Four Wheeler - December 2013 USA

Ultimate ReadeR
4x4 ShootoUt
Cheap Tires
BaCkward
GlanCes
BriTish 4x4s:
The Champ,
Gipsy & anT
First Drive-
2014 Jeep Cherokee
Does iT Really Do The name JusTiCe?
You Can enTer
To win!
The Worlds leading 4x4 Authority
Top 99-04 Ford Super duTy FailureS & FixeS

whaT To look
For when BuYinG
used ruBBer
-
muD, WaTeR,
RoCks, loGs,
leDGes & moRe!
See US At Fourwheeler.Com
deCemBer 2013

24
Contents
Cover SeCtion
Top Truck challenge:
Ultimate ReadeR 4x4 ShootoUt
24 Strategy, ImprovISatIon
& endurance
26 Tow TesT
28 Frame TwisTer
30 mud PiT
32 obsTacle course
34 Hill climb
36 coal cHuTe
38 Tank TraP
42 Grand cHamPion!
44 a round oF aPPlause
47 enter now!
Here is your chance to be a part of Top
Truck Challenge 2014

WWW.FourWheeler.Com
teCh & how-to
48 FIxIng Factory mIStakeS
99-04 Ford Super Duty trouble spots
68 BuyIng uSed
Getting tires on the cheap
80 gI gyp
Part 1: Getting gypped and moving
forward with our 85 GM M1008
FeatureS & eventS
70 Backward glanceS
Tales of the Champ, the Gipsy and
the Ant
teStS
52 long term report:
13 Jeep wrangler
unlImIted moaB
Green is good
60 FIrSt drIve:
14 Jeep cherokee
Old name, new tricks
DepartmentS
6 Firing Order / 8 inbOx /
10 rPM / 16 Parts rack /
84 techline / 87 calendar /
90 trails end
70
48
<ON THE
COVER:
Justin
Middleton
pointed his
orange 78
Chevy Blazer
skyward in
our TTC
Tank Trap
while Edi-
tor Cappa
pointed the
camera.
December 2013, VOL.50, NO.12
60
80

fourwheeler.com 6 December 2013 Four Wheeler
E
lectric and hybrid car excitement
is all just a bunch of invented
propaganda from people pushing
their own green-car agenda. I pre-
fer facts and real numbers. You
cant replace true hard facts with your own
imaginary fgures and not expect people to
see whats going on. And what do I mean by
that? Well, if I were to ask the average Ameri-
can what the number-one selling vehicle in
the U.S. is, I might get a few different an-
swers. Based on the misinformation provided
by the major news outlets, most responses
would likely be some sort of fuel-effcient
tin can. But the truth is that its a pickup.
And not just any pickup, a fullsize truck! The
number-one selling vehicle in the United
States is a -ton Ford F-150! Not a Prius, not
a Smart Car, not a Volt, nor any of those other
poor excuses for an automobile that run on
laptop computer batteries or chicken farts.
Its a truck, a real honest-to-goodness -ton
truck that burns gasoline. Thats what people
are really buying. Trucks!
Interestingly enough, most of these
hybrid and electric cars come with manu-
facturer cash-back buying incentives and
discounts as well as government rebates.
Why? Ill tell you why, because no one
is buying them. Right about now you are
wondering why the auto manufacturers
are even offering these new fuel-eff-
cient cars for sale, many of which are
sold at a loss. I can tell you that, too.
Its done to meet the government-
mandated Corporate Average Fuel
Economy (or CAFE) standards. Basi-
cally, an automotive manufacturer has to
meet the CAFE standards with its entire
feet. For example, in 2017 that across-
the-feet number will be 36.6 mpg. In 2025
it will be 54.5 mpg. Now, in order for the
OEs to meet these numbers, the companies
have to offset the sales of more popular, less
fuel-effcient V-8 cars and trucks with much
smaller, less popular vehicles that get much
better fuel economy, such as an electric or
hybrid vehicle. So yes, the land of the free
and home of the brave government is es-
sentially forcing the automotive companies
to sell fuel-effcient vehicles, quite often at
a loss, so the companies can build and sell
what Americans really want and need
large, less fuel-effcient trucks.
Anyway, as I was stewing on all this I re-
ceived a news release about the new Nissan
Firing Order
-Not a Prius, Not
a smart Car, Not a
Volt, or aNy of those
other Poor exCuses
for aN automobile
that ruN oN laPtoP
ComPuter batteries
or ChiCkeN farts.
Do You Know What the Number-One
Selling Vehicle in the U.S. Is?
Titan being offered with the Cummins 5.0L
V-8 engine. The Nissan Cummins is said to
produce a torque rating in the mid-500s (lb-
ft) with more than 300 horsepower. Earlier
this year Ram announced its own -ton
diesel truck with a 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel
punching out 240hp and 420 lb-ft of torque.
Both engines will surely provide better fuel
economy than a traditional V-8 gas engine,
yet they are very different powertrain solutions
for different customer needs. Nissan is clearly
aiming for incredible power and towing torque
where Ram is aiming for ultimate fuel econo-
my. Will the Cummins-powered Nissan Titan
be able to keep its -ton frame, suspension,
transmission, and axles in one piece? Will the
EcoDiesel Ram make enough power to haul
the heavy loads demanded of its customers?
Well get behind the wheels of both trucks as
soon as possible to get those answers. In the
meantime, Ford, GM, and Toyota have some
catching up to do. With all of the record sales
numbers and advanced powertrain technol-
ogy emerging in the light-truck segment, it
sure is going to be an interesting -ton-truck
fst-fght over the next couple of years.
John Cappa
John. Cappa@Fourwheeler.Com

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Inbox
Where To WriTe
A
ddress your correspondence to Four Wheeler, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245 or send
an email to john.cappa@fourwheeler.com. All letters become the property of Four Wheeler, and we
reserve the right to edit them for length, accuracy, and clarity. The editorial department can also be reached
through the website at www.fourwheeler.com. Due to the volume of mail, electronic and otherwise, we cannot
respond to every reader, but we do read everything.
photos to speak of.
The place is still
pretty desolate,
but during spring
break and Memo-
rial Day weekend
it gets freakin
crazy. I like going
in September to
take my nephews
and teach them
to ride. Theres
a beach you can ride on and no one messes
with you. Id like to see a story on todays El
Golfo. Its like Glamis, California, only no BS
BLM rangers to deal with. There is a new (pay)
express road that passes through there before
it takes you to Puerto Penasco. Its way more
direct than the old road.
Name Withheld
Via email FW
Scout Love
I got my Sep-
tember 13 issue
and saw my Scout
on the cover and
huge smiles came
over our faces.
Were totally
thrilled with the
write-up you did
and everything
about the Con-
traption article.
The whole Internation-
al world is buzzing already. Thank you again
for your efforts, and I cant wait to meet up
with you and shoot the Beast next time. The IH
world will go nuts.
mike aNd debbie ismail
www.ihonly.com
eagLe Scout eye
Please tell me my old eyes are deceiving me
on the frontend of the Scout (Contraption,
Sept. 13). Surely there are not blocks to lift the
body.
Jim morgaN
Via email
The Scout does have a 2-inch body lift. How-
ever, if you are referring to the front suspension
it appears to have some sort of 1-inch-ish spacer
(block?) on the driver side to compensate for the
raised cast area where the spring mounts to the
differential on the passenger side. Is it ideal?
No. But its one way to compensate for the
spring-over on a spring-under axle. Is it danger-
ous? Eh, probably not. Would we recommend it?
Nope. Im sure it works just fne, but personally,
I would try to fnd a different solution.
IH Fan
I just fnished reading the September 13 is-
sue. I found the articles regarding Mike Ismails
80 International Scout Traveler (Contraption)
and the 73 IH Wagonmaster in Backward
Glances particularly interesting. It got me think-
ing, is it just me or have you guys have been
depicting quite a bit of Binders in your pub-
lication lately? I am a huge IH fan and own a
72 Scout II. I am in the military and stationed
overseas, so unfortunately my Scout is not with
me. Instead, my in-laws are storing it safely in
their garage until I return back stateside. Its
only a couple of more months until I am re-
united with my gas-guzzling, American-made,
steel mistress. Until then, keep giving me more
IHs in your magazine.
Will beNNett
lajes FielD, Portugal
eL goLFo RetRoSpect
Regarding Trails End, (Sept. 13), Ive been
going to El Golfo since I was kid. Granted, Im
only 30 now. My family has been driving there
since the 60s. They were poor, so we have no
you FoRgot Me!
I have been a long-time reader, and this is the frst time I have felt the need to write. Regarding
Trail Trailers, (Sept. 13), I believe that you overlooked probably the best choice in an off-road
trailer, the SoCal 459 Krawler. The choices you listed are all good, but in all cases you are still
sleeping in a tent. SoCal Teardrops (www.socalteardrops.com) is an off-road version of the tried-
and-true vintage teardrop from the 50s. Mike and Gabe Pari have taken this design to a whole
new level with their innovation and quality, built right here in Southern California. If your readers
are interested in an off-road trailer, this in my opinion, clearly out-distances all the other choices. I
have owned one of these for a year now and it has made a believer out of both my wife and I that
you can go off-road and still camp in comfort.
Once you have arrived at the campsite, there is really no set up other than opening the back to
access the kitchen. Close the back and you are ready to hit the trail again. We have taken this rig
on every off-road trail in Death Valley and never once felt we needed to back down from an ob-
stacle. We will be visiting the Maze in September and camping at the Doll House. This trailer goes
everywhere.
mike moutes
Via email
By John Cappa John.Cappa@fourWheeler.Com

Wear it. Mount it. Love it.

Thats Interesting
- Ford is offering an option for
the 14 F-150: the ability for the
3.6L V-6 to run on compressed
natural gas.
- Speaking of Ford, Team
Ford Racing will be running
a South Africa-based Ford
Ranger in the Dakar Rally, tak-
ing place in January 2014 in
South America.
- Land Rover is testing an
electric Defender 110 pickup,
hoping to explore the idea of an
all-terrain electric vehicle, a frst
for the company. Amendments
include the Hill Descent Control
being matched to the regen-
erative braking, and Terrain Re-
sponse prepped for electric drive.
Eight hours of low-speed off-road
use is the talk.
- The 14 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
towing info is in: The 3.0L die-
sels towing capacity is rated at
9,200 pounds.
- Wait, what? Mercedes-Benz
Vision Golf Cart is the name of
the Mercedes-Benz golf cart of
the future. Thats not the scary
part, this is: it has a Sensual-
Purity design philosophy.
- Theres a book called Secrets
to a Creative Mind: Become the
Master of Your Mind. Not to be
confused with master of your
domain. Any hoot, it was written
by a guy named David Nutting,
whos said to be the designer of
the frst Jeep Wagoneer.
- The Petersen Automotive Mu-
seum in Los Angeles is planning
a complete interior and exterior
redo, the frst signifcant update
in 20 years.
- The Chevy Bow-Tie badge is
100 years old.
- Kia has produced its one-
millionth vehicle in the U.S., a 14
Sorento.
- Mopar has more than 100
accessories already available for
the 14 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
- Kelley Blue Book has named
the 10 best luxury SUVs for 2013.
First place went to the Land Rover
Range Rover, followed by the
Mercedes-Benz GL, and Porsche
Cayenne. The rest of the list youll
care even less about.
- Rent a Hertz vehicle and
know that the feet is now com-
pletely non-smoking. As in, you
cant light up. We didnt mean
previously on fre.
- Question: Imagination Library
Literacy? Headline: Nissan To
Help Mississippi Preschoolers
With $400,000 Contribution To
Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Literacy Program.
RPM
Automotive News
by Tori Tellem
fourwheelerediTor@sorc.com

2013 Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane Ltd.
ENTER PROMO CODE FW1213
WWW.TRYBUGLER.COM

fourwheeler.com
rpm
RANdom Quote:
the key selliNg poiNt of electRic vehicles
is youRe goiNg to sAve moNey At the pump.
so wheN you hAve A stickeR pRice stARtiNg At
$35,000 oR $40,000 iN the cAse of the volt, they
just doNt pReseNt themselves As A tRemeN-
dous vAlue.
Alec Gutierrez,
auto analyst for Kelley Blue BooK to BloomBerg
Is It True?
-The top three SUVs in
America right now are the
Ford Escape, Honda CR-V,
and Chevy Equinox?
-That luxury Bentley SUV
would hit UK dealerships
(and maybe beyond) in 2016?
And is that drawing below
supposed to tell us anything?
-www.autopartswarehouse.
com did the math and
learned that when it came
to the most purchased auto
parts online, the radiator was
number one?
-14 Jeep Cherokee SRT?
-What do a professor from
the University of Miami
School of Business Admin-
istration and collaborators
from Yale School of Public
Health have in common?
Could it be a grant from the
National Cancer Institute
of the National Institutes of
Health to identify possible
links between cancer risk
and homes near heavy ve-
hicle traffc?
-44 percent of shoppers
surveyed said they needed
only one test drive before
making a decision, and 49
percent needed just 30
minutes or less to thoroughly
test for something theyll
likely drive for a zillion years?
Says www.autotrader.com?
|Random Photo We Dug
I
ts Henry Fords 150
th
birthday. Heres a pic of him driving
the 20-millionth Model A. So important a milestone was the
150
th
that Detroit made July 30, 2013, Henry Ford Dayhis
birthday. Well, not the 2013 part.
First Look:
Chevy Colorado
and GMC
Canyon
Heres a peekliter-
ally, just a peekat the
upcoming Colorado and
Canyon downsize pick-
ups, which are due to go
into production in 2014.
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Fourwheeler.com: Check Out Whats New
L
ast month we unveiled an all-new www.fourwheeler.com, which
nabbed the royal title of Four Wheeler Network and now is
also hosting content from our sister magazines, 4-Wheel & Off-
Road, Jp, Mud Life, 4Wheel Drive & Sport Utility, and Off-Road.
Creating your own profle, uploading photos and video, and much
more are part of the new website. Take a look and let us know what
you think!
rpm
Your Government
At Work
-GM has chopped $5,000 off the price of the all-electric Chevy
Volt so that it can continue to sell pickups out the wazoo. It has to do
with the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAF): sell more pickups
than compacts (read: mpg vs. mpg), there will be a fne. Its kind of a
carbon footprint thing and a mileage limit. In 2025, those CAF stan-
dards will increase, meaning selling more hybrids will become crucial
to balance out the popularity of any automakers truck and SUV sales.
For example, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Mercedes-Benz
recently had to pay the U.S. government $16.3 million in penalties
because having petite, fuel-effcient models in the lineup hasnt been
a priority.
-Sounds like those federally mandated backup cameras in new ve-
hicles have been delayed; the rollout will now likely begin in early 2017.
If Top Truck challenge Becomes an
Action movie, who Should Play the
Four Wheeler Staff?
A
ll good action movies
have a roving reporter...
so which Hollywood actors
(or actresses) should play the
Four Wheeler editors in the
TTC summer blockbuster, and
why? Come on over to Four
Wheelers Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/four-
wheelermag) and tell us! Here
are our picks:
Brubaker: Bruce Willis. Like
in the movie Red. We both
dont have much hair left on
our head and we arent all
that funny. However, I asked
my wife and boys who should
play me in a TTC movie and
they unanimously said Danny
DeVito. What the heck? This is
puzzling to me. Im taller than
he is.
Cappa: Mr. Roark from
Fantasy Island, of course! Obvi-
ously Tattoo could play Ali. Ken,
ehh, maybe he could be some
wealthy farmer looking to go on
a TTC fantasy adventure that
involves bugs, poison oak, and
quicksand on an island where
Chevy S-10s and International
Scouts are actually reliable.
Mansour: The only person
I could think of was the guy
that played Mr. Bean, so I de-
cided to ask my wife. She said
Hugh Jackman or possibly Jeff
Gordon, since people in the
South seem to link me to his
likeness.... FW
\Are These the most embarrassing
Vehicles?
www.carinsurance.com did
a survey to fnd out the vehicles
Americans would least like to be
seen in. At the top of the list was
the Smart ForTwo (deemed too
girly and tries too hard). The
Hummer H2 was in Third Place
(women really dont like the H2),
while the Volkswagen New Beetle
was in Fifth. The Pontiac Aztek is always ensured a spot on any worst/
bad/sucks-out-loud list, and it landed in the eight spot here. Other
fails with those surveyed? Vehicles that are purple, bright yellow, or or-
ange. When it came to most embarrassing type of vehicle, large SUVs
grabbed 11 percent of the pie.
-Check out the Quaker State
sweepstakes, Defy My Ride,
which gives you a chance to win
a modifed 72 Corvette as well as
other prizes like a gas card from
Shell. Enter at www.quakerstate.
com by October 31.
-BDS Suspension and Zone Of-
froad have announced that when
it came to ensuring compliance
of aftermarket products with the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard regarding electronic
stability control systems, the
companys suspension kits meet
the newest standards.
-Greg Henderson is holding
a fundraiser for his son Liam,
who was severely injured and
nearly died nearly two years

Whats Happening
In The Industry
ago. It will take place October 12
at Rocks and Valleys Off Road
Park. Greg has been building
a Jeep TJ, but modifed as a
recovery vehicle based on a
Brute for the cause (Greg has
been head fabricator and tech
for AEV for many years), which
will be auctioned off; the raffe
ticket sales will begin that day.
Sponsors include Poison Spy-
der, Benchmade, and ARB. For
more info on raffe tickets and to
follow the buildup, head to www.
facebook.com/greg.hender-
son.790 and www.babyliam.org.

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<Channel Cutting
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make clean, accurate cuts. Info:
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fourwheeler.com 16 December 2013 four Wheeler
|4.0l Pan
Moroso Performance Products multi-
baffed 4.0L steel oil pan covers 91-06
Jeep Wranglers and 87-01 Jeep Cherokees.
The three-trap door assembly and removable
anti-slosh baffe keeps oil contained in the oil pump pickup area, while the rear
sump of the oil pan extends out to hold an additional 1.25 quarts. The oil pan is
designed to work with the existing 4.0L oil pump and pickup tube, and overall
depth is the same as stock. Each pan is constructed from heavy-duty 16-gauge
steel with a yellow zinc dichromate fnish. Info: Moroso Performance Products,
203/453-6571, www.moroso.com
Parts rack
-SuPer Servo
Performance Automatics Pro Shift Super Servo
Package is crafted for the 700-R4 and 4L60E auto-
matic transmissions. Packages include Second gear
and Overdrive servo assemblies, springs, and hardware.
The company says each unit provides 35 percent more
apply area than the Corvette servo and includes an ad-
justable pin tip to set band clearance. All components
are American made and built from 6061-T6 billet alumi-
num. Info: Performance Automatic, 240/439-4650,
www.performanceautomatic.com
|heat hoiSt
The CoolBand II from Miller Electric was created to
address two common causes of heat stresshigh heat
and limited airfow. The CoolBand II incorporates a fan
in the helmets headgear to create directional airfow
over the head and face. In addition to evacuating hot
air, the air vents are said to reduce lens fogging and
decrease under-mask temps by 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
The CoolBand II headgear comes with a six-hour re-
chargeable battery that works with most Miller welding
helmets. Info: Miller Electric Manufacturing Co.,
920/734-9821, www.millerwelds.com
By Ali MAnsour Ali.MAnsour@sorc.coM
<SPray Shield
Armor All Custom Shield
Coating is a spray-on, peel-
off, rubberized coating that is
designed to work as a protec-
tive barrier between your rigs
paint and the elements. The
temporary spray-on coating
is currently offered in black,
white, gray, and clear. The
Custom Shield Coating is said
to work on wheels, be weather
resistant, and last up to three
months. To remove, you pull
and peel away the coating. The
surface underneath is said to
remain unchanged and void
of any sticky residue. Info:
Armor All, www.armorall.com

We Have What You Need for Your 4x4!
Call by 10 pm EST: In-Stock Parts Shipped That Day!
M
ade for Off-Roading!
XRC Suspension Seats
Super strong tubular frame Contoured and padded for comfort
Covered in military-spec fabric Fully adjustable reclining system
Come in multiple colors
Available for 1976-2013 Jeep CJ and Wrangler
Keyword: SMT XRC Seat
as low as ..................................... $ 269.99 each
Make Your Own
Custom Intake!
Long-Lasting Cooling!
Tone for the Trail!
Adjustable Front End Lift!
Folds Easily for Big Cargo!
Always Have Proper Traction!
The Next Generation
of Front End Styling!
Secret
Tool Storage!
Built for Enthusiasts!
Full Control
at Your Fingertips!
Ideal for Smaller Garages!
Serious Grip Thats Quiet
on the Street!
U-Build-It
Intake Systems
Keyword: AID U Kit
as low as ................. $229.90 kit
OE Replacement
Water Pumps
Keyword: GMB OE
as low as ................$ 23.97 each
Stainless Steel
Cat-Back Systems
Keyword: BOR Cat-Back Truck
as low as ................. $ 449.97 kit
Duck Head Torsion Key
Leveling Systems
Keyword: PRL Duck
as low as ................. $ 219.00 kit
Tri-Fold
Tonneau Covers
Keyword: ATY Tri
as low as .............. $ 282.50 each
Lock-Right
Lockers
Keyword: PWT Lock Spline
as low as .............. $ 280.19 each
Evolution
Wire Mesh
Grilles
Keyword: PMT Evolution Truck
as low as .............. $ 153.00 each
Trail Can
Utility
Toolbox
Keyword: RPE Trail Can
RPE-86619 .............$ 99.97 each
Suspension
Lift Kits
Keyword: SLF 4WD Lift Kits
as low as ................. $ 299.95 kit
Evolution Gas CTS
Programmers
Keyword: EGE Evolution CTS
as low as .............. $ 589.00 each
Mid-Rise
Portable Frame Lift
Keyword: BPI Portable Frame
BPI-5175730 ..... $ 1,915.00 each
Trail
Grappler
M/T Tires
Keyword: NIT Trail
as low as .............. $ 279.97 each
Sales: 1.800.230.3030 Tech: 1.330.630.0240 International: 00.1.330.630.0230 SCode: 1312FW
Prices good through November 1, 2013 Typographical, description or photography errors are subject to correction. 2013 AUTOSALES, INC.

