June 2009 Readers 4x4 Trucks - Readers' Rides

Submission Information
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

Email 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?

Hi Layover
Vehicle: '81 Jeep CJ-8
Owner: Jason Carson, Honolulu, HI
Tires: 33x12.50 Pro Comp Mud-Terrains
Suspension: 4.5-inch Rubicon Express
Drivetrain: TF999, Dana 300, Dana 30 front with an Aussie Locker, Model 20 rear with a Detroit Locker and one-piece shaft conversion
Performance mods: Weber carburetor, custom exhaust and radiator
Other doodads: Rock Hard 'cage, custom bumpers, Superwinch, PS sliders, dual batteries
Funniest Wheeling incident: Flopping it on its side 10 feet from the road after taking this picture!
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Axles, gears, and 35-inch tires
Anything to add?: Thanks for a great magazine and wide variety of topics

No Bert
Vehicle: '96 GMC Jimmy
Owner: Ernie Schwalm
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.50 Pro Comp All-Terrains on 15x8
Suspension: Custom 6-inch via a solid-axle conversion
Drivetrain: Dana 44 front, 9-inch rear, 3.73 gears
Performance mods: Cold-air intake
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: V-8 swap

Crazy Ram
Vehicle: '01 Dodge Ram 1500
Owner: Tom Stack, Stevens Point, WI
Tires & Wheels: 315x75-16 BFG A-Ts on 16-inch American Racing Outlaw IIs
Suspension: Daystar 2-inch spacers, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance mods: Hypertech Programmer, K&N intake
Other doodads: Optima YellowTop
Does everything work the way you want?: Pretty much
Anything you would change?: Beef up the steering, add a front locker and a winch
Anything to add?: Most Jeepers think I'm crazy for taking it wheeling!

Tomball Tom
Vehicle: '01 Jeep Cherokee
Owner: Jay Tompkins, Tomball, TX
Tires & Wheels: 36x13.50 Iroks on 16.5 recentered H1
Suspension: Rock Krawler long-arm kit with Rubicon Express springs, Teraflex shocks
Drivetrain: AW4, Atlas four-speed, Dana 44 front with chromoly shafts, Ford 8.8 rear, ARB Air Lockers, 4.88 gears
Performance mods: I-6, cold-air intake
Other doodads: TNT sliders and bumpers, MileMarker winch, PSC hydraulic assist, Tom Woods Drive Shafts
Does everything work the way you want?: Absolutely
Anything you would change?: Not a thing

Dog Tired
Vehicle: '74 Ford F-250
Owner: Tyson Nielsen, Huntington, UT
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 BFG A-Ts on 16-inch
Suspension: Custom
Drivetrain: Dana 60 axles
Performance mods: 390ci
Funniest Wheeling incident: While running my puppy for the first time I paid more attention to him in my rearview mirror than I did the road and ended up driving into a ditch!
Does everything work the way you want?: Sure does
Anything you would change?: Swap in a 460ci
Anything to add?: Somehow I manage to keep it running, barely. I guess that's something me and Mr.Pw have in common!

Elbe Season
Vehicle: '81 Toyota Longbed
Owner: Chad Averill, Yelm, WA
Tires & Wheels: 37-inch Pit Bull Rockers on Bobby Long beadlocks
Suspension: 4-inch front springs, 63-inch Chevy 1/2-ton rear springs
Drivetrain: 4.7:1 transfer-case setup, 30-spline axles, ARB Air Locker front, spooled rear, 5.29 gears
Performance mods: 22RE
Other doodads: Custom bodywork
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Getting ready to swap in a new 3.4L
Anything to add?: I'd like to see next year's Ultimate Adventure pass through the Elbe OHV trails!

