I AM LEGEND.... A very special TJ Wrangler

This Jeep has been the 4WD1 accessory and suspension display vehicle for many years, and (IMHO) would have to be one the best of its model around. 

Our pride and joy starred on the front cover of 4WD Action magazine (Issue 133) The article and photos inside covered seven pages. You can read the full article here.

The equipment list is extensive and comprises high-quality components that have been professionally fitted.

WARN products include a Rockcrawler front bumper with winch plate, grille guard, tow hooks and shackles, rear bumper with off-road hitch receiver with shackle kit, and Warn’s top-of-the-line 9.5ti Thermometric winch featuring Warn’s sealed housing for extreme-duty water resistance.

RUGGED RIDGE products include 7inch wide flares, deep-wall floor mats, neoprene seat covers and window sliders. Plus, stainless steel bonnet latches, bonnet hardware, lamp guards, vent cover, mirrors, fuel bezel, side bar/steps, windscreen hinges and windscreen-mounted light bar.

RANCHO products include a Rockcrawler 2.5 inch suspension featuring patented high-articulation control arms, coil springs, Pro-Series nitrogen remote-reservoir ride-adjustable shocks, dash-mounted in-cab shock absorber adjustment system, RS5000 heavy-duty steering damper, and sway-bar disconnects.

Mechanical improvements include a slip-yoke eliminator kit utilizing a heavy-duty transfer case output shaft, double-carden rear propeller shaft, 4.1:1 diff ratios, new LSD in the rear, 8x15 Mickey Thompson Classic II alloy wheels, 33x12.5R15 Goodyear MTR radials, Skyjacker steering rod, K&N air filter, and titanium-compound disc brake pads.

Other items include a Mopar chrome grille, Mopar CD player with roof-mounted sound bar, and stainless steel KC Daylighter lamps (1 x pencil + 1 x flood). The soft-top is an American Bestop product with tinted rear windows.

How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?

Look out for the bloke in the hat (page121) in the current issue of 4WD Action (issue 169) 

Eleven industry guys answer the question. "How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?" The same issue also features a massive air compressor comparo.

And my answer....

“A suspension lift with bigger wheels and tyres (for the dollar value) provides the best increase in off-road performance, as well as a cool custom-look. However, starting with none of the above, and having to choose one (sub $1500) I’d go for a reliable electric self-recovery winch.


If you're up past your axles in stinking mud, bigger, aggressive-looking tyres, diff-lockers (that cost you a fortune), and suspension, may not do much apart from coating everything in sight with a blanket of brown.


For less than the cost of the tyres, or a differential air-locker kit, you could have a good-quality winch that can help you out of many situations; (including verbal assault by distressed passengers!)


No other 4WD part, accessory, or vehicle upgrade can provide the same recovery effectiveness (or peace of mind) than a quality electric self-recovery winch.

A winch can be the critical difference between getting into real trouble, and getting home".


What about you? How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?

Cheers

Would you trust this man?  :)

Q&A with Rick O'Brien (Editor) 4WD 'EXTREME' Magazine

Q: 4WD Extreme is a great new publication in addition to 4WD Action. Why the new mag, and what makes it different to 4WD Action?

Thanks for the kind words! Like 4WD Action, Extreme is put together by a bunch of guys that eat, sleep and breath the extreme 4WD scene. The major point of difference between the two is that Extreme 4WD is dedicated to those who like to push the boundaries of what a 4WD is capable of. We like to challenge ourselves and our rigs to the max!

Q: What's your ride? Have you made any changes or modifications to it? Do you have any plans for other mods in the future?

At the moment I am wheeling a 95 XJ Cherokee. It is running a 4.5in lift, 32in muddies, lockers front and rear and a host of other enhancements and goodies. Plans for the future include a larger tyre (undecided about size at the moment) and I’d love to re-power the beast with either a stroked Jeep engine, or make the jump to a V8 of some description.

Q: No expense spared, what is your 'dream' 4WD?

Jeez, that is such a tough question! I’d love to build a VW Beetle-bodied Rangie with Maxi Drive portal axles and V8/auto trans. The transfer case would be an Atlas II. I’d keep the tyre size to a modest 40in, probably a sticky Trepadore. When can we start?

Q: What is the best off-road destination you have been to, and where else would you love to go?

It’s hard to go past the Coffs Coast for that elusive combination of sheer beauty and challenging tracks. There is tougher wheeling closer to home, but none of it is as stunning as Coffs.

I’d love to go and take a look at the Cape before too long, I want to see what all the fuss is about!

Q: What is your favourite beer and camp-cooked meal?

This might take you by surprise, but I go alright with the tongs in hand. I actually used to own an Italian restaurant, so it would have to be one of my pasta dishes. So how about a creamy Tortellini Boscaiolia with a side of crunchy garlic bread, washed down with a can of Bonded Beam & Cola? Sorry, Im not a beer drinker.

Q: What is the best part about your job at 4WD Extreme, and what is the hardest?

Without question the best part of my job is getting to drive some of the wildest rigs in the country! I have been lucky enough to wheel nearly a dozen Tuff Truck competitor’s rigs, a real Monster Truck and a couple of tough club-level rigs.