fourwheeler.com
-howe Cool
Howe Performance Power
Steering In-Line Coolers are
aimed to work as cooling aids
for your rigs steering, shock,
engine, and transmission
oils. The In-Line Coolers are
said to facilitate a 25-degree
(Fahrenheit) drop in tempera-
ture when mounted in the air
stream. Coolers are available
in 2x7- and 3x12-inch ver-
sions with -10 O-Ring fttings. Additional mounting accessories are offered as well. Info: Howe
Performance Power Steering Inc., 619/561-7764, www.howeperformance.com
Parts rack
|no lift XJ ShaCkleS
The No Lift shackle relocation brackets from H.D. Offroad Engineering are designed for
the 84 -01 Jeep Cherokee XJ. The kit is said to allow for an improved shackle angle and the
internal-mounting bracket is designed to double as a cage tie-in plate. The relocation brackets
are said to not add any lift, but will require the removal of the OE shackle box. The -inch-plate
mounts include shackle mounting hardware, Grade 8 washers, and M-14 tie-in bracket bolts.
Spacers are also included for those looking to mount the brackets below the hitch. The kit does
not come with nut strips. Info: H.D. Offroad Engineering, www.hdoffroadengineering.com
<eXtreme Battery
The Extreme Series batteries
from Odyssey Battery are manu-
factured to combine starting and
deep-cycle reserve power. Each
dry cell battery is incased in a du-
rable housing, which is designed to
help it better survive extreme shock
and vibrations. Multiple cold-crank-
ing amps and terminal confgurations
are available. Info: Odyssey Battery,
www.odysseybattery.com
BECAUSE BIGGER IS BETTER
The ProRock60 has long been the
benchmark to which axles have been
measured. When looking for the King of
axles you had to look no further than the
now-legendary ProRock60. As the off-
road world has evolved, Dynatrac has
raised the bar again with the introduction
of the new ProRock80!
100% designed, manufactured and
assembled in the USA
11.25 inch ring gear and 40 spline axle
shafts can handle heavy weight,
big horsepower and an aggressive driver
100% designed, manufactured and
assembled in the USA
Most ground clearance of any housing that
uses an 8.5 inch diameter or larger ring gear
Made in the USA - Dynatrac's American-
made quality and warranty is standard
equipment on all ProRock 44 housings
and assemblies
Dynatrac ProRock high ground clearance
design (Patented), with big 3 inch,
thick wall tubing

fourwheeler.com
|heat liner
Als Liners Heat and Noise Reducer
(HNR) is designed to cover your rigs in-
terior with a coating that is said to refect
exterior temperatures by 45 degrees (F)
or more. Als HNR is a proprietary blend
of latex-synthetic polymers, acrylic, PVA
and vinyl styrene that is reinforced with
ceramic micro spheres to provide insula-
tion, heat-refection, and sound-deadening
properties. HNR is produced from recycled
materials and is touted as being applicable
with a brush, roller or spray gun. The coat-
ing is also said to withstand temperatures
up to 500 degrees (F). Info: Als Liner,
800/999-6841, www.alsliner.com
|Chatter StoP
Misch 4X4 steering shaft
chatter eliminator is designed
for the 07-13 Jeep Wrangler
JK. The system works by plac-
ing a minimal side-load on
the steering shaft to alleviate
the excess play in the steering
shaft slip joint. Engineered
steel clamps, button-head Al-
len bolts, and a case-specifc
tuned spring are included
with each kit. Info: Misch
4X4, 620/251-9100,
www.misch4x4.com

fourwheeler.com
Parts rack
-triton
HeADers
Hedman Hedders
offers six 50-state-legal
headers for Ford F-150
and F-250 trucks
equipped with the 5.4L
V-8. The companys
header line covers
both the two- and
three-valve Triton V-8s
that span from 1999
to 2009. Hedmans F-
Series headers feature
3
8-inch fanges and
16-gauge, 1-inch
mandrel-bent primary
tubes. Each header
is designed to bolt directly to the factory exhaust using an integrated ball-and-socket collec-
tor. Headers are available in both stainless and mild steel, along with an optional polished HTC
ceramic-metallic coating. INFO: Hedman Hedders, 562/921-0404, www.hedman.com
<lArge spoke
The LRG106 from Large
Rim Group is a fve-spoke cast
aluminum wheel thats offered
in a matte black or chrome fn-
ish. Sizes range from 17 to 22
inches in diameter and 9-, 12-,
and 14-inch widths. Multiple back-
space and bolt patterns are available.
INFO: Large Rim Group, 855/577-
5633, www.lrgrims.com
|gM protection
Smittybilts M1 bumpers are new for the 07-13 Chevy 2500/3500 HD trucks. Each M1
bumper is comprised of
3
16- and -inch cold-rolled steel. Each bumper includes driving and
fog lights, one-piece 16,500-pound winch mounting system, solid-mount D-rings, and a plate
centersection that wraps the frame horns and lower crossmember for added protection. The
M1 Chevy bumpers are shipped with a two-stage tex-
tured matte black powdercoat fnish,
which carries a fve-year limited warranty.
INFO: Smittybilt, 888/717-5797,
www.smittybilt.com

fourwheeler.com
|dieSel addition
AMSOILs diesel fuel additive line has
been upgraded and re-packaged. Two
of the products, AMSOIL Diesel Injector
Clean and Diesel Injector Clean + Cold
Flow, feature new formulations designed to
clean tough-to-remove deposits in modern
high-pressure common-rail diesel injectors
as well as the traditional deposits found
in older generation injectors. Each addi-
tive is highly concentrated and focuses on
addressing specifc issues. All additives
are alcohol-free and recommended for all
diesel engines. Info: AMSOIL, 800/777-
8491, www.amsoil.com
|JeeP latCheS
Aluminum Hood Catch kits from Rugged
Ridge are now offered for the 97-06 Jeep
Wrangler TJ. Each set receives a black
powdercoat fnish and incorporates an
adjustable tension rod. The Hood Catches
are designed to be a bolt-on upgrade and
use the factory mounting points. All kits
are backed by a fve-year limited warranty.
Info: Rugged Ridge, 770/614-6101,
www.ruggedridge.com fw
four Wheeler December 2013 21
Whats Your Passion?
Check Out the One-Stop Hub for Everything Enthusiast
Visit: simappstore.com

YEAR 2/4WD LIFT PART# DESCRIPTION PRICE
2
0
0
9
-
1
3
4 2.0" TM401 Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit $99.99
4 2.0" TM401N Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit w/Rear NGS Shocks $199.99
2 2.5" TM402 Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit $99.99
2 2.5" TM402N Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit w/Rear NGS Shocks $199.99
4 6" TM403N Knuckle Suspension Lift w/Rear NGS Shocks $1329.99
2
0
0
4
-
0
8
2/4 3.0" TM405 Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit $99.99
2/4 3.0" TM405N Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit w/Rear NGS Shocks $199.99
4 6" TM407N Knuckle Suspension Lift w/Rear NGS Shocks $1299.99
FORD F-150 2004-2013
YEAR MODEL 2/4WD LIFT PART# DESCRIPTION PRICE
2
0
0
5
-
1
3
F250/350 4 2.5" TM409E
Front Coil Spring Spacers with
Shock Extensions
$99.99
2
0
1
1
-
1
3
F250 Diesel 4 6" TM411N
Suspension Lift Front Coils,
Rear Add-a-Leaf and NGS Shocks
$799.99
F250 Gas 4 6" TM412N
F350 Diesel 4 6" TM413N
F350 Gas 4 6" TM414N
FORD SUPER DUTY 2005-2013
6
# TM103N
CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 / 2500 1999-2013
MODEL YEAR 2/4WD LIFT PART# DESCRIPTION PRICE
1
5
0
0
2007-13
2/4 2.25" TM101 Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit $99.99
2/4 2.25" TM101N Front Strut Spacer Leveling Kit
w/ Rear NGS Shocks
$199.99
2/4 4" TM102N Front Strut Spacer/Upper Control Arm
w/ Rear NGS Shocks
$569.99
2/4 6" TM103N Knuckle Suspension Lift w/Rear NGS Shocks $999.99
1999-06
4 2.5" TM106 Torsion Key Leveling Kit $99.99
4 6" TM104N Bracket Suspension Lift w/Rear NGS Shocks $999.99
2
5
0
0
H
D
1999-10 4 2.5" TM107 Torsion Key Leveling Kit $99.99
2011-13 4 2.5" TM108 Torsion Key Leveling Kit $99.99
2001-10 4 6" TM105N Knuckle Suspension Lift w/Rear NGS Shocks $1295.99
'07-13 1500 2/4WD
Knuckle Suspension Lift with Rear NGS Shocks
CNC Machined Knuckles These heavy-duty cast knuckles are precision machined
One-Piece Crossmembers provide a super strong structure and makes installation easy
Nitro Charged Gas Shocks provide the perfect balance of on- and off-road ride quality
Front Strut Extensions raise the front suspension and retain use of factory strut and coil
Rear Blocks and U-bolts raise rear suspension

NEW
LIFT PART# DESCRIPTION PRICE
2" TM3720-40012 Poly Front Spacer, Rear Shackle and Cell Gas Shocks $215.99
3" TM3730-40013 Coils, Add-a-Leaf w/ Nitro Shocks $239.99
3" TM3730-40023 Coils, Rear Springs w/ Nitro Shocks $479.99
3" TM3730-40033 Coils, Add-a-Leaf w/ Lower Arms and Nitro Shocks $329.99
3" TM3730-40043 Coils, Rear Springs w/ Lower Arms and Nitro Shocks $579.99
4.5" TM3745-40013 Coils, Add-a-Leaf, Shackle w/ Lower Arms and Nitro Shocks $436.99
4.5" TM3745-40023 Coils, Rear Springs, Shackle w/ Lower Arms and Nitro Shocks $646.99
XJ
Cherokee 1984-2001
JEEP
TJ 1997-2006
LIFT PART# DESCRIPTION PRICE
.75" TM3407-20010 Poly Front Leveling Coil Spacers $33.99
1.5" TM3415-20010 Poly Coil Spacers $109.99
1.5" TM3415-20012 Poly Coil Spacers w/ Cell Gas Shocks $189.99
1.5" TM3415-20013 Poly Coil Spacers w/ Nitro Shocks $199.99
2" TM3420-20010 Poly Coil Spacers w/ Shock Extensions $104.99
2" TM3420-20013 Poly Coil Spacers w/ Cell Gas Shocks $189.99
4" TM3440-20013 Complete Kit w/ Lower Arms and Nitro Shocks $474.99
'07-13 JK WRANGLER
3
LIFT DOORS PART# DESCRIPTION PRICE
.75" 2/4 TM3307-40010 Poly Front Leveling Coil Spacers $37.99
1.75" 2/4 TM3317-40010 Poly Coil Spacers $79.99
1.75" 2/4 TM3317-40012 Poly Coil Spacers w/ Cell Gas Shocks $199.99
1.75" 2/4 TM3317-40013 Poly Coil Spacers w/ Nitro Shocks $208.99
2.5" 2/4 TM3325-40010 Steel Coil Spacers w/ Shock Relocation $139.99
2.5" 2/4 TM3325-40013 Steel Coil Spacers w/ Nitro Shocks $279.99
3" 2/4 TM3330-40010 Steel Coil Spacers w/ Shock Relocation $189.99
3" 2/4 TM3330-40013 Steel Coil Spacers w/ Nitro Shocks $329.99
3" 4 TM3330-40020 Coil Spring Kit w/ Shock Relocation $249.99
3" 4 TM3330-40053 Coil Spring Kit w/ Nitro Shocks $329.99
3.5" 4 TM3335-40013 Complete Kit w/ Lower Arms
and Nitro Shocks
$474.99
4" 4 TM3340-40013 Complete Kit w/ Nitro Shocks $474.99
JEEP
JK 2007-2013
CJ YJ WJ ZJ ALSO AVAILABLE
Coil Spring Lift w/ NGS Shocks
Coil Springs feature OEM spring rates to provide a quality ride
Track Bar Bracket allows the rear axle to remain centered under the vehicle
Increases Ground Clearance while leveling the stance of the Jeep
NGS Shocks provide the perfect balance of on and off-road ride quality
Easy Installation
# TM3330-40053

24 December 2013 Four Wheeler
Feature
By Ken Brubaker ken.brubaker@fourwheeler.com Photos: The Four Wheeler Staff
S
trategy. ItS a key element In
almost all competitions, including
Top Truck Challenge. Its often the
frst thing to be kicked to the curb,
too. Through the years TTCs grueling events
have swiftly and utterly destroyed the well-
constructed plans of some competitors.
Improvisation. This is another key element
in all competitions, and its what happens when
strategy bites the dust. Through the years TTC
competitors have come to know this well, and
theyve mastered the art of improvising. Top
Truck Challenge 2013 was no different.
Top Truck Challenge, or TTC as its most
often referred to, celebrated its 21
st
anniver-
sary in 2013 with two signifcant changes.
One was that all competing rigs had to be rec-
ognizable as production 4x4s. In other words,
no buggies. The other big change was the
termination of the Mini Rubicon event, which
was replaced by the brand-new, wicked Coal
Chute event. The Coal Chute joined TTCs six
other legendary off-road events, the Tow Test,
Frame Twister, Mud Pit, Obstacle Course,
Hill Climb and Tank Trap, to form the seven-
event program. Each of these events tests the
vehicles and competitors in different ways,
and you can read a description of each event
on the following pages. TTC is legendary for
being tough. Each competitor is being timed
or their distance measured in each event. This
adds signifcant pressure one doesnt fnd in
recreational wheeling. Endurance is also a key
factor in TTC and competitors must weigh the
desire to do well in each event with the criti-
cal need to hold their rig together so they can
compete in the remaining events. Add to all
of this the scores of video and still cameras
tracking competitors every move, and the in-
credible pressure is obvious.
As usual, TTC was held in Hollister,
California, at the amazing Hollister Hills
10 amazing drivers battle TTCs seven grueling events

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
y
,

I
m
p
r
o
v
I
S
a
t
I
o
n

&
E
n
d
u
r
a
n
c
E

Four Wheeler December 2013 25
SVRA. Throughout the week, some TTC
competitors had to improvise mechanically.
For example, Josh Middletons brand-new
468ci mill in his Bronco was dumping
coolant into the crankcase. With no time to
troubleshoot the problem, this meant he had
to perform oil changes every evening after
competition. For others, the improvisation
took place during the events, when things
didnt go as planned. For Glen Green that
happened at the very frst event, the Tow
Test. Basically, I think the nerves got me
a bit. All planning and preparation went
right out the window. Thats what happens
sometimes, he said. One thing all of the
competitors had in common this year was
an impressive ability to improvise and it
paid off. Each competitor that started the
competition fnished the competition.
Right about now youre wondering how
it all went down. Well, over the next several
pages youll fnd a description of each event
course, a play-by-play of how each competitor
did in each event, scores of photos of the com-
petitors in action, quotes from the drivers, and
much more. Youll also fnd out who won Top
Truck Challenge 2013 and how he did it.
The incredible story begins on the next page.

top truck Challenge 2013 Feature
Day 1 Event 1: The Tow TesT
T
his is the only event in TTCs seven-event repertoire that doesnt require mud bogging, rockcrawl-
ing, or deep water navigation. Nonetheless, this kickoff event instills fear in competitors because it
has the potential to annihilate weak components. The Tow Test is like a truck pull that drank a case of
energy drinks. It takes place on a dirt hill that climbs approximately 13 feet in elevation over its 150-foot
length and it has a maximum angle of approximately 16 degrees. Each competitors rig was fastened to
a 36,000-pound cement mixer and each competitor was allowed one pull. There was no time limit and
a pull was completed when forward momentum ceased or the front axle of the cement mixer crossed
the fnish line. This event favors heavy rigs with big power and grippy tires. This year, no competitors
completed a full pull.
The Play-By-Play
Boundy: Unbeknownst to the driver,
four-wheel drive was not engaged during
the run due to a broken transfer case shift
linkage. Ran with 11 psi in each of the 49-
inch Interco Super Swamper Irok tires. Both
alternators failed on the drive from camp to
the Tow Test.
Fava: Issues with the front fuel pump
caused the TBI 454ci V-8 to starve for fuel
because it was drawing fuel only with the
tank-mounted pump. Ran with both T-cases
in low-range and the 54-inch Interco Bogger
tires aired to 12 psi in the rear and 7 psi
front.
Green: Unspooled the 540ci V-8 with the
front 54-inch Interco Super Swamper tires at
4 psi and the rear tires at 3 psi. Both NP205
T-cases were in their lowest gear. Wheelhop
forced the driver to let off the throttle momen-
tarily, causing a loss of momentum. Tried to
regain momentum, but lost traction.
huit: Used the front and rear winches
to draw down both ends of the truck to the
bumpstops. Ran with 25 psi in the rear
Mickey Thompson Baja Claw TTC tires and
20 psi in the front TTCs. Both T-cases were
in low-range. Some wheelhop during the run.
Josh Middleton: The brand new 468ci
V-8 helped generate the longest pull of the
event. Aired the 54-inch Interco Bogger tires
to 15 psi front and 18 psi rear. Dramatic run
with numerous steering
corrections and occa-
sional wheel lift.
Justin Middleton:
First competitor. Ran
with 22 psi in the Interco
Bogger tires. Smooth,
controlled power from the
6.0L V-8 engine. Slight
front wheelhop.
Palomo: Second
competitor. Ran with the
Interco Super Swamper
TSL tires infated to 5 psi
in the front and 4 psi in
the rear. The fve-speed
manual transmission was
in First gear, the front Marlin Crawler T-case
was in its lowest gear, and the rear Marlin
Crawler T-case was in its highest gear. Slight
engine sputter off the starting line due to
quick release of the clutch.
retzloff: Ran with the 46-inch Mickey
Thompson Baja Claw tires at 32 psi and
the T-cases in their lowest gear. Smooth,
controlled pull from the propane-injected
454ci V-8.
Skopliak: Straight run with very little
steering corrections needed. Small amount
of rear wheelhop, but the 496ci V-8 and 46-
inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claws helped
pull him to a mid-pack fnish.
Smith: Years of truck pulling experience
paid off and helped to generate the second
longest pull of the event. The 46-inch Mickey
Thompson Baja Claw tires were aired down
to 15 psi front and 10 psi rear, the StaK
three-speed T-case was in its lowest gear and
the C6 transmission was in First gear.
Finish Line Quotes
-That felt pretty good. I started to hop, but had
to let off a little bit. I did pretty good actually; I
thought Id start hopping farther back.
Justin Middleton
-I just let off on the clutch a little too soon. With
the weight on the back I think I shouldve slipped
the clutch a little tiny bit to get it rolling and then
pin it. I think I just tried to almost pin it with the
clutch all the way out. Pepe Palomo
-That was our worst fear was doing poor at the
frst event. Aaron Fava
-I raised up my pressure hoping it wouldnt
hop, but apparently I didnt have it all worked
out. Matt Huit
-I actually wanted to spin a little. I got 1-tons,
didnt want to break something right here. I want-
ed to go on to the next event. John Retzloff
-I was just hoping to beat my brother.
Josh Middleton
Results (ranked by overall distance traveled)

1. Josh Middleton ..............................109 ft. 6 in.
2. Smith ...........................................102 ft. 3 in.
3. Retzloff .........................................102 ft. 0 in.
4. Huit ..............................................101 ft. 7 in.
5. Fava .............................................101 ft. 0 in.
6. Skopliak ........................................100 ft. 6 in.
7. Justin Middleton ..............................98 ft. 9 in.
8. Green..............................................97 ft. 4 in.
9. Palomo ...........................................85 ft. 0 in.
10. Boundy ...........................................78 ft. 3 in.

2013 MNA, Inc.
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ON PLAYGROUND EARTH, THE WEEKEND
BEGINS WHEN THE PAVEMENT ENDS.

Day 1 Event 2: The FRame TwisTeR
T
he brutal Frame Twister has evolved through the years, and for 2013 it changed again. In 2012
we cut almost 100 feet of fat from the Frame Twister for Top Truck Champions Challenge, and this
year we hacked off another 100 feet or so, which left us with 201 feet of condensed chaos. The course
began just a few yards prior to the infamous Squeeze Rock section with its nasty dogleg that likes to
fip vehicles. Once clearing the Squeeze, competitors made a left turn and came face-to-face with the
gut-wrenching, suspension-bending log section. This section included six strategically placed logs that
are perpendicular to the direction of travel and each was separated by deep, water-flled trenches. The
log section may only be a few yards in length, but its an evil section that has ruined the day of many
TTC competitors over the years. Each team had 10 minutes to complete the course. Cones marked
the boundaries and a competitor was considered out of bounds if the inside of any one of their vehicles
tires traveled past the outside edge of a cone. Hitting a cone resulted in a 30-second penalty and a
two-minute penalty (per occurrence) resulted if the competitor violated the winch safety guidelines. This
year, seven of the ten vehicles completed the course.
Finish Line Quotes
-Those log jams, I hate em. Nolan Skopliak
-I cant even answer any questions man;
Im just so rattled right now. This is incredible.
Glen Green
-Too much for my wheelbase. I think my
wheelbase killed me. Josh Middleton
-Defnitely not disappointed. I came here to
have fun. I came here for the experience. Its a
dream of mine to be here. Pepe Palomo
-I told you guys I was going to make a left turn
and jump them, but I cant do that without fuel.
Aaron Fava
Results (ranked by elapsed time including penalites

or distance traveled if DNF)
1. Green ............................... 3 min. 55 sec.
2. Retzloff ............................. 4 min. 16 sec.
3. Skopliak ........................... 5 min. 19 sec.
4. Justin Middleton ............... 5 min. 35 sec.
5. Josh Middleton ................. 5 min. 51 sec.
6. Fava ................................. 7 min. 39 sec.
7. Smith ............................. 10 min. 43 sec.
8. Huit .................................................DNF
9. Palomo ............................................DNF
10. Boundy ...........................................DNF
-Weve talked about
this probably more
than any other event
almost.
John Retzloff

fourwheeler.com Four Wheeler December 2013 29
The Play-By-Play
Boundy: Became stuck in the Squeeze and
with 2:35 on the clock the co-driver exited the
vehicle to begin winching. With 4:10 on the
clock the winch cable was tight and winch-
ing ensued. With the vehicles passenger-side
pressed tightly against a boulder not much
progress was made and the team chose to
end their run with 7:10 on the clock. Damage
report: Broke the air line to the front ARB Air
Locker and bent the tie rod.
Fava: In an effort to solve a fuel delivery
issue the team bypassed the Chevys front fuel
pump, drawing only from the tank-mounted
pump. Made it through the Squeeze with
1:50 on the clock, but gathered signifcant
passenger-side body damage along the way.
Got stuck in the logs and used a combination
of the winch and engine power to get the truck
to the fnish line. The engine stalled many times
along the way.
Green: Cleared the Squeeze with 1:22 on
the clock after abandoning his frst line and
making adjustments to the air suspension.
Powered over the logs, airborne much of the
time. No winching. Hit one cone to gather a
30-second penalty. Broke the driver-side front
axle limiting chain at the upper mount and
blew an air line on driver-side rear suspension
air ram.
huit: Exited the Squeeze with 1:04 on the
clock. Hit the logs with decent speed, but be-
came crossed up. With 2:10 on the clock both
team members were out of the vehicle prepping
to winch. With 3:17 on the clock they began
spooling in winch cable. While winching the VW
traveled out of bounds and was disqualifed.
Bent a front brake rotor guard in the Squeeze.
Josh Middleton: Traveled through the
Squeeze in a blazing 40 seconds. With 1:34
on the clock he became stuck in the logs and
began winching. The carbureted engine stalled
numerous times while winching. Ran with 4 psi
in the front and 6 psi in the rear 54-inch Interco
Bogger tires.
Justin Middleton: Cleared the Squeeze
with 1:24 on the clock. Got stuck in the logs
and immediately started winching. Started
reeling winch cable with 3:35 on the clock and
crossed the fnish line on the cable. Ran with
10 psi in the Interco Bogger tires. Bent the
steering stop along the way.
Palomo: Easily crawled through the
Squeeze. Became stuck in the logs with 1:35
on the clock. Had to untangle a knotted winch
rope before winching and then the winch rope
detached from the winch drum when they
attempted to winch. With 7:25 on the clock the
team began to try to drive out of the logs with no
winch assist, to no avail. Timed out.
retzloff: Smooth, conservative run. Cleared
the Squeeze with 1:12 on the clock, but
destroyed a taillight along the way. Tried to hug
the right side of the logs in an effort to avoid
damaging the front driveshaft. Became stuck
in the logs and began winching with 3:20 on
the clock. Crossed the fnish line under winch
power. Ran with the front Mickey Thompson
tires aired down to 4 psi and the rear tires aired
down to 1 psi. Lost the driver-side front polyure-
thane bumpstop in the logs.
Skopliak: First competitor. Spotter exited
the vehicle with 1:44 on the clock to help
guide the Blazer through the Squeeze. Vehicle
became stuck shortly into the logs and the
team chose to winch over the remainder of
the course.
Smith: Easily crawled the Squeeze with
1:10 on the clock. Tried to power through the
logs, but blew a tire and bent a wheel. Started
winching with 4:35 on the clock and crossed
the fnish line under winch power. Penalized
two minutes for a winch safety violation. The
Bronco suffered a variety of bent and dam-
aged steering components.

