Four Wheeler May 2019

Back in the ’70s, ’80s, and the majority of the ’90s, I spent a fair amount of time working on my carburetors. I was in no way a carburetor specialist, but I could keep my junk running when air/fuel issues came calling. Every vehicle I owned had a carburetor until my wife and I purchased a newfangled, carburetor-less car brand new in 1992. Even then, I didn’t have a fuel-injected 4x4 until I purchased my ’97 Wrangler new in late 1996. Apparently, I’m not an “early adopter.” Even though my carburetors sometimes frustrated me, I adored their relative simplicity. I knew I could fix almost any carb-related problem with common handtools. No fancy electronic gizmos needed. When fuel injection started appearing en masse, I was suspicious of it. On the surface,…

WOODS RESCUE This here is my ’76 Chevrolet Bonanza 10. As it sits now it has a 350, SM465, twin-sticked 205, and ¾-ton running gear. She’s sitting on 37-inch Super Swamper TSL SXIIs with Mickey Thompson Classic III wheels. Also has an 8-inch Superlift suspension with a bunch of Offroad Design goodies, G2 rear diff cover, and a RuffStuff Specialties front diff cover. My uncle and I pulled her out of the woods about three years ago. It was far from what it is now. As you can tell she’s got some rust. I lucked out mostly because it sat in the woods for 20 years without a motor in it, so I was spared from having a truck that’s completely rotted out. The box is pretty much shot. When I…

’20 Jeep Gladiator Pickup Jeep built a truck. Well, that took forever and three decades. The Jeep pickup we all knew was coming and have been waiting for that isn’t called Scrambler arrived for its official viewing in 2018 as a 2020 model and will be in dealerships around April 2019, and it is called…Gladiator. It’s the vehicle that Jeep calls “100 percent truck, 100 percent Jeep, 100 percent original.” Kind of. And now, this: The Gladiator has the traditional seven-slot grille, albeit wider than the “norm,” to make way for air intake for the midsize’s towing purposes: 7,650 pounds (and 1,600-pound payload capacity). At birth, the truck will have the 285hp 3.6L V-6 worth 260 lb-ft of torque that’s mated to a standard D478 six-speed manual transmission (optional is an 850RE…

We saw a list about the best apps for productivity. We then said to ourselves, what would be the best app for automotive productivity? We knew it would need to have lots of vehicles to look at, tech, products, four-wheeling, adventure, news, and more to get us inspired to hit the dirt, the garage, or the drawing board. Therefore, guess which app topped our list for best app for automotive productivity, according to us? The Four Wheeler app! We had no choice though but to name it No. 1 through No. 10—it has everything and then some, all day, every day, even on holidays and snow days. Download it at the App Store.…

SWITCHER Advanced Accessory Concepts now offers the Trigger Six Shooter wireless accessories controller for wiring 12V to 24V accessories. The system eliminates the need to run wires under the vehicle dash or through the firewall, simplifying the wiring process. Each Trigger Six Shooter features six solid-state channels, including two 30-amp, two 10-amp, and two 5-amp solid-state circuits. The waterproof controller makes it possible to cut costs when installing LED and conventional lighting, E-Lockers, race radios, compressor systems, whips, cooling fans, and more. Each accessory can be controlled from inside or outside the vehicle with the RF Remote, or with a mobile device using the Trigger ACS Plus app. The RF Remote assembly included with every Trigger Six Shooter features a mounting base and a detachable backlit toggle switch assembly, and it…

THE LAST BRAND-NEW FORD Ranger sold in the U.S. was an ’11 model, the last in a line of trucks whose bones dated back nearly 20 years. By the time it was discontinued, the compact Ranger was thoroughly outclassed by its midsize competitors, some of whom had seen two or three redesigns since the Ranger’s most recent. But its simplicity and long production run ensured the Ranger would retain a robust enthusiast following even after it was cancelled. In the ensuing years, the cheap and cheerful Ranger abdicated the small-truck sales crown it had dominated for decades, allowing the Toyota Tacoma to take the throne. The truck market has changed significantly since 2012—while fullsize pickups will probably always reign supreme, the success of the reintroduced-for-2015 Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon and the evergreen…