May 2008 New 4x4 Truck Products
By Fred Williams
My welder in a box!
Fixing your broken junk in the dirt just got easier with the Millermatic Passport inverter-based MIG welder. This portable suitcase unit is perfect for your base camp (you'll still need a generator to make 110 or 220 power), only weighs 45 pounds, and includes the gun, wire spool, and a small 12-ounce bottle of CO2. An inverter machine has many features your old shop machine may not, such that it can be run on either 110- or 220-volt power, it can use either the convenience of CO2 for in-the-field welding or the more common 75/25 mix for in-shop welding, and it offers superior arc control versus the older transformer technology.
Information: Miller Electric, 800.426.4553, www.millerwelds.com
Tube-Ify Your Jk
Looking to replace those big plastic fenders on your new Jeep Wrangler with something more substantial? Shaffer's Off-Road is now offering tube fenders for '07-and-newer Jeep JKs. They are made from 11/2x0.120-wall HREW tubing with a 3/16-inch body plate and a 16-gauge top plate. They are made in two different widths-4 and 6 inches-depending on your axle, tire, and wheel backspacing choices. Minor drilling is required.
Information: Shaffer's Off-Road, 775.885.9944, www.shaffersoffroad.com
Gas Guzzlin' Made Ez
Fuel is the food of your ride so it's important to get it from the fridge (fuel tank) to the mouth (carb or fuel injection). Edelbrock has a fuel-system kit which supplies everything you need to get the go-juice to your powerplant. The Edelbrock/Russell setup includes a 20-foot length of stainless steel Pro-Flex or Pro-Classic black nylon fabric -6AN or -8AN size fuel hose; an electric fuel pump and harness with a 30-amp relay; an adjustable fuel pressure regulator; an assortment of straight, 45- and 90-degree fittings; a Russell Pro-Filter; a dual-feed fuel inlet; and brackets and hardware
Information: Edelbrock Corp., 800.416.8628, www.edelbrock.com, www.russellperformance.com
Trucks Gone Wild 4&5
Trucks Gone Wild has released two more DVDs. Tour of Destruction #4 and Wanted-Los Camiones Locos #5 are 90 minutes long and contain everything from mud bogs and tugs-of-war to river wheeling and car crushing. Most of the trucks run 44-inch-tall tires and many are spinning even bigger rubber than that. These videos have some rowdy behavior and some girls in the mud, but no nudity, so we'd probably rate them PG-13.
Information: Trucks Gone Wild, www.trucksgonewild.com
Warn Winch Remote
Warn's new wireless remote controller has a receiver that plugs into your standard five-prong Warn winch and allows you to winch in or out from a distance of up to 100 feet. The controller works by the push of a button; simply press the "on" button for five seconds until the green "power on" button lights up and then start winching.
Information: Warn Industries, 503.659.8750, www.warn.com
Predator vs. Off road
American Racing has a new wheel, the Predator. Cast and heat-treated, the A356 type aluminum alloy wheel is available in the machined clear finish, Teflon black coated finish, and chromed. They come in either a 17x81/2 with a 41/2- or 53/8-inch backspacing or a 16x8 size with a 41/2-inch backspacing.
Information: American Racing, www.americanracing.com
Taller Titan
Is your Nissan Titan feeling pretty shrimpy? Boost it up with a 21/2-inch lift kit from BDS Suspension. The kit comes with new upper strut mounts designed to add preload that will offset the increased tire weight when you bolt on some 33-inch rubber. A set of 5500 series shocks is supplied to control the added tire-and-suspension movement. Titans come with about a 1-inch rake towards the front, and the BDS kit can be ordered to level out the truck or keep that rake, depending on which rear lift blocks are used.
Information: BDS Suspension Products, 517.279.2135, www.bds-suspension.com
Defense For Da Jeep
Got a brand-new Wrangler that you want to wheel, but you're scared of a little rock damage? Outfit your new ride with a set of Poly Performance JK Rocker Guards. Made from 3/16-inch laser-cut steel, these sliders protect from fender to fender and are mounted close to the body to help squeeze through obstacles. However, should a nasty boulder reach out for some fresh paint, the JK Rockers will fend off pricey damage to pristine body panels. Powdercoated black and mounted with recessed fasteners, the slider won't snag and looks great.
Information: Poly Performance, 805.783.2060, www.polyperformance.com
Still Rough And Tough
The '88-'98 Chevy trucks, Tahoes, Suburbans, and Yukons are very common and the prices are dropping quickly. The newly redesigned Rough Country 4- and 6-inch suspensions for the 1500 model variants come complete with front and rear crossmembers, durable differential drop brackets, and drop torsion bar brackets, as well as new kicker braces and upper and lower control-arm drops.
Information: Rough Country Suspension Products, 800.222.7023, www.roughcountry.com