4BY4tech magazine 1-6 by 4by4tech Magazine

Test Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Drive

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Truck and trail tech magazine to keep your ride in top shape!

CURR ISSUE ENT FREE!

Inside: Moab Trade Show Tillamook State Forest Yukon Gear ZIP Locker Vedder Mtn Chilliwack BC Trail Gear Rock Assault Axle Poison Spyder Customs JK Armor Currie Currectlync JK Steering

BUYERS GUIDE: BEADLOCKS - BEADLOCKS - BEADLOCKS

ook forest trails in the Tillam y an m e th of e kes a line on on e as Phil Roar ta tim to time... e tim om fr ber which at the a winch em ed m ne re t gs n’ do ca – g s bi Even the ches – or heckle regon. Jason wat O in em st sy l ai tr

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Maximum Articulation Yukon Axle and Gear - ZIP air locker in a Dana 60 From the Garage - Gear for your truck and tow rig Tillamook Forest wheeling Trail Gear Rock Assault Toyota axles Grand Cherokee Trail Hawk

Contact us! albert@4by4tech.com Project CJK8 gets some cool new parts. A Yukon 35 spline ZIP air locker up front and is wrapped with 5.38 ratio 10.1 inch Super 60 gears from Dana.

Check out our on-going projects on social media!

On the Thursday and Friday of Easter Jeep Safari a way cool trade show fills the grounds of the Spanish Trails Arena, all the rigs you see in the magazines are here and the company owners who build them. Last year BFGoodrich was rolling out the new BFG All Terrain KO2 in a fleet of rigs.

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Beadlock Wheels Buyers Guide Vedder Mtn Wheeling Need a Cage for your ride - custom options and buy it kits Wheel Spacers Adapters and bolt pattern changers Currie Enterprises JK Currectlync steering upgrades Reynolds Museum - Wetaskiwin Alberta. Poison Spyder JK Armor.

BACK ISSUES CAN BE FOUND ON 4BY4TECH.COM - CHECK THEM OUT AND READ THEM ALL!

LEFT: ISSU E 1-4 ABOVE ISS UE AT RIGHT IS 1-5 SUE 1-3

MAXIMUM ARTICULATION By: Albert Vandervelde

Last month I pined away for my old TJ while its been taking me a while to get the new CJK8 finished, well as you can see above – I’m getting closer and not so much really crying over parting the TJ out anymore – the CJK8 is looking pretty cool. I hauled the chassis and cab up to Aqualu in Kelowna – builders of the reproduction Jeep, Land Cruiser and Samurai bodies to complete the aluminum work on mine. By next issue this picture will show the box, flares, front fenders and cage in place! Four Wheeler, Fabricator, Recycler, Environmentalist. This should be the title us off roaders give ourselves. Because to be a fourwheeler you really have to be all of those other things to make it work. First comes the excitement of going places in your 4x4 you never thought you could go. Yes you can camp past all those public campgrounds farther away than the yuppie tow behind campers can ever get. You are now in the crowd that doesn’t need to beat the campground reservation system for a good spot on a summer long weekend (though you may still want to). You can really get into the backcountry on some great trails

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and get to vistas and lakes you never thought you could get to.

mal part of your garage – enter the fabricator.

Then you find your stock 4x4 does still have its limitations, and wow labour rates are pretty high to keep your rig rolling along, and instantly you are in your local parts store buying tools you never thought you would need and getting pretty cozy to a parts guy at your local auto parts supplier to get better deals or learning the ins and outs of mail order parts to get to that next level and learn your rig better. Now you do your own oil changes rotate your tires, learn how to do brakes, patch holes in tires, and if you really get into the sport sooner or later a welder and other fab tools will become a nor-

Once to the fabricator stage you start to become the ultimate recycler, cruising online for sale parts sections of 4x4 forums and Facebook pages, EBay, Kijiji and Craigslist become your best friends to find awesome deals on near new parts, old axles for new projects and selling off your previous mods to fund your new ideas. I bet most of you start your Saturday mornings, coffee in hand cruising all the for sale sections, just in case something pops up you just can’t resist when someone else is cleaning out their garage full of stuff. – Enter the Recycler stage.

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The recycler stage unfortunately leads into the environmentalist stage. This is when you realize dumb people do dumb things to the places you like to go, and without being an environmentalist you wont have any place to do all of the other things that occupy your time and to have fun where others don’t tend to go. You don’t need to be an extremist to make an impact – and you find that because you are out in these places that the average person who seems to want to protest and close everything your doing far more good each year than they ever will in a lifetime. You can lend a hand to local clean ups of trails, step up to voice your opinion on trail damage issues, sign on line petitions, spend 20.00 or so a year to join a local 4x4 association find yourself picking up along the trails to keep them clean and open for others – and taking those things back with you to… recycle. I do this on almost every trip I take off road, coming back with cans and garbage bag in the back of my Jeep of things I did not head out with. I’m a pretty solid believer in all of the above and wear the badge proudly and make no excuses for my hobby. Adding up by weight of my new CJK8 project; the engine and transmission came from Coldstream Truck parts in Vernon BC, The frame, window frame and gas tank from Gary’s Auto Wrecking in Maple Ridge BC, the Ford Dana 60 and rear GM 14 bolt from A-combined auto dismantlers in Abbotsford BC. And every scrap piece of steel and off cut goes into a local steel recycler along with all the packaging from the new parts that show up. That makes up well over 60% of the vehicle build weight. And I parted out every last piece of the old TJ to fund the new one with the parts going on to WWW.4BY4TECH.COM

CURRENT ISSUE FREE! Its pretty straight forward really, The current issue is always free till the next issue is released, no page view limit till you hit a “pay for more” button, just read, enjoy, click around and follow the links and if you feel like send us your feedback, your rigs in action, letters and questions I will add them all in. Feel like you need to let your inner writer out and want to do a feature story?

By hitting the subscribe button you will get an e-mail sent to you each time there is a new issue released, no other commitment & take your name off any time, I won’t sell your info or use it for any other reason – I like my privacy too! But I also encourage you to share the magazine links with your friends on your Facebook and Twitter feeds pass them around forums and in general spread the word! Follow along on Facebook (4by4tech) I will update everything we have going on weekly and lots of other cool stuff I find on my travels and that’s free too! We all like free!

other internet recyclers of 4x4 parts for their own projects and builds via those parts forums and great prices you should all now be bookmarking in your computers. So next time someone says your wrecking the environment toss it right back and say your one of the best environmentalists you know and what they do for the environment because by the nature of our sport I will tell you are far ahead of most of them.

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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By: Albert Vandervelde

Yukon Gear ZIP Locker

Yukon Gear makes ZIP air lockers for an array of axles. This one is for our CJK8 Ford Dana 60 with 35-spline shafts. Our axle is a high pinion version and typically you would use a 4.10 and down ratio carrier with what are called thick gear sets. In this case I’m using the Dana Spicer “Super 60” gears, which have a larger 10.1in (over 9.75in) ring gear diameter and are rated 20% stronger than standard Dana 60 gears though only 4.88 and 5.38 ratios are available. These are 5.38s. Selectable lockers are a pretty common sight these days in factory production vehicles, Jeep, Toyota, Ford and even now GM in the new Colorado ZR2. The benefits of being able to have a full “open” differential for turning and general daily drivability is a pretty obvious. Reduced tire wear, easier cornering, and even off road when the corners get tight but you don’t need the locker on can make maneuvering a lot easier. I’ve used an array of lockers in my personal projects over the years however the ZIP Locker from Randy’s World Wide has not been one of them. Randy’s world wide is the new name for the well known Randy’s ring and pinion and the Yukon Gear brand and the ZIP air locker from Yukon Gear is one of their staple products. Like other air lockers on the market – pressure is used to slide the engagement gear inside the differential case grabbing onto the side gear and stopping it from rotating. This gives you a spool like effect but once unlocked the spider gears can spin freely making for east turning. Typically I have run a selectable type locker in the front of almost every thing I’ve built over the past 10+ years and going with a mechanical type locker in the rear. I would not do this on a daily street drive rig – I would consider a selectable for the rear as well but I find as soon as I’m off road I want the rear locker on pretty much all the time – so to keep expense down and one less moving object in my powertrain the CJK8 will get a Grizzly locker in the rear AAM 14 bolt – but that’s another article.

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Yukon provides an air solenoid to attach to your air supply and a Carling style switch with a pair of faceplates depending on which end your locker is going into. I personally like to run air lockers without electrics and will be using air switches attached to my on-board air system with a regulator set to 90PSI to control the locker. No right or wrong way here just a preference for me and I’ve had great success with other air lockers as far back as 2000 set up this way.

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Yukon Gear ZIP Locker

The ZIP locker doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use any special bearings just standard Dana 60 carrier bearings. The shims on the O-ring housing side actually go between the bearing and the O-ring housing when setting up the gears. Shims come with the locker.

There is a small hole in the end of the locker and the O-rings in the O-ring housing will ride one on each side. This pressurizes the locker and engages the lock ring. Yukon specifies a min amount of shims that are required but also keep in mind too many shims will push the O-ring housing very close to the edge of the locker housing. Its best to do all the gear set up with no O-rings in the case. The copper tube can also be left long until the last part of the install.

