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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 Due to the large volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot reply to unpublished letters or return photos.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.
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4-Wheel & Off-Road
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Fun Buggy Building
Reader: I am curious about the latest status of Project Fun Buggy. This build really has me intrigued as it is something I have always wanted to do. Right now I am a third-year mechanical engineering student but started as a machinist in high school. I will be building a buggy as soon as I have a garage. I have been looking for books about how to figure out the geometry of a four-link suspension. Do you know of any? How did you figure it out for Fun Buggy? I was also wondering if you could send me your solid works file.
Matt
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: The Fun Buggy seems to be continuing at a seemingly slow pace, but in actuality it is moving along nicely. The coverage over the last three years has given all the info on the build, but unfortunately we do not have an index. Keep reading and we'll plan to put together a synopsis at the end of the build with all of the info you need. Plus check out our Web site for the complete story.
Aussie Tires
Reader: I was reading the latest issue showing the off-road rigs in Australia. In one of the captions it described some of the tires they were using called Simex. The writer stated he would like to get a hold of some of these extreme tires to try in the states. Have no fear, they are already here. I googled Simex tires, and lo and behold, it had photos of a Land Rover in Colorado showing off the tires. There were also links to tire stores here in the U.S. where you could purchase them. Simex is mostly an American company and most of what they sell are big construction rig and airport vehicle tires. But, they are now making those off-road tires as well. Check it out and let us readers know. See ya.
Ronald Moore
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Thanks. We hope to do that for you as soon as we can.
What We Really Think
Reader: I don't usually write in but I felt compelled to say a few things. I just wanted to say that in my opinion the UAJK is a large, overbearing, overly complicated, over-the-top, utterly unnecessary, complex, overbudget, and unattainable rig...and I also wanted to say that I love it! The fact that you looked at that JK and said "I wonder if I could..." embodies the heart and soul of the jackstand build-it-next-to-mom's-old-furniture garage wheeler. The average garage wheeler looks at that rig and says the same thing, only you were able to use the wonders of media resources to do it. So props to the guy who finds a junked XJ body and sees a unibody tube buggy, or sees a bedless two-wheel-drive 'Yota in someone's backyard and scrounges the money to tow it home. Thanks for keeping it real. Let me know when you send the Ultimate Adventure my way. I'd be glad to come out and share a day in the dirt with ya'.
Doug Silvera
Kingston, TN
Editor: Thanks. That's the attitude we hoped would be garnered by the UAJK. Keep reading!
S-10 Rehash
Reader: I'm a Canadian off-road addict. I fell off my chair in spasms when you published the article "Cheap Little Boxes" (July '07), because I had just acquired an '89 S-10 4x4 Blazer two-door with a 4.3L V-6. It's great that you've thrown a bone out to us guys who buy pre-'90s boxes and build them for stout trail performance; not everyone can build up the newer crap on the market. You mentioned in the article that you could "probably fit 33s." Well, I want to tell all the S-10 guys that it's not quite true. Even with liberal zip-cut action and offset wheels, the most to hope for is 32/11.5s. I tried on 33s but the cab corners stop you from turning with anything bigger than 31-inchers (stock height torsion cranked). If you're not afraid of a sledgehammer, after you zip off a couple pounds of excess fender you can "persuade" the extra 3 inches of clearance. Be careful if you have a stick because afterwards the floor is a lot closer to the clutch end stroke. I just wanted to share my experiences, as I know it will help because my "Blaze" is an epic success.
Jonny c.
Wheelin' north of sixty in Yukon.
Editor: Thanks. We enjoy making other wheelers aware of what's available. Send us a photo of your Blazer to readersrides@4wheeloffroad.com.