Day 1 Event 3: The mud PiT
I
t would be really boring if we constructed our infamous Mud Pit the same each year. Besides, then
competitors would know what to expect, and thats unacceptable. Last year, the course was fast and
nearly all of the competitors made it through with no problem. This year, we mixed it up (no pun intended)
by combining thousands of gallons of water and our special dirt. With a water quotient higher than last year,
our 135-foot pit was a delightful, soupy, tire-swallowing mess. Competitors were allowed to run until they
ceased forward momentum or crossed the fnish line. Running over a cone netted a 30 second penalty for
those who completed the course and a 5-foot penalty for those who did not fnish. Traveling out of bounds
meant disqualifcation and a two-minute penalty was assessed for safety violations. We mustve built the
course right because eight of the ten competitors were swallowed up by the goo.
The Play-By-Play
Boundy: Installed covers to keep the goo
from packing the wheels. Good head of speed
off the starting line, and the 49-inch Interco
Iroks and 383ci V-8 power helped to provide
a mid-pack fnish.
Fava: Fifth competitor. Ran on the left,
unrutted side of the track. The engine was
still suffering from fuel pump issues and it
also appeared no power was going to the rear
wheels. Somewhere along the line the NP205
T-case broke a seal cover.
Green: Seventh competitor, but the rig
was unfazed by the deep ruts made by the
previous rigs. The 540ci V-8, 54-inch Interco
Boggers, and differential spools all worked
together to generate a fast, seemingly effort-
less run.
huit: First competitor. Unwound the 454ci
V-8 and the big 54-inch Mickey Thompson
Baja Claw TTC tires foated over the rutless
mud for a drama-free, fast run.
Josh Middleton: Very good acceleration
off the starting line. Bounced in and out of
ruts at speed, hitting a cone along the way to
gather a 5-foot penalty. Traveled to the base
of the hill before the fnish line before suc-
cumbing to the mud.
Justin Middleton: Third competitor. Ran
with covers over the wheels so the wheels
wouldnt get packed with mud. Straight and
steady run until the tires were overwhelmed
by the deep mud.
Palomo: Lost momentum early into the
course, but gained several more feet by
sawing the steering wheel side-to-side. Each
time he would turn the steering wheel the tires
would bite and the truck would slowly creep
forward.
retzloff: Good forward momentum and
sawed at the steering wheel along the way,
which seemed to work until he came to the
deep holes wallowed out by Skopliaks Blazer.
Ran with 22 psi in the tires in an effort to
increase ground clearance.
Skopliak: Fought to stay out of the rut-
ted right side of the track, to no avail. Drove
almost his entire run with the wheels pointed
left. After the run he found that his engine
block heater was leaking, and he repaired it
at camp.
Smith: Second competitor. Launched off
the starting line with a good head of speed
and sent a wall of mud fying. The passenger-
side tires were drawn into the deep rut made
by the passenger-side tires of Huits rig. Ran
almost the entire way with the front tires
pointed left. Ignition became wet somewhere
along the line.
Finish Line Quotes
-Ive always played in mud. Im just getting
more into the extreme off-roading rockcrawling
stuff like that, but my hearts always been in the
mud, so I fgured Id do pretty good in that.
Matt Huit
-She was tachd out there. Thats what we built
the motor for, this event right here. Glen Green

1. Green ..................................................... 13.0 sec.
2. Huit ........................................................ 20.6 sec.
3. Josh Middleton ....................................125 ft. 6 in.
4. Justin Middleton ..................................106 ft. 5 in.
5. Retzloff ................................................101 ft. 4 in.
6. Boundy ...............................................101 ft. 0 in.
7. Skopliak ..............................................100 ft. 2 in.
8. Smith ....................................................74 ft. 0 in.
9. Palomo ..................................................65 ft. 4 in.
10. Fava ......................................................45 ft. 0 in.
-its deep here man,
its deep.
nolan Skopliak

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Day 2 Event 1: The obsTacle couRse
I
t begins with a shockingly tall and long slippery hill descent known as the frst hill and it ends with
a nasty dogleg gully thats tantalizingly close to the fnish line. In between is a treasure trove of terror.
The lower section forces competitors to navigate a 360-degree turn through three deep water holes
and sand. From there, competitors travel up a hill to the upper section that includes a deceiving
off-camber U-turn (known as U-turn Hill), two deep water holes, and numerous tight turns. This
event has a 10-minute time limit, but speed is the enemy. This is because the course is marked with
numerous cones and each one hit adds 20 seconds to the overall time. If all four tires of a rig travel
outside a cone the rig is disqualifed at that point. Safety violations net a whopping two-minute pen-
alty. Clearly, accuracy is the key to success in the Obstacle Course. This year, the Obstacle Course
claimed three victims.
Finish Line Quotes
-This Top Truck Challenge, the whole thing,
is the toughest thing Ive ever done in my life,
bar none. Half of this stuff in the real world Id
drive around without even thinking about going
through it. Glen Green
-I just like to be careful, safe, you know. That
hill is pretty loose and everything. I just didnt
want to get out of control. John Retzloff
-Wow, that was awesome. Nolan Skopliak
-If I couldve got a good nights sleep last night
those cones would still be where they put em.
Aaron Fava
Results

(ranked by elapsed time including penalites
1. Huit .................................. 3 min. 40 sec.
2. Palomo ..............................3 min. 43 sec.
3. Retzloff ............................. 5 min. 00 sec.
4. Skopliak ............................5 min. 39 sec.
5. Josh Middleton ..................5 min. 41 sec.
6. Fava ..................................6 min. 11 sec.
7. Green ..............................10 min. 37 sec.
8. Justin Middleton ...............................DNF
9. Smith ...............................................DNF
10. Boundy ............................................DNF
-i heard that tWo people before me rolled
over. im like; i kneW i shouldve gone to the
bathroom before We came up here.
Matt huit

The Play-By-Play
Boundy: Entered day two of competition with new lower rear
links fabbed in camp. The new links increased the diameter
from 1 to 2 inches and were ftted with spherical rod ends.
Descended the frst hill with 50 seconds on the clock. Ended
up backwards on the course in the lower section with the front
wheels not pulling. With 3:55 on the clock the vehicle rolled
over in the third water hole and the team chose to end their run.
Broke the front axle ring-and-pinion.
Fava: Came to the event with two new fuel flters and signif-
cant late-night rewiring of the truck to solve electrical issues, but
still no operating front fuel pump. Descended the frst hill with
31 seconds on the clock and climbed to the top of U-turn Hill
with 1:42 on the clock. Utilized the rear steering throughout the
course. Fast run, but squashed eight cones along the way.
Green: Slow, controlled run. Traveled to the bottom of the frst
hill with 1:04 on the clock. Made it to the top of U-turn Hill with
4:00 on the clock and it took him about 45 seconds to make a
multi-point turn at the top of the hill. With 7:00 on the clock the
team was fnagling the big Ford through a 180-degree turn in the
upper section. Crossed the fnish line with 9:37 on the clock but
gathered three cone penalties. Blew an airline for the suspension
in the third water hole in the lower section and all of the rear four-
link bushings failed.
huit: Quickly descended the frst hill with 31 seconds on the
clock. Deftly navigated the water hole in the lower section where
the previous two competitors had rolled. Blazed to the top of
U-turn Hill with 1:30 on the clock. Lost a bit of time in the upper
section negotiating a tight 180-degree turn turn. Only hit one
cone.
Josh Middleton: First competitor. Controlled, but quick de-
scent down the frst hill with 35 seconds on the clock. Wheels up
in the lower portion powering over the dirt hills. With 1:50 on the
clock he was at the top of U-turn Hill. Two-point turn on U-turn
Hill. Crossed the fnish line with a stalled engine. Mowed over
eight cones resulting in two minutes of penalties.
Justin Middleton: Breezed to the bottom of the frst hill with
33 seconds on the clock. With 1:40 on the clock he was at the
top of U-turn Hill. Very careful turn on the hill and began his de-
scent with 2:46 on the clock. Broke the front driveline exiting the
frst water hole in the upper section. Winched through both water
holes. Two-wheel drive through the rest of the course. Timed out
near the fnish line.
Palomo: Average run to the bottom of the frst hill, arriving in
40 seconds. Nothing average after that. Top of U-turn Hill with
1:30 on the clock. Had to work to get out of the second water
hole in the upper section, but earned the second fastest time of
the event. Hit two cones for 60 seconds in penalties.
retzloff: Slow, careful descent down the frst hill with 1:25 on
the clock. Top of U-turn Hill with 2:29 on the clock. Easily made
the turn to descend and drove the rest of the course with no
drama. Only hit one cone.
Skopliak: Careful run down the frst hill with 46 seconds on
the clock. Navigated to the top of U-turn Hill with 2:17 on the
clock. Engine stalled near the fnish line. Hit three cones for a
60-second penalty.
Smith: While descending the frst hill the driver-
side lockout hub unlocked, which resulted in a loss
of control and a near rollover close to the bottom
of the hill. In an effort to avoid rolling, Smith aimed
the Bronco toward a bulldozer that was being used
as a recovery point. After contacting the dozer the
co-driver locked the hub and they continued to the
lower section, arriving with 2:50 on the clock. She
stopped prior to the frst water hole in the lower
section to confer with her co-driver. Entered the
frst water hole with 4:20 on the clock. Rode high
on the dirt hill in an effort to keep the airbox from
submerging in the third water hole. This caused
the Bronco to roll onto the driver-side with 5:30 on
the clock. The team chose to end their run.

Results (elapsed time or ranking order if DNF)

1. Huit ..............................................45 sec.
2. Green ................................1 min. 10 sec.
3. Fava ..................................1 min. 23 sec.
4. Retzloff ..............................1 min. 49 sec.
5. Skopliak ........................... 4 min. 53 sec.
6. Palomo ........................DNF (147 ft. 9 in.)
7. Josh Middleton ............DNF (145 ft. 0 in.)
8. Justin Middleton ........... DNF (76 ft. 6 in.)
9. Smith ............................DNF (12 ft. 6 in.)
10. Boundy .................................................DNS
Day 2 Event 2: The hill climb
T
hink back to those hillclimbs youve done in your 4x4. Yeah, the TTC Hill Climb isnt like that. The Hill
Climb is built specifcally for TTC, its approximately 600 feet in length and it has an average angle
of approximately 60 degrees. It twists and turns as it winds through the poison oak and its peppered
with strategically-placed deep holes and dirt hills. Yes, we added hills to our Hill Climb. The Hill Climb
is loose, steep, and unpredictable. Naturally, we dont let drivers see it before they run it because that
would ruin the surprise. The Hill Climb rewards those who can think on-the-fy and punishes those who
are thinking about the next event. We allowed each competitor 5 minutes to tackle the hill and during
that time they could stop, reverse, or winch. If a competitor exceeded the time limit, traveled out of
bounds, or violated a safety rule they were disqualifed at that point. This year, the Hill Climb humbled
four vehicles.
The Play-By-Play
Boundy: Did not run due to a broken
front ring-and-pinion.
Fava: Easily drove the big Chevy up the
Hill Climb. Some wheel lift out of the leaf-
sprung truck.
Green: The carbureted 540ci V-8 stalled
at the peak of the second hill, but that was
only a momentary setback. Easily drove the
rest of the course to earn the second fastest
time.
huit: The big-block 454ci V-8, locked
Rockwell axles, fexy coilover suspension,
and grippy 54-inch Mickey Thompson Baja
Claw TTC tires all combined to haul the VW
to the top in the fastest time of the event.
Josh Middleton: Fought to coax the big
Bronco up the frst three hills, but the fourth
hill stopped him cold. With time running out
the team began to spool out winch cable,
but soon chose to end their run with a few
seconds left on the clock.
Justin Middleton: Signifcant problems
right off the bat. It took numerous attempts to
get over the frst and second hills. With 4:00
on the clock he was poised to climb the third
hill. Timed out after several attempts to climb
said hill.
Palomo: First competitor. With the four-
cylinder engine screaming he had to get
multiple runs at the frst two hills. Cleared the
third hill on the frst try, but didnt make the
fourth hill. Rolled over after getting crossed
up backing down the fourth hill for another
run.
retzloff: Undramatic, consistent speed
during the climb. The Chevys modifed doors
seemed to make it easier for him to peer
out the side of the vehicle to see the course
instead of trying to peer over the hood.
Skopliak: After two tries to climb the
fourth hill the team chose to winch. With a
quick winch connection the
truck was under winch pow-
er with 2:38 on the clock. No
problems on the rest of the
climb and the truck actually
outran the co-driver and the
clock did not stop until the
co-driver ran to the top and
crossed the fnish line.
Smith: Prior to clearing
the frst hill the super-
charged 281ci V-8 had
stalling problems and each
restart required the driver to
unbuckle the safety harness
to restart the engine. With
3:10 on the clock the team
chose to end their run when
they thought that the truck
had lost Reverse.
Finish Line Quotes
-I wish we wouldve just left it on the foor the
whole time. This is built for this sort of thing.
Aaron Fava
-Its so loose its crazy. I cant believe anything
can go up that. John Retzloff
-Honestly, Ive never hit a hill that insane.
Matt Huit
-It was crazy, really loose. Nolan Skopliak

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Day 2 Event 3: The coal chuTe
T
he Mini Rubicon, a staple of Top Truck for years, was a brutal event that forced competitors to fght
for every inch of forward progress. It was tough and unforgiving. We wanted something tougher.
So, for 2013 we replaced the Mini Rubicon with the awe-inspiring Coal Chute. This event uses the
newly-developed Upper Obstacle Course at the Hollister Hills SVRA that contains an amazing collection
of man-made obstacles. Naturally, we tweaked it to make it exclusive to Top Truck. Our mind-bending
course was approximately 525 feet in length, and included steep walls in excess of 7 feet tall and jum-
bles of rocks and cement tubes. We even brought in a water truck and created a waterfall on the fnal
cement climb. The course was broken into four distinct sections. We threw competitors a curve ball and
allowed them to skip one of the two frst sections. However, we penalized each competitor 10 minutes if
they bypassed the frst section and 6 minutes if they bypassed the second section. Strategy was a major
player at this event. There was a 20-minute time limit and safety violations netted a two-minute penalty.
If two of the vehicles tires traveled outside of a cone, the competitor was disqualifed at that point. Only
one vehicle conquered the Chute.
Finish Line Quotes
-Get me outta here, sweetie. Jennifer Smith
-Im still happy. Im still very happy. My brother
and I, this is what we do, we rockcrawl. We com-
municate well with each other, and I rely on him
alot. He did a great job guiding me through.
Pepe Palomo
-Oh my goodness. Actually, it was easier than I
thought it was going to be. I thought for sure we
were gonna be hung up, fghting tooth and nail,
winching everywhere. Im honestly surprised we
only had to winch once. These tires friggin rock.
Matt Huit
--I thought I would do well in the placing for that
event, but unfortunately the cable let go, so no
more forward progress after that.
Nolan Skopliak

1. Huit ............................... 13 min. 34 sec.
2. Palomo .............................................DNF
3. Josh Middleton .................................DNF
4. Justin Middleton ...............................DNF
5. Retzloff .............................................DNF
6. Green ...............................................DNF
7. Smith ...............................................DNF
8. Fava .................................................DNF
9. Skopliak ...........................................DNF
10. Boundy ............................................DNS
-that first part is
mathematically im-
possible. in theory it
couldnt be done, so
theres no reason i
didnt just opt out on
that one and hit the
second one and fly
though the rest of it.
aaRon fava

The Play-By-Play
Boundy: Did not run due to damage incurred in the Obstacle
Course.
Fava: First competitor to try the frst section. With 2:50 on the clock
the truck was a few feet into the section and hung up on the T-case. He
tried several different maneuvers over the next several minutes before
the truck fopped onto the passenger side. With 9:50 on the clock a
new line had put the truck over the stubborn obstacle. Rammed a rock
ledge with 13:10 on the clock. Began winching with 13:25 on the clock.
Timed out a little over 70 feet into the frst section. Broke a seal retainer
on the NP205 T-case and damaged the shifter linkage.
Green: Bypassed the frst section and was nosed up to the frst
climb in the second section with 40 seconds on the clock. He didnt
like the line, so with 3:08 on the clock he backed down and realigned.
Winched on and off for the rest of his run, which coaxed
the large Ford a little over 46 feet into the second section.
Along the way he bent the driver-side four-link bar and
he forgot to turn the suspension air compressor off,which
caused it to blow the safety valve.
huit: The only driver to fnish the entire course. Blazed
through the frst section, exiting with 3:50 on the clock.
Winched once in the second section, exiting with 11:30 on
the clock. Climbed the waterfall on his second attempt.
Josh Middleton: Chose to bypass the frst section.
Began winching up the second section with 1:44 on the
clock. Exited the second section with 7:45 on the clock.
Poised at the base of the waterfall with 13:02 on the clock.
Driver exited the vehicle to help the co-driver rig the winch
and when he returned to the truck his factory seatbelt
wouldnt release from its retracted state. Driver spent the
last three minutes on the clock trying to coerce the belt to
release with no luck. Timed out 29 feet, 7 inches from the
fnish line.
Justin Middleton: Went straight to the second section.
With 2:39 on the clock the team began winching. Exited
the second section with 12:00 on the clock, exited the third
section with 13:10 on the clock, and became stuck
in the last section with 14:50 on the clock. Co-driver
was stacking rocks with 17:40 on the clock. Truck
was overheating due to a broken wire to the electric
fan. Chose to end his run with a few minutes on the
clock, a little over 73 feet from the fnish line.
Palomo: Bypassed the frst section. Crawled
through the second section with no winching, exiting
with 4:20 on the clock. Lost almost four minutes
getting a larger strap to wrap around a boulder in
the fourth section so they could winch. Couldnt
climb the waterfall and began winching with 19:49
on the clock. Timed out 29 feet from the fnish line.
retzloff: Chose not to bypass the frst section.
Made it to the second lip before getting stuck.
Quick winching ensued and the team exited the
frst section with 6:50 on the clock. Got stuck in the second sec-
tion but were spooling in winch cable with 14:45 on the clock.
Timed out. Damage report: Bent the winch fairlead and lost a
roller, blew the O-ring on the steering box, and damaged a wire to
the starter.
Skopliak: Last competitor. Chose not to bypass the frst sec-
tion. Immediately began winching. Winch cable broke with 2:00
on the clock. Attempted to drive/ram the truck further into the frst
section, eventually rolling onto the passenger side. Chose to end
his run.
Smith: First competitor. Vehicle had a small fre on the way to
the event due to an overflled power steering pump. She chose to
bypass the frst section. Had problems getting up onto the second
section and began winching with 3:00 on the clock. Still winching
in the second section when the winch rope broke with 15:00 on
the clock. Tried to fnesse the rig further down the course under
its own power for the remaining fve minutes before timing out 14
feet into the section. Endured steering issues due to the pitman
arm castle nut contacting the vehicles frame.

