, I wouldn't be here right now. My first roll was off a 30-foot cliff, in a flatty, without a cage, but with seatbelts and the windshield up. If not for that windshield, I would've been splattered right there and then as I laid upside down in the dirt. Conversely, yes, I have taken my belt off when I was on a barren, windswept goat trail high in the mountains (don't ask where), but I was also on the uphill side, idling dead slow and praying at the same time, since the angle was about 45 degrees with a 1,280-foot sure drop to death if I even flinched. Looking back, I'm not sure there was anything to grab onto if I had made it out of the Jeep! My advice? Install a rollbar and cage, and be safe.