The Dana gears are a larger outside diameter, the bolt pattern is the same and the gears fit onto any stock Dana 60 carrier. These Dana factory gears only come in reverse rotation 4.88 and 5.29 ratio. This makes them usable in high pinion axles only and are a thin type gear set and require a 4.56 and up locker case.

Always run a file over the locker and the gear set before install in case there are any burs from manufacturing.

A spot was picked for the air line fitting that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t interfere with the locker when rotating. A 1/4-inch pipe tap was used to prep the hole for the brass connector.

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Volume 1 Issue 6

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never a bad idea to use fresh gear bolts, but in our case the Dana gear set came with bolts, both pinion bearings and the seal so we only needed to buy carrier bearings.

It took a little extra work in my case as I had installed the truss before drilling the hole in the housing, but the truss adds some protection to the fitting as well. WWW.4BY4TECH.COM

Yukon Gear ZIP Locker

There is an axle seal on each side of the differential and they need to be replaced with any upgrades like this. They can be a little difficult to install but a piece of threaded rod down the axle tube with a seal driver makes it easy work. Make sure you clean the tubes out well before the new seals as well.

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I wanted to build a diff with what many aftermarket axle builders are calling super 60 gears. These are a larger diameter factors Dana Spicer gear set. A typical Dana 60 gear is 9.75 inches and the super 670 gears are 10.1. and the result is also a larger pinion head for the given ratio. Dana says there gears are 20% stronger than standard factory gears. One thing to keep in mind is that when using a high pinion axle like our Ford king pin Dana 60, a 4.56 and up carrier is needed for the 4.88 or 5.29 available ratios. You make thing that’s a no brainer but typically for high pinion axles you order a 4.56 and down locker and the aftermarket gears come in an extra thick version. Yukon Gear asked me this question to make sure – as using these gears are not typically what they see from their customers. I sourced the gears from Gears & Rears in Surrey BC, along with carrier bearings, the Dana gear sets come with pinion bears, a seal new nut and crush sleeve. The 1350 yoke that came on the differential was in good shape so I reused it otherwise I would have bought a new one from Gears & Rears as well. The Yukon ZIP locker uses a oil ring housing as part of the bearing set up procedure, and its best to leave the O-rings out of the housing during set up to reduce the chance of damaging the seals for the air system. A copper tube snakes through the housing and out a drilled hole in the top of the differential and the nice thing with the ZIP is that no modifications were needed to the bearing cap for this axle. Set up went smoothly – typical to a regular differential set up and it wasn’t difficult to snake the copper tube out the axle housing

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Yukon Gear ZIP Locker

Typical to high pinion diffs are “slingers or large shims behind the pinion head and under the bearing race to hold oil around the bearing when operating.

There are oil passages in the differential to allow oil to fill the upper area around the bearings, and a small recess to hold oil in the area at all times. Make sure to fill the front of the case till it leaks out through the bearing as a pre lube. The O-ring housing is shimmed between the bearing and the O-ring housing when setting up the gears.

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A dial indicator is required to set backlash on gears. This one was fairly inexpensive but it’s been handy for years now. Typical for new gears is 8-12 thou on the dial. This allows space for the gears to expand when hot.

If you are not comfortable with gear set up – its best to leave these installs to the pro’s but set up bearings and taking your time can get good results. Here is the drive and coast side of my gear set up with a final backlash of 10 thousands.

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and seal it up with the O-ring and air line compression fitting. A quick call to Yukon Gear to ask what pressure is required for the locker (90PSI) as I typically use a air toggle switch and my on board air system to power up the lockers. I’ve also got some cool sensors I’ll show later in the build of this rig that will monitor the air locker pressure right from the Dakota Digital dash cluster! Keep in mind this is a personal choice in how to set the locker up – Yukon sends the locker sour with an electric power activated solenoid for you to attach to your compressor of choice. Yukon Gear had a wide array of ZIP lockers to fit into your axle of choice at very competitive prices and a no hassle 6 year warranty on ZIP lockers and up to $2000.00 in collateral damage for 2 of those years for damage to things like axle shafts with a Yukon failure – you can’t beat that! Selectable lockers are a pretty common sight these days in factory production vehicles, Jeep, Toyota, Ford and even now GM in the new Colorado ZR2. The benefits of being able to have a full “open” differential for turning and general daily drivability is a pretty obvious. Reduced tire wear, easier cornering, and even off road when the corners get tight but you

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Yukon Gear ZIP Locker don’t need the locker on can make maneuvering a lot easier. I’ve used an array of lockers in my personal projects over the years however the ZIP Locker from Randy’s World Wide has not been one of them. Randy’s world wide is the new name for the well known Randy’s ring and pinion and the Yukon Gear brand and the ZIP air locker from Yukon Gear is one of their staple products. Like other air lockers on the market – pressure is used to slide the engagement gear inside the differential case grabbing onto the side gear and stopping it from rotating. This gives you a spool like effect but once unlocked the spider gears can spin freely making for east turning. Typically I have run a selectable type locker in the front of almost every thing I’ve built over the past 10+ years and going with a mechanical type locker in the rear. I would not do this on a daily street drive rig – I would consider a selectable for the rear as well but I find as soon as I’m off road I want the rear locker on pretty much all the time – so to keep expense down and one less moving object in my powertrain the CJK8 will get a Grizzly locker in the rear AAM 14 bolt – but that’s another article.

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Making set up bearings. Care needs to be taken with the O-rings when installing them into the O-ring housing. I lubed them up with assembly grease and worked around the outside making sure I didn’t roll them or twist them at all. It’s not hard but best left to final install.

When setting up gears its best to take a set of good used or new bearings and hone out the insides so they can slide onto the carrier and pinion. Makes shimming a breeze and saves your new bearings from damage. It took me about 15 min per bearing with a drum sander to hone out the inside so they would slide on.

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Yukon Gear ZIP Locker

A brass fitting threads into the cast diff housing and a O-ring acts as a seal around the copper line as it passes through and a quick connect line fitting is used to attach the line to the locker. Yukon suggested using a small piece of line in the fitting when installing it to make sure the line slides properly over the copper tube.

The copper line did pass the bearing cap without grinding or drilling but I added a little extra space just in case.

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Still plenty of room at the bottom of the stock Ford Dana 60 with the larger gears in place. You can see my final routing of the air line – make sure nothing touches the line when the locker is turning. Below: the air line push-in fitting ready for the plastic air line.

Volume 1 Issue 6

what they see from their customers. I sourced the gears from Gears & Rears in Surrey BC, along with carrier bearings, the Dana gear sets come with pinion bears, a seal new nut and crush sleeve. The 1350 yoke that came on the differential was in good shape so I reused it otherwise I would have bought a new one from Gears & Rears as well. The Yukon ZIP locker uses a oil ring housing as part of the bearing set up procedure, and its best to leave the Orings out of the housing during set up to reduce the chance of damaging the seals for the air system. A copper tube snakes through the housing and out a drilled hole in the top of the differential and the nice thing with the ZIP is that no modifications were needed to the bearing cap for this axle. Set up went smoothly – typical to a regular differential set up and it wasn’t difficult to snake the copper tube out the axle housing and seal it up with the O-ring and air line compression fitting. A quick call to Yukon Gear to ask what pressure is required for the locker (90PSI) as I typically use a air toggle switch and my on board air system to power up the lockers. I’ve also got some cool sensors I’ll show later in the build of this rig that will monitor the air locker pressure right from the Dakota Digital dash cluster! Keep in mind this is a personal choice in how to set the locker up – Yukon sends the locker sour with an electric power activated solenoid for you to attach to your compressor of choice. Yukon Gear had a wide array of ZIP lockers to fit into your axle of choice at very competitive prices and a no hassle 6 year warranty on ZIP lockers and up to $2000.00 in collateral damage for 2 of those years for damage to things like axle shafts with a Yukon failure – you can’t beat that!

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4by4 Suppliers Yukon Gear - ZIP locker www.yukongear.com Gears & Rears Bearings & Dana gears www.gearsnrears.com WWW.4BY4TECH.COM

AMP Research®, a brand of LUND International®, extends its best-selling PowerStep™ line with the new PowerStep™ XTreme! PowerStep™ XTreme offers drivers who live and work in challenging environments, an electric-powered running board designed to work in the harshest of conditions, including mud, snow and ice. Dual motors power this electricpowered running board to be twice as strong as the original PowerStep™. PowerStep XTreme also offers an aggressive platform for extreme foot traction to maximize grip (say stability instead since that’s the benefit of the grip?). Envisioning the most punishing environments, AMP Research engineered PowerStep XTreme for legendary reliability with its durable, high-textured powder-coat finish, and die-cast aluminum components to resist corrosion for all-weather performance. LED lights instantly illuminate when the board automatically deploys. PowerStep XTreme is made in the USA and features OEM-quality motors, drive system, and wiring harness, all backed by a 5-year/60,000 mile warranty. AMP RESEARCH

www.amp-research.com

Edelbrock Chevrolet Duramax Diesel Cylinder Head The Edelbrock Chevrolet Duramax Diesel Cylinder Head was designed to handle the abuse of the high performance diesel crowd. With an updated port design, added thickness’s in certain areas as well as HIP’d for strength this head will take what the diesel crowd can dish out. Available for Duramax engines ranging from 2001-2015. Edelbrock LLC 310-781-2222 www.Edelbrock.com WWW.4BY4TECH.COM

