Should the next truck to be built by 4 Wheel off-Road be for mud, sand, desert, trail, rocks, highway.... what?

Do you want to see more towing stuff?

Do you own an IFS truck?

Do you like exoskeletons?

Jerrod,

Thats a great post, and thanks for putting it out to us readers.  I have been a long time reader and watched you guys build some great stuff over the years.  Although i think that you guys have to remember the majority of you readers do not come from CA.  there are 49 other states out there with wheelers dying to read about a TRUCK.  Not a "Buggie" or a tubbed out creation which has no other recognizable parts besides a grill from a jeep.  Dont get me wrong, i dont think this aspect of the sport is dumb or borring i do enjoy reading about it but i think others like JP already cover it.  I thnk you should do something that will capture the attention of all your readers.  Maybe a good mulit-purpose vehicle.  I think the Ult. Avalanche was a good example of this.  It came in perfect timing because i was doing a solid axle swap and rear axle swap on my Chevy to build the unlt mud machine while the articles were running. Or why not just go all out and really build a big badass this time.  I know Pewe likes his vehicles with minimal lift, but maybe its time to break that mold.  When was the last time you guys built a mud truck??  Start with serious base, a TRUCK, not a buch of tubes, or a little jeep, and get nasty.

john C.  Conecticut.

See the post to Fred Williams under "Is the Ulimate Avalanche a big turd?" I say the new build should the the 4X4 of the year winner.

Yes, I own a IFS Truck, (1995 Chevy 1500 with Rancho 6" lift, 35" Pro Comp Xterrains (great tires), 4.56 gears, 6 lug 9.5" 14 bolt, Gibson Headers/Cat back exhaust, and Jet Chip.  I've done all the work myself, including the gear swap. I didn't have the cash flow to slap a solid axle under the front, so I'm stuck with the IFS.  My next truck will come with a solid axle already, in the form of a Dodge 3/4 ton!

How about a build up that keeps the IFS and makes it work better, maybe longer A arms and ditch the torsion bars for coil over shocks?

Also, kudos for coming east and wheeling on something other than the left coast!

you guys keep building street trucks make a trailered beast

take an s10-blazer or pickup

military axles (rockwells would be great)

full blown hydro steering front (back if you got 2 fronts)

4.3 or 350 powered

pick a body that is cheap an s10 blazer would be the cheapest (85-93)

use the boxed or "C" style frame with coilover fronts

atlas II case or better ... maybe double transfercases

the new irocs 49s or 44inch super swamper Tsls

full outside cage

and make it worthy guys make it a truck that is cheap where it needs to be dont paint it

make a truck big power full strong and most of all cheap

this sport is not for people with thousands to spend and blow you guys need to take this into consideration and build a cheap wheeler that can go anywhere and look ugly doing it

how about a 80-96 bronco or F150?? for mud/trail.....theres more to wheelin than rockcrawling!! jeeps and rock buggies have been overdone

 I have a 90 bronco, still has the TTB, 2 1/2" lift, 33s mostly stock other than that.

hmmm

ifs

mud truck

big tires

cheap

lightweight

rock buggy

new vehicles

big axles

small axles

how about all of the above?

Plans are in the works for quite a few of what you are looking for.  A big truck with big tires and big axles.  An ifs truck that should wheel really well.  A cheap little beater, that's lightweight.  Maybe even a tube buggy, and a new vehicle with some crazy upgrades.  If everything goes according to plan you see all of the above and then some by the end of next year.

what about this?

the other day i was thinking about the new hummers (the h2) and the jeep liberty

if i had the money i would look for an h2 hummer 

a dana 60 with 35spline axles

hydro steering

try for coilover fronts to move the wheels up farther

would be a start

maybe a new design of rollcage

44+inch tires

i thought of this wile reading your mag... i think it was the first liberty with a sold axle... i thought yeah thats great (not a jeep fan but hey its a cool idea) i think the liberty looks great offroad thats why a hummer h2 would be as good if not better the H2 has had some dirty looks and i think its mostly from us wheelers

this project would take some real money to do right figure a new hummer used what ever is running for 30+ (i assume) then the parts to make it a true hard core rig

and if not this a true budget truck

build the best hard core rig you can set a low amount of money 5grand total cost would catch your readers attention

lets keep it simple upgradeable and CHEAP start with an s10 or ranger.... s10s are much cheaper for parts and things like doors and windows... im talking near free or free cheap.

s10 for about 1000

a set or 38s for 500-800

a dana 60 front and a 60 back 1000

some upgrades ... i could do it with money to spare

email me i got lots more ideas on all sorts of stuff lots of cheap tricks and im going to be building an s10 blazer very soon looking for 38+ maybe 44s i dono yet

I really like the cheap truck idea.  Specially an s-10 or s-10blazer since i own an s-10 blazer (whimpy 2 wheel drive) and I'm a low budget wheeler.  It would be cool to see how far you can push on a small budget and still make it a bad ass mudder and trail truck.  The H-2 thing is a little iffy, but would be nice since the only ones i see are stock or show trucks.  Brand new they're running 45 grand + so that would take out the whole cheap thing, but the cheap thing is cool, I think you should go with that.  Skblazer email me some of those pics of the s-10 that ur going to be doing, would really like to check that out. epyonlee@yahoo.com  

Yeah, I agree with MUDNUTT you guys need to either just go all out and build an absolute "BEAST"!!!! or you need to build a all purpose truck that will be pretty good at anything and that includes economic wise like i don't know let's say GAS. Or what the hell build both!Maybe even a mid-size truck like a ranger or a s-10 ( NOT A DAKOTA!!) But most importantly be sure to keep in mind that not everyone has a ton of money to just blow. Make this project one that fits most peopl's  budget and interest.

