Where To Write
Address your Correspondence to:
Four Wheeler
6420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048.
All letters become the property of Four Wheeler, and we reserve the right to edit them for length, accuracy, and clarity. The editorial department also can be reached through the Web site at www. fourwheeler.com. Due to the volume of mail, electronic and otherwise, we cannot respond to every reader, but we do read everything.
FW Readers = Stoked On Their Rigs
Reader: I just wanted to tell you how much I really appreciate you putting my Scout half-cab in "60 Readers' Rigs" (Jan. '08). It really means a lot to have you guys recognize my truck as one of the top 60 favorite rigs. I am a real big fan of your magazine, and I really enjoy reading it every month. Keep up the good work.
Andrew Davis
Asheboro, NC
Reader: I just wanted to thank you for putting my '94 S-10 Blazer in the "Readers' Rigs" section (Jan. '08). It came as quite a shock when I received my magazine yesterday. I do have an updated picture of my "rebuild and upgrades" but I don't see where I can send it. Thanks again. That was awesome!
Josh Adams
Adrian, MI
Reader: My dad's truck is better than any other truck on this site.
Brittney
via fourwheeler.com
Editor: Well shucks, we don't doubt it, really- but you could always send us photos of your dad's truck to Four Wheeler Readers' Rigs, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles,CA 90048. Or send us some digital photos via e-mail to fourwheelereditor@ sourceinterlink.com. We're always on the lookout for cool 4x4s to showcase in these pages, so if you're sure you've got the best and baddest truck on your block, show us whatcha got, and we'll share it with our readers. And thanks to all for your Readers' Rigs submissions.
Stoked On IH Rigs, But Not On Our Facts
Reader: I just finished reading your January 2008 issue and was delightfully pleased to see some of my beloved 'Binders in the extra large "Readers Rigs" section. What I was not so pleased about was the fact that you once again have provided the public some misinformation regarding the IH brand.
Concerning the motors available in the Scout 800A, you were right on as to the displacements, just not the sources. The "Power-thrift Six" 232 was an AMC motor dropped right in with no modifications to speak of when compared to the 232 in any AMC vehicle. The IH SV304 shares the same displacement as its AMC counterpart, but rest assured, that is where the similarities end. The Sv (small V) series motors produced by IH were the 266, which when bored out became the 304, and the 345, which when bored out became the 392. Likewise, the four-cylinder motors were just the right bank of IH's V-8s: the 152 derived from the 304, and the 196 derived from the 392.
This confuses many people because of the cubic-inch similarities, but both Chevy and Ford had 400ci motors, and Studebaker and Ford had 289 motors. This is the same deal. As said before, the 232 was sourced from AMC, as was the 258 I-6, and in the '70s the 401 V-8 (which IH labeled as the IH 400), when 392 production was running short.
The easy way to tell if you have an Sv motor is to look at the valve cover; if it says "International" in big script, it's their own mill and nobody else's.
Wes Van Pelt
Old Dominion Binders Assn.
South East Binders Assn.
Mt. Crawford, VA
Editor: Tell you what-when you're dealing with the Scout Nation, you better come correct. We received some two dozen responses from IH owners from around the country correcting our mistake. This was one of the more polite ones-and one of the most informative as well. Thanks to all for writing in.
5th-Wheel Mega Cab Towing: No Problem!
Reader: In "Mega Cab Longbed, Anyone?" (Dec. '07), you state that "Until now, those of us who need to haul large loads or pull a fifth-wheel trailer could not even consider a Dodge Ram Mega Cab because they only come with a 6-foot bed." What? I have hauled for the last two summers a 34-foot fifth-wheel camper weighing 13,000 pounds. Not only can this truck pull the trailer, but it makes my '03 Stupid Duty (in the shop once a week) feel like something from the '70s.
"Not being able to pull a fifth wheel with a Mega Cab" is as bad as the Ford myth that Ford owns Cummins. Not true!
Tyler Osiecki
via fourwheeler.com