Day 3 Final Event: The Tank TRaP
T
he Tank Trap is legendary, often spoken of in hushed, reverent tones. Tank Trap is a regular feature
at the Hollister Hills SVRA, but for one day each year its signifcantly modifed for Top Truck. In its
basic form its a quarter-mile-long natural valley that climbs approximately 195 feet in elevation. For our
once-a-year thrashathon we dig seven giant holes and we fll em with 120,000 gallons of water, which
signifcantly increases the challenge level of the course. Heres how it works: Shortly into the course,
competitors have to navigate two deep water holes that are preceded by steep dirt hills. Next up is the
Canyon. This evil 100-yard section is quite narrow and bordered by steep walls. The Canyon contains
slippery rock waterfalls, ledges, and the ghosts of former competitors hopes and dreams. But the worst
is yet to come. Ahead are fve more strategically-placed water holes, each separated by steep dirt hills.
And if that doesnt suck the will out of competitors, theres a nasty, often underestimated thing we call
the Crevice located between the ffth and sixth water holes. But wait, theres more. The crown jewel is
the fnal hill, which steeply rises just past the last water hole and guards the fnish line. Add to all of this
the fact that competitors are given only 30 minutes and you have a recipe for some world class action
and drama. And no, we dont let competitors see the course in advance. Strategically, Tank Trap is a
major player because its worth more than double the points of the other events. This year, only one rig
made it to the fnish line.
Results

(ranked by elapsed time or distance
traveled if DNF)
1. Fava .............................. 27 min. 55 sec.
2. Retzloff ........................................... DNF
3. Skopliak ......................................... DNF
4. Justin Middleton ............................. DNF
5. Josh Middleton ............................... DNF
6. Green ............................................. DNF
7. Huit ................................................ DNF
8. Smith ............................................. DNF
9. Boundy .......................................... DNF
10. Palomo ........................................... DNF
-i need to go doWn the tank trap so the other
side looks the same. JoSh Middleton
Finish Line Quotes
-I made it further than I expected I would. It
was fun, I loved it. Paul Boundy
-I expected the nastiest thing Ive ever done in
a truck in my life, and it was. It was everything
its been hyped up to be, and then some. It was
exciting, I loved it. Matt Huit
-Never been on anything like that before.
Justin Middleton
-Wow, we did not know what to expect. That
was brutal. So much more nasty that I dreamed
it would ever be. John Retzloff
-Those holes were deep. It was hard. It was
fun, a lot of fun. I give a lot of credit to my spotter
for getting me that far. Nolan Skopliak

FOUR WHEELER December 2013 39
The Play-By-Play
Boundy: Came to the event with a new
front 4.10 ring-and-pinion (the rear was still
4.56). Cleared Water Hole 1 with 1:40 on the
clock. Entered Water Hole 2 with 4:10 on the
clock. Broke the front driveshaft U-joint at the
T-case in the Canyon with 5:45 on the clock.
Attempted to get further in two-wheel drive, but
chose to end their run with 16:18 on the clock.
Along the way a small fre was extinguished that
was caused by power steering fuid leaking onto
the engine.
Fava: Blazed through Water Hole 2 with
2:30 on the clock. Almost rolled in the Canyon,
but saved it by using the rear steering. Suffered
a cut sidewall on the passenger-side front tire
along the way. Became stuck in Water Hole 4
and began unspooling winch cable with 7:26
on the clock. Before they could winch, the
co-driver had to go back down the course to
fnd a tree strap that they had dropped. Out of
Water Hole 4 with 15:20 on the clock. Arrived
at the bottom of the fnal hill with 19:50 on the
clock. Tried to climb the fnal hill, but eventually
chose to winch. The winch cable was too short
to reach the top-of-hill anchor point, so they
chose to winch off a tree that was closer. Drove
over the fnish line.
Green: First competi-
tor. Easily drove through
Water Hole 1 and 2 and
crawled the Canyon
very slowly with the
driver manipulating
the air suspension to
wall-walk a portion
of the canyon. The
compressed air tank for
the suspension blew
the safety valve with
9:10 on the clock. Lost
almost eight minutes
getting unstuck in Wa-
ter Hole 4. With 23:30
on the clock the car-
bureted engine stalled
in Water Hole 5, but it
restarted and the truck
drove out under its
own power. Perched in
the Crevice with 26:00
on the clock. A trans-
mission shifter failure
forced him to use Vice
Grips as a shifter and the transmis-
sion was very diffcult to shift. Chose
to end his run a few seconds shy of
the 30-minute limit.
Huit: Came to the event with a
bar added to the driver-side roof to
protect the roof of the rig and help
the truck slide through the Canyon
when tipped. Flew through the frst
two water holes and entered the
Canyon with only 42 seconds on
the clock. Conquered the Canyon in
approximately 9 minutes by winching
and driving. Entered Water Hole 4
with 12:30 on the clock. Tried to ride high on
the bank along Water Hole 5 but the rear steer-
ing was cocked and this helped cause the rig
to roll onto the passenger-side. Bad positioning
meant there was no good way to right he rig and
the battery went dead in the process of winch-
ing. Driver chose to end his run with 23:21 on
the clock.
Josh Middleton: Blazed into the Canyon
with only 1:14 on the clock. Winched in the
Canyon with 4:04 on the clock. Zip ties holding
a spare driveshaft broke and the shaft fell
into the Canyon. With 7:45 on the clock both
alternator and power steering belts absconded
from their pulleys, which took about 10 minutes
to repair. Became stuck in Water Hole 4 with
21:15 on the clock and suffered winch prob-
lems. Timed out in the Crevice while trying to
connect the winch cable.
Justin Middleton: Blazed into the Canyon
with 1:21 on the clock. Driver exited the vehicle
to help winch in the Canyon and then had
problems getting his factory seatbelt to release
with 4:20 on the clock. Winched in Water Holes
4 and 5. Winching problems coming out of the
Crevice. Winch cable pulled tight with 27:35 on
the clock, but timed out. Burned up the starter
along the way.
Palomo: Exited Water Hole 2 with only 1:10
on the clock. Rolled onto the driver-side in the
Canyon with 1:35 on the clock. With 4:30 on
the clock the front driveshaft CV joint broke.
Tried to winch the rig back on its wheels to no
avail. Engine started smoking. Chose to end
their run with 22:12 on the clock.
Retzloff: Exited Water Hole 2 with 2:55 on
the clock. Almost rolled onto the passenger-
side on the dirt hill before Water Hole 3 with
4:50 on the clock. Drove into Water Hole 3 with
the electric cooling fans on, which damaged
both fans. Drove the rest of the course with
no cooling fans. Driver exited the truck to help
with winching throughout the course. Winched
out of Water Hole 4. The air intake snorkel fell
off of the roof and was re-routed to the interior
with 13:44 on the clock. Winched out of the
Crevice with 18:50 on the clock. Winched out of
Water Hole 6 and then chose to run the winch
cable over Water Hole 7 to a tree on the fnal
hill. Timed out a little over 9 feet from the fnish
line. Forgot to engage the winch spool-in lever
twice during winching, which cost a fair amount
of time.
Skopliak: Cleared Water Hole 2 with 1:00
on the clock. In Water Hole 2 the engine cooling
fans blew a hidden fuse in the dash. Began
winching in the Canyon with 4:40 on the clock.
Became stuck coming out of Water Hole 4 and
began winching with 16:25 on the clock. Com-
ing out of Water Hole 5 the engine died and the
starter wouldnt engage. Co-driver hit the starter
with a clevis and the engine was able to be
restarted with 24:50 on the clock. Stuck in the
Crevice and winching with 28:25 on the clock.
Engine was overheating and stalling. Timed out.
Smith: Entered Water Hole 2 with 3:25 on
the clock. Cool, calm and collected winching
and driving through the Canyon with 17:15 on
the clock. Signifcant engine smoke with 23:55
on the clock. Driver knocked the T-case into
neutral with 25:50 on the clock. Timed out prior
to Water Hole 3.
cont. on page 42

fourwheeler.com 42 December 2013 FOUR WHEELER
Top Truck Challenge 2013 FeaTure
Grand Champion!
T
he Grand Champion of the 21
st
Top Truck Challenge is John Retzloff from Covelo, California. Assisted
by co-drivers Ken and Scott Retzloff (John and Ken are pictured here) he won behind the wheel of
his propane-fred, 454ci-equipped 77 GMC K15 shod with 46-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claw tires.
Interestingly, Retzloff didnt win First Place in any event. As a matter of fact, he placed Fifth in two
events (Mud Pit and Coal Chute). It was consistency in all seven events that helped him take the win.
At the end of the frst day of competition he was tied with Green for Second Place. When the second
day of competition ended, Retzloff was in Second Place, trailing Huit by fve points. Huit rolled his VW
Rabbit in the Tank Trap and had to settle for a Seventh Place fnish in the event, while Retzloff continued
his consistent performance, earning a strong Second Place fnish to gather double points and take the
overall win.
Along the way his Chevy suffered some damage, including a broken bumpstop in the Frame Twister;
a damaged fairlead roller, blown O-ring on the steering box, and a damaged wire to the starter in the Ob-
stacle Course; and cooling fan damage in the Tank Trap. None of those things hindered the truck from
staying in competition however, and Retzloff said numerous times that he was proud of his truck.
Competing in TTC was a dream for Retzloff. Ever since I frst seen Top Truck Challenge I knew that
this was the event I needed to do to prove to myself mostly of what I wanted to accomplish in life. You
know, just driving and building and everything. And I tested it out fully. I fully tested it out, he says.
Co-driver Ken Retzloff was just as excited about the win. As he stood gripping
the Grand Champion cup, he said, My hearts beating faster than walking on the
Tank Trap.
Retzloff summed up his TTC experience by saying, It was just
so awesome. It just kept getting harder and harder, every event.
Especially from the Hill Climb on. It was just so much fun.
How Top Truck Is Scored
T
he scoring system for Top Truck is
designed to be simple. All of the events,
except Tank Trap, award 10 points to the First
Place fnisher, 9 points to the Second Place
fnisher, and so on. The crown jewel of TTC,
Tank Trap, is worth double points, so the First
Place fnisher is awarded 20 points, Second
Place 18 points, and so on. If a competitor is
unable to compete in an event they received
no points for that event. To eliminate tie
scores, the First Place fnisher of Tank Trap
is awarded an additional extra point, Second
Place is awarded .9 of a point, and so on. This
procedure not only eliminates tie scores, it
also rewards those who do well in Tank Trap.
Each teams fnal score is the sum of the
points theyve accrued in all seven events.
Final Results (points)

1. Retzloff ..............................................62.9
2. Huit ...................................................57.4
3. Josh Middleton ................................. 54.6
4. Green ................................................51.5
5. Fava ..................................................49.0
6. Skopliak ........................................... 48.8
7. Justin Middleton ................................45.7
8. Palomo ..............................................31.1
9. Smith ................................................30.3
10. Boundy .............................................12.2
Even More Awards
A
t TTCs festive closing ceremonies we
distributed several specialty awards.
These awards recognized TTC teams and/
or drivers in specifc areas. Heres who took
home the plaques.
Long Distance: Paul Boundy (he drove
approximately 5,600 miles round-trip from
Grafton, Ontario, Canada, not including a
jaunt through Missouri on the way home to
acquire parts for a broken trailer)
Hard Luck: Paul Boundy (among other
things, his tow rig transmission failed near
Hollister, his Silverado rolled onto its side in
the Obstacle Course and broke the front ring-
and-pinion, he was unable to compete in the
Hill Climb and Coal Chute, and his rig broke
early into the Tank Trap)
Team Spirit: Team Skopliak (always posi-
tive, even when things were negative, like
fopped over in the Coal Chute)
Driving Elegant: Aaron Fava
(unfappable, even under ex-
treme pressure)
Peoples Choice: Glen Greens
ground-pounding 540ci-powered
79 F-350 (this is the truck that
got the most votes by the com-
petitors as the rig theyd most
like to take home)
Judges/Editors Choice:
Pepe Palomos 99 Toyota
Tacoma (fexy, agile, and good-
looking, just like us)
Do You Want To Compete
in TTC 2014?
If youve been dreaming of competing in Top Truck Chal-
lenge, your golden opportunity is here. Right now. Simply fll
out the offcial entry form in this issue,
enclose a high-
quality photo of your
rig that shows the entire
vehicle, and send the pair to
the address listed by the due
date. Even easier, you can scan the entry form, attach
a digital image, and email it to us (instructions are on
the entry form)! Well publish a collection of TTC 2014
hopefuls in the April 2014 issue of Four Wheeler. You
may become part of TTC history as one of the 10 rigs
that are chosen by Four Wheeler readers to go head-
to-head with TTCs seven legendary events in Hollister
Hills, California.
cont. from page 39

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a round of applause
T
op Truck Challenge wouldnt happen without the help of some key people. In addition to all of the
Four Wheeler staff, we rely on a core group of hard-working, dedicated folks. Most take vacation
days from real jobs to help out. They trade normality and their time for a week working behind the
scenes to make TTC a success. The Four Wheeler staff has deep respect for all of these people and
we offer them a round of applause. And a standing ovation.
This is the Top Truck Challenge Judging Team. From left to right they are Dan Black, Jeff Arabia, Toby Lav-
ender, Tony Becker, and Jack Shelton. These fve gentlemen are integral to many aspects of TTC including,
but not limited to, course design and construction and event timing and scoring. All of these men have signif-
cant off-road driving experience and some have even competed in Top Truck.
When it comes to vehicle recovery, we think this team is the best in the business. This is the Top Truck
Challenge Extraction Team and theyre the masters of quickly and safely removing competitor vehicles when
they get stuck or break. Each one of these volunteers has considerable off-road experience (some are even
former TTC competitors) and they know how to handle anything from a simple tow to a complex recovery.
From left to right they are Shawnette Prueitt, Jon Bommarito, Vito Bommarito, Jordan Regan, Rosana
Regan, Tom Kennedy, Cheston Beck, Cody Kanuscak, Robert Haskins, Jerry Sparkman, Alyssa Lehr, Mike
Bleck, JP Webster, Phil Wolz, Baxter Black, and Ben James.
-Event Coordinator robin Stover. Hes the human equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife, ready for
anything.
-Chris Finstad, our lead medic, Jl Mongono, oscar Grmaldo, Tony Morales, robert lund,
and Chris Di Marco from the San Juan Bautista Fire Department.
-Phillip Indihar at Quality Construction, for providing the camera truck, water truck, and pressure
washers.
-Jimmy Knoll at Wetlands Construction, Mike Bleck at M&J Trucking, and the good folks at las
Animas Concrete, for the equipment support.
-Del and Stacie Albright of Blue Ribbon Coalition, for environmental oversight.
-Mike Mansmith and crew at Mansmiths BBQ, for all the outstanding meals.
-hollister hills SVrA staff and rangers, including District Superintendent Jeff Gaffney and
Parks and Recreation Specialist Peter Jones
-Canty Security and Investigations for securing the perimeter.
-J.V. ortas rent-A-Fence for the safety fencing.
Four Wheeler Would
also Like To Extend a
Big Thank You to the
Official Top Truck chal-
lenge 2013 Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor and Offcial Retailer:
4Wheel Parts,
www.4wheelparts.com.
Offcial Tire:
Mickey Thompson Tires,
www.mickeythompsontires.com
Offcial Lubricant:
AMSoIl,
www.amsoil.com
Offcial Winch:
Warn Industries,
www.warn.com
Offcial Suspension:
Tuff Country,
www.tuffcountry.com
Offcial Wheel:
B.A.D. Wheels,
www.badwheelsinc.com
Offcial Fabrication Parts:
Poly Performance,
www.polyperformance.com
Get the TTc dVd!
Y
ouve seen the
dramatic photos
and read the incred-
ible words about
TTC 2013. Now you
need to see the of-
fcial high-defnition
TTC DVD. This
DVD features
hours of TTC ac-
tion and includes
driver interviews
as well as much
more. Recorded by our
team of professional, talented videographers
and hosted by former TTC competitor Stan
Prueitt, its a must-have masterpiece.
Theres only one place you can get
the DVD and thats 4Wheel Parts, so call
800/213-5668, visit www.4wheelparts.
com, or get to your local 4Wheel Parts retail
location.
fourwheeler.com
Order The dVd TOday!
800/213-5668 WWW.4WheeLParTS.COM/TTC
10 truckscompete in the Tow Test, Frame Twister, Mud Pit, Obstacle Course, Hill Climb, Coal Chute, and the infamous Tank Trap
The All-Truck, hArdcore
4x4 evenT on dvd!
2013-TTC-fullpage.indd 6
8/22/13 10:42 AM

Weight a Minute!
N
ew this year, we ran each TTC rig and both alternate rigs across a set of scales to determine
their weight. It was Editor Cappas good idea and he arranged to borrow four battery-operated
PT300 Series Wheel Load Weigher scales from Intercomp (www.intercompco.com). These
20,000-pound-capacity scales allowed us to easily weigh each corner of a rig independently and
then it was easy to calculate the weight at each axle as well as a total weight. We learned that we
had a tie for the heaviest rig of the competition (Boundy and Fava), the lightest rig belonged to
Palomo, and the most balanced rig front-to-rear belonged to Smith (only 25 pounds difference).
LF RF LR RR Total
Boundy Silverado ................... 2,200 ........... 2,300 ........... 1,910 ........... 1,720 ...........8,130
Fava K30 ............................... 2,120 ........... 2,040 ........... 2,020 ........... 1,950 ...........8,130
Green F-350 .......................... 1,980 ........... 1,740 ........... 1,460 ........... 1,360 ...........6,540
Huit Rabbit ............................ 1,640 ........... 1,905 ........... 1,620 ........... 1,560 ...........6,725
Josh Middleton Bronco .......... 1,740 ........... 1,655 ........... 1,640 ........... 1,600 ...........6,635
Justin Middleton Blazer ......... 1,720 ........... 1,775 ........... 1,160 ........... 1,185 ...........5,840
Palomo Tacoma...................... 1,280 ........... 1,345 .............. 980 .............. 900 ...........4,505
Retzloff K15 .......................... 1,920 ........... 1,885 ........... 1,400 ........... 1,500 ...........6,705
Skopliak Jimmy ..................... 2,020 ........... 1,970 ........... 1,400 ........... 1,500 ...........6,890
Smith Bronco ......................... 1,600 ........... 1,525 ........... 1,560 ........... 1,540 ...........6,225
Daffn F-150 (alt) .................. 1,960 ........... 1,980 ........... 1,500 ........... 1,360 ...........6,800
Jensen Scout (alt) .................. 1,960 ........... 1,970 ........... 1,480 ........... 1,520 ...........6,930
*all weights are listed in pounds
What? You Want More
TTc Photos?
W
ere confdent that theres no such
thing as too much TTC. This is why we
have hundreds more exclusive photos from
TTC 2013 on www.fourwheeler.com for your
viewing pleasure. Youll fnd photos from the
entire week of competition as well as detail
photos of all the competition rigs. Just point
and click.
Last Words
-Probably one of the greatest
off-roading experiences Ive
had so far. Paul Boundy
-Its amazing. Flat out amaz-
ing. Its the absolute best thing
Ive ever done in a rig. The
camaraderie of all the com-
petitors, everyone throwing
down helping everyone get
going again. Matt Huit
-Its an awesome event. Awesome
people. Really good, well organized. Its great. Id
love to be back one day again to give it another
shot. Nolan Skopliak
-I thought it was worth every penny to come
down here. I wouldnt change nothing about it.
It was a once in a lifetime experience for me. Im
just totally impressed with everything. And the
whole group, the 10 or 12 trucks, all the crews, all
the people, its just like a big family here. Its frst
class, absolutely frst class. Glen Green
-Once in a lifetime experience and I loved every
minute of it. Jennifer Smith
-Top Truck is a great thing. Its an adventure of
a lifetime, just to say the least. Not to mention that
youre part of a group of guys that are the only
ones in the world that are here. Everybody else
is working back home wishing they could play.
Aaron Fava
-I feel like Im saying goodbye to some old
friends and Ive only known these people for a
week. Pepe Palomo fw
Safety First
S
afety is paramount at Top Truck Chal-
lenge. We enforce the rules that govern
the Hollister Hills SVRA and we establish
our own policies to ensure everyones safety.
For example, all of the rigs are inspected
before competition to ensure they meet the
offcial vehicle requirements (i.e.: rollcages,
seatbelts, safe attachment points, and so on).
We also record important safety information
for each vehicle. This includes, but is not
limited to, what type of passenger restraints
are used, where the battery is mounted, and
where the ignition shutoff is located. This is
done to ensure a safe and quick response in
case of emergency. Further, all drivers and
co-drivers are required to wear a helmet and
seatbelt any time the vehicle is in motion,
whether under power or not. Safety of the
environment is also a priority and we have
spill kits at the ready should any leakage of
vehicle fuids take place during competition.

fourwheeler.com FOUR WHEELER December 2013 47
EntEr now!
OFFICIAL TOP TRUCK CHALLENGE 2014 ENTRY FORM
OWNER: _________________________________________________ DRIVER (if not same):_________________________________________
ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CITY: _________________________________________________ STATE/ZIP: _______________________ ENTERED BEFORE? ___________
PHONE (work): ______________________________(home): _______________________________ (cell): ______________________________
EMAIL: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
VEHICLE MAKE: _________________________________________ MODEL: ____________________________________ YEAR: ___________
ENGINE (make and size): _______________________________________________________________________________________________
INDUCTION (carb/EFI/super or turbocharged): _____________________________________________________________________________
TRANSMISSION: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRANSFER CASE: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
FRONT AXLE: ___________________________________________ DIFFERENTIAL: _______________________ RATIO: _________________
REAR AXLE: ____________________________________________ DIFFERENTIAL: _______________________ RATIO: _________________
FRONT SUSPENSION: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
REAR SUSPENSION: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
TIRES (make and size): __________________________________________________________WINCH: _______________________________
Please list all non-stock equipment (attach separate page, if necessary): ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How long have you been wheeling? ____________________________ How long have you owned this vehicle? ________________________
How many times a month do you go four-wheeling? _________________________________________________________________________
What four-wheeling clubs do you belong to? ________________________________________________________________________________
Please list the trails you use: _____________________________________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please mail entry and photo to: Four Wheeler, Dept. TTC2014, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245. All submissions must be in
the editors mailbox by noon, Dec. 5, 2013 and are assumed intended for publication. All entries become the property of Four Wheeler.
Photos will not be returned.
I
f you want to be a part of Top Truck Chal-
lenge 2014, nows your chance! You can
experience the mind- and metal-bending
challenge of this world famous competi-
tion. You can show the world that you can
dominate Top Trucks seven grueling events. You
can experience a weeklong adrenaline rush.
The frst step to become a competitor in next
years Top Truck is easy. Simply mail us the
completed offcial entry form below, paired with
a high-quality photo of your rig that shows the
entire vehicle. Even easier, you can scan your
offcial entry form and email it, along with a high-
quality digital photo of your rig, to john.cappa@
fourwheeler.com. Entries will publish in the April
2014 issue of Four Wheeler. Your wheeling peers
will then use the offcial ballot in that issue to vote
for the 10 rigs they want to see compete in next
years incredible Top Truck Challenge in Hollister,
California.
To qualify for Top Truck Challenge, you must
be available for competition at the Top Truck
competition site in early June 2014. Mandatory
vehicle requirements include a winch, a fre
extinguisher, solid front and rear recovery points,
locking front and rear differentials, a frewall,
a full rollcage, factory-style front clip, and rear
fenders, bedsides, or a fatbed. A buggy (even if
it has a production grille) will not qualify and no
unfendered rear tube-chassis rigs will be allowed.
Competing vehicles must run DOT-compliant
tires, though they can be grooved, siped, or even
vulcanized with paddles. All commercial letter-
ing must be removed from the vehicle (offcial
stickers provided by the Top Truck sponsors are
exempt from this rule). Please note: You must
compete in a vehicle that looks like the rig in the
photo you sent to us. For a complete list of Top
Truck 2014 vehicle requirements, please go to
www.fourwheeler.com/ttcrules.
To be considered for Top Truck Challenge
2014, your entry must arrive in the editors mail-
box in the Four Wheeler offce NO LATER THAN
noon, December 5, 2013. Entries without photos
or vehicles that do not meet the vehicle require-
ments will be disqualifed.
Dont wait! Get your entry in today! You may be
selected to be a part of Top Truck Challenge his-
tory. We think youll have a blast, and who knows,
you may end up the champion of the 22nd An-
nual Top Truck Challenge. Good luck!