Volume 1 Issue 6

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FROM THE GARAGE - TRUCK & DIESEL

ensuring this is the last light bar you will ever have to purchase. The “base” OnX6 light bar produces an impressive 7,350 lumens per 10-inch section. The OnX6 LED light bar integrates six Baja Designs’ trademarked HighSpeed Spot reflectors to deliver the furthest projecting LED in the marketplace. The base OnX6 is available in three lighting patterns: Driving/Combo, Wide Driving and High-Speed Spot, designed and manufactured in the U.S.A. Baja Designs 760-560-2252 www.bajadesigns.com

Baja Designs OnX6 light bar systems offer several levels of high-performance lighting, which establish new standards for off-road lighting. All of the light bars are based upon the original, OnX6 light bar, which is 10-inches long, featuring Baja Designs’ exclusive MoistureBlock Technology and the industry’s only anodized aircraftgrade aluminum extruded housing, with a CNC-machined anodized billet aluminum bezel. All lenses are user replaceable, made of high-impact, hard coated polycarbonate material. The lens/reflector assemblies are O-ring sealed and are submersible, waterproof and dust-resistant. At the heart of the OnX6 family of light bars are high-performance LEDs which produce a 5000K (5000° Kelvin) Daylight natural light color temperature. The high-performance LEDs and Baja Designs circuit board design deliver a 49,930-hour life span,

FROM THE GARAGE - TRUCK & DIESEL

1980-1998 Ford F150/250/350 Polyurethane Body Mounts w/Hardware Energy Suspension’s body mount set for F-series trucks comes complete with 6 position polyurethane mounts and zinc coated sleeves, cups, washers and hardware which keeps your OBS Ford truck looking and riding straight and smooth. ENERGY SUSPENSION 888-292-1250 www.energysuspension.com

2011-2017 GM 2500 4”“ Lift 100% Bolt on. Front Diff dropped to maintain proper CV angles. Utilizes the factory front bump stops for superior a ride. Works with factory Stabilitrack™. Fabricated offset pin lift blocks centers axle with high grade U bolts. No cutting on the front differential or factory bump stops. Crossmember constructed of ¼” steel. Accepts factory wheel. Full Throttle Suspension 559-271-8685 www.ftskits.com

GC Cooling high performance fans announces the latest addition to the line - the BMF (Big Motor Fan), a 16inch Universal Extreme Duty fan for very high performance applications. The fan is used as a primary unit. The new fan features a quiet, eight flat blade design, mated to GC Cooling’s high speed BMF motor, which delivers a class-leading 2470 CFM @3100 RPM; up to 20% greater real world airflow compared to other fans. The 16” Universal BMF fans are available for 12 and 24 volt applications, draw 31.9 amperes and require at least a 100 ampere charging system. Creative Werks of Des Moines, Iowa.

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BDS Suspension is now offering a 6.5” coilover upgrade kit for 2011-2017 Chevy Silverado HD and GMC Sierra/Denali HD trucks. Designed for trucks already equipped with the 4.5” or 6.5” high clearance systems, this coilover upgrade kit eliminates the factory torsion bar setup and converts over to FOX 2.5 factory series coilovers with the remote DSC adjustment for unmatched performance across any terrain. Also included in this upgrade are FOX chromoly upper control arm, BDS fully boxed, internally gusseted lower control arms, bolt-in upper coilover mounts and weld-in support gussets. Take your late model BDS-equipped Chevy/GMC HD to the next level with BDS Suspension and FOX. BDS Suspension 517-279-2135 www.bds-suspension.com

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Hellwig Products 559-734-7451 www.hellwigproducts.com

High Performance Reuseable Powerstroke 7.3L Fuel Filter High Performance diesel fuel filter for Ford 7.3L; The element is made up of stainless steel wires that are woven into a cloth that provides unmatched filtration performance and allows reuse; Unique patented design offers easy access to the filter element for faster inspection and cleaning. Eliminates having to buy disposable filters. K&P Engineering 720-238-1181 www.kandpengineering.com

The all-new Jammer Cold Air Intake is a revolutionary design that improves airflow by blocking hot air and using cooler, denser air for optimal efficiency, now with an all-new dry filter. Edge performance tuning, combined with the Jammer CAI, offers best-in-class results for maximum performance, and improved continuous power. KEY FEATURES: Dry filter Low maintenance Ideal for dusty, dry environment Easily cleaned with compressed air High density, cold air intake Increased horsepower & fuel economy Compatible with Edge tuning products www.edgeproducts.com 888-360-3343 6.0L Ford Powerstroke Diesel Lift Pump Aeromotive introduces their game changing new diesel lift pump, with the addition of a diesel lift pump system for 03-07 6.0L Powerstrokes, these owners too can reap the benefits that resolve the Âź tank issue, the pressure control issue, and motor shaft seal failures. Aeromotive opted for a flow-thru design to solve shaft seal failure. Aeromotive Inc. 913-647-7207 www.aeromotiveinc.com

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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FROM THE GARAGE - TRUCK & DIESEL

2016 Nissan TitanXD Air Hellwig released their tow/haul air suspension kit for the new Nissan Titan XD with the Cummins diesel engine. This kit bolts on, requiring no welding, drilling or cutting. It uses some of the largest air bags on the market, rated at 2800 lbs. The larger bags require less pressure to level the load, leading to a smoother, softer ride.

FROM THE GARAGE - TRUCK & DIESEL

Diesel Pickup Truck High Performance Charge Air Coolers Northern introduces a new line of high performance charge air coolers for the diesel truck aftermarket. These high performance charge air coolers come with micro-fin tube technology allowing for boost pressure resulting in additional power. Northern Radiator 800-328-8900 www.northernfactory.com

Aisin AS69RC Deep Transmission Pan This PML pan features heavy duty construction, extra capacity, drain, and cooling fins. The Aisin AS69RC transmission is found in 2013 and newer Ram 3500, 4500, 5500 trucks with the 6.7 Cummins Diesel. This pan works with the stock gasket and filter. PML provides new mounting bolts and a magnetic drain plug with the pan. PML Inc. 310-671-4345 www.YourCovers.com

Rancho Lift Kits for 2017 Ford Superduty Trucks continues to add to an already impressive offering of Ford Superduty suspension systems and leveling kits to now include a 5-inch radius arm lift kit, 5-inch drop bracket lift kit and a 2.5-inch leveling system. The new Rancho 5-inch radius arm system includes Rancho full radius arms with OE-matching rubber mounts and lower brackets at the axle, allowing for caster adjustment to fine tune handling and ride. The kit also includes new front coil springs to lift the front five inches; new track bar relocation brackets and a drop pitman arm to maintain factory steering geometry. www.GoRancho.com

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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Sinister Diesel Stage 3 6.0L Powerstroke Turbo Sinister Series 3 Turbo for 2003-07 Ford 6.0 Powerstroke This turboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one-of-a-kind GSX compressor wheel provides aggressive performance with easy installation. Compatible with all air intakes and exhausts. Requires minimal tuning or fueling upgrades. Sinister Diesel 844-550-5707 www.SinisterDiesel.com

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TITAN Travel Trekker Auxiliary Fuel Tank System The 50 gallon tank has a small footprint, it fits under the bed rail allowing use of most bed covers and leaves plenty of room for 5th wheel and gooseneck hitches. Fuel is transferred via an electric pump which is controlled by an in-cab controller allowing you to fuel as you drive down the road without stopping. TITAN Fuel Tanks 800-728-4982 www.titanfueltanks.com

50 Gallon Replacement fuel tank for 2016 Nissan Titan XD Description: New for 2016 Nissan TitanÂŽ XD! 50 gallon larger replacement fuel tank system. Customers will love their increased driving range when they replace their stock fuel tank with a larger aluminized steel fuel tank. Designed with rugged durability in mind, Transfer Flow replacement fuel tanks have been time-tested and proven tough for more than 33 years. Nissan by: Transfer Flow, Inc. 530-893-5209 www.transferflow.com

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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FROM THE GARAGE - TRUCK & DIESEL

Skyjacker LeDuc Series Bolt-on Front Coilovers for 2017 Ford Super Duty LeDuc Series coilovers are made in the USA & have the ability to be returned to stock. These coilovers feature: direct bolt on capabilities, adjustable ride height, increased articulation, improved stability and a lifetime guaranteed coil spring. These have been tuned & tested by Curt LeDuc for maximum performance both on and off road. Skyjacker Suspensions 318-388-0816 www.skyjacker.com

By: Albert Vandervelde

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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TILLAMOOK FOREST OHV TRAILS

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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Scott Frary of ARB USA is the ringleader for a yearly trail trip that we attended 6 years in a row. One of those trips took us to the Tillamook State Forest and the Browns Camp area trails. Here Scott takes a hook to clear one of the many tough stops we ran into on this trail day. If you have never been off roading in Oregon take a look at Tillamook State Forest. Much of the Tillamook forest we know today was part of a massive forest fire in 1933 that burned over 350,000 acres. Another fire in 1939 burned a further 190,000 and again in 1945 burned a further 190,000 acres. Much of this land base was held by several logging companies and were foreclosed on by the state for unpaid taxes. A massive reforestation effort took place with citizens planting over 1 million seedlings a mere 1% of what was eventually planted by every means including prison labour and helicopter drops. In 1973 the area recovered to the point the Tillamook burn was designated as the Tillamook State Forest.

