 Displayed proudly in the Poly...  Displayed proudly in the Poly Performance booth was Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road's Project Fun Buggy. Conceptualized by Tech Editor Fred Williams, this marvel of ingenuity and clever packaging blurs the lines between rock racer and trail/street machine. Designed from the get-go to be DOT-legal, this rolling testbed provides much insight to the future of purpose-built rigs. We look forward to seeing this rig compete at King of The Hammers in February 2009. |  We stumbled into the booth...  We stumbled into the booth belonging to Perry's Fab N Fiber and discovered this new front fender and hood combo made of fiberglass designed to fit all '08-'09 Toyota Tundras/Sequoias. The setup replaces the factory sheetmetal with wider front fenders that can accommodate a larger tire and an aggressively restyled fiberglass hood. The complete kit starts at $800. Info: 619/463-1361, www.mcneilracinginc.com |  Advance Adapters debuted its...  Advance Adapters debuted its latest low-range Jeep sensation; the Rubi Crawler. This bolt-on planetary unit installs in place of the tailhousing for any Jeep equipped with the 42RLE automatic ('03-'06 TJs and '07-'09 JKs). The unit requires no driveline modifications and adds an extra gear reduction of 2.72:1. Estimated pricing is said to be around $1,600, and the unit is expected to be available by the end of March 2009. Info: 800/350-2223, wwww.advanceadapters.com |
 Icon Vehicle Dynamics is the...  Icon Vehicle Dynamics is the newest member of the suspension industry family. The company's booth was definitely one of the hot spots of the show. In it we found a whole assortment of high-quality suspension systems for popular builder rigs such as the Toyota FJ and Jeep JK. Oddities included a cute-looking Japanese Kei utility pickup truck sporting a lift and Rhino wheels and tires. Info: 951/272-4266, www.iconvehicledynamics.com. |  Pro rock racer Larry Gipson's...  Pro rock racer Larry Gipson's crawler was on display outside between two of the exhibit halls. This custom chariot is powered by an LS1 V-8 mated to a Powerglide transmission and Stak-prepped Dana 300 transfer case. Each of the Spidertrax 9-inch axles feature 35-spline 300-M shafts and Detroit Lockers. The 37-inch Pit Bull Rockers are mounted to 17-inch Trail Gear beadlocked wheels. |  Perhaps the sweetest truck...  Perhaps the sweetest truck in the show was this clean Ford F-150-based prerunner belonging to Garron Cadiente of G&R racing. "Technological marvel" is an understatement when you consider how many man hours went into this street-legal fabrication masterpiece. And with a price tag right around $250,000, we know why we don't see them all over the place. Toyo Tire's booth enjoyed steady traffic both days thanks to this work of art. |
 Superior Axle had a trick...  Superior Axle had a trick new axle upgrade on hand for TJ owners with Dana 35 C-clip rear ends. This C-clip elimination kit allows the customer a much more reliable axle retaining method. These kits include 30-spline dual lug pattern alloy shafts and retail for right around $600. Info: 888/522-2953, www.superioraxle.com. |  Tuffy showed us its new external...  Tuffy showed us its new external door lockers, a sensible design that ensures theft protection for vulnerable Jeep JK hard doors. High-security 10-tumbler locks allow only the owner to unlock and remove the door locker assembly and then remove the hard doors. Prices start around $36 for a pair. Info: 800/348-8339, www.tuffyproducts.com | |