Tech
Fixing
Factory
Mistakes
W
hen Ford unveiled the - and 1-ton Super duty line in 1999, it WaS an
immediate hit with truck enthusiasts across America. With a spacious cab, powerful
7.3L diesel engine, leaf-sprung suspension, and front and rear solid axles, the Super
Duty platforms offered something for nearly everyone in the heavy-duty truck mar-
ket and even enticed frst-time buyers with plush interior fnishes. Fast forward to today, and the
frst-gen Super Duty trucks continue to thrive and have an abundance of aftermarket support.
So, how then does the Super Duty make it in our Fixing Factory Mistakes section? The simple
answer is that there is no such thing as a perfect truck. Regardless of how many are still on the
road today, there are a few items we would upgrade or be on the lookout if we owned or were
looking to swap into one. Weve limited our trouble spot list to the 99-04 frst-gen - and 1-ton
4x4 models, as they are some of the most commonly found and affordable.
99-04 Ford Super Duty trouble spots
By Ali Mansour ali.mansour@sorc.com
The Problem:
6.0L Head Bolts
Much to the dismay of 7.3L diesel enthusiasts,
in 2003 Ford made the switch to an all-new 6.0L
V-8 diesel engine. It didnt take long for the frst
of a few issues to arise with the fresh powerplant.
Probably the most well-known and problematic is
the issue with the factory head bolts. Essentially,
the bolts stretch, which results in a blown head
gasket.
The Fix: arP Head studs
ARP (Automotive Racing Products) (www.arp-
bolts.com) offer head studs that replace the faulty
bolts. The stud conversion is very straightforward,
but extremely time consuming. Most diesel shops
we spoke with actually raise the body from the
chassis to gain access to the engine.
The Problem: Vacuum Leak
Although the Super Duty uses unit bearings
up front from the factory, the trucks are still
equipped with selectable hubs. Many of the early
trucks were equipped with Ford-specifc hubs
which had an auto and on setting only. These
hubs were vacuum-assisted and known to be
problematic. A leaking or dry-rotted vacuum line
is not uncommon to fnd, nor is a damaged hub
actuator. Pictured here is a quick trail fx that uses
a stick to plug a vacuum line that was leaking and
no longer needed because the truck was outftted
with aftermarket hubs.
The Fix: Warn Hubs
Its never a bad idea to make sure all of your
vacuum lines are in good shape. Age and heat
can break down a stock hose and often create
havoc on the four-wheel drive and HVAC system.
Upgrading to a set of Warn (www.warn.com)
Premium Series hubs is another worthwhile
investment. If you do opt for the Warn hubs
(PN 38826), be sure to plug the hubs original
vacuum lines.

Fixing Factory Mistakes Tech
The Problem:
Metric Bolt
Pattern
OK, having a
metric wheel bolt
pattern isnt exactly
a problem, but its
worth noting. This
means you should
double-check that
the guy selling 8-lug
Ford wheels online
are actually 8-on-170,
not 8-on-6. To date,
only - and 1-ton
8-lug Ford Super Du-
tys use an 8-on-170
bolt pattern.
The Fix:
8-on-170
Wheels
Simply make sure
that you are purchas-
ing 8-on-170 wheels.
Pre-Super Duty era
- and 1-ton trucks
had an 8-on-6-inch
wheel bolt pattern,
just like Chevy and
Dodge (now Ram). fw
The Problem:
carrier Bearing
The four-door crew cab models were extremely
spacious, but the long wheelbase came with a
carrier bearing driveline support. The carrier bear-
ing union that supports the two-piece driveline is
notorious for wearing out and causing driveline
vibrations. A lifted Super Duty or one with an
incorrectly spaced carrier-bearing drop will ag-
gravate the situation and increase wear.
The Fix:
replacement Bearing
Assuming that your driveline joints are all in
good working order, most trucks simply need
a new carrier bearing. The part can usually be
ordered from your local parts store or driveline
shop. We suggest having the driveline balanced
and inspected if you feel tremendous vibration on
a non-lifted truck.
The Problem: egr cooler
The 6.0L diesel has a bad reputation for
blown head gaskets and sticking EGR (ex-
haust gas recirculation) valve. While stretching
head bolts are partly to blame for the head
gasket issue, programmers that turn up the
power in your 6.0L truck are guilty culprits
as well. Simply put, the stock EGR cooler
cannot keep up with fltering a modifed 6.0L.
A failing EGR cooler can cause your truck to
overheat, run poorly, and add to the potential
for head gasket failure.
The Fix: Performance
cooler or Delete
For the most part, you have two EGR
cooler options. The frst option would be to
delete the cooler in its entirety with one of the
many delete, bypass, or block-off kits offered
in the aftermarket. This would be considered
a competition or off-road only conversion as it
would require removing emissions equip-
ment. The other option would be an upgraded
cooler, such as those from BD Diesel Perfor-
mance (www.dieselperformance.com) and
Bullet Proof Diesel (www.bulletproofdiesel.
com). The high-fow coolers are designed to
improve fow and reduce issues common with
the factory EGR cooler.
The Problem:
Fuel-Water separator
The fuel-water separator drain valve is a com-
mon culprit for leaking diesel fuel on top of the
7.3L diesel engine. Located on the backside of the
fuel flter housing, the drain valve has two O-rings
that can go bad over time.
The Fix: r&r
Weve actually experienced this issue frsthand,
and found a Ford dealership was the most ef-
fcient way to get the right parts we needed.
The Problem:
Front Unit Bearings
Big tires and unit bearings dont always mix
well. Even in the factory confguration, the non-
serviceable unit bearings have a limited life cycle.
The easy way to check for a bad unit bearing is by
jacking up the front axle, one side at a time. Youll
want to raise the tire off of the ground enough so
that a prybar can be placed under the bottom of
the tire. You can also use your hands to test this,
but the prybar will give you extra leverage.
Youre looking for major camber change in the
wheel. If you fnd that the camber is changing
drastically and/or the wheel seems wobbly, there
is a good chance that the wheel bearings are
toast. Be sure to check that the ball joints are in
good shape as well, as they are also common
wear items.
The Fix:
Dynatrac Free-spin kit
Replacing worn parts with factory-style
replacement parts is always a simple and easy
option. That being said, replacing the faulty parts
with the same type might not be cheaper over
time. We are fans of the Free-Spin kit from Dyna-
trac (www.dynatrac.com) as it replaces the stock
unit bearings with a serviceable full-foat spindle,
along with Warn Premium Series hubs. The Free-
Spin kit is also rated for up to 44-inch tires and
allows you to retain your stock wheel bolt pattern.
The Problem: Dana 50
We struggled with whether or not to call the Dana 50 a factory
mistake, but given that it is not as strong as the Dana 60 and was ulti-
mately discontinued, we fgured you should at least be aware. Stamp-
ings on the front and back of the differential will indicate whether you
have the 50 or 60. The 60 also has a longer pinion snout. Early -ton
trucks are the mostly likely to be equipped with the Dana 50 front, as
they were eventually phased out in 2003.
The Fix: Dana 60
If you plan on ftting your rig with tires over 37 inches, then
swapping out for a Super Duty Dana 60 is worth the hassle. Since
the conversion is mostly bolt-in, there is no need to sub out the job
to a shop. We recently covered the 50 to 60 Super Duty conversion
(Dana 50 to 60, Sept. 13), and the article can now be viewed
online at www.fourwheeler.com.

All prices subject to change, check our website for the most current prices.
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Green is good
13 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Moab
Long-Term reporT
guards. A Dana 30 front with
an open differential, Dana 44
rear with a Trac-Loc, 31.5-inch
Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor
tires, and 17-inch painted-black
aluminum wheels are also stan-
dard on the Moab. Some of our
testers options include a Tru-Lok
electronic rear locker, 3.73:1 gear
ratio, and an eye-popping Gecko
Pearl paint coat and body-colored
three-piece hardtop.
Our testers 3.6L V-6 and
NSG370 six-speed manual is
unchanged from the 12 model
year, and still provides a nice
balance of power and control.
Sure, well likely always com-
plain about wanting more power,
but lets be thankful that the
3.8L days are behind us. And
I
ts been a lIttle over
seven years since Jeep
launched the four-door
Wrangler Unlimited plat-
form. Fast forward to today and
the family-friendly wheeler con-
tinues to evolve and maintain the
off-road performance level that
people expect from a Wrangler.
As the winner of our 2013 Four
Wheeler of the Year competition
in February 2013, we have the
duty to test the 13 Jeep Wrangler
Unlimited Moab edition. This
Wrangler Unlimited is the exact
one that we pushed hard during
our initial FWOTY shootout and
the one we will be putting through
the paces in the next 12 months.
While theme vehicles can
sometimes seem gimmicky, Jeep
has proved with the Rubicon
that the company is more than
capable of building an extremely
capable rig that is much more
than a fashy sticker package.
With Jeeps Rubicon model cater-
ing to more hardcore wheeling
enthusiasts, the Moab takes its
place in line as a slightly tamer
model thats well suited for the
average trail explorer. Named for
the wheeling mecca that is Moab,
Utah, (site of the annual Easter
Jeep Safari), the Moab edition is
a blend of luxury, performance,
and durable components.
Part of the Moabs goodies
includes a winch-ready steel front
bumper (thats right, steel!), steel
rear bumper, Power Dome hood,
fuel fller door, and rear taillight
By Ali MAnsour Ali.MAnsour@sorcc.coM
for those who think 285hp isnt
an impressive fgure, consider
this. During the 2013 FWOTY
0-to-60 evaluations against the
5.7L V-8 Hemi-powered Grand
Cherokee Trailhawk, the Moab
Wrangler Unlimited beat it with
a time of 8.5 seconds (the Grand
came in at 9.3). Both are impres-
sive Jeeps in their own right, but
the 3.6L is turning out to be a
solid powerplant.
<Jeep is a brand that is great at
giving buyers what they want. The
Moab edition is a case in point. No,
your eyes are not fooling you. Each
Moab is ftted with a heavy-duty
winch-ready steel front bumper.
Complementing the front is a steel
rear bumper and a Moab-specifc set
of rock rails. Not too shabby for a
stock Jeep.

2-step tread block design enhances stability, braking
performance and promotes even treadwear
Alternating scalloped shoulder lugs and aggressive
sidewall design delivers extra bite and traction in mud,
rocks, dirt and trenches
Full length elliptical siping for improved wet and cold
weather traction
Rock rejection ribs help dislodge rocks caught between
the tread blocks
Enhanced upper sidewall treatment for better cut and
abrasion resistance
Open lug tread pattern optimized for self cleaning for
improved performance in mud and snow eliminates loss
of traction when you need it the most
40,000 mile treadwear warranty
The FIRST
Mud Terrain
Treadwear Warranty
www. Pr oCompUSA. com 800. 776. 0767

<All-new and ultra-
comfy leather seats
(with a heated option),
Uconnect 430N satellite
radio with navigation,
and an extremely infor-
mative Electronic Ve-
hicle Information Center
bring the 13s interior
up a peg. We like the
interior refnement, and
have learned to really
appreciate the creature
comforts on both long
and short drives. Sure,
the auto settings on
the HVAC could be bet-
ter, but on a rig that is
designed with a remov-
able top and doors, we
didnt expect them to be
fawless.
13 Jeep WrangLer UnLimiTed moab Long-Term reporT
Options As
Tested
Customer Preferred Pack-
age 23M ($5,300), 3.73:1
rear axle ratio ($95), Tru-Lok
locking rear axle ($1,500), air
conditioning with automatic
temperature control and
air fltering ($155), body-
color three-piece hardtop
($1,395), Uconnect 430N
CD/DVD/MP3/HDD/NAV
($1,035)
-This Jeep
is a people
magneT.
REPORT: 1 OF 4
Previous reports: None
Base price: $31,195
Price as tested: $41,600
Four-wheel-drive
system: Lever-actuated part-
time, two-speed
long-Term
numbers
Miles to date: 1,573
Miles since
last report: 0
Average mpg
(this report): 17.16
Test best tank (mpg): 19.32
(all highway between 65-70
mph)
Test worst
tank (mpg): 14.89 (off-road/
in-town driving mix)
mainTenance
This period: None
Problem areas: None
WhaTs hoT,
WhaTs noT
HoT: Ultra-comfy front seats,
great look, real bumpers and
heavy-duty sliders
NoT: Hood flls with water
and debris, look-at-me green
paint, hood still futters at
highway speed
logbook QuoTes
-Most comfortable Wran-
gler seats by far.
-No, they didnt have a
brighter green available.
-It doesnt feel like a Wran-
gler on the inside, but it still
works like one.
Mounted to the six-speed
gear box is a NV241 transfer
case thats ftted with a 2.72:1
low range. The 45.3 crawl ratio
makes it a very versatile wheeler,
but there are times where a bit
more torque would be nice in the
rocks. We suspect this wouldnt
be as much of a need on models
equipped with the automatic
transmission. Our tester will
spend the majority of its time in
the southeast, where wheelspin
is often needed. The 2.72:1 low
range and manual transmission
should give us plenty of gearing
options.
While we try not to get
too caught up on a rigs looks
(since beauty is in the eye of
the beholder), its worth not-
ing them on the Moab. Were
not sure if its the bumpers and
black wheels, or the Gecko
Pearl paint job, but over the past
few months we have had more
people approach us about the
Jeep than nearly anything else
weve ever driven. We dont
mind at all, but are blown away
at how much this stock green
Jeep is a people magnet. At frst
we were torn as to whether the
green was a bit much, but most
people seem to dig it! At least
we will never lose the Jeep in
the parking lot!
So far weve managed to log
over 1,500 miles of on- and off-
road driving in the frst quarter.
Hitting the road with heated-
leather seats, satellite radio,
and clean interior trimmings
almost makes you forget that the
Wrangler was designed with a
removable top and doors. With
the weather fnally warming up,
we will be engaging four-wheel
drive more often, especially at
the coastal beaches along the
Carolina Coast. Be sure to check
back for our second quarter in-
stallment, where well have even
more time spent in the dirt and
behind the wheel of one brightly
colored Moab Wrangler. fw
<We give the Moabs Power Dome
hood a big thumbs up for styling,
but two thumbs down for practical-
ity. our tester is parked outside the
majority of the time, which means
nature tends to make the hood a
birdbath after a rain storm. Any tree
droppings or droppings in general
will fll the hood as well. For those
with previous generation JK Wran-
glers that experience a slight hood
futter at highway speeds and gusty
days, dont worry, the 13 edition
does it as well. We know the hood
isnt going to fy up, but it is a little
funny to watch it move while cruis-
ing down the road.

Old name, new tricks
2014 Jeep Cherokee
First Drive
W
hen it Was first
leaked that the Chero-
kee nameplate was
coming back, but this
time sans a transfer case and with
a fully-independent suspension,
purists went nuts. Heightening
the drama, the new Cherokee
would not only be a radical de-
parture from the old, but the frst
Jeep to share a platform with its
mother company Fiat. Replacing
the Liberty, Jeeps goal with the
Cherokee is to infltrate the mid-
size SUV segment with a vehicle
that is trendy and fuel-effcient,
and of course, Trail Rated. Using
a front-wheel-drive-based plat-
form, this would be no easy task.
We were eager to get behind
the wheel of the controversial
Jeep and recently, we got the
chance. Flying into Moab, Utah,
we were able to experience the
on- and off-road handling with
an assortment of new Cherokee
models in the scenic and legend-
ary red rock backdrop. While the
Cherokee has a range of model
types (Sport, Latitude, Limited,
and Trailhawk), we spent most of
our time in whats touted as the
most capable Cherokee model,
the Trailhawk.
Powertrain
The Cherokee offers two fresh
engine options, an 184hp 2.4L Ti-
gershark inline-four and a 271hp
3.2L Pentastar V-6. While the
Pentastar shares much of its DNA
with the 3.6L found in the Wran-
gler and Grand Cherokee, the
inline-four is a fresh platform for
those who are looking to be more
fuel conscious. Expanding on its
relationship with ZF, Jeep intro-
duced a frst-in-class nine-speed
automatic transmission that will
be standard across the Cherokee
model line. The transversely-
mounted nine-speed transmission
is extremely compact in size
and hosts an impressive 9.8 ratio
spread.
Traditionally, we would give
you the rundown on the transfer
case next, but one doesnt exist in
this platform. In its place is a PTU
(power transfer unit) that splits
power to the rear differential.
Instead of having one set of low
range planetary gears in the trans-
fer case, the 2.92:1 planetary gears
are placed with each differential
assembly. This unique system pro-
vides gear reduction, but without
the parasitic loss and weight of
a transfer case. This system was
By Ali MAnsour Ali.MAnsour@sorc.coM Photos: courtesy of the MAnufActurer
not only innovative, but neces-
sary since the unibody Cherokee
is based on a front-wheel-drive
platform-one that is shared with
Fiat and the Dodge Dart.
The three four-wheel-drive
systems include: Active Drive I,
Active Drive II, and Active Drive
Lock (a two-wheel-drive version
is available as well). Active Drive
I is equipped with a one-speed
PTU, so no low-range option. Ac-
tive Drive II receives a two-speed
PTU with low range. Fitted in the
Trailhawk is Active Drive Lock,
which has a two-speed PTU that
offers low range, along with a
selectable rear locker.
On-road
Driving the Cherokee through
the twisty and scenic backroads
of Utah was surprisingly fun.

800. 776. 0767 Shar e www. Pr oCompUSA. com

and through the hills felt ad-
equate with the V-6, and mostly
tolerable with the inline-four. A
turbo on the inline-four would
likely do wonders (hint, hint).
Proper communication with the
nine-speed transmission was ex-
tremely important to achieve per-
formance goals, and despite the
large range of gears, shifts went
mostly unnoticed. Fuel economy
numbers are still to come, but are
estimated to be in the high 20s
to low 30s. Certainly helping to
achieve those numbers is Jeeps
frst rear-axle disconnect system.
The advanced four-wheel-drive
system monitors wheelspin and
uses the disconnect system to
disengage the rear axle when its
not needed.
Whats Hot,
Whats Not
Hot: Looks, selectable rear
locker, nine-speed transmis-
sion, powerful V-6, ultra-comfy
and modern interior
Not: Looks, limited wheeltravel,
brake-actuated traction control
Our Take: An innovative 4x4,
with a side of controversy
Off-road
When we pulled onto the
Hells Revenge trail with our V-
6-powered Trailhawk Cherokee,
it was a very surreal moment.
For the frst time that we can re-
member, we were embarking on a
trail ride with a Jeep that we were
not entirely certain belonged on
the trail. Despite the fact that the
Trailhawk version sits one-inch
taller, two inches wider, and
receives a Cherokee-spec set of
Goodyear all-terrain tires, in
the back of our mind we knew
that the front-wheel-drive based
rig wasnt exactly the ideal trail
rig. The shift into low range was
electronically controlled, and per
the advice of the Jeep Engineer-
ing team, we switched into Rock
2014 Jeep Cherokee
The electronically-controlled
steering (something most manu-
factures are switching to) actu-
ally delivered a precise and tight
on-road feel. Since the models
we tested were equipped with the
Selec-Terrain feature, we cycled
through the sport and auto modes
on-road. Jeep spent time cali-
brating for the different driving
settings and the payoff was no-
ticeable. On the Sport mode the
transmission, throttle, and steer-
ing inputs were all heightened to
create a more enjoyable driving
experience.
The Cherokees suspension
kept body-roll in check while
carving through Utahs back-
country, and though we enjoyed
the sporty feel, at times the sus-
pension felt a bit frm- especially
when navigating some of the
older city streets. Power in-town
First Drive
|Inside, the Cherokee feels roomy and looks modern from top to bottom. The seating is extremely comfortable, storage
areas immense, and the optional 8.4-inch Uconnect display is easy to use and packed with practical technology. Being
able to slide and tilt the rear seats is also brilliant and useful. The available park-assist feature, which can automatically
ft you into a parallel or perpendicular parking spot, is pretty trick from a technology standpoint and places you just shy of
owning a vehicle that can practically drive itself.
-The seven-slot grill and trapezoidal
wheel arches are defnite cues that
link the Cherokee back to Jeeps
1941 roots. The fashion-forward LED
lights you see up top are actually
the running lights. The Cherokees
halogen-projector headlights go al-
most unnoticed a few inches below.
An all-aluminum hood shaves weight,
real towhooks hang front and rear,
and a fullsize spare rests inside. For
those looking to make a splash, the
Trailhawk Cherokee can ford up to 20
inches of water.
mode on the Selec-Terrain dial
and engaged the rear locker.
Our frst impression off-road
with the vehicle was that the
brake-assisted traction control
was overly aggressive, and a bit
annoying. If you didnt have the
rear locker engaged, the annoy-
ance was doubled. Switching
the rig into Sand/Mud mode
offers a little more wheelspin,
which helps settle the traction
nannies. A crawl ratio of 56:1
in the inline-four Trailhawk
and a 47.8:1 in the 3.2L is not
bad considering a standard Jeep
Wrangler ftted with a manual
is 38.9:1. While the crawl ratio
was effective at getting us up
the sticky red-rock trails, we
would have liked more com-
pression braking for the steep
descents (note: using the option-
al Hill Descent control button is
very effective, we simply didnt
want the Jeep to drive for us).
Suspension travel was another
item that we would like to see
increased, as lifting a tire was a
common occurrence. Important
parameters such as visibility
and maneuverability were on
point, and the approach and
departure angles were excellent
for the midsize SUV. Rock slid-
ers would have made crawling
a little less worrisome, but we
managed to keep the body dent-
free on our wheeling day. The
electronically-controlled select-
able rear locker is similar to the
one found in the Jeep Wrangler
Rubicon, and was relatively easy
to turn on or off in the high-
traction wheeling conditions.
Overall
Well be the frst to admit
that we were not immediately
drawn to the exterior styling,

