Tim Nace '88 Suzuki Samurai
Hometown: Holt, Missouri
Club: Domestic Recovery
Tim's Samurai also runs a Tracker/Sidekick motor, but the Sidekick tranny and transfer case are also along for the ride, as is a Kicker Three-mated Samurai 'case with 4.16:1 low and twin sticks. Toyota driveshafts turn Toy 8-inch axles, both spooled and gearing 5.29:1s. Four-wheel discs aid in stopping the Suzi, and Birfield eliminators up front solve the perennial problem of barfing birfs. Three-inch leaf springs clear 33x13.50/15 Swampers on 15x12 Barts sporting homemade bead locks. Other nice touches on this real-world Sami include onboard air, a Black Mountain 8000 winch, Pontiac Fiero seats, "$19.95 Wal-Mart" driving lights, homemade rocks sliders, bumpers, and 'cage, and custom bodywork that comes courtesy of "rocks, trees, and idiots backing up."
Abe & Marie '86 Toyota 4Runner
Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Club: The Sundowners
If this 4Runner looks pretty close to stock, that's because it is. The Dunnings left well enough alone, keeping the mods at a minimum to make a good out-of-the-box trail rig even more versatile. The stock injected 22RE motor, five-speed, transfer case, and axles were all left untouched, though the front spiders are welded, the rear pig is spooled, and both sport 5.29:1 cogs. "Torqued-up" front torsion bars, 2-inch rear shackles, and a homemade 2-inch body lift provide room in the wells for 34x9.50/15 cut Swampers on the 15x7 stock rims. A home-fabbed winch bumper houses a Warn M8000, and a Uniden CB keeps the Dunnings in touch with their fellow Sundowners on the trail.
Jody David '76 International Scout
Hometown: Parsonsfield, Maine
Club: Rocky Mountain Mudders
Home-brewed stout ... er, Scout. Whatever you call it, this IH sports an impressive array of quite-trailable OE and aftermarket parts. The 304 V-8 was bored 0.030 over and dressed with a Holley 500, while the 727 tranny is Hayden-cooled. The stock Dana 20 'case spins dual Dana 44s, both running Detroits, 4.88:1s, Warn 4340 chromoly shafts, and Ox 'joints. Sprung-over leaves and custom shackles work with DOM, Heim-jointed crossover steering to keep the 37x13-inch Boggers and 15x10 AR rims in contact with the trail and steering straight. A Warn 9.5ti in a custom bumper aids with extraction, and other cool goodies on this rig come courtesy of Optima, Hella, and B&M Racing.
Norman & Jeanne Fournier '74 Ford Bronco
Hometown: Belleville, Michigan
Club: Great Lakes 4x4 Bronco Club
This early Bronco is a labor of love-starting with the 351 Windsor V-8, which was bored 0.030 over and dressed with Keith Black pistons, a Performer Plus cam, a Performer manifold, and Holley 670 Truck Avenger. The B&M-shifted C4 mates to a twin-sticked Dana 20, and a high-pinion Dana 44 front and 9-inch Ford rear axle are stuffed with 4.10:1s, spools, and Yukon shafts. The 5 1/2-inch Jeff's Graveyard coils and 5 1/2-inch Deaver rear leaves help to clear the 35x12.50/15 Pro Comp Xterrains on "old school" 15x10 mags with Allied bead locks. Crossover high-knuckle steering, four-wheel discs, alumacoated shorty headers, Jaz buckets, a Ramsey 9000, and custom bumpers are just a few other of the many desirable mods made to this rig, though the bodywork-applied by a "friend we don't recommend"-might be the exception to the rule.