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Today much of the forest is open to the public with 4x4, Tillamook and hiking trails crossing the area. At certain times of year there are trail closures to help keep the trails stable and during logging activity. There are lots of links online to help you plan any visit to the area with over 250 miles of wellmapped trails with lists of current trails that are closed for various reasons. I have four wheeled in the area twice over the years with tour groups and have traveled a mix of

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trail levels from easy to extreme all around the area. Browns Camp is a popular entry point for 4x4s. The trail system is located east of Tillamook off highway 6 and acWWW.4BY4TECH.COM

cessed from Portland Oregon along highway 26 to the eastern point of highway 6 then west towards Tillamook. There are several trail access points and a wide array of trail levels. I’ve experienced slick mud, rock piles and even deep snow on my visits to the area. And plenty of winching even with wellbuilt rigs on the harder trails. There are also organized events taking place from May to October with local clubs hosting events that you might be able to join to get a taste of the area without worrying about getting lost or on a trail harder than you had planned. For 2017, the Pistons Wild club (I joined then an a BFG outstanding trails trip in another part of Oregon), The Jolly Jeepers, Cascade Cruisers, Flat Broke 4-wheelin and others are all hosting events in the area. Previous page: Ned Bacon and his Willys Killer B flexes out on the Tillamook rocks. Right top: RG’s TJ buggy gets belly hung on one the big rocks. Right Middle: Mel Wade of Off Road Evolution squeezes his JK though a pair of the many tight trees on the Tillamook trails. Right below: Jim McGean of Dynatrac gives his LJ a work out. Some of the trails have width restrictions but Jim’s LJ even though wide, made it through the entrances.

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Top Mike Waclawski gets a little air under the driver’s front on his TJ. Middle: Yeah we broke stuff. We always seem to break stuff. Bottom: Phil Rohr, needs a cable here as well with Jason Redfield giving him a little – ah encouragement.

Check out these links (though there are plenty with a web search) for lots of information, down-loadable trail maps, links to camping, both motorized and non motorized trails and more and get planning your next trip to beautiful Oregon’s Tillamook opportunities – and don’t be surprised if you see me heading dow n to the Sand dunes on I-5 this summer – that’s another great Oregon wheeling adventure not to miss! https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Recreation/p ages/MotorizedTrails.aspx http://tillamookstateforest.blogspot.ca/p/oh v-trails.html https://jeepjamboreeusa.com/trips/tillamook/

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Even in June you get high enough up and there will be snow, still Ned Bacon goes for the high side pass while Tom Woods in his Grand Cherokee tail ends the long line of rigs. I will admit some of these pictures will be nostalgic for their owners as they come from my archives, Phil’s blue CJ at left has gone on to new owners and Andy’s twin turbo diesel Willys burned to the ground a couple years after these pictures and Mel Wade’s red JK got turned into a KOH racer.

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Trail Gear Rock Assault Axles

Trying to find straight, rust free axle housings for your Toyota project can be quite challenging – whether it’s a front or rear axle. Time just has a way of catching up with older parts and when you consider the last solid axle equipped Toyota was 1985… That means every axle you look at is at least 32 years old!!! Not to despair for the IFS swapping Toyota mad men Trail-Gear has options for you – and way better than any stock axle anyway.

By: Albert Vandervelde By: Albert Vandervelde

Finding good straight Toyota axles is getting harder and harder. The last solid axle front Toyota was 1985 – that’s over 30 years ago!!! Trail Gear however stepped up with both front and rear Rock Assault axle housings (rear shown) in bare housings to use your axles inners and axle ends or now complete end-to-end axles with all new parts ready to bolt in.

You get a lot more out of a Rock Assault then just a replacement housing. The center section is pressed from ¼-inch plate and is designed for the best ground clearance possible and a large fill/inspection plug along with a fill level plug to make service easy. Tubing is 5/16 DOM feeding into Trail Gears unique off set axle ends. A bare rear housing is only $441.03us while a front is $772.63us.

Their Rock Assault line covers both front axle housings ($772.63) and rear axle housings ($441.03) build with heaver duty ¼ inch press formed center sections with 5/16 think DOM tubes and their unique off set bearing cups on the end. All of this ensures a tough axle for your project with the most amount of ground clearance you can get. Trail-Gear now also offers 100% build with new parts axle assemblies. The front ($4,863.47) can be

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Trail Gear Rock Assault Axles

The bearing ends are also off-set to maximize ground clearance – the axle just simply rides lower inside the axle tube. Combined with the high clearance center an additional ¾-inch of ground clearance is added to an already ground clearance friendly axle.

There is really no comparison in the strength of the Trail Gear axle to the stock axle – everything is thick and beefy with the center section press formed out of 1/4-inch material.

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While a stock 8-inch third member fits right into the housing a little shaving is needed to the third to match the extra high clearance axle housing. As the Rock Assault uses bolts to hold the third in rather than studs and nuts, pulling the two bottom ones makes it easy to drain oil out.

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Trail Gear Rock Assault Axles ordered both right and left hand drop and with an array of locker choices and gear choices, while the rear also build with all new parts, disk brakes and the same locker choices and gear choices as the front comes in at $3,537.07. We will walk though a retrofit swap with a rear housing here but you can check out Trail-Gear for all the options they have for Toyota axles for your rig.

4by4 Suppliers Trail-Gear USA Toll Free: 877.4X4.TOYS Worldwide: 559.252.4950 Street Address: 5356 E. Pine Ave. Fresno, CA 93727 http://www.trail-gear.com/

The 5/16 thick DOM axle tubes don’t have any issues for welding brackets in any position, any factory 8-inch third member and locker choices fit into the Rock Assault axle.

Complete fronts and rears are available with all new parts, or bare housings for you to use your stock parts making these Rock Assault axles an awesome choice for any rig – not just Toyota’s!

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Grand Cherokee By: Albert Vandervelde

I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to test-drive every version of the Grand Cherokee back to 1998 (ZJ). Back then 4 engines were optional with the big engine being a 5.9L Magnum engine with a whopping 230hp and 330 lb-ft – something that’s low for a performance 4 cyl these days. In 1999 a

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redesign came along dubbed the WJ, and the Magnum engines were dropped and the best performance HO 4.7 V8 didn’t fair much better – actually it got worse with a meager 235HP and 295ft lbs. Now that said, I really didn’t think these were bad cars at the time, actually I have found each

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generation Grand Cherokee fitting for its time and a good performing vehicle with good road manners. In 2005, a major revamp aimed at the general buyer of the Grand Cherokee saw the introduction of independent front suspension and dropping the 4.7 engine and in

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Trailhawk

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place a 5.7 Hemi, a 3.0L diesel and a base 3.7L V6. While some off road prowess was eliminated and the ability to lift and off road equip a grand similar to its Wrangler brethren, it did become a better vehicle for virtually everything else. The first SRT-8 came from this program pushing the Great Grand to 420HP.

The 2017 Grand Cherokee comes with three engine choices. The base 3.6L Pentastar V6, this standard 5.7L Hemi and a 6.4L fire breather in the SRT-8 version. Soon to hit the roads will also be a tire shredding Hellcat version at 707HP and a 3.0L Eco diesel engine. The Hemi 5.7L, while it will be outsold by the 3.6L by a far margin, is a nice engine and I don’t think they could have gotten the air cleaner intake any higher under the hood. The seats were excellent however for an off roader I’d forgo the cooled seats, the perforated fabric got dirt into the fibers very easy via holes in the seats to let the cool air through. They will just be dirt collectors - and possibly wear the fabric fast.

The next generation in 2011 – Gen 4 has seen this platform carry forward with the more fuel efficient 3.6L Pentastar engine as a base engine with 290HP – better than that 5.9 Magnum, the largest choice at the time and a optional 5.7L Hemi at 360HP and a fire breathing 6.4L SRT-8 version cranking out 475HP. Not to be outdone the soon to be released Hell Cat version will have an unthinkable 707HP.

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The Grand Cherokee has a pretty pleasant cockpit, it doesn’t feel cluttered, has nice large dials for controls and pretty much all options run off the 8.4in touch screen display in the middle. This Grand had the optional rear seat DVD player. Here is one place they seem to have just “stuffed” a tech feature in with little thought. The DVD player fills the center console and if your driving and dealing with the kids the spot could not be any worse as the console lid flips up so no one in the back seat can reach it.

Long gone are the floor sticks to engage 4x4, in its place is a control panel for the Quadra-Drive II 4x4 system. The controls have speed control for off road (bottom left), engagement for 4-low manually (top left), several pre set modes for snow, sand, mud and rocks and an auto setting along with the suspension height controls and a very small – put it in neutral light reminder for engaging low range.

The large touch screen runs everything from your radio controls to the heated seats, large icons at the bottom make scrolling through the screens relatively easy though I found at first using them drew my eyes from the road to figure everything out. I’m still a little bit of a button and knob kinda guy but this system makes for a relatively uncluttered more European looking dash.

