It's a slow time of the year for four-wheeling right now. The weather's chilly outside in most places, a lot of the great trails out West are closed for the winter, and unless you're into Arctic-style wheeling, chances are you're likely hibernating like we are, preparing for holiday parties and waiting for the spring thaw. There's likely no better time to pick up a magazine and check out some photos of other wheelers' rigs, for buildup ideas you'll perhaps put to use on your own ride next spring, when it's warm enough to start turning wrenches outdoors again.
So this month, we're spotlighting 60 of your homebuilt creations from across the U.S. You'll find plenty of Chevys and Fords, Jeeps and Toyotas, new rigs, old piles, oddballs, and one-offs built for all kinds of wheeling. And as a change of pace, we're even including a few pavement-pounders. Not that we really want to, mind you, but you keep sending us a lot of them, each and every month, so we figure there oughta be room at the table for a few of them, too. You can check out this month's collection of home-brewed stout starting on page 34.
For those of you who are wondering how to get your own 4x4 in this magazine, log onto the Internet and send some Jpegs to fourwheelereditor@sourceinterlink.com. (Note the new address-in case you hadn't heard, we have new corporate ownership.) Digital submissions should be at least 640 x 480 pixels in size at 300dpi resolution-no thumbnails or cell-phone pics, please. We can't use 'em. Or you can send us some good, clear color prints via Sam's mail to Four Wheeler, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048. Whichever method you choose, be sure to give us plenty of info about your rig that we can share with your fellow readers-and the more info you can share, the better.
We're spotlighting another type of Reader Ride this month, too-namely, our own newest acquisition-which answers an interesting question: When you see the Rig of Your Dreams for sale on the Internet, how far are you willing to go to get it? Our own Tech Editor Sean Holman found a smokin' deal last summer on a Willys CJ-3A that was in more-or-less like-new condition. The only catch was, the rig was garaged in Michigan. Undeterred, Sean hopped a plane from L.A. to Detroit, and met up with Senior Editor Brubaker from our bustling Midwest Bureau. Together they picked up the Jeep and trailered it 2,000 miles back to California, through prairie storms and tornado watches, just in time to meet up with the rest of us at Top Truck Challenge in Hollister Hills. This month, Sean recounts the journey as Project "Colonel Mustard" makes its debut in these pages. Though the Jeep's already in terrific condition, Sean will be making some additional mods and revisions to the Colonel in the coming months to make a capable rig better yet.
We also spent some time last summer at what could be called the ultimate event for Reader Rigs-Camp Jeep in Virginia. Granted, it's a Jeep-only affair, but with 3,000 of them in attendance, and with trails tailored for virtually every kind of mechanical setup and every level of driver skill, it's one of those rare 4x4 bashes that literally has something to appeal to everyone, from beginner to hard-core. If you own a Jeep, it's something you owe yourself at least once in your lifetime. We cover it this month on page 74, and while you're staying warm by the fire with your copy of Four Wheeler, Happy Holidays from all of us.
-Douglas McColloch