Sometimes just backing out of your driveway can be a little tricky!

Jeremiah Lequia
via 4wheeloffroad.com

Q-jets are great carbs but they don't last forever. Luckily JET Performance has two new rebuild kits for Quadrajet carburetors. Both kits include a complete needle and seat assembly, an accelerator pump, a fuel filter gasket, choke seals, a body-to-base gasket, an air horn gasket, a carburetor-to-intake gasket, and an air cleaner gasket. By replacing old seals and worn-out parts, you'll find lost power and be back wheeling in no time.

Information: JET Performance, 800.535.1161, www.jetchip.com

Our Signature Event For This Magazine Is Called The Ultimate Adventure. Unless you have been living under a rock or are relatively new to this magazine, it's the trip of a lifetime for a few lucky readers who apply, sponsors, and your humble 4WOR staff. Since its inception in the last century, the past eight years have seen our ever-changing group travel Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, then California, Oregon, Washington, and Canada, followed by Utah and Colorado. The Southern Tour of North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas was followed by a cruise up the heartland through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The next year we travelled to Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. After that, we travelled to Nevada, Utah, and Idaho. Last year's trip was entirely in the monster state of Texas, and this year's trip promises to be even better.

Q I have a '79 F-250 with a 400M engine and four-speed manual transmission. The truck is lifted and has 36-inch Iroks and lockers front and rear. My problem is I burned the stock clutch up, so I put in what I was told was a better clutch and wrecked that in a couple months. Am I burning up clutches because these tires are too much for it, or do I just need the best clutch I can find?

Scott
via nuts@4wheeloffroad.com

A Have you changed the axle gears to deal with the bigger tires? Or are you shifting gears a lot when the clutch is under water and mud? If it came apart that quickly I would say it was either severely abused or a bunk part to start with (or both). I would make sure you're running low gears like 4.56 to 5.13s to help the clutch. Try not to let a bunch of mud and slop get between the clutch and the flywheel by sealing up the bellhousing and only shifting when the bellhousing is above the mud line, and get yourself a good parts store replacement. I would go to the local parts store and get the stock replacement; dunking a high-dollar clutch in the mud isn't going to get a long life out of it, so you might as well run one that doesn't break the bank if you need to replace it every 12 to 24 months from severe mud use. And remember that even breaking in a new clutch with 200 to 300 miles of moderate use is difficult to do. It will still help the clutch live longer.

Vehicle: '75 Ford Bronco Owner: David Weisser, Hanford, CA
Tires & Wheels: 37-inch MT/Rs on Mickey Thompsons with Champion bead locks
Suspension: 4-inch with James Duff shocks
Drivetrain: C4, Cold Duck transfer-case kit, Currie 9-inch with Detroit Locker, Dana 44 with ARB Air Locker, 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 5.0L
Other Doodads:York onboard air, Warn winch, custom bumpers, sliders, and rollcage
Funniest wheeling incident: Falling through an ice bridge during a snow wheeling trip
Does everything work the way you want?: Almost. The Cold Duck transfer-case setup hangs down too low because of the clocking kit, and causes me to get hung up on my skidplate occasionally
Anything you would change?: Longer wheelbase and Atlas 2

The final day of Ultimate Adventure 2008 was also the final trail day. After a grueling 650 mile road day we arrived at the final location of UA08. And let me tell you, it was worth the wait! The whole town turned out to welcome us and watch our little group wheel. The terrain was awesome and the trails gnarly! I can't wait to get back there and explore some more!

Six days into Ultimate Adventure 2008 we headed off the pavement and back into the dirt for our third day of wheeling! At this point we had back tracked about 200 miles and were near to where we started, though not really, if that makes any sense at all. Like the previous trail day we were once again wheeling on private property and man was it beautiful!

After surviving the drive to, the first trail day, and the first road day of Ultimate Adventure 2008 it was now time for the second trail day of the week. The second trail day found us 350 miles from where we had started and with all the rigs repaired and ready to tackle the trails! The land we wheeled this day was a beautiful piece of private property that we were fortunate enough to get to explore. Where were we? You'll have to wait to find out!

In our quest to get the Ulti- mate Adventure '04 Taco up and running again, there were a few minor mechanical issues to address before getting it back on the trail again. Upgrading the Dana 44 front axle was first on the list because it was still fitted with 19-spline outer axleshafts, and our tech editor, Fred Williams, was snapping these stock-sized stub shafts like breadsticks at his favorite Italian restaurant. We thought about swapping out the front axle and replacing it with a much heavier and stronger Dana 60, but that would undermine the lightweight design and functionality of the truck.

If You Can't Stop And You Can't steer your 4x4 then you're in for a dangerous ride, so it's a consensus that the steering and the brakes of your 4x4 are the two most important components. Since these systems can be extremely complex, we always recommend taking your steering and brake components to a professional if you are not 100-percent sure you know what you are doing. To simplify things we'll concentrate on a steering and hydroboost combination system. This is found in many heavy-duty trucks, especially those with diesel engines because they do not require vacuum to boost the brakes. We recently had the power-steering pump, box, and hydroboost system rebuilt on one of our project trucks. We also added a hydraulic ram for steering assist. If you've ever been inside any of these parts then you know how intricate they are, and if you haven't been then this will answer some of the mysteries within your hydroboost steering/stopping system.

Evolution is real and we can prove it! Ok, maybe not the part about the walking fish, but take out your old photo albums and place a picture of your rig when you first bought it at one end of the table and then lay out your photos in chronological order for each year you modified it. As you view the progress leading up to the current configuration as it sits in your garage today, chances are two things come to mind-where did all that money go, and wow, talk about change!