Four Wheeler October 2019

four- and six-cylinder engines in fullsize pickups: yes or no?

“Why would I buy a pickup truck with anything but a V-8?” This was recently said to me by a reader who was incredulous at the proliferation of 1⁄2-ton pickup trucks with an array of non-V-8 options. His opinion of anything other than a V-8 was clearly less than positive. “No six-cylinder in my truck,” he said. And don’t even get him started on GM’s new 2.7L four-cylinder. “A four-cylinder in a fullsize pickup? Hard pass.” The conversation put me on yet another trip down Memory Lane. It was spring of 1982 when I met my farmer father-in-law for the first time. Of course, I didn’t know he would be my father-in-law at the time. It was my first date with his fiery red-haired daughter, so I nervously went to his barn…

inbox

SAFFRON YELLOW SKI SCOUT I enjoyed reading the Trail’s End article at the end of the May 2019 issue of Four Wheeler. I decided I should write to you about my family’s Scout, a trusty companion of 38 years. It started one cold and wet day in 1981 when at the age of 10 I flew up to Portland, Oregon, with my Dad to pick up this cool family ski vehicle he had researched and found. Later that morning we found ourselves at Bisio Motors, the dealership of the IH legend Ernie Bisio. My dad had tracked down the two remaining brand-new ’80 Scout II Traveler turbodiesels on the West Coast. We had our choice between a white one and a yellow one. Off we drove from Ernie’s lot in a brand-new…

rpm automotive news

New Ford F-150 RTR You might already know the performance Ford Mustang RTR, and now there’s an F-150 RTR with off-road aggressiveness built into its looks. It has Fox Performance Series 2.0 suspension components, custom 20-inch RTR Tech 6 off-road wheels with Nitto Ridge Grappler rubber, a tactical skidplate, and RTR floor liners and fender flares. The RTR grille has LED lighting, and there’s a Ford Performance after-cat exhaust. As you’d expect, RTR badges abound, and there’s also a serialized dash plaque signed by Vaughn Gittin Jr. You’ll be looking at a starting price of $12,750 for the package. Learn more at rtrvehicles.com or look for it at select Ford dealerships. Range Rover Astronaut Edition Look at today’s date. Not April 1, right? Therefore, don’t question this—it’s for real. Land Rover Special Vehicle…

parts rack

REMOTE FREEZE ARB has given its current Classic Fridge Freezer an update and now offers the Classic Fridge Freezer Series II, which incorporates a new color scheme along with added features. The Classic Fridge Freezer Series II has a dimmable, backlit touchpad for nighttime operation and a 12V power input readout for voltage monitoring on the display. The included transmitter allows remote display and control via a new app, which is available for download onto smart devices or ARB’s LINX unit. The application allows the fridge to be switched between Celsius or Fahrenheit, offers battery protection notifications (high, medium, or low), and allows adjustment of the fridge display’s brightness (high or low) in the settings. The user can also allocate preset temperatures to assign specific temperatures to a particular item in…

red rock revelry

THOUGH MANY EYES OF THE OFF-ROAD COMMUNITY WERE FOCUSED ON THE seven-slotted inhabitants of Moab, Utah, during the 2019 Easter Jeep Safari, it was hard to avoid the fullsize machines chugging through the trails. What started eight years ago as a close-knit gathering of friends has grown into a weeklong blowout of big rocks, bigger iron, and lots of excitement. We joined the 2019 Fullsize Invasion and watched as 4x4 fanatics conquered trails like Moab Rim, Behind the Rocks, and Pritchett Canyon, to name just a few. The sense of camaraderie grew throughout the week as winch lines were pulled, drivers put faith in spotters, and trailside welds were burned in. By the end of the week, a party was well overdue, and Fullsize Invasion participants flocked to be part…

the doughnut truck

SCOTT NORBRYHN HAD WHEELED THE TRAILS around Big Bear, California, with various rigs, including an ’88 Toyota pickup and a Jeep Cherokee on 37s, but he wanted something different. His search led him to a warehouse in Long Beach, California, where he was introduced to the ’59 Willys Pickup. The previous owner had used it for traveling and outfitted the rig with a camper shell, big-block Chevy 454, TH400 transmission, Dana 27 frontend, Ford 9-inch rearend, coilovers in the back, and non-functioning air conditioning. Scott spent a few soggy weeks in his driveway boxing the truck’s frame, installing 63-inch leaf springs, and building a crossmember for his new Rubicon Express shocks. After replacing the carburetor and reintroducing the truck to commuter duties, Scott realized the 454 was only good for…