Try and manage those numbers with a solid front axle! Oh how the Grand has evolved! Well lets all sigh a little at those HP numbers and claw back to the Jeep at hand, a more than capable mid-priced off-road focused Trail Hawk. The Trail Hawk comes with the more than capable and better on fuel 3.6L Pentastar engine (fuel ratings as good as 8.4L per 100K) however our tester came with the optional 360HP Hemi V8 backed by an 8-speed automatic (no stick available) with eco mode to help it retain reasonable consumption for daily cruising. Todays Hemi is a smooth and durable engine featured in a wide array of the Chrysler line up and its just as competent here, and when called upon can suck you nicely into the seats and pass at will. The Interior is more than pleasant and unlike some mid size SUV offerings by other brands feels uncluttered with buttons yet has everything you may want accessible via the large touch screen in the center of the dash. The Trail Hawk of course is competing for your Land Rover, Ford Explorer, BMW 4x4 dollars and here it doesn’t disappoint either, its very refined, quiet and good looking too – where the Trail Hawk takes this to the next level is giving it some dirt creds, with high mounted air intake under the hood

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The Grand has a pretty nice style to it with good use of LED forward driving lighting, aux lights and big red tow hooks up front. The Trail Hawks signature black strips dominate the hood.

and a height adjustable suspension that gives you a surprising amount of ground clearance under the ride when in rock mode via the selectors in the lower portion of the center console. So to sum up this Off-road Grand – my wife said – can we keep this one? One of the managers at my day job just bought one (Pentastar version) after testing both the Explorer and the Grand and he’s a Ford guy so it is making some believers. Now Jeep just needs to convert buyers of the rough and ready, and leaky and noisy and rough riding JK (soon to be JL) to buying these fine Grand’s (and leave the JK/JL to those of us who use them and go wheeling) they would all be better off and happier for it! 4 4TECH BY

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Install and buyers guide By: Albert Vandervelde

Beadlocks

I addressed my thoughts on letting air out of yours tires when it comes to beadlock wheels in The last issue. Many of us older wheelers bashed around off road for a very long time without them running low tire pressure so don’t be afraid to drop tire pressure off road – it makes a big difference to your ride quality and how your tires wrap around things like rocks logs and gives you a bigger footprint on soft surfaces and snow. But now that you have done all of that and want to make that next step – or you have gone far enough and low enough in pressure that you are loosing tires off your wheels or they are spinning inside your rims – well you have made it to crazy off road gotta tackle the next big thing wheeling status - Time for beadlocks! Lucky for you – there are lots of choices. The big advantage of beadlocks comes in when you want to run low single digit air pressure. I regularly ran 5psi or less in my 40 inch Krawlers on my TJ and 1-3PSI in my 44 inch tires for snow. These numbers can’t be

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reached safely without beadlocks holding the tire on the rim. High horsepower cars like top fuel dragsters; mud dragsters etc. need them just to stop the tire from spinning inside the rim and loosing traction. Sprint cars need them as they spend 50% of the race sideways, heck I ran rim locks inside my dirt bike tires so I could air down my trial bike and not spin the tire and tear the valve stem off. . DOT or no DOT does the question really matter? So you want street legal beadlocks. This really narrows your search but do not worry you do have options. One way is to find some salvaged Hummer H1 wheels. Several companies re-cen-

ter and add different bolt patterns for you. Bad – only for 16.5 tires. And if you ask anyone their thoughts on 16.5 wheels you will get a good curling of the nose, the bead retention on a 16.5 standard wheel is pretty terrible – but add in the sleeve inside a Hummer two piece wheel and the tire clamps on solid and pretty much goes no where. One company I found doing this work is: http://www.trailworthyfab.com/H1-Hummer-Wheels A company called Hutchinson made the Hummer wheels. Hutchinson makes a two-piece bolt together wheel that they have taken past the Hummer applications and made it available for a wide array of vehicle and are a street legal beadlock wheel. They

Beadlocks come in a few flavors; these Monster Raceline wheels have been my go to wheels for a few years now and have the typical clamp style bolt on outer beadlock. Bolt amount changes between wheels, as do material. These are cast aluminum wheels Monsters (Raceline has a few wheel styles for their beadlocks) with a polished aluminum ring – though the Raceline’s can be ordered with a steel outer ring as well. Tires are 39-inch BFGoodrich Krawlers. I’ve run this combination down to 1-2 PSI in the snow with tires staying on the rims. They run nice and smooth down the road as well even with no balancing. www.racelinewheels.com

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Raceline started with a cut and welded steel wheel, which they still offer as the Rock 8 and Daytona style an entry-level price. Most beadlock wheel builders now use a one-piece cast or forged aluminum design with a lip cast in to center the tire on the wheel.

Raceline has two options for lock rings – a steel formed ring and these polished aluminum versions, the aluminum rings add some bling and are required for some thinner beaded tires like the Krawlers. The black steel rings will take more rock bashing abuse and can just be re-painted when they look rough.

Dish soap is your friend when assembling wheels in the garage. Soap up the beads really well. This will help you pushing the wheel onto the rim, and help the tire center under the lock ring when bolting it in place. And leave a trail of soapy bubbles your first time in the rain.

Cardboard on the floor, a soapy bead on the tire and a little bit of pushing should get the inner bead to go over the locking ring side.

On my last set of Raceline wheels I needed to use a couple longer starter bolts. You may also run into this depending on the thickness of your tire bead - just make sure to take those longer bolts back out once you get the supplied bolts installed.

The inside lip of the lock ring has a knurled surface to help it grip the tire and stop it from spinning on the wheel. Now the slow process of tightening all the bolts down, this take a few laps and if you have never bolted a beadlock together it should be done by hand going around the wheel several times even when your torque wrench clicks on the first round -– it typically takes 3-4 times around to get torque to “stick” at 18lbs on every bolt.

With the tire centered on the lip, the lock ring gets placed over the bead of the tire. The 32-bolt rings come with 34 bolts – don’t get confused they give you two spares! The zinc coated bolts have their torque specs at 16-18 ft lbs. WWW.4BY4TECH.COM

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I have an old worn out 3/8 air ratchet I keep around just to do beadlock wheels. I know this wrench won’t over torque the bolts so I feel comfortable using it – then changing to a torque wrench to set the torque on the bolts.

Clip on the chuck, lean your wheels against the bench rear bead out, and push with your foot, the bead should take pretty easy, inflate and “pop” over the inner bead lip. Inflate to at least 30 lbs. regardless of your street pressure to make sure the tires are firmly on the wheels.

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A clip on air chuck and a good compressor are your friends when getting beads to pop on the inner side of your beadlock wheels. market them as Rockmonster wheels in 15,16 and 17 inch sizes 8.5 wide. Next up are what I call insert beadlocks. These were first brought in by a company called Staun. Now two companies make these beadlocks that use a retaining bag and an inner tube placed inside any wheel, Inner Airlock and Coyote Enterprises. The tube is inflated with a separate Schrader valve and the pressure pushes the

bag into the inside of your tire. Many people gravitate to adding a “rock ring” welded on the outside of the wheel to protect and stiffen the outer ring but as it does not alter a street friendly DOT wheel so you don’t have any issues with the men in charge with the red and blue Christmas lights on their cars. The new kid on the block is a company called BAD Wheels – they too offer a DOT compliant beadlock that uses a unique multi piece lock ring that goes inside the wheel. These wheels went out of production for a time, but my understanding is a new owner is in place and making wheels! Once you go off the grid and are not worried about the red and blue lights as your rig is just for off road or your willing to give it a go – or have two sets of tire and wheels for your rig – the pool of options widens a lot and you get a lot of cool wheel choices in a wide array of bolt patterns styles, steel and aluminum back spacing choices etc… I’ve been running bolt on ring style Beadlocks for close to 10 years and even on my street driven rigs. I have never been pulled over and given a vehicle inspection due to my Beadlock wheels. That said, that is always a risk in using these types of wheels. I’ve said in the past the best thing that happened for us guys who run real beadlocks is all the fake “beadlook” wheels that use a simulated beadlock ring to add style to the wheel. I like Beadlook wheels – please everyone buy them so I can have my real ones and no one will notice. And one last kick which I will not get to deep into are all the local guys all over the country that own plasma cutting tables. Beadlock ring kits can be had on almost every web forum. A quick search on-line of “weld-on beadlock rings” netted me an array of links on the first search page. Keep in mind

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This unique clamping inner beadlock design from BAD wheels offers a choice in DOT beadlock wheels. The Eklipse 17 combines a DOT compliant internal beadlock with modular versatility. Integral to the beadlock system of each Eklipse 17 are six exterior anchor points that let you secure additional accessories. Items such as terrain-specific sacrificial rock rings let you modify the appearance while fortifying areas that would otherwise be exposed to rock rash. Made in the USA, these wheels carry a 3,500-lb weight rating www.badwheels.com Inner Airlocks are made in the USA and come in rim sizes from 15-inch to 20inch. Prices range from $536.00-$732.00 depending on rim size for a set of 4. The beadlocks work by inflating a tube inside a protective shell inside the rim. Air pressure inflates the bag and presses the bag case into the inside of the tire sealing it to the inside of the rim on both sides. An air passage around the Inner Airlock still allows you to air your tires up and down. As you can use any standard rim - this system would be consider DOT compliant and completely hidden from view. They also make some cool rock rings you can weld to your wheels to stiffen and protect the outside edge of your wheel from rocks. www.innerairlock.com

The DV8 882 beadlock has a great look and a beadlock ring made from 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum 5/8” extra thick beadlock ring to avoid breaks and damage the tapered edge also deflects direct hits and further prevent beadlock ring breaks. The 882 wheel is made from 356 T6 high grader aluminum comes in 17 & 20-inch sizes and in all popular 5,6 and 8 bolt patterns. http://dv8offroad.com