|Churning behind the nine-speed ZF
transmission is a PTU (power transfer unit) and a
set of very unique differentials. Since the Chero-
kee is a front-wheel-drive-based vehicle, it uses
the PTU to send power to the rear differential.
With no transfer case onboard, the low range gear
reduction is handled by planetary gears affxed
alongside each of the differential assemblies.
Quick SpecS
General
Vehicle/model: 14 Jeep Cherokee*
Base price: $29,495 (Trailhawk)
Engine(s): 2.4L Tigershark I-4, 3.2L
Pentastar V-6
Rated hp/torque (lb-ft): 184/171
(2.4L), 271/239 (3.2L)
Transmission: ZF 948TE 9-spd
Transfer case: N/A
4WD system(s): Full-time w/active
on-demand clutch, selectable rear
locker w/Active Drive Lock
Low-range ratio: 2.92:1
Frame type: Steel uniframe
Suspension, f/r: McPherson strut,
long-travel coil springs, one-piece
aluminum subframe, aluminum lower
control arms, stabilizer bar/Four-link
w/trailing arm, aluminum lateral links,
isolated steel cradle, coil springs,
stabilizer bar
Axles, f/r: 10.4-in, two-spd PTU/9.7-in
two-spd RDM w/selectable electronic
locker
Axle ratio(s): 4.083:1 (2.4L), 3.517:1
(3.2L w/trailer tow)
Max crawl ratio(s): 56:1 (2.4L),
47.8:1 (3.2L)
Steering: Electric-power, rack-and-
pinion
Brakes, f/r: 13x1.1-in vented disc,
twin-piston foating caliper/12.6x0.47-
in solid disc, single-piston foating
caliper disc
Wheels (in): 17x7.5
Tires: P245/65R17 Firestone
Destination A/T
Wheelbase (in): 107
Length (in): 182
Height (in): 67.8
Base curb weight (lb): 4,106
Approach/departure angles (deg):
29.9/22.9
Minimum ground clearance (in): 8.7
Payload (lb): 1,000
Interior cargo volume (cu ft): 49.47
Max towing capacity (lb): 4,500
Fuel capacity (gal): 15.9
Fuel economy (mpg): N/A
*3.2L-equipped Trailhawk model w/
Active Drive Lock
prisingly capable off-road. Jeep
is aware of the Cherokee name-
sake pedestal and has done a
great job with the Trailhawk
edition to offer a wheeler-cen-
tric version of an otherwise citi-
fed platform. When the small
XJ Cherokee was launched in
1984, it was extremely innova-
tive for its time. Although, we
often look back at those early
XJ models as the less desirable
ones, the Cherokee has made a
lasting imprint in the world of
off-road capable SUVs. Ulti-
mately, as a brand, Jeep has to
continue to diversify and grow.
Thats the only way the classic
seven-slot grill makers will be
able to continue to satisfy the
hardcore enthusiasts and bean
counters alike. Will the Chero-
kee replace your Wrangler?
Heck no, but it certainly has a
place in the Jeep fold. fw
2014 Jeep Cherokee First Drive
-Jeep spent some time reworking the 3.6L Pen-
tastar to create the 3.2L V-6. With 271hp on tap
and the ability to tow up to 4,500 pounds, the
Cherokee has plenty of get up and tow for its size.
The MultiAir Tigershark inline-four is an excellent
option for those looking to squeak those mpgs
into the 30s, and while the nine-speed helps
move it down the road effciently, we preferred
the more lively 3.2L.
but after spending some time
around and behind the wheel of
the Cherokee, it quickly began
to grow on us. Pitted against
the Toyota RAV4, Honda
CR-V, and Ford Escape (all
of which have the wheeling
potential and ground clearance
of a go-cart), the Cherokee is the
proverbial off-road big gun in its
class. Were still not sure that off-
road performance will translate to
sells in a market that is saturated
by soccer moms and hipsters, but
at least Jeep didnt skimp out with
another Compass-like vehicle.
The Cherokee is fat-out enjoy-
able to drive on-road, and sur-

07-13 . . . . .GM 1500 3 $249 . . . . . . .5 $999 . . . . . .7 $999
07-13 . . . . .GM 1500 2 w/Nitro Shocks. . . . . . . . . . . . 2 129
99-06 . . . . .GM 1500 No Drop Torsion. 4 $999. . . . . . ... 6 999
00-06 . . . . .GM Tahoe Yukon & SUB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1299
88-98 . . . . .GM 1500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 $519. . . . . . .6 999
11-13 . . . . .GM 2500 HD NEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.5 1399
02-10 . . . . .GM 2500 HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1295
01-06 . . . . .GM 1500 HD & 2500 Non HD . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1295
07-13 . . . . .GM 1500 (Spacer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 64
99-13 . . . .GM 1500/2500 Torsion Bar Key . . . . . . . . . .2 99
67-87 . . . . .GM Straight Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2, 4 & 6 CALL
FORD
11-13 . . . . .Super Duty (spacer) . . . . . .3 $379 .(coil) 3 $499
11-13 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.5 649
11-13 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..6 799
11-13 . . . . .Super Duty 4 Link Adjustable. . . . . . . . . . . .6 1299
08-10 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 $499. . . . . . 6 799
08-10 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 649
08-10 . . . .Super Duty 4 Link . . . . . .6 $1299 . . . . .8 1449
05-07 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 $499. . . . . .. 4.5 649
05-07 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 799
05-07 . . . .Super Duty 4 Link . . . . . .6 $1279 . . . . 8 1659
99-04 . . . . .Super Duty 2 $339 . . . . . .5 Excursion . . . . .799
99-04 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .809
99-04 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .879
99-04 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1295
80-98 . . . . .F250/350 Gas or Diesel . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .609
09-13 . . . . .F150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1299
09-13 . . . .F150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1399
04-08 . . . . .F150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1299
97-03 . . . . .F150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .999
80-96 . . . . .F150 w/arm & Free Steering Stablizer . . . . .4 469
80-96 . . . . .F150 w/arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499
04-08 & 09-13...F150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leveling . . . . . .2.5 99
05-13 . . . . .Super Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leveling . . . . . .2.5 99
DODGE
70-93 . . . . .Dodge 1/2 & 3/4 Ton . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . .From $349
94-01 . . . . .Dodge 1500 . . . . . . . . . . . . .3..$499 . . . . . . 5 759
02-05 . . . . .Dodge 1500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .4-51175
06-08 . . . . .Dodge 1500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 $949. . . . . . .6 .999
09-13 . . . . .Dodge 1500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 $1249 . . . . .. 6 1399
09-13 . . . . .Dodge 1500 (inc. 1.25 Body Lift). . . . . . 3.75 249
03-13 . . . . .Dodge Ram HD radius arm drop $669.......5 770
03-13 . . . . .Dodge Ram HD (with adjustable links). . . ..5 999
94-13. . . . .Dodge RAM HD. . . . . . . . . . Leveling. . . . . 2.5 99
JEEP
07-13 . . . . .Jeep JK w/N20 shocks . . .2.5 $329 . . . .3.25 379
07-13 . . . . .Jeep JK w/N20 shocks . . .3.5smooth ride . . .499
07-13 . . . . .Jeep JK w/N20 shocks . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499
07-13 . . . . .Jeep JK w/N20 shocks . . .6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .999
97-06 . . . . .Jeep TJ w/N20 shocks . . .2.5 $299 . . . .3.25 369
97-06 . . . . .Jeep TJ w/N20 shocks . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499
97-06 . . . . .Jeep TJ w/2.2 . . . . . . . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .599
97-06 . . . . .Jeep TJ X-Series . . . . . . . . .4 $999 . . . . .6 1049
87-96 . . . . .Jeep YJ w/N20 shocks . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
97-06 . . . . .Jeep TJ Long Arm . . . . . . .4 $1599 . . . . .6 1649
NEW . . . . .Jeep Long Arm Upgrade XJ $649 . . . . . .TJ 899
84-01 . . . . .Jeep XJ Cherokee . . . . . . .3 . $255......6.5 X .899
84-01 . . . . .Jeep XJ Cheroke . . . . . . . . .4.5 $459. . . . . .6 829
84-01 . . . . .Jeep XJ w/rear springs . . .4.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .655
84-01 . . . . .Jeep XJ Long Arm . . . . . . .4 $1299 . . . 6 1449
93-98 . . . . .Jeep ZJ Grand Cher . . . . . .3.5 $379 . . . . . 4 599
93-98 . . . . .Jeep ZJ ...4 (adj. links) . . .$749 . .Long Arm 1499
99-03 . . . . .Jeep WJ Grand Cher.... 4 $499 Long Arm CALL
03-07 . . . . .Jeep Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359
76-86 . . . . .Jeep CJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 $409 . . . . . . 4 439
TOYOTA
05-12 . . . .Toyota Tacoma . . . . . . . . . . .4 $999 . . . . . .6 $999
07-13 . . . . .Toyota Tundra . . . . . . . . . . .4.5 $1249 . . .6 1299
07-13 . . . . .Toyota FJ Cruiser . . . . . . . .3 $249 . . . .6 1279
86-96 . . . . .Toyota Pickup . . . . . . . . . . .4-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . .609
64-80 . . . . .Toyota FJ-40....4 $535 . . . . .71-81 Scout II 4 $575
NO SLIP LOCKER! EASY INSTALL! FREE SHIPPING
$
215
STARTING AT
W/Rear
Springs*
W/Rear
Blocks
DODGE SPECIALS
GM
INCLUDES SHOCKS!
08-13 Ford Super Duty 4 ..........$857
05-07 Ford Super Duty 4 ............876
07-13 GM 1500 4 ............720
11-13 GM 2500 HD 4..........1204
07-13 Toyota Tundra 4..........1169
07-13 Jeep JK 3............691
Uniball Upper Control Arms ........649
Full Line Available
All Kits Plus Shocks
TOYOTA
86-95 IFS Pickup. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 $599
Tacoma Coil-overs . . . . . 2.5-3.5 499
05-13 Tacoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 249
96-04 Tacoma. . . 4 $1395. . . 6 2188
05-13 Tacoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1249
07-13 FJ Cruiser 3 $249 . . . 6 1279
07-13 Toyota Tundra . . . . . . . . 6 1299
70-93 1/2, 3/4 4 $379
70-93 1/2, 3/4 4 w/rear springs 599
94-01 1500 2.5 $279 3 499
94-01 1500 5 759
02-05 1500 4-5 $1175 6 1495
06-08 1500 4 $949 6 999
09-13 1500 4 $1249 6 1399
03-13 2500 2 229
03-13 2500 4 849
03-13 2500 5 770
03-13 2500 RADIUS ARM DROP 5 699
03-13 2500 6 899
05-10 SuperDuty 3 379
05-10 SuperDuty w/RAB 3 499
05-10 SuperDuty 4.5 649
6 4 Link $1299 8 4 Link 1429
SUSPENSION
SPECIALS!
94-13 Dodge Ram . . . . . . .2 . .$129 ..$79
94-13 Dodge Ram . . . . . . .3 . . . .NA ....89
06-13 Dodge 1500 . . . . . . .2 . . . .129 ....79
05-13 Super Duty . . . . . . . .2.5 . .129 ....79
04-08 F-150 . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . .124 ....79
09-13 F-150 . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . .124 ....79
04-13 Nissan Titan . . . . . .2 . . .124 ....79
06-13 Toyota FJ Cruiser . .2.5 . .149....NA
Tacoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.5 . .129....NA
Jeep TJ, XJ, ZJ . . . . . . . . .1.75 . .39....NA
Jeep Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . .2.5 . .279....NA
07-13 Jeep JK . . . . . . . . . .1.75 . .39....NA
07-13 GM 1500 . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . .128 ....59
07-13 Tundra . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . .129 ....79
99-10 GM 2500 HD Keys . .2. . . . .99 to 129
88-06 GM 1500 Keys . . . . .2 . . . . . . . ....99
11-13 GM 2500 HD Keys . ... 2......... from 129
Leveling Kits
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Open 8-7 Mon-Fri
Sat 9-1
CALL OR CLICK FOR A COMPLETE LIST
OF SIZES, PRICES AND SPECIALS!
GM
NISSAN TITAN
04-13 Nissan Titan . . . . . . . . . . 6 $1199
06-11 Nissan Frontier 6 1995
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INC.
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SMITTYBILT XRC WINCHES
Includes
Roller
Fairlead
Winch Acc.
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Available
XRC X2O
8,000 5.5 HP SW . . . . . . .$299 . . . . . . . .$399
10,000 5.5 HP SW . . . . . . .$399 . . . . . . . . .$499
12,000 6.6 HP SW . . . . . . . . . .$499 . . . . . . . .$599
15,000 6.6 HP SW . . . . . . . . . .$599 . . . . . . . . . . .$699
4,000 3.9 HP PM . . . . . . .$199
(NEW X2O Waterproof Winches)
NEW JEEP LINES
88-98 1500 3 $499
88-98 1500 4 or 6 999
99-06 1500 4 or 6 999
99-09 1500/2500HD 6 brac. 1295
00-10 2500HD 6spind. 1295
07-13 1500 5 or 7 999
11-13 2500 HD 5 or 7.51399
JEEP
69-72 2 or 4 $319* $499*
73-87 2 or 4 w/arm 349 499
73-87 1/2, 3/4 T 6 w/arm 419 622
73-87 1/2, 3/4 T 8 439* 699*
73-87 1/2, 3/4 T 10 or 12 899*
76-86 CJ 2 $399 4 $439
87-96 YJ 2 399 4 449
84-01 XJ 3 255 6 899
84-01 XJ w/rear springs 3 499
84-01 XJ 4.5 449 4.5 Flex 829
97-06 TJ w/coils 2 299
97-06 TJ 4 499 4 Flex 999
97-06 TJ long arm 4 1599 6 1649
07-13 JK 2.5 329
07-13 JK 3.5 499 4 499
FORD
11-13 SuperDuty 3$379 or $499
11-13 SuperDuty 4.5 649
04-08 F150 61299 09-13 1399
80-96 F150 w/arm 4 $489 6 499
97-03 F150 5 $999 6 1295
99-04 SuperDuty 2 $369 4 699
99-04 SuperDuty w/arm 6 759
99-04 SuperDuty all spring 6 899
99-04 SuperDuty all spring 8 1295
88- 13GM IFS
*Steering Mods additional
Kits also available for 56 rear springs - call for pricing
Top Gun Customz
94-12 Dodge Ram Specialists
4, 6 & 8 Short Arm or Long Arm Complete Kits
Progressive Coils Standard or Bilstein Shocks
Rear Hanger Drops Dual Steering Stablizers
Extra HD Adjustable Track Bar for all years
Weve Gone
Mobile
09-13 Dodge 1500 ..........................6 NEW
09-13 Ford F150 Leveling & ........6 NEW
GM Canyon & Colorado ..........4
07-13 GM 1500........................3, 6
99-06 GM 1500........................3, 6
00-09 GM 2500HD ..................3
00-10 GM 2500HD & 11-13 6 NEW
88-98 GM 1500........................6
70-79, 80-96 F150 ................4, 6, 9
97-03 F150 ..............................6
04-13 F150.............. ................3, 6
83-97 Ranger.......... ... ............4, 6, 8
78-79 F250 ..............................4, 6
80-96,F250, F350 ....................4, 6
99-04 SUP. DUTY ..................4, 6, 8
05-07 SUP. DUTY....................2
05-07 SUP. DUTY ..................4, 6, 8
09-13 F150 ..............................6
08-13 SUPERDUTY...........2, 4, 6,
61-93 Dodge....... ......................4, 6, 8
55-86 Jeep CJ ..........................2 or 4
86-96 Wrangler YJ.................. 2, 4
97-06 TJ, STD & FLEX ..............2, 4, 6
97-06 TJ, VALUE FLEX ..........4, 6
94-08 & 09-13 Dodge Ram 1500 ......6
94-02 Dodge 25/35................2.5, 4.5 &7
03-13 Ram 25/35 HD.... ...................... 5
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TRAC BARSSTABALIZERS LEVELING KITS
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07-13 Jeep JK w/shocks 2.5 $429
07-13 Jeep JK w/shocks 4 615
97-06 Jeep TJ w/shocks 4 545
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285X75R-16
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275X70R-18
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35X12.50R-20
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31X10.50R-15
32X11.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
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285X75R-16
305X70R-16
315X75R-16
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
305X65R-17
235X75R-15
30X9.50R-15
31X10.50R-15
33X10.50R-15
32X11.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
35X12.50R15
315X75R-16
255X75R-17
285X70R-17
33X12.50R-17
35X12.50R-17
37X12.50R-17
38X14.50R-17
40X14.50R-17
35X12.50R-18
36X13.50R-18
37X12.50R-18
38X14.50R-18
40X14.50R-18
37X12.50R-20
38X14.50R-20
42X14.50R-20
235X75R-15
30X9.50R-15
31X10.50R-15
33X10.50R-15
32X11.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
35X12.50R15
265X75R-16
31X10.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
35X12.50R-15
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33X13.50R-17, 18, 20
35X14.50R-17, 18, 20, 22
36X13.50R-15, 16, 16.5
36X13.50R-17, 18, 20
37X12.50R-15, 16, 16.5, 17
39X13.50R-15, 16, 16.5
39X13.50R-17, 20
31X10.50R-15
32X11.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
265X75R-16
285X75R-16
305X70R-16
315X75R-16
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
305X65R-17
315X75R-16
33X12.50R-17
35X12.50R-17
35X12.50R-18
35X12.50R-20
37X13.50R-17
235X75R-15
30X9.50R-15
31X10.50R-15
32X11.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
245X75R-16
265X75R-16
IROK ND
33X12.50R-15
315X75R-16
37X12.50R-16
315X70R-17
BIAS
33, 39.5, & 44
RADIAL
33, 35, 36, 38
& 39.5
IROK BIAS
36X13.50-15, 16, 16.5
36X13.50-17, 18, 20
37X14-15, 16, 16.5, 17
39.5X13.50-15, 16, 17
39.5X13.50-16.5, 20
14X42-15, 16, 16.5, 17
21X49-16.5, 17, 20
LTB
31X10.5-15
31X10.5-16
33X13.50-15
33X13.50-16
34X10.50-15
34X10.50-16
34X10.50-17
31X10.50R-15, 16, 17
295X70R-17 285X65R-18
33X10.50R-15, 16, 17
33X13.50R-15, 16, 17
35X12.50R-16, 17, 18, 20
37X13.50R-15, 16, 17, 18
37X13.50R-20, 24
40X14.50R-20, 22, 24
TSL BIAS
29X8.50-15
31X10.50-15
33X12.50-15
34X9.50-15
QX78-15
36X12.50-15
38X12.50-15
15X39.5-15
18.5X44-15
13X33-16
QX78-16
13X38-16
33X12.50-16.5
38X12.50-16.5
18.5X44-16.5
15X39.5-17
SX BIAS
29X10.50-15
30X11.50-15
36X12.50-15, 16.5
36X12.50-17
38.5X14.50-15
43X14.50-16.5
43X14.50-17
43X14.50-20
27X9.50R-14, 15
33X12.50R-15, 16, 16.5, 17
33X13.50R-15, 16, 16.5
35X10.50R-16, 17,
35X12.50R-15, 16, 16.5, 17, 18
37X12.50R-15, 16, 16.5, 17, 20
38X15.50R-15, 16, 16.5, 17
38X15.50R-18, 20
31X12.50-15, 16
33X10.50-15, 16
33X12.50-15, 16, 16.5
33X14-15, 16, 16.5
35X10.50-15, 16
35X14.50-15, 16, 17
35X12.50-15, 16,
17, 20, & 22
38.5X13.50-15, 16,
16.5, 17, & 20
TRXUS MT SSR
BOGGER
MTZ
KO
KM2
TRAIL GRAPPLER
MUD GRAPPLER
235 & 255X85R-16
265 & 285X75R-16
31X10.50R15
33X12.50R-15, 16, 16.5, 17, 18, 20
34X12.50R-15, 16
35X12.50R-15, 16, 16.5, 17, 18, 20
37X12.50R-15, 16, 16.5, 17
38.5X14.5R-16, 17, 18, 20
16X35-15, 16, 16.5
37X13-15, 16, 16.5, 17
38.5X11-15, 16, 16.5
15X38.5-15
15X38.5-16
15X38.5-16.5
MUD CLAW Made By COOPER
315X70R-17
37X12.50R-17
295X65R-18
35X12.50R-18
37X12.50R-18
295X55R-20
275X60R-20
295X60R-20
35X12.50R-20
37X13.50R-20
31X10.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
35X12.50R-15
265X75R-16
285X75R-16
315X75R-16
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
305X65R-17
315X70R-17
37X12.50R-17
295X65R-18
305X70R-18
37X12.50R-18
295X55R-20
295X60R-20
35X12.50R-20
37X12.50R-20
285X75R-16
315X75R-16
265X70R-16
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
33X12.50R-17
35X12.50R-17
XAT
40X13.50R-17
33X12.50R-18
35X12.50R-18
37X13.50R-18
38X15.50R-18
33X12.50R-20
35X12.50R-20
37X13.50R-20
38X15.50R-20
40X15.50R-20
37X13.50R-22
40X15.50R-22
235X75R-15
30X9.50R-15
31X10.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
265X75R-16
285X75R-16
31X10.50R-15
32X11.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
265X75R-16
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
305X70R-17
35X12.50R-17
35X12.50R18
35X12.50R-20
33X12.50R-15
35X13.50R-15
305X75R-16
315X75R-16
385X70R-16
285X75R-17
31X10.50R-15
245X75R-16
265X75R-16
285X75R-16
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
FEDERAL MT
TOYO OPEN COUNTRY TOYO OPEN COUNTRY MT
295X70R-17
35X12.50R-17
37X13.50R-17
33X12.50R-18
35X12.50R-18
37X13.50R-18
33X12.50R-15
285X75R-16
315X75R-16
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
295X70R-17
315X70R-17
35X12.50R-17
37X12.50R-17
285X65R-18
AT RADIAL
31X10.50R-15
33 & 35X12.50-R15
265 & 285-75-R16
325X70-R17
37X12.50R-17 WILD PEAK
Fun Country
MUD COUNTRY
285X75R-16
305X70R-16
315X75R-16
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
305X65R-17
315X70R-17
37X12.50R-17
275X70R-18
305X60R-18
305X70R-18
285X55R-20
305X55R-20
275X65R-20
35X12.50R-20
37X12.50R-20
305X75R-16
315X75R-16
305X65R-17
315X70R-17
33X12.50R-15
35X12.50R-15
285X75R-16
305X70R-16
31X10.50R-15
33X12.50R-15
35X12.50R-15
265X75R-16
285X75R-16
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325X60R-20
355X60R-20
325X50R-22
37X13.50R-22
265X75R-16
285X75R-16
305X70R-16
315X75R-16
33X12.50R-16.5
35X12.50R-16.5
265X70R-17
285X70R-17
305X65R-17
315X70R-17
275X70R-18
305X65R18
325X65R-18
305X55R-20
325X60-R18
305X65-R18
325X65-R18
37X13.50-R18
18X39.5-15, 16.5
19.5X44-15, 16
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19.5X54-20
42.5X13.5-15, 16
42.5X13.5-16.5, 17
More Swamper Sizes Available
ALL SWAMPERS MADE I N THE USA!
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XTREME ALL TERRAIN XTREME MT2
295X70R-18
295X55R20
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305X55R-20
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37X12.50R-20
285X55R-22
325X55R-22
37X13.50R-22
38X13.50R-24
FULL LINE
IN STOCK!!!
38X13.50R-18
33X12.50R-20
35X12.50R-20
37X13.50R-20
38X15.50R-20
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305X70R-16
315X75R-16
265X70R-17
33X12.50R-17
35X12.50R-17
305X60R-18
305X70R-18
305X55R-20
35X12.50R-20
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ATZP3 STZ TTC CRUSHER
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TERRA
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Track Orders 1-800-391-1113
ALL PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Returns Subject To Restock Fee
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National Tire & Wheel is one of the largest and most respected off-road warehouses in the USA. We have over 28 years of experience
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15x10 ..$169 ........$69
15x12 ..$179 ........$99
15x14 ..$189 ......$109
12x16.5 ..............$108
14x16.5 ..............$113
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KMC-XD
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XRC Winches & Recovery Gear
Jeep Replacement Tops & Much More!
Custom U Bolts
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Full line of Suspension Systems
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Diesel Exhaust
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Dually Wheels
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16, 17, & 19.5
Complete Line
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Drive Line Parts
(1/2, 3/4 & 1 Ton)
Professional
Installations Available!
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Well worth the trip!
Local attractions: Cabelas, Wheeling Island Casino & Shopping
Round hole 97F and
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$169
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AT 2
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RUGGED
TERRAIN
MUD
COUNTRY
FUN
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O
ne Of the biggest investments yOull make fOr yOur
4x4 is purchasing tires. As your taste and want for taller tires
grows, so will the price of the oversized cleats. Sure, if you
have the coin to buy a new set of rubber, we say go for it. For
those on a tighter budget, we suggest you consider buying your next
set of tires used. Before you stand tall and say that you would never
ride on a used tire, think about it like this. If you purchased your car
pre-owned (aka used), then you likely got used tires. Ever driven a
rental car? Do you think they put on a brand new set of treads just for
you? Ha!
Buying used
By Ali MAnsour Ali.MAnsour@sorc.coM
Getting Tires On The Cheap
A. Be sure to check the load range
and weight rating of the tire. You
want to make certain that the tire is
capable of supporting your rig.
B. Check for an even wear pattern.
Choppy or uneven lugs are a recipe
for a loud, and most likely, poor
handling tire.
C. Assuming you are looking for
a complete set, make sure
all are accounted for and
match. Mismatched tire
sizing can create poor
handling and wreak
havoc on full-time
4x4 vehicles and rigs
equipped with auto-
matic lockers.
D. In some cases,
tread depth can be
diffcult to gauge.
Sure, you can do
the old coin trick
to get an idea, or
we suggest spending
a few dollars (most
can be had under
$10) on a tread-depth
gauge. A tread-depth
gauge measures tread
depth in 32nds of an inch.
This number will be more
helpful to you if you do your
homework beforehand and can
compare your reading to the manu-
facturers original specs. In most
states, a tire is considered legally
worn out at
2
32--inch.
e. Examine the inside of the tire
carefully. You are looking for patch-
es, plugs, and any signs of deteriora-
tion. Sidewall plugs and patches are
a giant red fag and we would walk
away. A plug or two in the tread isnt
a huge deal when fxed correctly,
so we wouldnt let that be a deal
breaker.
F. Look closely for gouges, bubbles,
and exposed belts on the outside of
the tires. Small cuts are common on
a tire that has been
wheeled, as are rounded
leading edges. Get your hands dirty
and really examine the tires. A small
slit in the sidewall can lead to big
problems later. Also, a bubble on
the outside is usually the sign of
a busted belt, making the tire not
worth installing on the vehicle.
G. Since the year 2000 all tires have
a four-date code stamped on the
sidewall. The frst two digits are the
week; the second two represent the
year. Check the date while examin-
ing if the tire appears to be dry
rotted. The older the tire, the greater
the chance that it could be dried out
and useless. A dry rotted tire may
look new at frst glance, but upon
closer inspection you will be able to
see the bevy of cracks.
h. Check the bead closely! It only
takes one quick mistake on a tire
machine to rip or tear a chunk out
of a bead. Any bead damage is a
problem. fw
a
b
d
e
F
G
H
c
You get the point. Not all used tires are junk. This is especially true
in our hobby. Unlike other motorsports where competition tires can
only last a few heat cycles, an average mud-terrain can survive years
of off-road use and still be in fairly good shape. The key to buying a
used set of tires is knowing what you are looking at, and more to the
point, what you are watching out for. In this edition of Buying Used,
were serving you with the key tips you need to know when buying
second-hand rubber.
Next month, will continue our Buying Used column with what to
look for when purchasing a used wheel.

