Reader Rant
No Nimrods?
Reader: This is in response to Rob Bukacek's "Questionable Photos" letter in the In Box section of your June '09 issue. (Please read the following letter with humor, as that is the intention!)
I take exception to the derogatory usage of nimrod in this article. The real definition is a Biblical term meaning "mighty hunter, outdoorsman." This happens to be our school mascot! I am a Nimrod, my kids are Nimrods, and my wife teaches Nimrods! My oldest boy is in Afghanistan, so there is even a Nimrod in Afghanistan!
I just want to let you guys know what real Nimrods drive and do. The enclosed pictures are of our property that we take great care of. The snow and ice have just left, and although we do not have rock trails or big mud pits, we do have muddy logging trails for duck and grouse hunting or just plain four-wheeling with their cousins and friends. Nylon tow straps are essential!
Both jeeps were basket cases. The blue Jeep my son put together two years ago, and the green Jeep I put together 18 years ago. This is the first vehicle all of my children learned to drive! All of them have managed to put their mark on it. From bent fenders, broke windshield, bent bumpers, to missing tail lights, we have something "wrong" all the time.
One son is working on another CJ2A, while another is working on a '54 Jeep pickup. I chuckle to myself when I see bumper stickers on some brand-new Jeeps: "It's a Jeep Thing". I don't think those guys have any idea what a real Jeep is, much less have worked on one!
George A. Zelinski
Watersmeet, MI
Editor: Those are a bunch of good-looking Jeeps, and thanks for the correction, Nimrod. If we make it to the U.P. this year, we might look you up!
Stupid Duty
Reader: I've been following the Ultimate Super Duty throughout its career at 4-Wheel & Off-Road. It's one of my favorite vehicles that y'all have ever built. It even inspired me to build my own M1008 CUCV with 46-inch XMLs.
My suggestions:
(1) I hate to see the 395/85R20 XMLs go, but I understand how bad they suck off road. I hope you can find another cool and somewhat unique tire to use on this truck. Hint hint...please not another 40-inch Krawler. I love Krawlers, but I'm a little bored with them.
(2) I've followed the axle drama over the years, and it sure would be cool to implement the "new" super 60 and 80 axles you have showcased in over the last few months.
(3) As much as I like the look of the factory bed, if I understand the purpose of this truck correctly, a semicustom flat bed would be ideal. It would be higher clearance, make for easier storage, and make it easier for short people or old men to access the bed. (I'm not throwing around any names, but you know who you are.)
(4) Please don't chop up the wheelbase.
(5) Please keep it simple enough that the average guy could at least dream of the possibility of duplicating your build.
(6) Great choice in using ORD as a building crew. I have a lot of respect for those guys. They have been very good to me over the years. Please tell Stephen that I finally sold the front axle containing the first set of Superior D60 axles to come through his shop.
Bill Daugherty
Via email
Editor: Hey, you been spying on us? Check out page 78 in this issue for more info.
Wrong Song?
Reader: In regard to "EZ Install Chevy Lift" (July '09), the proper Hank Williams Jr. song quote is: "I got a shotgun, rifle, and a four-wheel drive... a country boy can survive." Did you change it on purpose? If so, I see the dog. Where's the rifle?
Marc Barilla
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Well, since we live in California the last thing we need is for anyone to see a rifle or shotgun in the back-window gunrack. Unfortunately this isn't Wyoming or Montana. Trust us, we know where the rifle is. And we also know the words weren't the same as the song. Our apologies to Hank.
Waste not, want not
Reader: Hey, I just got the July issue in the mail and read in the In Box that y'all are sending the Turtle to the crusher. I understand why. One question: Are y'all going to take off all of those heavy-duty parts that y'all put on it? It would be a shame to waste all those big axles, the winch bumper, and everything else you put on it.
You only need a forklift to put it in the crusher.
William Richardson
from where?
Editor: We are salvaging whatever is left of the poor beast, and Toyota gets the rest for its techs to tinker on before it becomes tin trinkets. Oh, and we do have a forklift lined up too, with all the parts already spoken for. Good try!
Bolt-Ons
Reader: I have one simple question. In your seemingly endless knowledge of all things four-wheel drive, do you think a 4x4 built with store-bought bolt-ons is better/more capable than a homegrown, redneck-engineered, blood-sweat-and-gears rig? In my humble opinion, it's all about what you build, not what you buy! Build it, break it, rebuild it stronger!
Tracy Smith
Vancouver, WA
Editor: My favorite shirt from Moab this year said it all: "You can't bolt on experience."