The Coyote dual, internal, pneumatic, boltless beadlock is like a tire within a tire. It divides the tire’s air chamber into two separate air compartments with separate valve stems. One airs the main tire chamber up and down as desired. The other inflates the inner tube within the bead lock. It is inflated up to 50 PSI securely pinching both tire beads against the rim and providing a 3-inch high, 50 PSI tire and rim-protecting bump stop regardless of tire pressure. Street legal, lightweight Coyotes can be fitted to any standard 14”, 15”, 16”, 16.5” and 17” rims. www.coyoteents.com

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Hutchinson, the maker of the Hummer wheels has a line of off road wheels using the same bolt together technology using an inner one piece bead ring than sandwiches the inner and outer tire bead as the wheel bolts together. As Hutchinson was a supplier to the OEM Hummer brand their wheels and beadlock system are DOT compliant. Marketed under Rock Monster Wheels they have bolt patterns for most modern vehicles. www.rockmonsterwheels.com There are companies like Trail Worthy Fab that also take vintage H1 Hummer wheels and convert them for use with almost any bolt pattern and off set. www.trailworthyfab.com

Lots of links to more wheels! http://badwheelsinc.com/ www.coyoteents.com http://trbeadlocks.com/ www.kmcwheels.com www.omfperformance.com When you’re getting into odd bolt patterns, sand cars and quads, beadlocks like these from Douglas Wheel start to come into play. A set of Douglas Wheels in a 17x14 inch wide five bolt pattern are in my future for my snow wheeling 44-inch tires using an 8 bolt adapter ring. http://dwtracing.com A nice style to these OMF beadlocks and a great cutaway to show you how these bolt on outer lock wheels clamp the tire and rim together. These new, made-in-USA F1 forged wheels come in both 15s and 17s and common 5 and 6 bolt lug patterns. www.omfperformance.com

http://trbeadlocks.com/ www.rockmonsterwheels.com www.racelinewheels.com www.spyderlockwheels.com

these do need to be properly welded to your steel wheels. Expect to pay around $200.00$250.00 for a full set of 4 inner and outer rings plus your wheel cost and welding the rings on so they don’t leak air. Now I’ll go through installing and setting up the set of Allied Racing Rock Monster wheels I got for Project CJK8, they have been my go-to brand for years in both steel and aluminum versions. They run true even though I have not used balancing wheel weights in years as well – actually I have never installed wheel weights on Beadlocks and highway speeds have been fine – good tires help here too. Cheers!

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http://www.kmcwheels.com/

/www.methodracewheels.com http://walkerevansracing.com www.aev-conversions.com http://www.trail-gear.com www.fueloffroad.com www.championbillet.com www.ultrawheel.com http://dv8offroad.com/ http://dwtracing.com

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VEDDER MTN Chilliwack BC By: Albert Vandervelde

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Sometimes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not always about hitting the hardest trial on the planet but more meeting fellow wheelers and taking on a local trail for good times and a few laughs. Its also goes to show you that everywhere you go there are local gems that few people talk about outside of local circles and Vedder Mtn is one of them. Vedder is located just outside the town core of Chilliwack BC, the trail system in both Tillamook and non-Tillamook with an array of trails all over the mountain with great views out over the Fraser Valley. Vedder will probably be the place I take the CJK8 to once its finished for a few shake down runs before heading off to trails harder and further afield. The area is managed by CORMC (Cascade Off-Road Motorcycle Club) and while there are far more motorcycles trails than Jeep trails, there are some challenging areas with creek crossings, mud pits and steep hills to climb making for a fun day trip close to home. The group I went out with were an array of members of the bcjeepclub forum

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trees, etc. Beginners & families with junior riders please stay on the Double-track trails and Forest Service Roads only. It is not a good place to learn your skills. Please do not ride the trails on Vedder when it is raining, wet or with snow cover. This severely damages the soft soil trails and causes a lot of extra maintenance work for the CORMC volunteers. CORMC greatly appreciates every single volunteer effort to help keep Vedder trails clear. Always carry a handsaw to cut out faceslappers well back from the trail, cut out or throw off small trees that blow down. Trail maps of Vedder can be found on the British Columbia offroad motorcycle association web site at: www.bcorma.ca with members all over BC, many I met for the first time that day. It was also a shake down run for a project JK we built, and my first time up into the area. Keep in mind if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up the mountain that it is well visited by motorcycle riders and we can hear them long before they can see us. Vedder Mountain, Chilliwack info: Vedder Mountain is stewarded by CORMC (Cascade Off-Road Motorcycle Club), and is a founding member of VMTA (Vedder Mountain Trails Association), a working volunteer association of motorized & non-motorized recreational groups that share the trails. Vedder Mountain has 200+ km of sweet single-track multi-use trails for all levels of riders that are volunteer maintained by CORMC with the support of COHVA, BCORMA & MoTCA (Ministry of Tourism, Culture & the Arts). It is considered an Intermediate and up riding area overall. Lots of narrow side-hills, switchbacks, bridges, tight

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Cagin your Jeep

There are a lot of ways to get to the same end when it comes to building off road rigs. When it comes to roll cages besides keeping occupants safe in that inevitable roll over you can get pretty artistic with your tube work. For those without tubing benders or access to a shop that has one there are quite a few companies that make bolt in cages that can take a pretty good roll or drop on the side. Anyone who gets a bit more serious with the harder trails should really look into a roll cage above what the factory designs their cars and trucks for – past a winch in my trail wheelers it’s the second thing I would not wheel without. It’s another one of those things you hope you never have to use – but when you really need it…

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By: Albert Vandervelde

If you’re going to get out four wheeling your going to want some roll protection. My TJ was fitted with a custom made cage that used design cues from a few different “kits” that were on the market at the time. I used a swept back design that was not passenger friendly in the back but I never have a back seat anyway. 1 3/4 DOM tubing was used with tie-ins to the front window and it used the stock 2-inch hoop behind the seats to retain the stock seatbelt attachment points. If you don’t have access to a bender you can always order a pre bent cage kit. This one uses tie-in bars to the front door posts so no changes are needed to the dash, This roll cage kit from Poison Spyder has all the bends made for you – it just needs to be welded together – they also offer a pre welded cage – just expect a slightly higher cost and more expensive shipping.

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Cagin your Jeep

The TJ cage build started by removing the bolt-in rear spreader bars and as I was retaining the thick 2-inch center hoop the bolt pads for the rear spreaders were ground clean off the tubing.

With the dash pulled back the front bars can slide down the corner to the floor. A small part of the plastic on the dash needs to be trimmed back for the dash to go back in place. The window mount was cut off the stock door bars and welded into the end of the cage so we had bolts into the window frame.

Anywhere we were welding new bars to the center hoop the paint needed to be ground clean. Keeping this hoop allowed us to retain the seat belt sliders and connection points. Its nice thick tubing bolted solidly into the door pillar area.

Two rear cage bars were made in a V shape for the rear of the cage back to the new body tub plates to add strength.

I chose a swept back design but if you have rear passengers it could easily be made taller in the back for better head room and still fit under the soft top. Two spreaders were installed in the middle of the front portion of the cab, making sure we had headroom when swaying around. This shows the window brackets as well to hold the window in place and dash all back in. In the rear corners, new plates were made and a backing plate made for under the body.

The front bars needed to go to the floor. There are kits you can buy that have a steel plate that runs down the side of the dash bolting into the doorpost but its easy to get a 1 3/4 full tube right to the floor behind the dash. Well easy is relative â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the dash pretty much needs to come apart to do it. WWW.4BY4TECH.COM

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Cagin your Jeep Two spreaders are bent to allow headroom in the front then two angled spreaders tie in behind the main hoop and angle back to the rear corners. While two V tubes angle down to the corners. The front hoops go through the floor and bolt into the side skid plate under the doors which tie into the body mounts to the frame. The soft top still easily folds down behind the cage. The new bars over the doors were bent so the soft-top door surrounds would still clip in place.

Sport cages are an easy way to add stiffeners to a stock cage while not needing an entire tear down of your rig. This system by Smittybilt uses clamps to add rear spreaders and front hoops in your Jeep adding substantial protection. These ARC kits are available for TJs and JKs. The TJ kit sells for under $500.00us. JK Unlimited kits are just over $500.00us. Prices from dealer links on Smittybilt website. www.smittybilt.com Rock Hard 4x4 has an array of sport cage bars to beef up the interior of your Jeep. The main full front TJ cage includes a dash bar across the front and front grab bars to make it easy to climb into your lifted ride. They also have seat harness bars, rear cross and straight bars as well as pad kits to nicely finish off your interior upgrades. The full front kit pictured is listed at $649.95us www.rockhard4x4.com

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Off Road Evolution makes many unique JK products and their sport cage for JKs is also very unique. The EVO MFG Chromoly Sport Cage is unlike any other sport cage available. Its design gives you the protection of a sport cage, without sacrificing vehicle functionality. It offers maximum visibility through the windshield and full peripheral view through the side windows. The plate steel is precision cut and formed to follow the lines of your vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior for a clean fit and finish. Kits lists for $999.98us on their web site www.offroadevolution.com WWW.4BY4TECH.COM

Cagin your Jeep

Genright makes a full weld together cage with laser cut joints for a well fitting roll cage. Laser cut and notched tubes are CNC mandrel bent (the best way) and puzzle together for a “jigless” kit that is easy to assembly in your Jeep. Each tube has the part number etched on it so you can follow the step-by-step assembly diagram. Made from 1 3/4 DOM tubing this cage gives you great protection and doesn’t require dash cutting like in my custom cage. They also offer frame tie in kits, harness bars and more, this full TJ kit was listed at $1499.95us. 2 door and 4 door JK kits are also available. www.genright.com

Follow the red box as usual to more cage ideas and even a few full chassis images I pulled together. They should give you some ideas to bending up the cage for your own project. Really besides making your rig safe why not hit it with a little style!

