Four Wheeler January 2020

Four Wheeler is part of the MotorTrend Group, and the Ultimate Collection of Top Gear is now available exclusively on the MotorTrend app. That’s 170 episodes spanning seasons 2-25, plus lots more. This is a pretty darn exciting development for gearheads everywhere. I was recently asked which Top Gear episode is my favorite, and my answer was instantaneous—the Bolivia Special, which can be found in Season 1, Episode 3, of the MotorTrend app’s Top Gear Specials. The premise of the episode was that the show’s hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, each purchased inexpensive, well-used 4x4s off the Internet—without being able to inspect the vehicles first—for the 1,000-mile trip through Bolivia to the Pacific coast of Chile. The fact that the hosts weren’t able to inspect the vehicles prior to…

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED Hope you like these pictures of my ’80 Eagle Sport with a 2-inch lift, 28x8.50x15 Super Swampers, and Weber 38 carb. We road-tripped it after four days of ownership from my home state of Ohio 3,200 miles across 18 states to the coast so we could ship it to our home on Maui. My fiancée and I had an amazing trip, checking out roadside auto show barns in South Dakota, hot springs and the end of Black Bear road in Colorado, and Pucker Pass at sunset in Moab, to name a few. It has been out of regular duty with a rear-main seal leak for a while, but I am getting it back on the road right now for our wedding at the end of June. If…

Peterbilt and UTI to Offer West Coast Diesel Tech Program The West Coast is gaining career-focused diesel education: Peterbilt Technician Institute Manufacturer-Specified Advanced Training Program. It’s already offered at Universal Technical Institute campuses in Lisle, Illinois; Exton, Pennsylvania; and Dallas/Fort Worth. Now the Rancho Cucamonga campus in California will gain the 12-week program as well. The two entities collaborated to bring this to life, and 12 Peterbilt certifications are possible, including Peterbilt HVAC systems and Peterbilt Service Boot Camp. Students must first complete UTI’s core automotive or diesel program. Upon graduating the Peterbilt program, the newly minted technicians will use their skills at a North American Peterbilt service location. Get more info at uti.edu. ARB Jeep Packages for How You ’Wheel It’s like ARB 4x4 Accessories has read your mind: You want to…

MELT-RESISTANT MOUNTS Heatshield Products introduces the Lava Motor Mount Shield. The covers are designed to protect rubber, polyurethane, and polygraphite motor mounts from damaging heat and chemical exposure. Lava Motor Mount Shields encase the engine mounts with a Heatshield Products proprietary, specially formulated, volcanic rock–based thermal-barrier material, which is said to withstand up to 1,200 degrees F continuous radiated heat and 2,000 degrees F intermittent radiated heat. The material also resists water, caustic chemicals, and acids. Lava Motor Mount Shields install by wrapping around almost any motor mount with an integrated, high-temperature hook-and-loop fastening system. In most applications, adding the Lava Motor Mount Shields will not require removal of the engine, exhaust, or engine mounts. INFO: Heatshield Products, 844/723-2665, heatshieldproducts.com PICKUP BOX Stowe Cargo Systems introduces the Strong Box. It features a low-profile…

DEFINING “RESTORATION” AND “RESTOMOD” is difficult for some, but not for Joe Torres. He knew exactly what he wanted in a “Day 2” Scout—lots of pure ’70s sex appeal and a buildup that offered technological upgrades with a retro flavor. Despite being a Ford Research and Advanced Products Development Engineer working on the most cutting-edge, new developments (can you say “electrification”?), Joe’s mind often wanders back to the thrilling days of International Harvester yesteryear. He credits his grandfather for this, a man who had an IH dealership for about 10 years and drove International trucks all his life. Joe believes the quality gearhead time spent with his grandfather planted the seeds of his engineering career. This Scout is as much a tribute as it is a toy. The build started in 2014…

IF YOU’RE JUST JOINing us, this is Four Wheeler’s 2019 Week to Wheelin’—brought to you by Golden Star Classic Auto Parts—where we took a heap of brand-new parts and a custom-built and custom-painted early Bronco body and turned it into a living, breathing Bronco in only one week. In our last story, we joined Classic Truck Supply in Plain City, Ohio, and watched as the expert builders assembled the early Bronco body from Golden Star Classic Auto Parts reproduction sheetmetal and decked it out in a two-tone BASF paintjob. With the Bronco body in the MotorTrend Group Tech Center, we assembled a team of handpicked builders to help bring it to life in a week. MotorTrend Group Tech Center’s Jason Scudellari and Christian Arriero were joined by Christian Hazel, editor of…