November 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?

Simple Mini
Vehicle: '91 Toyota
Owner: Luis Otero, Albuquerque, NM
Tires & Wheels: 31-inch MTRs on 15x10 Eagle alloys
Suspension: Stock
Drivetrain: Aisin hubs, rear Detroit Locker
Performance Mods: 3.0L
Other Doodads: Bed bobbed 11 inches
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Straight-axle conversion in the works

Game Saver
Vehicle: '02 Isuzu Trooper
Owner: Steve Sellers, Murphy, TX
Tires & Wheels: 33x10.50 BFG M-Ts on 15-inch Rock Crawlers
Suspension: Old Man Emu coils with a 2-inch spacer, Calmini torsion bars, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: Aisin hubs
Performance Mods: 3.5L
Other Doodads: ARB front bumper, Independent 4x rear bumper, HD tie rods and links, FDM sliders
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Pulling out a game warden after she had slid her truck into the ditch!
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Wish Isuzu would have put a Dana 44 solid-axle up front from the factory

Power Ball
Vehicle: '89 Dodge Power Ram
Owner: Cley Sametts, Martensville, Saskatchewan, Canada
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 Marshall Mud Terrains on 15x10 steel
Suspension: 4-inch Rancho springs, rear shackle flip, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: 727, NP241, Dana 60 axles, 4.11 gears
Performance Mods: 318ci, headers, dual exhaust, K&N filter
Other Doodads: Custom bumper
Funniest Wheeling Incident: I got stuck in 4 feet of snow in a back alley less than 250 feet from my house. I had to get my wife to pull me out in her '03 Ram, and I am still hearing about it!
Does everything work the way you want?: Almost
Anything to add?: I love the magazine! Long live the fullsize rig!

Grand Go
Vehicle: '97 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Owner: Richard Ting, Pasadena, CA
Tires & Wheels: 35-inch MTRs on 15-inch Allied beadlocks
Suspension: 6 1/2-inch lift via a Rubicon Express long-arm kit and Acos coil spacers, Pro Comp shocks
Drivetrain: NP231, Dynatrac 44 front, ProRock 60 rear, ARB Air Lockers, 4.88 gears
Performance Mods: 5.2L, K&N air filter, Flowmaster muffler
Other Doodads: ARB front bumper; Warn winch; Kevin's Off Road rear bumper with tire carrier, sliders, transfer case skid, and roof rack; 4x Doctor custom high steer
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Currie Rock Jock 60 front axle and 37s

Rough Ram
Vehicle: '06 Dodge Ram 2500
Owner: Matt Bartz, Cape Cod, MD
Tires & Wheels: 37x13.50 Baja Claws on 17x9 Ultra Makos
Suspension: 6-inch Superlift
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: 5.7L Hemi, K&N intake, 40-series Flowmaster muffler
Other Doodads: Onboard air, L&L traction bars, Bushwacker flares, Herculiner on lower body panels
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, but it's a rough ride for a newer truck
Anything you would change?: Higher numerical gears to help with the fuel economy and power; a programmer; headers; a front locker

Ontario Bro
Vehicle: '84 Ford Bronco
Owner: Blair Matheson, Buford, Ontario, Canada
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.50 Interco STSs on 15-inch wheels
Suspension: 4-inch Rancho
Drivetrain: C-6, NP208, TTB Dana 44 front, 8.8-inch rear
Performance Mods: 302ci, Edelbrock intake and carburetor, MagnaFlow exhaust
Other Doodads: LMC seat covers
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Dana 44 straight-axle conversion, lockers, 35s

Date Runner
Vehicle: '95 Toyota 4Runner
Owner: Dominic Geraci, Naperville, IL
Tires & Wheels: 33x10.50 BFG M-Ts on stock wheels
Suspension: Downey torsion bars and 1 1/2-inch springs, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: K&N intake, custom exhaust
Other Doodads: TJM front bumper, Warn winch, KMA rear bumper
Does everything work the way you want?: For a college student with limited funds, it works great
Anything you would change?: Solid-axle swap and a Lexus 1UZ Anything to add?: I still have magazines that date back to 1994 when I was only seven!

OKJ
Vehicle: '02 Jeep Liberty
Owner: Tammy Meyers
Tires: 245/75/16 MTRs
Suspension: 2.5-inch Rusty's Off Road
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: Stock
Other Doodads: Rusty's Off Road skids, diff guard, and rock sliders
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: ARB front bumper, more lift, bigger tires, lockers

Hart-Felt
Vehicle: '90 Jeep Wrangler
Owner: Chris Hart, Sacramento, CA
Tires: 37x12.50 SSRs
Suspension: Spring-over axle via Rancho springs, Bilstein shocks
Drivetrain: 3:8 Atlas II, Dana 44 front with an ARB Air Locker, 14-bolt rear
Performance Mods: 5.7L, LS1, Sanderson headers, Z06 intake
Other Doodads: Custom cage
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Four-link suspension Anything to add?: I've been a subscriber now for nine years, and I love every minute of it!

Bennett Good
Vehicle: '66 GMC 3/4-ton
Owner: Ron & Laurie Bennett, Evart, MI
Tires & Wheels: 39-inch Boggers on 15-inch Allied beadlocks
Suspension: 12-inch Rough Country springs, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: TH400, NP205, Dana 60 front, 14-bolt rear, Detroit Lockers, 5.13 gears
Performance Mods: 454ci, Edelbrock intake, Demon carburetor, MSD ignition, Flowmaster exhaust
Other Doodads: Custom traction bars
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Crossover steering in the works

Total T
Vehicle: '93 Toyota Mini Truck
Owner: Justin Connet, Tabernacle, NJ
Tires & Wheels: 37x13 Boggers on 15x10 Pro Comp wheels
Suspension: Custom 5-inch
Drivetrain: W-56, '85 Toyota front axle with a high-pinion third member, Aussie lockers, 5.29 gears
Performance Mods: 2.5-inch Magnaflow exhaust
Other Doodads: Safari Snorkel, roof rack, custom tire carrier, ECM relocated
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, but it will never be done.
Anything you would change?: 4.7:1 transfer case setup
Anything to add?: The truck was totaled in an accident in 2007 and I brought it back from the dead