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| The basic Austin Champ was better known in military circles as the FV-1801. It
was very advanced for the early 50s, but to use a WWII analogy, perhaps it went
A Bridge Too Far. The teething problems were eventually sorted out, but soldiers
regarded the champ as big and ungainly compared to the alternatives. This one was
seen at a military show in typical 50s and 60s British confguration.
Feature
A
ustin hAd been A powerhouse
name in the English car market for
decades when the company entered
the four-wheel-drive market in the
early 50s. That frst effort was eventu-
ally called the Champ and was primarily
a military development. More success was
achieved in 1958 with the Austin Gipsy. The
last time was the Austin Ant of 1966 that
went right to the edge of production before
being cancelled in the midst of corporate up-
heavals. Here is the rest of the story on each
of these awesome Austins.
Austin Champ
The WWII American Jeep had left a mark
on everyone and, of course, every country
with an auto industry wanted to outdo it. In
1947, the British government initiated a proj-
ect to design a light tacti-
cal 4x4 for the British military. Code-
named FV-1800, the project started with
the Nuffeld Organization (part of which
was Morris Motors) who produced three
prototypes that were called the Gutty. Wol-
seley Motors, which was also a part of the
Nuffeld/Morris empire, got its name into
the picture by further developing the project
and producing small numbers of an updated
rig called the Mudlark. More presto-change
badge engineering occurred when Nuffeld
and Austin Merged in 1952 to become BMC
(British Motor Corporation). Ostensibly,
Austin was the fnal developer of the project
and given a government contract to produce
15,000 of the units. In reality, it was all just
one happy family, likely with many of the
same people doing the development work.
The frst production rig rolled off the
By Jim Allen fourwheelereditor@sorc.com
Backward Glances
Tales of the Champ, the Gipsy, and the Ant
< Right-hand drive only. If a civvy rig had been fully developed, likely a LHD setup
would have as well. One of the attributes of the Champ was a good driving position
and a decent ride. With a snorkel, the Champ had a 6-foot fording depth.
line in September of
1951 and its offcial
nomenclature was truck,
-ton, 4x4, CT, Austin
Mk.1. Later it became
known as the Champ
and was a very unusual
4x4 in its day. It had
independent torsion bar
suspension front and rear. The powertrain
had a fve-speed gearbox that handed off to
another gearbox at the rear that contained a
transfer case, the rear diff, and reverse gear.
A long driveshaft connected the rear gearbox
to the front diff. Yep, you guessed it, the
Champ had fve speeds forward, fve speeds
in reverse and could go just as fast in either
direction. It did not have a low range, but
used an extra deep First gear (5.46:1) for the
slow work.
The Rolls Royce B40 engine of the
Champ always inspires a bit of an upward
nose angle when mentioned. It was a good
powerplant, developed for commercial/mili-
tary use and made 80 gross horsepower from
the 2.8L. It was a modular design which
shared many components with the Rolls B60
inline-six and B80 straight-eight.
Champ deliveries began in 1952 and
almost immediately, the highly complex
vehicle began having teething problems,
expensive ones and complexity became the
ultimate downfall of the Champ. Produc-
tion continued to 1955, but was cancelled at
11,732 units, well under the 15,000 originally
ordered. They offcially remained in service
until 1966, but few were actually in service,
most were held in reserve. An attempt was
made to market a commercial version of the
Champ starting in 1952 and this is actually
where that name is said to have originated.
Various versions were developed and sold,
including some powered by an Austin A40
engine instead of the Rolls. The commercial
endeavor had no more success than the mili-
tary one.
There is an American connection here as
well. In 1952, a Wolseley Mudlark was sent
to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds for evalu-
ation by American military reps. According
to some sources, that test lasted two years
and some say the Mudlark provided an early
pattern for the Ford M151 MUTT.
In the mid and late 60s, seldom did the
pages of Four Wheeler not have an advertise-
ment for surplus Champs at $795, and the
cont. on page 74

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LOT NO.
68784/
69387
Item 68784
shown
SUPER HIGH GLOSS FINISH!

$
359
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44", 13 DRAWER
INDUSTRIAL QUALITY
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2900 LB.
CAPACITY
WEIGHS
306 LBS.
SAVE
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900 MAX./
800 RATED WATTS
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LOT NO. 66619 /
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Item 68424
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$
69
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REG. PRICE $129 .99
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2
59
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LOT NO.
67227 /
69567/
60566
Requires three
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(included).
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LOT NO. 32879 /60603
PAIR OF
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$
149
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32879
shown
"Great Press for an Incredible Price!"
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LOT NO.
68048 /69227
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68048
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74 LBS.
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LARGE
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93640 /60447
MEDIUM
LOT NO.
61235
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LOT NO.
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3
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69094 /69262
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shown
300 LB.
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17
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68442 /69649

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Item 46163
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Item 91214
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Item 239
shown
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3/8" DRIVE
1/2" DRIVE
LOT NO. 2696 /61277
LOT NO. 807 /61276
LOT NO. 239
YOUR CHOICE!

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60%
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$30

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5
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9 PIECE FULLY POLISHED
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LOT NO. 42304/69043
METRIC
LOT NO. 42305/69044
Item 42304
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Item 68066
shown
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18
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60658
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Item
97711
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164
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Item 95272
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Item 60657
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Item 6530
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34
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REG. PRICE $19.99

$
9
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LOT NO. 95578/
69645 /60625
4-1/2" ANGLE GRINDER
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Item
95578
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5 FT. 6" x 7 FT. 6"
ALL PURPOSE WEATHER
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LOT NO. 953/69136/
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$
1
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Item 953
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Item 68142
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12,000 LB. ELECTRIC WINCH
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LOT NO.
67903/69280/
69333/69560
METRIC
LOT NO.
67904/69279/
69332/69561
Item 67903 shown
9 PIECE 1/4", 3/8" AND
1/2" DRIVE WOBBLE
SOCKET EXTENSIONS
1.8 HP, 17 GALLON
150 PSI OILLESS
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LOT NO.
67971/61278
LOT NO.
68066/69666
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REG.
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$
9
99

$
169
99

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Item
67971
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69886/69520
1000 LB. CAPACITY
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45
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Item
93897
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LOT NO.
3029
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Auburndale, FL
Indianapolis, IN
El Paso, TX
Humble, TX
Las Vegas, NV
Brooklyn, NY
Lafayette, IN
Santa Fe, NM

The DeTails
tales of the Champ, the Gipsy, and the ant Feature
February 1965 issue had a feature on them.
A fair number of them are still around, all
right-hand drive, and only the best of them
bring any signifcant money.
Gipsy
The Gipsy came about as a project to
knock Land Rover off its pedestal. Though
the Gipsy rose from the ashes of the Champ,
the vehicles were very different. The Gipsy
was an advanced design, but much simpler
than the Champ. Though designed to far
outshine the Series 1 Land Rovers, the Gipsy
had the unfortunate luck to be announced
in February of 1958, not long after Land
Rovers very much updated Series II rigs
debuted. The blow to Rover status was very
much blunted.
Gipsy was built on a very stout ladder
chassis with a 90-inch wheelbase and a steel
body. What made it really unique was the
independent Flexitor suspension. Indepen-
dent suspension was uncommon enough for
axle. Continuing issues with Flexitor led to
a leaf spring system that was made standard
in 1962, with the Flexitor optional, and these
rigs were dubbed Series IV (there was no
Series III). The Flexitor option was dropped
after 1965. Nobody cried and with that, the
Gipsy started to gain on the Rover a little.
Gipsy sales never matched Land Rover,
but by the late 60s, the company was on
the upswing. At that moment, much of the
British motorcar industry was national-
ized and folded into a big, government-run
organization called British Leyland. Guess
who else was there? Yep, Land Rover and
since they were king-o-the-hill, it was easy
to make the case that the Gipsy was, surplus
to requirements and in 1968, the plug was
pulled. The Austin Gipsy had its good and
bad points versus the Land Rover, but when
< The all-steel Gipsy, nicknamed The Gippo,
was a stylish beast, but unlike the aluminum-
bodied Rover, it was prone to rust. The Flexitor
suspension made for a good ride, even going fast
over very rough terrain, but the folks most used to
beam axles tended to trash diffs by ramming them
into rocks.
a production 4x4 in the 50s, but the Flexitor
system was unique, in essence being a trans-
verse torsion bar in rubber. The Flexitor unit
acted as both spring and dampener, though
shocks were still needed for rebound. Flexi-
tor had been used on trailers, and still is, and
it worked reasonably well in the Gipsy.
Engines were either a 2.2L gasser making
62hp (later 72hp) or a 2.2L diesel cranking
out 55hp. Mounted behind was a four-speed
manual with a decently deep 4.05:1 First gear
and a two-speed T-case with a so-so 2.02:1
low range. These were coupled with 5.125:1
axle ratios for a nice 42:1 crawl ratio.
Several major upgrades came to the Gipsy
in 1960 and the new units were dubbed Se-
ries II. Some troublesome problems with
the Flexitor were addressed in the Series
IIs, but a long wheelbase (111-inch) unit
was introduced with a higher GVW and a
leaf-spring rear suspension with a solid rear
| The short Gipsy was rated to carry about a 1,000-pound payload, give or take, and
was a bit roomier than the Rover. The British government bought and stored several hundred Gipsys in
the 60s for civil defense. In the 90s these rigs were sold with only a 100 or so miles on the clock and
brought high prices. This gleaming gem is thought be one of those.
Champ Gipsy Ant
Engine: 2.8L gas 2.2L gas or diesel 1.09L/1.27L gas
Power (hp): 80@3,750 62@4,000/55@3,100 56@5,500/58@5,250
Torque (lb-ft): 138@2,150 110@1,500/89@2,800 61@2,000/69@3,000
Bore/stroke (in): 3.50x4.50 3.125x4.38/3.25x4.38 2.54x3.29/2.78x3.20
Comp ratio: 6.4:1 6.8:1/22:1 8.9:1/8.8:1
Transmission: 5-spd 4-spd 4-spd
Transfer case: 1-spd 2-spd 2-spd
Front axle: Independent Independent/Solid Independent
Rear axle: Independent Independent/Solid Independent
Axle ratio: 4.857:1 5.17:1 2.43:1
Tires: 7.50-16 6.00-16 6.00-12
LxWxH (in): 144.5X61.5x73 139x66.7x73.5 (SWB) 114x54x59
160x66.7x73.5 (LWB)
Wheelbase (in): 84 90/111 77.5
GVW (lb): 4,480 4,479/5,150 2,500
Curb weight (lb): 3,668 3,379/3,649 1,580
Fuel cap (gal): 15.5 15.5 10
Min grd clear (in): 11.5 8.75 11
cont. from page 70

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fourwheeler.com
Champ, Gipsy, and Ant FeAture
taken into context, the phrase Coulda been a
contenda! is very ftting.
There were some 21,208 Gipsys built and
they have a solid base of collector interest
in the British Empire. They were exported
almost everywhere and built in left-hand
drive. There was an organized sales group in
Canada, but not here and most of the Gipsys
here came from north of the border. Collector
interest here is nearly zero but they occasion-
ally come up for sale.
Ant
Development of the Austin Ant followed
closely on the heels of the Austin Mini and
the utilitarian Mini Moke. It was designed
by Sir Alec Issigonis, the same fella who de-
signed the legendary Morris Mini back in the
50s, a model that BMW produces today. The
Mini Moke used the same transverse front
drive components as the Mini car, but had a
utility body on a longer wheelbase. Issigonis
had developed a four-wheel-drive powertrain
for the Mini and patented some ideas in 1963,
but didnt dust them off until there was some
interest in building a four-wheel drive Moke
in some numbers.
Work started in 1966 and it was a rela-
tively simple process to make a 4x4 Moke.
The frst of them looked more like a Moke
than anything, but the fnalized designs had
their own unique look, so they got the unique
name of Ant. Some 30 were built for tests,
each in slightly different confgurations.
The body was designed to be adaptable to
soft tops, half or full, and fberglass hard-
tops. The main interest was military, but
there was a commercial prospect as well.
The Ant sat on a 77.5-inch wheelbase,
weighed only 1,500 pounds and had a
900-pound payload. The four-speed trans-
mission shared a sump with the engine and
had a two-speed transfer case with a 4.41:1
high and a 7.2:1 low. Get those eyebrows
down because the gearing stepdown was
not that much with the front-drive trans
but it was geared appropriately to its power
output. The suspension was an independent
system with torsion bars. The early Ants
used a 56hp 1,098cc BMC A-series four-
cylinder. Some of the later ones had a big-
ger 58hp 1,275cc unit.
The more advanced prototypes were sent
to various places around the world for sales
pitches. The factory was ordered to tool up
for production but this was 1968 and the
same British Leyland nationalization that
killed the Gipsy killed the Ant. Many of
the prototypes were crushed but seven have
survived in various parts of the world. They
arent really collectible because there are so
few to collect, but they were a viable devel-
opment and another in the Coulda been a
contenda! brigade.
| This is one of seven Ants known
to still survive. Most of the survivors
did so because they were sent to
Australia and New Zealand for evalu-
ation by military types. This one is
now in a private collection in Japan.
- Here are 1,275 of rip-snorting
cubic centimeters. The available 69
lb-ft of torque were enough for a
1,500-pound rig with its 26:1 crawl
ratio. The Ant was the worlds frst
transverse-engine 4x4. The instal-
lation is similar to what you might
have seen under the hood of a 60s
Mini or Mini Moke, but the engine is
slanted to lower the hood line. fw

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Our 85 M1008 turned out to be quite the oddball.
Make sure you get what you are shopping for when
truck hunting (unlike us). The A/C probably had us
a little too starstruck to fully investigate our truck
before plunking down the cash. Well, that and the
fact that there were not many good M1008s being
listed for sale at the time.
Tech
GI Gyp
80s 1-ton GM strippy
pickup with a 6.2L diesel,
TH400 transmission, NP208 transfer case,
kingpin Dana 60 front axle, and a 14-bolt
rear axle. Yeah, it doesnt make much power
since its a non-turbo engine, but its got a lot
of desirable drivetrain parts underneath. The
M1008 trucks also have 4.56 axle gears and a
Detroit Locker in the rear right from the fac-
tory. This makes them perfect candidates for
off-road project trucks with bigger tires. As an
added surprise this truck had A/C, although it
wasnt blowing any cold air.
A quick test drive revealed what we
thought was a minor shifting issue. The rest
S
ometimeS you juSt dont get what
you expectnothing more true could
be said about our latest project. We
had been looking for a running and
driving M1008 CUCV for several months.
We stopped by Boyce Equipment in Ogden,
Utah, scanned Craigslist and eBay and were
beat out several times on bids that we put in
at Government Liquidation. Eventually, an
M1008 showed up online locally. It wasnt
exactly a bargain, but we decided to pull the
trigger since we fgured it already had a lot of
the heavy-duty hard parts we wanted. This
particular M1008 truck is an 85. So, what is
an M1008 military truck? Its basically a mid-
Part 1: Getting gypped
and moving forward with
our M1008
By John Cappa john.cappa@fourwheeler.com
of the truck looked pretty solid aside from a
hacked-out and rusty passenger-side rocker
area. The truck also had the usual dented bed
(sometimes they have a dented door, too), no
doubt caused by some wacky military forklift
operator who seems to have hit every M1008
ever discharged.
Anyway, we loaded our new-to-us truck on
the trailer and brought it home, and it sat for a
few weeks. We knew it had some oddball stuff
on it, but we had no idea just how oddball the
truck really was. We found the typical minor
broken parts and hack repairs, such as a duct
tape wing window, missing tailgate, and so
on. Most of this stuff is easy to fx. One of the
locking hubs wouldnt unlock and the other
wouldnt lock at all. So we pulled em apart. It
turned out that one hub was missing the slide
gear and the other was assembled incorrectly,
| Here is a sneak peek of our tires. We could have
easily lifted the truck and cut the rear wheelwells to
ft these 18/39.5-15 Interco Super Swamper Bog-
gers, but we wanted our M1008 to stand out from a
crowd of square-fendered trucks.