Poison Spyder Customs have a few roll cage styles to pick from. The swept back style and double V corner pillars was an idea I got from their cage kits a few years a go now when I built my TJ cage. At the top is their JK trail cage kit; listed at $944.00us they have a 4-door extension kit for this at an extra $154.00us Middle is an assembled version of their TJ full cage kit. Its comes in either non welded for $1228.00us or fully welded for $1543.00us TJ, $1648.00us LJ https://shop.poisonspyder.com Here are some built steps I did in my last TJ, my CJK8 is getting a cage pretty soon as well but as it’s a pick up, the design will be much different. I’ve also added some cage designs that I liked and the 200 feet of tubing that went into my old CJ8 (notice a trend in the name of my new rig…) any way you bend your tube of but your kit – put a roll cage on the list for your trail machine!

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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Wheel Spacers

By: Albert Vandervelde

Wheel spacers get a bit of a bar rap with some, but they can serve a distinct purpose. If you look on the front a dually truck – large wheel spacers come on those truck as standard equipment. Its not so much the face that you use spacers but like anything – use good products and make sure they are installed correctly. This set come from Wheelspacers.ca. I used them on an early Bronco to widen the stance and to change to a set of wheels I got my hands on that used a larger stud size.

There can be a lot of discussion at times about the use of wheel spacers on your rig, but in some cases I think they are a positive addition. Heck the Dana 60 I’m using in my current project was a dually front axle and it had the largest factory axle spacers on it you have ever seen -now removed to narrow it up – but the fact is they can be used in the right situations. When I did the solid axle swap into my Toyota 4Runner, the IFS front axle was 2-1/2 inches wider than the factory front solid axle trucks. Its pretty typical to use a good quality spacer with all new wheel studs and nuts There are also conversion bolt pattern spacers where your matching to dissimilar axle bolt pattern and need to keep all 4 wheels the same. All require extra

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A spacer with good studs, and making sure you install the spacer over the stock studs with good nuts - a little lock tight and also making sure that the nuts and studs do not stick out past the face of the spacer so your wheels mount correctly.

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Wheel Spacers

The spacers need to be thick enough to have enough material below the inset studs and nuts to have strength. 1 1/2 inches is about as thin as you want to go. That’s what there stud conversion spacers from wheelspacers.ca were.

The spacers added some stability and track width without having to replace the strong Dana 44 and Ford 9-inch combo, and also allowed to the conversion of a 9/16 stud.

The inner nuts need to be torqued to factory specs, in the case of ½-inch studs 90 ft-lbs, and I used lock tight on the nuts as well. Just like your wheels though periodically checking the inner nuts is required for safety and long life of the spacers.

These spacers are from Trail Gear. I swapped an early Toyota Solid axle into my IFS 4runner. The rear axle on the IFS trucks is 58.5 inches wide while the stock Toyota early front axle was 55.5in. 1 ½inch spacers on each side helped match the track width front and back with the SAS swap. At under $100.00us a pair it’s an inexpensive way to get that width up front.

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Wheel Spacers

The back of the new rotors have two bolt holes to position the rotors on the back of the hub then the new wheel studs need to be installed.

The early Toyotas axle used a solid brake rotor, As we were swapping the solid axle into the IFS 4Runner we had the calipers from the old IFS set up â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they are needed to do this swap. New replacement rotors from a FJ40 Toyota we bought along with the wheel studs of the same model, the calipers off the 4Runner were just substituted for the early calipers on the solid axle.

The new studs have the knurled portion in a different position to compensate for the thickness of the rotor. They are also longer for the same reason.

The wheel studs on the early solid axle are pressed into the hub while the brake rotors were bolted to the hub from the back. All the stock studs need to be pressed out - or bashed out with a hammer as they will not be re-used and longer studs from a FJ40 to match the rotors will need to be used as the IFS rotor attaches via the studs and not bolt and longer studs with a different knurl position are needed.

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Wheel Spacers

A hammer and punch will work. Make sure they are fully seated and if you have access to a press that makes the job go a lot easier. There were two ways to get this conversion done, using the IFS hubs on the solid axle and spacers behind the hub and placing the spacers in front of the hub like that’s shown. Either way spacers are needed to complete this swap.

Like all spacers, torque to factory specs with a standard acorn nut and some lock tight, check the studs every time you rotate your tires and there should be no reason your studs ever come loose. Also check and make sure the inner studs do not stick out past the face of the spacer, if they do – cut them shorter. nuts, lock tight and the spacers and at times trimming of the stock wheel studs if they stick to far out past the end of the spacers. I have used spacers twice for good reason one was above for the Toyota 4runner the other was on an early Bronco I had with very narrow factory Dana 44 and 9-inch rear axles. Great strong axles – but not very wide and I needed to change to a larger stud size for the wheels I had. The trick is to use a quality product with good studs – use lock tight on the inner nuts and make sure to torque them properly and check the spacer nuts after the first few runs and at times afterwards just like you would your wheels – its really no different just an extra step and your spacers will last you a lifetime. 4 4TECH BY

4by4 Suppliers Wheel Spacers.ca www.wheelspacers.ca Trail Gear - Toyota Gear www.trail-gear.com

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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Currie Enterprises Currectlync steering

By: Albert Vandervelde

Currie Enterprises makes two versions of their steering systems for JK applications. The top system called their Modular Extreme Duty system, can be ordered with weld-in threaded ends for custom applications like our Dana 60 swap into our CJK8, and their new to the market Currectlync system which is a direct replacement system with a very reasonable price point. Both steering systems add extra beef to any JK steering set up. The Modular Extreme Duty system uses a screw-in tie rod end that can be installed in either direction into the rod end for either a low or high steer set up. The rod ends have a massive 1 1/4in shaft and uses a 1 3/4 inch piece of DOM tubing for the center link. We are using a .250 wall piece of material for the tube. To gain some steering clearance with the Currectlync you need to order the flipped design that comes with a weld in tapper flip sleeve.

The name Currie Enterprises is synonymous with Jeeps, There Rock Jock axles, Ford 9-inch axles for Jeeps, suspension systems featuring the legendary Johnny Joint system – imitated industry wide and even bumpers have been gracing Jeeps for as long as I’ve been into four wheeling (and that’s a while now). Currie also has a version of their Currectlync Steering system available for JK, TJ and XJ Jeep models. Their first modular system for the JK was beyond beefy but for the every day wheeler it was a little on the expensive side. When speaking with Ray Currie at SEMA this past year he introduced me to a new version of the steering system that retails below $600.00 for both the tie rod and the drag link. There is also version to “flip” the tie rod to the top of the knuckles for better ground clearance and that kit comes with the sleeves to complete the flip. Even right had drive versions of this system are available – all still under that $600.00 threshold. Ray also mentioned the “roll” tolerances of the tie rod have been tightened to help reduced the annoying steel on steel impact when the tie rod flexes and rotates during normal use. Unlike the stock

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Currie Enterprises Currectlync steering

The stock tie rod ends use a nyloc type nut and were not difficult to remove on this JK with 50,000kms on the clock. We needed to add a little hammer time to get the rod ends to separate from the knuckles, and the end on the pitman arm is a little more difficult to reach.

By: Albert Vandervelde

You can see the stock tie rod has a nice curve to it; the drag link to the steering box had the same curve â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not a factory bend by the way... Also notice on the left side the factory rod end is crimped in the center tube where as the Currie rod end is replaceable on its own and uses a jam nut once threaded in.

The Currectlync system increases the tie rod diameter to 1-1/2 inches and the drag link is also 1-1/2in diameter but of solid forged material.

Currie has a flip kit for the Currectlync steering to raise the tie rod and drag link up a couple inches. We are going with the standard position â&#x20AC;&#x201C; tie rod ends pointing up. The Currectlync tie rod is quite a bit thicker than the stock tie rod and uses the same double threaded adjusted on the drivers side of the link to set toe-in. This allows the ends to be adjusted without removing the tie rod.

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Volume 1 Issue 6

The tie rod uses a much larger adjustment sleeve, which also adds strength; all of the rod ends are also greasable while the stock joints are not.

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Currie Enterprises Currectlync steering

The Currectlync tie rod comes with a beefy new steering stabilizer clamp thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in double sheer rather than a stud mount.

The JK tie rod uses a unique double threaded adjustment nut. This system is required to fine tune toe-in on the tires. We measured both in front of the tires and the back of the tires and needed to get to a slight toe in at the front for proper tracking down the road. The nut turns easily but it is a large size. An adjustable wrench of some king (i.e. pipe wrench) needs little effort to turn the nut to get the toe set, we added about 3/16, then used the adjuster sleeve on the drag link to center the steering wheel after a trip around the block to see where the steering wheel was at.

We used the stock tie rod and drag link to set the starting measurements for the new tie rod and drag link but left the jam nuts loose for final adjustment.