Nate Murray '02 Nissan Frontier CrewCab
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Club: NOAS
Striking another blow for IFS rigs is Nate's sweet Frontier. The 3.3L EFI V-6, five-speed tranny, and Nissan transfer case are still as they came from the factory, but things get more complex from there. The front axle uses R50 drive flanges taken from a Pathfinder, and both axles are ARB-locked and loaded with 4.90:1s. A 3-inch Sway-A-Way torsion-bar lift and Pro Comp shocks handle front suspension chores and out back, Jeep Cherokee springpacks plus add-a-leaves level the ride. Along with a 3-inch body lift, there's enough room in the wells for 33x12.50 Boggers on silver steelie rims. A Mile Marker 12000 with synthetic rope handles yanking chores, and other good parts found in this Front' include Hella, Optima, and Garmin components.
Richard Lozano '84 Toyota pickup
Hometown: Fallon, Nevada
Club: Fallon 4-Wheelers
Richard claims his Toyota has earned "numerous mud-bog trophies" over the years, and we certainly wouldn't doubt it-with a Crane-cammed 440 V-8 sitting between the Toy framerails that's been further enhanced by a 650 Holley double-pumper, an Edelbrock RPM Performer intake, Flowtech exhaust, and an Edelbrock 250hp nitrous kit. The 727 TF tranny, beefed by B&M internals, transfers the ponies to the NP208 'case and Dana 60 axles, the front running an ARB, the rear a spool, and both 'ends equipped with 6.17:1s and disc brakes. The 4-inch leaf springs in front and stock '63 Chevy leaves in the rear handle suspension duties, while 38.5x15-16.5 Super Swampers on 15x12 steel Barts put the power to the ground. A Warn XD9000i is on hand for extraction, and a 22-gallon fuel cell ensures plenty of juice while blasting through the goo.
Gary Hahn '88 Suzuki
Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania
Club: Erie Jeep People
Gary may be a card-carrying Erie Jeep guy, but his rig is all Suzuki, or at least down to the axles. A 1.6L Sidekick I-4, stock tranny and transfer case are all in factory condition, but the axles now sport 26-spline chromoly shafts, 5.28:1s, and Lock-Rights front and rear. Old Man Emu YJ springs and Skyjacker shocks help to articulate the 33x12.50-15 Mickey T Baja Claws on Thompson Classic II alloy rims. Custom bumpers provide body armor, Sidekick power steering helps to move the meats, and a Ramsey 9.5e winch helps Gary retrieve stuck Jeepers, no doubt.
Stacey Merrill '86 Suzuki Samurai
Hometown: East Hampton, Connecticut
Club: Eastern 4-Wheelers
Stacey's Suzuki is a fine example of a sensible trail rig that can also be driven daily. The EFI 1600 Sidekick motor with a Thorley header powers the stock tranny and Rocky Road 8:1 transfer case, and stock Suzuki axles are stuffed with hardened Trail Tough shafts, with Lock-Rights and 4.56:1s in the pumpkins. An SOA conversion with Tera Revolver shackles, Rancho shocks, and "over the top" steering all work to keep the 33-inch TSL and 15x8 bead-locked Barts out of the 'wells and steering straight. A Superwinch gets the Sami unstuck, and Grant seats keep Stacey wheeling in comfort on the trails of the Constitution State.
Randall Svoboda '89 Dodge
Hometown: Three Rivers, Michigan
Club: 4Playin' 4Fun
Fullsize fans, you've not been forsaken-we've merely saved the biggest for last. Big rigs need big power, and Randall's 360 V-8, bored 0.030 over and sporting ported and polished heads, Black pistons, Manley springs, a Comp cam, Edelbrock 670 carb, and Hedman headers, surely provides enough ponies to motorvate the B&M-converter'd 727 tranny. An NP241 case spins custom 'shafts running 1450 U-joints to turn 1-ton Dana 60s armed with Detroits, 4.88:1s, 35-spline outers, an AGR assist up front, and disc brakes all around. The 6-inch Skyjacker springs with custom mounts and shackles clear 39.5-inch Swamper TSLs on 16.5 steel custom bead locks. Numerous other performance components abound on this rig, courtesy of Superwinch, Autogauge, KC, Kenwood, Reese, MSD and Painless Wiring.