Submission Information
Confused? E-mail your questions about trucks, 4x4s, and off-roading tech using "Nuts, i'm confused" as the subject and include a picture (if it's applicable). Digital photos must measure no less than 1600 x 1200 pixels (or two megapixels) and be saved as a TIFF, an EPS, or a maximum-quality JpEG file. Also, I'll be checking the forums on our Web site (www.4wheeloffroad.com), and if i see a question that i think more of you might want to have answered, i'll print that as well. Otherwise drop it old-school style with the envelope addressed to the address below. Letters published in this magazine reflect the opinions of the writers, and we reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, brevity, or other purposes.
Write To:
Nuts & Bolts
4-Wheel & Off-road
6420 Wilshire Blvd.
los Angeles, CA 90048-5515
fax 323.782.2704.
E-Mail To:
nuts@4wheeloffroad.com
Color Confusion
Question: I have been wheeling for about three years now, but i'm always surprised at how badly my truck does on hillclimbs. i was wondering if the color of my paint could have some effect on this because my twin brother has the exact same truck (mom and dad got them for us when we turned 16), and he can always make this one hillclimb that i can't. His truck is red and mine is a dark blue. Could there possibly be, like, more heavy metals or something in my paint that makes his truck have that slight edge?
Pat, Damian's Twin Brother
via nuts@4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: I asked our art director and he said red is a lighter color than dark blue. Sorry, it's probably time to strip all the paint off and spray on a coat of orange or yellow, both of which are lighter than red.
Ol' Stinky
Question: My husband is always out in the shop working on his truck, and though i like keeping him company, it's so cold and stinky out there that i don't usually last long. i've been thinking about getting him a pet to keep him company. Do you have any suggestions for a good shop companion?
Dave's loving wife Helen
via nuts@4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: Of course i do. What your Dave needs is a monkey. Monkeys are great because they have thumbs, and thus they can grasp things like hammers and screwdrivers when Dave is under the truck working and needs something fetched from the toolbox. Monkeys have small hands so they can reach down into tight places on the truck, which is helpful when Dave drops a socket between the inner and outer fender. A monkey is smart and would understand how to pump the brakes and hold while bleeding the brake system of air. And if you don't think a monkey would be helpful when working in a shop, why do you think they named a wrench after a monkey? So get old Davey a monkey. i think he'll appreciate the gesture. For more info, visit www.shopmonkey.com.
Helping The Lost Trailblazer
Question: I have an '04 Chevy Trailblazer twowheel-drive and i am looking for a lift kit. i have had no such luck finding one at all. i can't even find a body lift. i am in the process of doing some performance work to the exhaust, a throttle-body spacer, and intake, and as the Trailblazer sits stock I think it will sound...well, dumb. Now if i had a lift with maybe some 31x12.5xr20 tires underneath, it may not be so bad. i know you are asking yourself will this just be a typical pavement-pounder like so many lifted trucks are? Well, i hope not as i love wheeling, but i kind of got suckered into this Trailblazer and i am trying to make the best of a bad situation.
Matt
via nuts@4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: How did you ever get yourself stuck in a two-wheel-drive known as a Trailblazer? i doubt you'll be blazing any trails, but since you seem to realize what you have and can admit that it's not a real trail rig but rather something to drive until you get back into a 4x4, i felt obliged to look around for you and quickly found BDS Suspension (517.279.2135, www.bds-suspension.com). BDS offers both a 2-inch body lift and a 2-inch strut spacer lift for four-wheel-drive Trailblazers. i conferred with the tech team and both kits will fit the two-wheel-drive, but the body lift will only work with the 4.2l V-6. Either kit should clear 30-inch tires and combining them should clear 33-inch-tall tires with the correct offset (+5) wheels. Please don't run 20-inch rims on such a small tire. i suggest a rim half the size of the tire. Good luck.