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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Currie Enterprises Currectlync steering

Brian’s Rubicon will now travel down the road straight and not only is the strength restored over his bent stock steering, he’s added a fair amount of strength to the new steering components.

I’m using the modular system to fabricate a tie rod for the CJK8, I needed enough clearance to clear the differential and the whole assembly with the King Pin axle ends is actually shorter overall than a stock JK tie rod. I’ll get a little deeper into the steering set up on the CJK8 in a future article but the Modular parts are nice and beefy for any custom steering set up. The CJK8 steering includes new arms with load bolts rather than king pin springs, Reid Racing knuckles, and a custom drag link with 1 1/2in DOM tubing and Moog rod ends.

steering system that has one end crimped onto the center link – both ends are adjustable and replaceable. The tubular tie rod is 1-½ inches in diameter while the drag link to the steering box is solid cast. I also brought in a few Currie pieces to help finish my CJK8 project. As my tie rod and drag link are shorter than a stock JK system due to the high steer arms, I used the modular tie rod ends supplied with weld in bungs so I can order tubing and set my own link length. Currie offers several versions of these ends and all use a thread in tie rod end that threads in from either direction. These tie rods ends are huge with a 1 1/4 diameter shaft using a 1/3/4 piece of DON tubing as the center link and of course replaceable cartridge style rod ends. Which ever Jeep model you have or axle configuration Currie has steering choices to help beef up your steering system and keep your Jeep rolling straight on down the road.

4by4 Suppliers Currie Enterprises http://www.currieenterprises.com/

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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Located in central Alberta just off the main #2 highway is a small town called Wetaskiwin. Nothing really remarkable about it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just your typical small Alberta prairie town services the farms in the area. It is however home to the Reynolds museum. Located 2K from Wetaskiwin on hwy 13 the museum is on 223 acres and includes a rich farming and aviation history of Alberta and Canada as a whole. The main building is 100,000 sq. feet while the aviation building is another 20,000. More than 140 volunteers who run and restore almost all the pieces you see on display run the museum. From the museum web site: The Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, interprets the impact of technological change in transportation, aviation, agriculture WWW.4BY4TECH.COM

The repair shop at the museum is volunteer run and goes far beyond tractor and farm equipment restoration. I was diggin the 2-door tri Chevy Nomad on the rotisserie and all the other vintage iron in the shop.

The Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, interprets the impact of technological change in transportation, aviation, agriculture and industry from the 1890s to the present. Visitors will see a wide variety of vintage automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, stationary engines, tractors, agricultural implements, aircraft and industrial equipment. The Reynolds-Alberta Museum opened in 1992. The museum is named after Mr. Stan Reynolds, a Wetaskiwin businessman and world-renowned collector who donated a core collection of 1500 artifacts to the Province of Alberta. Mr. Reynolds donated this core collection between 1982 and 1986, but also continued to donate artifacts regularly from his collections until his death in February of 2012.

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and industry from the 1890s to the present. Visitors will see a wide variety of vintage automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, stationary engines, tractors, agricultural implements, aircraft and industrial equipment. The Reynolds-Alberta Museum opened in 1992 and is a project of Alberta Culture and Tourism and Alberta Infrastructure. The museum is named after Mr. Stan Reynolds, a Wetaskiwin businessman and world-renowned collector who donated a core collection of 1500 artifacts to the Province of Alberta. Mr. Reynolds donated this core collection between 1982 and 1986, but also continued to donate artifacts regularly from his collections until his death in February of 2012. The Reynolds-Alberta Museum is part of a network of provincially owned and operated historic sites, interpretive centers and museums and is supported by the Friends of the Reynolds-Alberta Museum Society.Â

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Beyond the main builders there are even larger storage facilities filled with machinery from the early begins of the province â&#x20AC;&#x201C; behind the scenes tours are available of this building as are bi-plane rids and vintage vehicle that carry guests to and from the buildings. The museum is ever-changing vehicle and equipment in the displays and large glass windows overlook the volunteer repair shop and an ever-changing array of vehicles and equipment they are restoring. Car shows motorcycle shows and other special events take place all summer long so check dates on their web site for something that peaks your interest but if you get a chance make the trek and take in all the interactive displays and you never know you might be driven to volunteer yourself if you live in the area. http://www.history.alberta.ca/reyn olds/default.aspx http://reynoldsalbertamuseumfriends.com/

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Big trucks, Planes, vintage snow transport, tractors, field equipment, the array of vehicles in the museum is impressive. My next trip Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll buck up for the behind the scenes tour to get access to the massive warehouse of parts and unrestored vehicles on site. Click the box here for more pictures.

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Poison Spider JK Armor

By: Albert Vandervelde If you want to protect your JK from nose to tail and make it near rock proof, Poison Spider have you covered. Their front bumper selection give you choices from full tire coverage to rock crawler stubby styles, rocker protection with and without tubular rock rails, rear corner guards for both stock and LED tail lights, Rear bumpers with and without tire carriers along with diff covers, high clearance flares, Evap skids and most in steel and aluminum versions. There is some commitment with installing their trail armor as riven nuts (crushable threaded inserts into the body) will riddle your rig with holes, but if your ready for body armor, a few holes are the least of your worries. Of course Poison Spider has a full line of armor and bumpers for the LJ/TJ/YJ & CJ owners as well. Poison Spyder armor and bumpers come unpainted so you can match the pieces to any body color you like. This full JK package included corner guards, new fenders, rock sliders and side body armor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they also offer a wide variety of bumpers you can choose from.

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Poison Spider JK Armor

Starting above for front flares: • There were aftermarket plastic flares on this JK but removal of flares comes first. • Always test fit the new parts before drilling any holes. • Poison Spyder flares do require some drilling for attachment of the stiffener brackets. • You should have a nice tight seamless fit to the factory inner fender. • The stiffener bracket kit added rigidity to the fender assembly so your new steel flares can take a hit without bending the parts they are attached to. • Before final install, the flares can be painted to whatever you desire, black works.

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Poison Spider JK Armor The rivet nuts are threaded onto the bolt and the nut sleeve it held with one wrench while a ratchet is used the draw the rivet nuts in crushing the rivet nut between the steel the inside and outside of the body. See below for a faster version!

The rivet nut gives you a threaded insert to attach all your new armor. It takes some care to get them in and the threads nice and straight so take your time or lining up your new parts can be a little difficult. Buying a rivet nut tool is the way to go!

The install kit comes with a simple setup for installing all the rivet nuts that are needed to install the body armor. A Bolt and the nut sleeve is all that’s needed to install the rivet nuts.

There are two styles of Rivet nut setters this version at under $100.00, the other HD version runs about $250.00. The kit includes three small mandrels, the 3/8 version I had to buy extra. This rivet-nut tool looks a lot like a rivet tool but has a threaded end and is adjustable for the length of the nut insert. The stop under the handle helps you get leverage on the larger nuts. It’s a bit of effort to “squish” a 3/8 rivet nut with this version of the tool but it is possible. I bought one from my local tool crib for installing the skid plate nuts into the frame and new cross members on the CJK8 project. The proper

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size hole for the rivet nut is imperative to the nut that suits the thickness of your steel or they will not hold tight in the material and spin on you. Both metric and standard thread size mandrels are available and for nuts up to 3/8 in size. A tool like this for as many rivet nuts that are needed for a full Poison Spider armor upgrade is well worth the cash!

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Poison Spider JK Armor

Lots of rivet nuts and some trimming is needed to get the rear corner guards on with the optional cut outs for flush mounted back up and turn signals installed. This flush fitment gets the lights out of harms way but the regular version allows for the use of your stock rear lighting. - after all you installed all this steel to get into â&#x20AC;&#x153;harms wayâ&#x20AC;?. The inner armor comes separated from the flares as well.

The signature black widow spider logo is laser cut into the sides of the parts, no reason to hide them they are pretty cool.

More rivet nuts (buy the rivet nut tool already), but as the JK body is a boxed style filled with foam to reduce road noise the rivet nuts are needed for any armor install. Adding a little flare with some red tape behind the spiders after the skids were painted black!

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Poison Spider JK Armor

We are big on rattle can black. The nice thing about the sliders and steel coming un painted rather than powder coated, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about scratching anything while getting them installed then afterwards making them look pretty again is as easy as a can of Tremclad paint.

The side protection and rock rails are a two-piece install with the rock rails mounting under the body. There are two versions body mounted like this set and frame mounted.

All of the parts you see here come in both steel and aluminum versions and all can be purchased a piece at a time to fit your budget. All add a ton of toughness to your ride and will protect you from trail damage for years to come!

4by4 Suppliers Poison Spider Customs http://shop.poisonspyder.com/

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Volume 1 Issue 6

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DEPARTURE ANGLE

Every Year since 1956 the Easter Jeep Safari takes place in Moab Utah. Attached to this great 4x4 event is a just as fantastic trade show with all the best vendors out displaying and trail abusing their products for you. The trade show takes place at the Spanish Trailer Arena a short distance form town. Check out all these great pictures via the red link below - or better yet put the Easter Jeep Safari on your must do list and come on out yourself! As always red boxes are links to more pictures!!!!

Click to the right for images of all the great trucks from SEMA 2016 Oh yeah and click to subscribe right here!!!!! Got a great shot for the back cover? Send it in albert@4by4tech.com and if I use it here Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll stick $50.00 in your pocket! Until then SUBSCRIBE!!!!!! still free. Yes you can click here to do that too!