            P.S. I would personally like to see a ford.

For a guy who uses little or no punctuation, SKBLAZER has a point.  If not the 4X4 of the year winner, then I'd like to see a budget Ultimate Adventure 4X4. Instead of building a rig that no normal working stiff can afford to duplicate, put the Ulimate Adventure build on a diet and build it on a budget.  Something like the 5KXJ project.  Buy and build the next Ultimate Adventure rig for less than $10 grand. The lower the better, $5 grand would be a real challenge...

Although, I'd still like to see that Lexus or Volkswagen???? on the Ultimate Adventure...

Cheap does certainly sound like a good idea.  There are certain things like 1 ton axles, big blocks and monster tires that don't come cheap though. 

It would be cool to see a lightweight rig that doesn't need a big engine and axles to get it moving.  For example: Samurai's, Toyota pickup's, Ranger's, S-10's, etc..

Something I would like to see would be a later model IH Scout II.  They come with Dana 44's f/r, so you have good axles to start with.  They have strong, torquey V8's,  front disc brakes, leaf springs all around (easy for susp. mods), and the best thing is you can get a good one for under $3000.  If you're fortunate, you might even get the coveted 4 spd T-19A with a 6.32:1 1st gear.  They come with a bomb proof Dana 20 t-case or if your lucky a Dana 300.  The only downsides I can think of are that the body is heavier than your standard 4x4, and that the 78-79's are rust prone.  Some might argue about parts availability, but I know of places in CA., *** AZ., and loads back east where you can get NOS Scout parts.

yeah thats true but you can pick up a cheap 60 if you look for a long time. get a real cheap body find a 4.3.

cut off all the crap you dont really need. but save the doors, there great in the winter.

try to save as much weight as you can. but dont go cutting your frame all up for it.

a tracker 4.3 oneton would be a trick little buggy.

try to find a crashed blazer, there almost free anymore. make your own front clip it takes time not money.

i like the scout idea but i would much rather work on a newer platform.

i hate old rusty bolts

you should build yet another purpose built buggy, but make it dual purpose. rockcrawling and sand. these types of offroad cars share many of the same features.  mainly fuel injection, multi link suspensions and coilover offroad racing shocks. use as many production parts as possible. like stock drivetrain components, and maybe part of a jeep, toy, ect. chassis. and build some tube around it. leave out the custom drivetrain components that none of us can afford.  come down here and run anaconda on a sat. then take a few hours to "transform" it to a sand machine.  lower the suspension, remount/revalve the shocks(if necessary) bolt on the paddles, crack open the nitrous bottle, and blast around glamis on sunday. i'm sure you guys would have no problem with the changeover, you figured out how to turn the avalanche into a truck and then an suv, right? i would call it "project transformer". going from one extreme(as slow as possible) to the other(as fast as possible) in the same weekend. sounds like good times to me!  

Projects like that only are for one thing... Amusement to people that are never really going to do it. You can write up half a magazine on it and people will just look at the pictures. Not saying it’s a bad idea, but I’m not for it. People want to read about things that catch there eye. They want cheap all over the front cover, I do. We want to read about things WE CAN DO. And I have heard this in many of the responses in this post. I’m sure this is what would sell magazine better, and keep many people aware of what they can do. Get them motivated help them out. That’s what this type of magazine is for, helping the reader and showing new products.

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And your project isn’t that hard really. If you had the right transfercase it would work out just perfect. Take the atlas; it has a super deep lowrange with a high (like stock gearing) highrange. As for the suspension I would try airbags with coilovers. this way you just lower your air, put your transfercase into highrange and your good to go.

i disagree that people "will never do" these types of projects. in garages all over the country, guys are building tube creations for offroad only.  i don't know if it's because we can't get these trucks though emissions so we take them off the street completely, almost every group of 'wheelers has at least one metal fab guy in the bunch, tired of body and paint work after 'wheeling trips, or we're just finding junked out rigs cheap and losing the sheetmetal but it's happening. i'm a middle of the road 'wheeler and there's not a lot of $ in the family budget for off road.  i understand why people don't like the buggies because everything featured is a $50k ride built by the shops that advertise in the mag. but there are real world hybrid truck/tube works of art popping up on trails everywhere. i think the sami and toy guys are leading the way.( i have a cj) i know that many people take their rigs wheeling and then drive them to work on monday. they consider themselves to be the "real" 4 wheelers and i respect that. i believe the mag should focus on that. But there is a place for the tube jobs and custom suspensions because a lot of real world guys are building them in our garages for under $5k. i just wish the mag would bridge the gap between real world buggies(leaf springs and factory setups) and the f'en sniper. the buggies might get a little more respect. especially from guys who aren't loaded with $$,like me. to the guys that still have the luxury of wheeling on local public land: when your city,county, state shuts you out to build a housing development or some micro organism becomes endangered and you get confined to the reservation(ohv parks), you'll trailer, build for purpose, and camp there to get the most out of your time off road.

as far as my project idea, i would just like to see a rig built to excel in 2 completely opposite types of 'wheeling. almost all types of 'wheeling share the same components, just different setups. like nascar tracks. i'd like to see the 4wor guys turn a 2 hour job into an all nighter. jessie james could do it. it would be really cool to challenge a group of readers on the same budget and compete but that sounds too much like a tv show.sorry but i love the discovery channel!