Four Wheeler May 2021

Fact: For most of us, camping and wheeling go together. It’s a safe bet that where there’s folks gathered to wheel for more than a day there’s probably camping involved. I’ve camped since I was a kid. Our family started with a tent, graduated to a 1960’s-era Apache camper (which was basically a tent on a trailer), and then in the 1970s to a Jayco camper (it had a hard roof that did a fairly admirable job of keeping the rain out). When I got out on my own and started wheeling, funds were tight and I found myself in a cheap tent for trailside sleeps. At that point, if there was a 1-10 rating system for functional campsites, my camps would’ve been a 1. The only reason they would’ve ranked…

I found a photo of my garage from several years ago and posted it on my @christianhazelofficial Instagram page with the question, “If your garage could talk, would it have much to say?” For gearheads, the garage is hands down the most important room in the house and the activity center for waking hours. Heck, even before I had a garage, I seemed to spend the majority of my free time not on my couch but in the underground garage of my apartment complex. It actually almost got me evicted. Seems my neighbors didn’t take too kindly to my pulling the top of my Ramcharger’s 318 apart or storing a ¾-ton Dana 44 axle in my parking spot and complained to the property management. When I finally did buy my own…

DODGE W350 IN PROGRESS Attached are before and after photos of my ’84 Dodge W350 crew cab truck I purchased some years ago. It was to be a joint restoration project for my wife and I. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2015. The truck has all of 60,000 original miles. I bought it from the original owner. It has the same reliable 360ci engine, NP435 four-speed manual transmission, and NP205 transfer case. The tires are Cooper SSTs and the rockers and bed are all Line-X’d. Eventually, I would like to replace the 360 V-8 with a 408 stroker and the transmission with an NV4500 five-speed. Maybe a Getrag? The front seats are gray and plum leather, and the exterior is Plum Crazy and white. The only power options are the brakes and steering!…

JERED.KORFHAGE@FOURWHEELER.COM Don’t let the square headlights fool you too much, this is a JL with some crafty throwbacks to the ’87-’95 Jeep Wrangler. It all started when Quadratec, a shining star in the Jeep aftermarket world, turned 30 years old. Ted Wentz II, the company’s founder, owned an ’89 Wrangler Sahara that inspired his vision for Quadratec, and that Jeep is represented in this build that mixes classic touches with modern technology. Quadratec partnered with vehicle builder Greg Henderson, owner of Unofficial Use Only, to bring the retro-inspired JL Wrangler to life, beginning with the one-off grille and period correct rear bumper with bumperettes. TeraFlex suspension components, Mickey Thompson 37-inch Baja Boss tires, Rock Slide Engineering fender flares, Corbeau seats, a redesigned dash from Alpine, and heated LED headlights from Quadratec…

KC FLEX High intensity meets robust construction with the new KC Lights Flex Era 4. The company’s newest LED light features four Cree LEDs and can be had in either spot or combo beam patterns. Expect 7,912 raw lumens and 1,610 lux at 10 meters from the combo pattern, which is rated at 80W and draws 6.7 amps. KC Flex Era 4 kits come with a pair of Flex LED lights, a pair of black KC logo plastic covers, a wiring harness, a three-position switch, and are perfect for off-road applications anywhere from rock buggies to fullsize work trucks. INFO: KC Lights, 888/689-5955, kchilites.com VICTORY WHEELS ICON Alloys announced the release of its Victory wheel design that combines sharp concave lines with an updated lip design, ICON recessed logos, and optimized dimensions to…

It’s that time of year again; time to crown our 2021 Four Wheeler SUV of the Year. The journey that embarks on the following pages is the culmination of hundreds of hours of hard work that encompasses several months of pre-event planning. The days spent testing are long and the nights often seem longer. We are up before sunrise and work until the last light leaves us. Our team is tasked to work tirelessly, oftentimes in the harshest conditions Mother Nature can dish out. Nothing can weaken our resolve. Our judging panel is comprised of some of the most knowledgeable minds in the off-road industry. They come to us with backgrounds in off-road, diesel, lifted, new, and classic off-road vehicles. This ensures that our judging staff is just as diverse as…