May 2008 4x4 Readers' Rides

Send us a picture of your ride if you've never done so. We keep a surplus of Readers' Rides submissions, but only one submission per person, and we love all off-road vehicles so send in your entries whether your rig is stock or not. Make sure each digital image is at least 1600 x 1200 pixels (or two megapixels) and saved as a TIFF, EPS, or maximum-quality JPEG file.
Write to:
Readers' Rides
4-Wheel & Off-Road
6420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515
fax 323.782.2704

E-mail to:
readersrides@4wheeloffroad.com

Vehicle (year, make, model)
Owner (name, city, state)
Tires & Wheels (size, make, model)
Suspension (lift, springs, shocks)
Drivetrain (tranny, transfer case, axles)
Performance (engine mods)
Other mods
Does it work the way you want?
Anything you would change?
Funniest Wheeling Incident
Anything to add?

Vehicle: '76 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40
Owner: Joe Noname, Somewhere, USA
Tires & Wheels: 39.5-inch Iroks on 17-inch bead locks
Suspension: Custom spring-over axle
Drivetrain: TH400, Atlas, Longfield shafts, ARB Air Lockers
Performance Mods: 5.7L, K&N intake
Other Doodads: Custom tube fenders
Anything you would change?: My name
Anything to add?: Soon to be four-linked in the rear plus hydraulic-assist steering

Vehicle: '99 Nissan Frontier
Owner: Mike Marrero, Deltona, FL
Tires: 315/75R16 BFG M-Ts
Suspension: Custom radius arms with 14-inch Fox coilovers, Nth Degree Gyro joints, 6-inch XJ rear springs, and MX-6 shocks
Drivetrain: TX10, high-pinion Dana 44 with Warn shafts and CTM U-joints, Rockcrusher 60 rear with 35-spline Dutchman shafts, ARB Air Lockers, 5.13 gears
Performance Mods: Stock
Other Doodads: Dual Warn winches, ARB front bumper, Can-Back, Shrockworks sliders
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Hearing a Jeep guy yell "If a dang Nissan can do it..."
Does Everything Work the way you want?: So far, really well, but there is always room for improvement
Anything you would change?: Master cylinder for improved braking

Vehicle: '72 Chevy C10
Owner: Will Gibbs, Carrolton, GA
Tires & Wheels: 42-inch TSLs on 15x10 steel
Suspension: Two-wheel to four-wheel-drive conversion netting 6 inches of lift
Drivetrain: SM465, NP205, Dana 60 front with Lock-Right and 35-spline outers, 14-bolt rear with Detroit Locker, 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 355ci, TBI, Edelbrock intake manifold, custom exhaust
Other Doodads: Hydraulic assist, crossover steering, custom flatbed, high-clearanced the rocker panels 4 inches and door bottoms 2 inches, Warn 9500
Does Everything Work the way you want?: It works great!
Anything you would change?: Add rear antiwrap bar, move front axle forward, and lose a little more sheetmetal
Anything to add?: Petersen's is my all-time favorite mag! (Ed.-Mine too.)

Vehicle: '70 Toyota FJ-55 Land Cruiser
Owner: Warren & Rebecca Prouty, Pleasanton, CA
Tires: 31x10.50
Suspension: 4-inch lift
Drivetrain: Stock
Other Doodads: Custom front and rear bumpers, 9,000-pound winch
Anything you would change?: New tires and bumpers
Anything to add?: Great wheeler with lots of roo

Vehicle: '02 Land Rover Range Rover
Owner: Gus Borjas, Miami, FL
Tires: 33x12.50 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws
Suspension: Rancho shocks with coils
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: 4.6L
Other Doodads: Ramsey winch, custom racks, skidplates
Does Everything Work the way you want?: Yes

Vehicle: '86 Suzuki Samurai
Owner: Paul Proctor, Bullhead, AZ
Tires & Wheels: 35-inch MT/Rs on 15x10 with 2.5 inches of backspacing
Suspension: 6-inch spring-over axle with 3-inch Deaver springs
Drivetrain: 6.1 transfer-case gears, 4.62 gears
Performance Mods: 1.3L, Weber carburetor, Pacesetter Header, 2-inch exhaust
Other Doodads: MileMarker winch, RRO bumpers, KC light, Calmini skidplates and axle guards
Does Everything Work the way you want?: Good, but moving up to 35-inch tires from 33-inch tires caused a whole lot of problems
Anything you would change?: Swap the1.3L to a 1.6L

Vehicle: '59 Chevy Apache
Owner: Gordy Scott, Portland, OR
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.50 BFG A-Ts on 15x8 Mickey Thompson Classic
Suspension: Custom solid-axle conversion and Monroe shocks
Drivetrain: TH400, Dana 44 front, 12-bolt rear
Performance Mods: '72 Chevy 350 LT1, Dart Iron Eagle heads, Edelbrock intake manifold and carburetor
Other Doodads: '99 1/2-ton frame, 25-gallon fuel tank, digital dash
Does Everything Work the way you want?: So far, so good
Anything you would change?: Nope, haven't discovered anything yet
Anything to add?: Immeasurable gratitude towards my dad, for without those tireless efforts and unlimited expertise, this truck would not have been

Vehicle: '70 Ford Bronco
Owner: Ken Bullock, Payson, UT
Tires: 33x12.50 MT/Rs
Suspension: 5.5-inch lift
Drivetrain: C4, Dana 20, Dana 44 front with Lock-Right, 9-inch rear with Detroit Locker, 4.11 gears
Performance Mods: 351ci bored 0.060 over, Holley Pro-Jection
Other Doodads: 2-inch body lift, Superior shafts, six-point cage
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Being stuck in the mud past the body line, then paying $300 to get popped out
Does Everything Work the way you want?: Yep