Shop Class
Vehicle: '72 GMC Jimmy
Owner: Ryan Fereday, Salt Lake City, UT
Tires & Wheels: 37-inch TrXus Mud Terrains on Helo Maxx 8 wheels
Suspension: Custom 7-inch using a mix of Pro Comp and Tuff Country parts, Pro Comp shocks
Drivetrain: 700R4, NP205, Dana 60 front, 14-bolt rear with a Detroit Locker
Performance Mods: 350ci, custom intake, Holley carburetor, Flowmaster exhaust
Other Doodads: BMW projector headlights
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Almost rolling in front of a crowd of people!
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, but not perfectly.
Anything you would change?: Cage, fuel injection, and a front locker
Anything to add?: Thanks to my auto shop teacher and friends for pushing me to get the truck on the trail.
The Don
Vehicle: '73 Dodge W-200 Power Wagon
Owner: Don Pritchett, Spokane, WA
Tires: 31x10.50 Wild Country
Suspension: Stock
Drivetrain: 727, NP203, Dana 44 front, Dana 60 rear
Performance Mods: 400ci
Other Doodads: CB radio and bucket seats
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes for now
Anything you would change?: Front and rear lockers
Thankful Bow tie
Vehicle: '01 Chevy 1500 Z71
Owner: Kyle Dickens, Houston, TX
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 Nitto Mud Grapplers on 17-inch Moto Metals
Suspension: 5-inch Pro Comp up front, 5-inch Superlift springs in the rear
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: K&N cold air intake, Hypertech programmer, Dynomax exhaust
Other Doodads: Ranch Hand rear bumper
Does everything work the way you want?: For the most part
Anything you would change?: 4.56 gear, rear locker, taller suspension
Anything to add?: I've read all the other 4x magazines and yours is by far the best! Thanks for the great work.
Garden Bomber
Vehicle: '95 Chevy 1500
Owner: Dillon Bomgardner, Torrington, WY
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 Dunlop Mud Rovers on 15x10 Eagle Alloys
Suspension: 6-inch Rancho
Drivetrain: 700R4, 14-bolt rear
Performance Mods: 5.7L, Hypertech chip, K&N intake, Flowmaster exhaust
Does everything work the way you want?: Everything works great!
Anything you would change?: A bigger engine and a stronger transmission would be nice
Ford Shocker
Vehicle: '94 Ford F-150
Owner: George A. Garcia, Angeles Camp, CA
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 Mud Kings on 15x10 Pro Comp wheels
Suspension: 6-inch Skyjacker
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: 351ci, K&N cold-air intake, Gibson exhaust
Other Doodads: 3-inch Performance Accessories body lift
Does everything work the way you want?: Not yet
Anything you would change?: The shocks that I have are not the correct ones for my lift and bottom out, so a new set is on order.
Anything to add?: I am currently stationed in Germany and look forward to getting back and wheeling my American Beast!
Front Line Wheeler
Vehicle: '00 Nissan Frontier
Owner: Charlie Sulcer, Kenmore, WA
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 BFG KM2s on 15-inch wheels
Suspension: Calmini D21 sold axle kit with Wagoneer front springs, 60-inch Chevy rear springs with three leaves removed
Drivetrain: Dana 44 front with a True Trac and Warn hubs, Factory rear with an ARB Air Locker
Performance Mods: Turn off the A/C to go up hills
Other Doodads: Custom bumpers, sliders, and skidplates, Warn winch, Hella lights, York onboard air, bobbed bed 8 inches
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Three-link front suspension and an Atlas
Tic Taco
Vehicle: '03 Toyota Tacoma TRD
Owner: Marc Wethington, ID
Tires & Wheels: 265/70/16 Nokian Vativa front, Goodyear Wrangler RT/S rear, stock wheels
Suspension: Bilstein shocks
Drivetrain: Factory E-locker in rear with grey wire mod
Performance Mods: 3.4L, K&N air filter, Magnaflow exhaust
Other Doodads: KC lights, custom push bar
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, for now
Anything you would change?: Long-travel suspension, front locker, lower transfer case gears, and a matching tire set
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 1,600 by 1,200 pixels (or two megapixels) and saved as a TIFF, EPS, or maximum-quality JPEG file. Write to: Readers' Rides, 4-Wheel & Off-Road, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245, fax 310.531.9368
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?