so it needs new locking hubs. We dove further
into the axles and found that the rearend did
not have the Detroit Locker that (nearly) all
M1008 trucks come with. To our surprise, our
truck doesnt have 4.56 gears, either; it has
3.73s front and rear. Its a little more freeway-
friendly, although thats not something we
really care about because the 4.56 gears
would be a better match for the tires we have
planned. Oh well, well just have to add a gear
swap and lockers to the build list now.
Next, we set to work on the A/C. It looks
like an older aftermarket kit from Vintage
Air. The A/C compressor clutch engaged fne
and the fan motor worked (we could hear
it running), but no cold air came out of the
vents. The blower wheel was stripped. We
simply pulled it apart, added a set screw and
cold-blowing A/C was ours to behold. Oh, and
the heater works, too. Interestingly enough
you can turn both the heater and A/C on at the
same time with different fan settings because
they are completely separate systems, not that
you would want to.
The tranny shift problem baffed us for
a while. We found and replaced the broken
VRV valve on the engine (it helps control the
transmission shift points) with no change. We
also fddled with the vacuum modulator, yet
the shift problem persisted. Eventually, we
made a trip to the local transmission shop.
A partial teardown revealed some loose and
1
2
3
4
1. The M101A3 (pictured) has fenders that extend
outward. These trailer beds require more wheel
backspacing because of the inner fender design.
The M101A2 is more desirable for a bed swap on
a GM truck like ours because the inner wheelwells
are deeper, but well make do with what we have
and run extra backspacing on our wheels.
2. We dont recommend it, but we made the bed
swap a one man job with the help of an engine
hoist. Backing up close to the trailer allowed us to
simply unbolt and slide the trailer bed forward over
the truck framerails. A few buddies would have
made the swap process a lot easier.
3. A pair of 16-inch-long, 2x2-inch, 0.120-wall
pieces of square tubing support the front of the bed
over the trucks framerails. We drilled holes for four
5x-inch Grade 5 bolts that sandwich the bed,
tubing, and frame.
4. The support beams in the middle of the M101A3/
A2 bed sit directly on top of the truck frame just
like the factory truck bed. Out back we added
some more 2-inch square tubing bed spacers and
a 34-inch-long, 2-inch square tubing crossmember
to allow the bed to sit level. Another four 5x-inch
bolts keep the back of the bed in place.
5. From the rear you can see the 34-inch-long,
2-inch square tube crossmember/bed spacer
that sits on top of the frame. We also pilfered the
military taillights and mounting brackets from our
trailer and wired them into the truck. They hang
a bit low for our tastes so we will likely move or
replace them later on when we decide on what to
do for a high-clearance rear bumper.
5

fourwheeler.com
missing bolts in the valvebody. This also led
us to believe that this truck has signifcantly
more miles on it than the broken odometer
claimed. Our transmission guy (familiar with
these trucks and TH400s) said that it wasnt
the original TH400 transmission case. Getting
gypped seems to be an ongoing theme with
this truck.
To replace the dented bed we set out to
look for an M101A2 trailer. The idea was to
put the trailer bed on the truck. The M101A2
bed looks a heck of a lot cooler than the stock
truck bed. Its also a lot tougher (thicker steel),
provides more ground clearance, a better
departure angle, and the wheelwells offer
plenty of room for bigger tires. We cant take
credit for the idea, though. A buddy allegedly
stole the idea from another guy and is work-
ing on his own conversion on an old 2WD
Dodge truck. We found an M101A3 (very
similar to the A2 version) trailer locally and
installed its bed on our truck. Its an amaz-
ingly simple bolt-on swap that can be done in
a couple hours, and we did it working alone
without a forklift. The M101A2/A3 bed is
made from thicker material than the factory
bed, but its not double-walled so its about the
same weight as the stock bed. Unfortunately,
the M101A3 bed has its wheelwells pushed
outward, making tire clearance a bit of an
issue. For this reason we really would have
been better off with an M101A2 trailer. We
have a solution, but were still feeling gypped
yet again. Keep an eye out for the next install-
ment, where well start spinning wrenches to
improve GI Gyps off-road performance.
6
7
8
6. The M101A3/A2 wheelwells are positioned just
slightly forward of the trucks rear axle centerline.
Its only about an inch off, so we may correct it with
some modifed spring plates and perches to move
the axle backward. The trailer wheelwells provide
lots of room for bigger tires, though.
7. The factory side-mounted fuel tank was too low
and dangly for a real trail truck. Its also really ugly
with the factory bed removed, so we yanked it off of
the side of the frame.
8. We ordered a 17-gallon RCI aluminum fuel cell
(PN RCI-2171A) and mounting brackets (PN RCI-
7514A) from Summit Racing and installed it in the
bed of our truck just behind the cab. This particular
fuel cell is tall and narrow, so fuel starvation at
angles will be a non-issue. If you need more or less
fuel capacity, Summit has plenty of fuel cell size
options ranging from 44 gallons to 1-quart. Our
fuel cell came complete with a billet aluminum fll
cap, a -8 AN fuel feed, return port, rollover vent,
and a 90 Ohm sending unit that works with most
GM gauges. fw
SourceS
Boyce Equipment
800/748-4269, www.boyceequipment.com
Government Liquidation
480/367-1300, www.govliquidation.com
Interco Tire
337/334-3814, www.intercotire.com
Summit Racing
800/230-3030, www.summitracing.com
Vintage Air
800/862-6658, www.vintageair.com
GI Gyp Tech

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Techline
Where To WriTe
A
ddress your correspondence to:
Four Wheeler, 831 S. Douglas St.,
El Segundo, CA 90245 or send an email to
ali.mansour@sorc.com.. All letters become
the property of Four Wheeler, and we reserve
the right to edit them for length, accuracy,
and clarity. The editorial department can
also be reached through the website at www.
fourwheeler.com. Due to the volume of mail,
electronic and otherwise, we cannot respond
to every reader, but we do read everything.
Rocks vs. Tons
Q
My current dedicated trail rig has a
41 Dodge body mounted to a 72
Snow Commander chassis. Im running a
Dana 60 up front with a Trac-Lok and a
welded 14-bolt rear. Both axles have 4.56
gears and cut 44-inch Super Swampers.
The engine is a fairly stout 400ci Chevy
V-8 with roughly 500hp (dyno-proven).
The transmission is a Turbo 350 thats
worked and connected to a NP205 trans-
fer case. Im running 1350 U-joints at
both ends as well.
I used to be a big mud guy, but here
lately, not so much. I now fnd myself
doing more East Coast wheeling in the
rocks, hills, and trails. Mostly places like
Rausch Creek and with the Big Dogs at a
new park in West Virginia. The problem
I have is that my center of gravity is way
too high for this kind of wheeling. This
led me to pick up an original 41 Dodge
WC-12 frame. My current plan is to link
the rear with air shocks and run Deaver
leaf springs up front with the 1-ton axles.
I would like to use a LQ4 6.0L V-8 for the
engine, along with my Turbo 350 trans-
mission and a NP205 transfer case.
Recently, a good friend of mine in-
formed me that he purchased a set of
2-ton Rockwell axles for me for $600.
Im still not sure I need the Rockwells.
The main drawbacks I see are the height
and weight of the Rockwell axles. Some
people say that I am reaching the limits of
my 1-ton axles and that I should invest in
chromoly shafts and CTM U-joints. Those
Compiled By Ali MAnsour
Ali.MAnsour@sorc.coM

2011-13 2500 HD & 3500
LIFT DESCRIPTION PRICE
5 2/4WD Lift w/shocks $1399.95
2 Torsion Bar Leveling Kit $99.95
Shock Relocation Kit $19.95
2011-13 2500 HD & 3500
5 2/4WD Lift w/shocks $1399.95
2 Torsion Bar Leveling Kit $99.95
01-10 CHEVY 2500 HD & 3500
6 2WD/4WD Lift Kit w/shocks $1295.95
2 Lift Kit $159.95
2 Torsion Keys $99.95
07-13 CHEVY 1500
4.5 & 6.5 4WD Lift w/shocks $1295.95
4.5 & 6.5 2WD Lift w/shocks $999.95
3.5 2WD/4WD Combo Lift $199.95
2 Lift Kit $129.95
2 Leveling Kit $69.95
3 Body Lift $374.95
1.5 Body Lift $149.95
99-06 CHEVY 1500 4WD
6 4WD Lift w/shocks $1299.95
3.5 Combo Lift $249.95
2 Lift Kit $149.95
3 Body Lift starting @ $307.95
1.5 Body Lift starting @ $159.95
88-98 CHEVY 1500 4WD
2 Lift Kit $149.95
3 Body Lift starting @ $176.95
73-87 CHEVY 1/2 & 3/4 TON PICKUP
& 73-91 1/2 & 3/4 TON BLAZER,
JIMMY, SUBURBAN
04-12 COLORADO/CANYON
3.5 Combo Kit $349.95
2 Lift Kit $149.95
1.5 Body Lift $239.95
07-11 SUBURBAN/TAHOE/YUKON
6.5 4WD Lift w/shocks $1739.99
4 Combo Lift $379.95
2 Body Lift $319.99
92-06 SUBURBAN/TAHOE/YUKON
6.5 00-06 4WD Lift w/shocks $1679.95
2 92-06 Torsion Bar Keys $99.99
2 92-98 Lift Kit $149.99
3 00-06 Body Lift $339.95
3 92-98 Body Lift $199.99
05-12 HUMMER H3/H3T 4WD

Call For Tire & Wheel
Package Pricing
DODGE 1500 4WD
6 2012 4WD w/shocks $1519.95
4 2012 4WD w/shocks $1409.95
6 09-11 4WD w/shocks $1699.95
4 09-11 4WD w/shocks $1599.95
1.5 09-13 Body Lift $139.95
6 06-08 4WD w/shocks $1295.95
4 06-08 4WD w/shocks $1249.95
5 94-01 4WD w/shocks $839.95
2.5 94-01 Lift Kit $179.95
2.5 94-01 Leveling Kit $99.95
3 06-08 Body Lift $355.95
5 02-05 4WD w/shocks $1195.95
2 02-05 Leveling Kit $99.95
DODGE 2500/3500 4WD
8 03-12 4WD w/shocks $1329.95
6 03-12 4WD w/shocks $1105.95
5 10-12 4WD w/shocks $912.81
5 03-09 4WD w/shocks $770.95
2.5 94-12 Leveling Kit $99.95
5 07-12 Tundra w/shocks $1299.94
3 07-12 Tundra Leveling Kit $99.95
6 05-12 Tacoma Suspension Lift $1249.95
4 05-12 Tacoma Suspension Lift $1195.95
3 07-12 Tundra Lift Kit $169.95
2.5 05-11 Tacoma Leveling Kit $99.95
2.5 07-11 FJ Cruiser Lift Kit $229.95
Better Products. Better Prices.
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D102Z
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6 Radius Arm Kit w/shocks $1374.95
4 Radius Arm Kit w/shocks $1055.95
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works with most 4 & 6 systems
4 4WD w/shocks $799.95
1 Budget Boost $69.99
FORD F-150
6 09-12 4WD w/shocks $1549.95
6 09-12 2WD w/shocks $1399.95
2 09-12 Lift Kit $169.95
6 04-08 4WD w/shocks $1399.95
4 04-08 4WD w/shocks $1299.95
2 04-08 Lift Kit $169.95
3 04-05 Body Lift $365.95
6 97-03 4WD w/shocks $1295.95
4 97-03 Combo Lift $279.95
2 97-03 Lift Kit $159.95
3 97-03 Body Lift $199.95
2 97-03 Body Lift $187.95
99-04 FORD F250 & F350
2.5 Leveling Kit $295.95
1 Front Shackles $74.95
1-4 Adjustable Track Bar $99.95

JEEP 07-12 JK LIFTS
2 Spacer Lift $129.99
3 Coil Lift w/ shocks $439.99
2 Body Lift $119.99
JEEP 84-01 XJ LIFTS
2 Spacer Lift w/ shocks $251.46
4.5 Coil Lift w/ shocks $495.95
3 Coil/Rear Leaf w/shocks $510.94
4.5 Coil/Rear Leaf w/shocks $749.94
JEEP 97-06 TJ LIFTS
2 Spacer Lift w/ shocks $229.75
4.25 Combo Lift $529.99
1.25 Body Lift $94.95
2 Body Lift $108.75
3 Body Lift $114.22
JEEP YJ & CJ LIFTS
1.25 87-95 YJ Body Lift $89.95
4 87-95 YJ Lift w/shocks $625.95
2 87-95 YJ Lift w/shocks $499.95
2 87-95 YJ Body Lift $89.99
3 87-95 YJ Body Lift $95.99
2 72-86 CJ Body Lift $89.74
3 72-86 CJ Body Lift $94.06
JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LIFTS
2 93-98 ZJ Spacer Lift w/shocks $218.62
4 93-98 ZJ Coil Lift w/ shocks $639.95
4 99-04 WJ Coil Lift w/ shocks $699.95
4 05-07 WK Lift $1499.95
JEEP COMANCHE MJ
4.5 86-92 Lift Kit $549.95
4.5 XJ Kit
NEW 6 & 8 SYSTEMS ONLY $1329.95
09-12 8 Kit Shown
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All Zone Kits Include the Factory Protection Plus Program. Learn more at 560plus.com

Techline
parts are expensive! I feel that the Rockwells
would give me more gear, and if I mohawk
the set, then I would have more ground clear-
ance. From what I hear, the 2-ton Rockwell
is about the strongest axle I can run. So what
do you think? Do I stick with the 1-tons or go
for the Rockwell conversion?
Ken Basile, Jr.
Via email
A
As a guy that is currently working on
a Rockwell-equipped rig (the Rescued
Wrangler), I can tell you that the axles have
both major benefits and drawbacks. Lets
start by looking at what you have. Judging
from the photo you submitted, your rig ap-
pears to be fitted with a low-pinion Dana 60
front axle. These are great axles, but do have
limitations. If you are still running the stock
U-joints and axleshafts and have not man-
aged to break one, then I would say the axle
is working fine for your needs.
You mention that the 60 has a Trac-Lok
differential. Since the Trac-Lok is a limited-
slip differential, it allows more speed dif-
ferentiation between the tires. This means it
isnt as aggressive or effective as a full-time
locker, but it is easier on parts. The biggest
downside to the Trac-Lok for your proposed
wheeling destinations is that it wont be as
effective and predictable as a full-time lock-
er. For serious wheeling, I suggest upgrading
to a selectable or automatic locker.
The fact that your Dana 60 front axle is of
the low-pinion group also means that it is weak-
er than a high-pinion front Dana 60. This is due
to the fact that when a low-pinion axle is run in
the front of a truck, it applies drive pressure to
the weaker coast-side of the gear. A high-pinion
Dana 60 front axle is equipped with a reverse-
rotation gearset which churns on the stronger
drive-side of the gear. Dont get me wrong. I
have seen low-pinion Dana 60 front axles last
years under well-used trucks with 44-inch tires,
but a high-pinion 60 would be better.
As for the 14-bolt rear, it is one of the
toughest and most reliable 1-ton differentials
you can have. Sure, chromoly axleshafts would
be a great upgrade, but depending on where
you are located, factory-replacement shafts
can usually be had for cheap from your local
junkyard. A 44-inch tire isnt something that
I would worry about too much on the 14-bolt,
as the extra pinion support and massive 10-
inch ring gear make for an incredibly strong
rear axle. With all that being said, the Rockwell
option is worth entertaining.
Yes, the Rockwell axles are heavyvery
heavy, actually. The massive third member can
also make the axle diffcult to package under a
rig and the gear-reduction internals will be just
as power-robbing as your automatic transmis-
sion. The good news is that you would be less
likely to break a stock Rockwell shaft with
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a 44-inch tire versus a factory 1-ton shaft.
Stock for stock, the Rockwell is stronger.
As a matter of fact, one of the reasons that
I chose to go with 44-inch tires on my Rockwell
Wrangler, and previous Rockwell-equipped
rigs, is that you can drive like a crazed teenager
jacked on soda and Moon Pies. In other words,
you can give the rig hell off-road and the axles
will usually be none the wiser. This doesnt
mean that you wont see your weak points ap-
pear upstream, but it does make the Rockwell
axles very attractive. Going with Rockwells will
also require custom wheels, brakes, and most
likely, a new suspension setup.
Ultimately, you are in a good position since
you own both axles. If your goal is to lower your
rig for more technical wheeling, the 1-ton axle
set will allow you to accomplish that more eas-
ily. The 1-ton axles will also allow your rig to be
a touch lighter and nimble in the rocks. If you
simply dont want to drop the coin on the high-
zoot shafts and 1-ton gear, then yes, the stock
Rockwell axles are hard to beat for the price.
For your specifc trail rig, I would lean more
towards keeping the 1-ton axles. Heck, for the
money you make selling your Rockwell axles,
you could probably get all the axle upgrades
you need to make your 1-ton set even better.
sM420 swap
Q
After installing 31s on my Wrangler,
my Jeeps AX-5 transmission promptly
began destroying the synchros. I know from
your column that the SM420 transmission is
an excellent upgrade. I plan to ultimately run
33s. I have the tranny, Advance Adapters
adapter, and bellhousing from a 2.8L GM. My
problem is that the casting number on the
bellhousing I have is not the same as the one
recommended by Novak Conversions. Can
you shed some light on the subject for me?
I have the clutch, pressure plate, but could
also use some guidance as to slave cylinder
and throwout bearing.
noel enright
Via email
A
Novak (www.novak-adapt.com) lists the
GM casting number as 15679692. So
long as the bellhousing you have was pulled
from an 85-89 S-10 fitted with the 2.8L V-6
engine, you should be fine. If your bellhous-
ing is not from the previous mentioned years
and engine specs, you may need to look for
another one to avoid any complications with
the conversion. As for the slave cylinder and
throwout bearing, my research indicates that
S-10 components from the same late 80s
2.8L manual transmission trucks should work,
but will require a new line to union the Wran-
gler and S-10 hydraulics. The bellhousing may
require a few modifications (slight grinding for
clearance) to accommodate the new clutch
components as well. fw
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December 6-8
What: Henderson 250
Where: Parker, Arizona
Hosted by: Best In The Desert
Info: www.bitd.com
December 7
What: Getting Started Off-Road Driving
Where: Gorman, California
Hosted by: Badlands Off Road Adventures
Info: 310/374-8047, www.4x4training.com
December 7
What: Toys For Tots Run
Where: Attica, Indiana
Hosted by: Badlands Off Road Park
and 4 Wheels To Freedom Club
Info: www.badlandsoffroad.com or
www.4wtf.org
December 7
What: Holiday 200
Where: Barstow, California
Hosted by: Mojave Off-Road Racing
Enthusiasts
Info: www.moreracing.net
December 8
What: Tire Repair/Hi-Lift Mini Clinic
Where: Hawthorne, California
December 13-15
What: Rage at the River
Where: Laughlin, Nevada
Hosted by: SNORE
Info: www.snoreracing.net
December 14
What: Getting Started Off-Road Driving
Where: Borrego Springs, California
December 14
What: Wheelin 4 Toys
Where: Lenexa, Kansas
Hosted by: Brush Beater Jeep Club
Info: www.ksrockspark.com
December 15
What: Advanced Beginner Clinic
Where: Borrego Springs, California
December 26-January 1
What: Fire and Ice Run 2013
Where: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hosted by: Superlift Off-Road Park
Info: www.orvpark.com FW
Compiled By Ken BruBaKer
Ken.BruBaKer@fourwheeler.com
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Copyright 2013 by Source Interlink Magazines, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offces. Single copy price is $5.99.
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By Ken BruBaKer Ken.BruBaKer@fourwheeler.com
April 1980:
The Hunt for Better 4x4 Fuel Economy
mance nothing short of embarrassing, as
the speed of the Scout dropped from 55 mph
to 25 mph on a steep grade. With the addition
of the turbo we reported that the Scout held a
steady 55 mph on the same grade. On-road,
the turbodiesel Scout returned a best tank of
22.64 mpg and 18 mpg off-road.
Todays fuel prices have eclipsed those in
1980. however, great strides have been, and
continue to be, made in regards to improving
fuel economy in 4x4 vehicles. More than ever
before, manufacturers are building four-wheel
drives that return good fuel economy without
sacrifcing performance. Its still OK to gripe
about high fuel prices, though. FW
F
uel prices are skyrocketing and
we need 4x4s that get good fuel
mileage.
This sounds like something
youd hear uttered in 2013, but we
were saying it in the April 1980 issue of Four
Wheeler. As a matter of fact, we dedicated a
large chunk of the magazine to the topic.
editor Dennis Adler kicked off the issue
by noting in an editorial that fuel was selling
for an obviously painful $1.20 per gallon. he
went on to note that expensive, fuel-thirsty
domestic trucks sit on the sales foor, while
people wait months for less expensive,
fuel-effcient import trucks. Fuel effciency
was on everyones mind it seemed. The April
issue included an ad from Subaru touting its
four-wheel-drive hatchback that got 33 mpg
on the highway; Advanced 4 WD was adver-
tising its Jeep and Toyota overdrive units that
increased fuel mileage by 25 and 15 percent,
respectively; All-Tran Transmission Parts was
touting its part-time four-wheel-drive conver-
sion that was said to provide up to 30-percent
better fuel mileage; hooker headers noted in
its ad that Reductions in fuel consumption of
10-25% are not uncommon, when headers
are installed; and Jeep noted that the all-new
drivetrain in the 80 Cherokee Chief was
a four-speed manual transmission. Sanders
went on to note that downshifting to Third
gear on freeway grades was needed to hold
speed, but off-road in 4-Lo the four-banger
Jeep is one tough machine. he wrote that
the I-4 returned 20.08 mpg on the highway
and 16.44 off-road.
The other vehicle we spotlighted was the
80 International Scout II turbodiesel. The
1980 diesel still debouches clouds of grey-
black smoke, and rattles like a tractor, but
from there on the similarity between the old
diesel and the new, ends, Adler noted. What
he was referring to was the addition of a turbo
to the optional Nissan-built I-6 diesel, known
as the 6-33T. Fitted with an Air Research
T0-3 turbo, horsepower was increased to
101, a nearly 20 percent improvement over
its predecessor. When we tested a non-turbo
78 Scout, we found the highway perfor-
designed to give you high effciency without
sacrifcing exceptional performance.
The crux of Adlers editorial was that the
domestic automakers were in fact answering
the call for fuel effciency, and he pointed to
two American vehicles spotlighted in the April
issue that were proof of this.
The frst was the 80 Jeep CJ-7, ftted with
the then-new 82hp 151ci OhV I-4. Also avail-
able in the CJ-5, editorial Director Bill Sand-
ers noted that it was the frst time in nearly
a decade that a Jeep had been produced
domestically for civilian use with that size
engine. The only axle ratio was 3.54:1, lock-
ing hubs were standard, and our tester had

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