STANDING WAY OUT

K i rby Gonza les’ backcou nt r y Benz is st r ict ly for pleasu re

Visiting the world’s natural wonders can sometimes mean dealing with seething masses of tourists. To avoid the crowds and still soak in the amazing sights, Kirby Gonzales decided to approach things from a different angle—from the dirt. He replaced paved roads, improved campsites, and his mild-mannered Range Rover Sport with backcountry routes, secluded camping, and a unique exploration vehicle platform.

Having an escape from the bustling city and the rigors of a demanding career motivate Kirby to explore the mountains, deserts, and forests of the West as often as he can. Flowing through mountain bike trails, wandering dirt roads, and basking in peaceful sunsets help him unwind and relax as far away from crowds as he can get. As outdoor recreation areas became increasingly popular, Kirby found himself wanting to get even farther down the unpaved roads to seek solitude, and he needed a vehicle that suited him as well as his needs.

By Jered Korfhage

POINT YOUR PHONE CAMERA AT THIS CODE TO SEE AN OVERVIEW OF THE SPONSORS AND THEIR 4X4S FROM THE 2021 OVERLAND ADVENTURE PRESENTED BY JEEP

Presented By

SP ONSORED BY

“I don’t want to blend in,” Kirby told us. Having previously driven a Range Rover Sport and a Land Rover Discovery, he also knew that V-8 power was a must-have in his next vehicle, along with having ample aftermarket support. His search for a vehicle that was rugged, mechanically simple, and with his powertrain requirements led him to the ’03 Mercedes-Benz G 500. The 19-year-old SUV had a solid off-road pedigree and it boasted commendable reliability and a generous selection of aftermarket parts. Kirby was all in.

Upgrading the G-Class involved fitting it with larger all-terrain tires, a means to sleep above the ground, and stowage for his camp kitchen, bikes, paddle boards, and other implements of adventure. Kirby told us the G-Wagon doesn’t make sense as a commuter vehicle so the almost 100,000 miles he’s rolled onto the clock have been purely recreational. We asked if this was his ideal vehicle and he said he would only replace the G-Wagon with another G-Wagon—just one with a diesel under the hood. Read on for more on how Kirby gets way out there with his unique and adventure-ready Mercedes-Benz G 500.

/> WHEN UPGRADING HIS TIRES, KIRBY NEEDED SOMETHING RATED fOR SNOw TRAvEl. THE GOODYEAR DURATRAc HAS BEEN HIS GO-TO TREAD SINcE AcqUIRING THE G 500.

/> KIRBY wANTED V-8 POwER IN HIS ADvENTURE MAcHINE, AND THE 5.0L M113 50 fiT THE BIll. HE’S cONfiDENT HE’ll SEE MANY MORE HUNDREDS Of THOUSANDS Of MIlES OUT Of THE ENGINE AND AS fAR AS fUEl EcONOMY IS cONcERNED, HE REPORTS BETwEEN 9 AND 10 MPG If HE’S IN A HURRY. THOSE NUMBERS APPROAcH 11 If HE’S MINDfUl Of HIS THROTTlE INPUTS. \> ADDING TwO INcHES Of lIfT wITH THOR MOTORwORkS cOIlS AND KING 2.5-INcH SHOckS GAvE THE TIRES ROOM TO wORk AND kEPT BODY ROll TO A MINIMUM.

<- <| ASk KIRBY ABOUT fUTURE MODIficATIONS AND HE’ll lIkElY MENTION A wINcH. UNTIl THEN, HE’S HAD PlENTY Of lUck USING HIS MAxTRAx REcOvERY BOARDS TO GET HIMSElf UN-STUck AND A kINETIc REcOvERY ROPE TO HElP OTHERS. THAT fEARSOME SPIkED TOOl IS A KRAzY BEAvER SHOvEl AND IT’S GOOD fOR DIGGING SNOw, TENDING TO fiRES, AND OTHER cAMP TASkS.

<- AfTER DIScOvERING THE lIMITS Of HIS fAcTORY RUNNING BOARDS, KIRBY UPGRADED HIS ARMOR wITH ROckSlIDERS fROM G-RAID.

</ COOkING IS A BIG PART Of HOw KIRBY UNwINDS wHEN Off THE GRID, AND HE OUTfiTTED THE G-WAGON AccORDINGlY. BETwEEN HIS COlEMAN TwO-BURNER STOvE, DRAwERS fOR STORAGE, TEMBO TUSk SkOTTlE, AND 7-GAllON wATER TANk, HE HAS EvERYTHING HE NEEDS TO ExPERIMENT wITH BAckcOUNTRY flAvOR.

\> KIRBY SUPPlEMENTED HIS fAcTORY lIGHTS wITH A PAIR Of DRIvING LEDS ON THE BUMPER AND A STEAlTHY AND fUNcTIONAl lIGHTBAR fROM STEDI. REcENT GlOBAl EvENTS INSPIRED THE MASk STIckERS ON HIS BUMPER lIGHTS’ PlASTIc lENS cOvERS.

VEHIclE: ’03 Mercedes-Benz G 500 OwNER: Kirby Gonzales STOMPING GROUNDS: Cerritos, California BUIlD TIME: 3 years DRIVETRAIN

ENGINE: 5.0L M113 50 V-8 TRANSMISSION: 5G-Tronic 5-spd auto TRANSfER cASE: VG150E LOw RANGE RATIO: 2.16:1 CRAwl RATIO: 33.9:1 FRONT AxlE/DIffERENTIAl: Mercedes-Benz 8.5-in, 4.38 gears/ open REAR AxlE/DIffERENTIAl: Mercedes-Benz 8.5-in, 4.38 gears/ open SUSPENSION

FRONT: King 2.5-in shocks, Thor Motorworks 2-in-lift springs REAR: King 2.5-in shocks, Thor Motorworks 2-in-lift springs TIRES/WHEELS

TIRES: LT275/70R18 Goodyear DuraTrac WHEElS: 18-in factory MISCELLANEOUS

|> ON THE PASSENGER SIDE YOU’ll SEE A 10-GAllON wATER TANk AND MIRRORS REPURPOSED fROM AN EARlIER G-WAGON.

LIGHTING: Stedi LED lightbar, Type-X Pro driving/spotlights ARMOR: G-Raid rocksliders COOl STUff: Maxtrax recovery boards, Krazy Beaver shovel, Fiskars axe, Bush Company Alpha tent, Front Runner Outfitters roof rack and rear ladder, Alu-Cab 270-degree awning, Tembo Tusk Skottle, ARB air compressor, dual fire extinguishers, custom kitchen loadout

\> KIRBY SElEcTED THE BUSH COMPANY AlPHA TENT BEcAUSE HE cOUlD Affix ROOf RAIlS TO ITS TOP, THAT wOUlD BE USED TO TRANSPORT wATERcRAfTS AND BIcYclES, IN ADDITION TO HOlDING SPARE fUEl AND REcOvERY GEAR.

/> THIS SUBMISSION TO THE CAMP CHEf SHOwcASE, A cOOkING cOMPETITION DURING THE 2021 OvERlAND ADvENTURE, wAS A BAckUP PlAN wHEN KIRBY’S ORIGINAl IDEA Of cAMP qUESADIllAS fEll THROUGH. WE’ll SAY HIS kITcHEN OUTfiT IS qUITE wEll APPOINTED AND HE HAS THE SkIllS TO MATcH. fw

\> ElIMINATING All THINGS cHROME fROM THE cOlOR ScHEME wAS THE PlAN fOR THE G-WAGON.