Con's Path
Vehicle: '94 Nissan Pathfinder SE
Owner: Mike Conard, Bonney Lake, WA
Tires & Wheels: 31x12.50 Pro Comp Mud-Terrains on 15-inch American Racing
Suspension: Sway-A-Way torsion bars, Rough Country control arms, Rancho shocks in the front, stock '96 Jeep Grand Cherokee V-8 front coil springs with Gabriel Hi-Jacker air shocks in the rear
Drivetrain: Rear Lock-Right
Performance mods: K&N filter, Flowmaster 40-series muffler
Other doodads: 3-inch body lift
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Bigger tires, bumper, and winch

Good Green
Vehicle: '77 Ford F-150
Owner: Ed & Sue Knight, Ann Arbor, MI
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.50 BFG A-Ts on 15x10 Xtreme Alloy
Suspension: 3-inch Rancho, Bilstein shocks
Drivetrain: C6, Dana 44 front with a Detroit Locker, 9-inch rear with a spool, 4.10 gears
Performance mods: 466ci, MSD ignition, 200hp shot of Nitrous
Funniest Wheeling incident: Getting stuck in what I thought was a small water hole, which turned out to be the deep abyss
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes

4xDose
Vehicle: '98 Dodge Ram 1500
Owner: Stefan Brownell, Ithaca, NY
Tires & Wheels: 35-inch MT/Rs on 16x8 BBS
Suspension: 5-inch
Drivetrain: Dana 44 front, 9 1/4 rear
Performance mods: 5.9L, Hypertech programmer, Turbo City intake, custom exhaust
Other doodads: ARB front bumper, MileMarker 12K winch, dual batteries, diff guards, onboard air
Funniest Wheeling incident: Winching out a stuck backhoe while strapped to a tree
Does everything work the way you want?: 98 percent of the time
Anything you would change?: Lockers and a diesel!
Anything to add?: This build was inspired by the 4xQuad Dodge Dakota built by you guys so many years ago

Extra Fuel
Vehicle: '01 Ford Excursion
Owner: Ron & Lisa Beatty, Farmington Hills, MI
Tires & Wheels: 35-inch Toyo Mud-Terrains on MB Razor
Suspension: 6-inch Superlift, Bilstein shocks, custom track-bar setup
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance mods: 6.8L, Hypertech Programmer, K&N intake, custom throttle-body spacer, Flowmaster exhaust
Other doodads: Custom fold-down spare-tire carrier, Rhino-lined doors, 135-dB airhorns
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Lockers, more lift, and a Whipple supercharger
Anything to add?: Need more money for gas!

Pickup lines
Vehicle: '03 Chevy Trailblazer
Owner: Ryan Vohs, South Bend, IN
Tires & Wheels: 285/75/16 MTZs
Suspension: 2-inch BDS
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance mods: Cold-air intake and a custom exhaust
Other doodads: 2-inch body lift
Funniest Wheeling incident: I got stuck in two-wheel drive after my frontend didn't engage, and then I got pulled out by a hot chick in a Wrangler...twice!
Does everything work the way you want?: All the time
Anything you would change?: Needs more lift and 4.56 gears

Brooklyn San
Vehicle: '01 Nissan Xterra
Owner: Thomas Kurahara, Brooklyn, NY
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.50 BFG M-Ts on 15x8 steel wheels
Suspension: 3-inch Spencer Low Racing front, Bandit 4x4 rear springs, Bilstein shocks
Drivetrain: Rear ARB Air Locker
Performance mods: Volant intake, Safari Snorkel
Other doodads: 2-inch body lift, SLR steering, Skid Row skidplates, ShrockWorks sliders and bumpers, Warn winch, Hi-Lift
Does everything work the way you want?: So far so good
Anything you would change?: Get the right bumper brackets to match my body lift.

Drive by Will
Vehicle: '01 Chevy 1500
Owner: Kirk Williams, Douglasville, GA
Tires & Wheels: 39.5x13.50 Iroks on stock 16-inch wheels
Suspension: 6-inch Rough Country
Drivetrain: NV3500, NV261, 5.13 gears
Performance mods: 4.3L, K&N intake, Flowmaster exhaust
Other doodads: 3-inch body lift
Does everything work the way you want?: Pretty much
Anything you would change?: Currently collecting parts for a solid-axle swap using a Dana 60 and 14-bolt axle combo
Anything to add?: I've done all the work myself in my driveway

Open Hood
Vehicle: '03 Jeep Liberty
Owner: Taylor Hood, Orange Beach, AL
Tires: 265/75/16 Green Diamond Icelanders
Suspension: 3-inch Old Man Emu, Jeepin' by Al upper A-arms, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: Rear Detroit Locker
Performance mods: Air intake
Other doodads: ARB front bumper, custom sliders, Spidertrax wheel spacers, Skid Row skidplates, onboard air, Warn winch
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Straight-axle swap and a 4:1 transfer case
Anything to add?: This is how Jeep should build them from the factory!