The hardest part of my job? Switching off when I get home is tough because I just love what I do. I am always thinking about the next track, the next rig or the next mod to my truck. It never stops!

Q: What other things are you interested in? (sports, hobbies, music - anything?)

I am a mad fisho! A tragic! I used to compete in a lot of forum-based Bream comps and I have spent countless hours chasing fish up and down the NSW coast.

Even though I can barely play, I love guitars! I had nine at one point, but I have faced the harsh reality that I am not going to be a rock star, and I now own just two.

Probably the only other thing that I do a lot of is cooking. As I mentioned earlier, I used to have a restaurant back in the 90’s and I like to get the boys around for a BBQ whenever I can to cook up an old favorite or try out some new ideas. Italian is the specialty, but seafood is the fave!

Dave and Brenno's Excellent Adventure

David Luke and Brendan Seymour are 4WD men.

For the bulk of the week, they’re living the dream….Yep! Key blokes at 4WD Action. The world’s best 4x4 magazine.

When they’re not on the job, they keep doing what they love: Thinking about, dreaming about, building, buying, all things 4WD – and continue to get as much time as possible behind the wheel.

Above is a pic of their latest project. A highly-modified Range Rover. The intention is for use as a dedicated comp-truck. Expect to see it at many of Australia’s popular events.

The Rangie has a 351 Windsor V8, GQ diffs, A-frame rear and 5-link front suspension dampened by (6) Rancho RS9000 ride-adjustable shocks. The diff centres are locked and geared low. Power transfer is by a C4 auto box.

Top stuff guys! Look forward to hearing about your future mods and adventures.

Q&A with Shaun Whale (Editor) 4WD Action Magazine

Q: ‘4WD Action’ is the best 4WD-related publication in the world. In your own view, what is it that makes the mag so special, and also, so popular?

This is a magazine put together from start to finish by people who live and breathe 4WDing. Just like our audience, we’re enthusiasts and very passionate about the offroad lifestyle. I believe we are much loved because we give readers what they want (as simple as that sounds).

We will spend over a month testing, fitting and breaking lockers for example, just so we can deliver the no bull information that 4WDers crave and can’t get anywhere else.

Giving fellow 4WDers great value for money is also a big hit with our audience – where else can you get a 308 page magazine filled with tech articles, hard-hitting features, great customs, 4WD travel and a movie length DVD each issue for under $10?

Q: In issue 159, you had the opportunity (we are jealous!) to drive the same Artic Hilux that was on the famous North Pole expedition (Top Gear) and that drove up the side of a live volcano in Iceland. What was it like to see that car in the flesh, and go for a decent drive?

Talk about an experience, I’m still trying to wipe the smile from my face! The Arctic Hilux is without a doubt a beast and much to my surprise a very capable truck…Almost as good as the 60.

Q: What's your ride? Have you made any changes or modifications to it? Do you have any plans for other mods in the future?

I have LandCruiser 60 series turbo diesel. I’ve built it for touring and the odd tough track. Mods so far include, lockers front and back, 2in lift, 33in muddies, winch bar, HID spotties, UHF, 3in exhaust, front mount intercooler, re-built transmission with billet torque converter and custom valve body, rear bar, dual batteries, mounted compressor and air tank… probably a few other things, but that usually keeps me out of trouble! Future mods? Where does it end…never I suppose that’s what’s so good about modifying your 4WD. Probably a set of sliders. 

Q: No expense spared, what is your 'dream' 4WD?


A 60 Series of course! If money wasn’t an issue I would have a new LandCruiser 76 Series wagon with all the fruit and a fuel card that would last me a few laps of Oz. 

Q: What is the best off-road destination you have been to, and where else would you love to go?
I would have to say the Simpson Desert. There’s nothing like driving for four days and not seeing another soul. Mix that with sitting around a desert camp with mates and watching a piece of mulga wood burn while you have a coldie and as the sun disappears behind a red sand dune. It’s an experience of a lifetime and what keeps me addicted to this great lifestyle of ours.

I would love to go to the Kimberley and drive the Canning – another two must see places! 

Q: What is your favourite beer and camp-cooked meal?
Beer would have to be a cold tinny of Carlton Draught. Meal? It doesn’t get much better than a roast slow cooked in a camp oven or my famous (for all the wrong reasons) curried sausages! 

Q: What is the best part about your job as editor of 4WD Action, and what is the hardest?
Where do I start? Test driving new 4WDs, visiting some of the greatest off road destinations this country has to offer and trying out the latest 4WD products is definitely right up there. The hardest part is coming back to civilisation when I have been bush for a while! 

Q: What other things are you interested in? (sports, hobbies, music - anything?)
Other than 4WDing and camping, I am right into fishing and spearfishing. If I’m not 4WDing you’ll find me out on (or under) the water. 

Q: What is your favourite off-road driving tip?
Traction – it’s everything off road. If you’re driving a challenging rocky incline for instance, make sure you plan exactly where you want your tyres to be and plan out the entire obstacle from start to finish. Pick enough throttle to get you past the obstacle, but not so much that you break traction or end up bouncing all over the place. Pick how much throttle you need and stick with it, don’t vary your revs all over the place. Get your throttle control right and you’ll be out-driving your mates in no time! 


Thanks Shaun!
Cheers, Kirk.