Road and Driver

Floating or locking?
Q I’m 15 and I own a ‘78 Ford F-150 that was my grandfather’s. I’m considering a 4-inch lift and 35s. It’s nothing extreme, but I want it to be capable. I would like to convert the 9-inch differential to a full-floater, but I don’t know whether to wait on that and get a locker first, or should I get a full-floater conversion kit and then just weld the spider gears inside of the carrier? I’ve been debating this for the last four months and would really like to hear someone’s opinion on it.
Zach R.
Olivehurst, CA

Regular-cab mini-pickups are great wheeling machines. The small wheelbase makes them great hillclimbers, the bed is perfect for hauling gear, and the single cab offers comfort, simplicity, and excellent visibility. While the rugged little truck platforms seem to be used more for parts-store runners than anything else, a few wheeling enthusiasts see the 4x potential of the light-duty pickups.

Photo Gallery: Red Rock Pickup: 1998 Chevy S-10 - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

When you start with nothing you have nothing to lose, but when you start with an old CJ the sky’s the limit. Building a Jeep CJ is pretty wide open. Tons of parts are available, and just about everything has been tried before: V-8s, multiple gearboxes, every size tire and axle combo. It’s half boring and half challenging to build a Jeep and do something unique.

Photo Gallery: Ultimate Adventure Jeep CJ-7: The UACJ - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

The Ford SVT Raptor pickup revolutionized the way OEMs built off-road “themed” trucks. No longer were sticker kits and red shocks the accepted norm; rather, suspension travel, big tires, and internal bypass shock technology were setting the standard. Making its debut at the 2008 Baja 1000, the 6.2L Raptor R captivated truck enthusiasts worldwide. Taking a Third Place finish in class 8, the SVT Raptor R secured the respect of the off-road industry and proved that the Raptor was like no other factory pickup on the planet.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Ford F-150 Raptor 6.2L - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

Mess Of The Month
A Wheel Date
The very first time I took my then girlfriend, now wife wheeling we headed out to the Cleghorn trail in California. I’ve wheeled everything from the hot tubs in Moab to the rugged Baja peninsula, but this day my ego was more in control than my years of driving experience! Luckily, my lady was all smiles after the flop, and I knew right then and there that she was a keeper!
Scott Moore
via 4wheelofforad.com

Andy McMillin is tearing things up in SCORE desert racing. He won last year’s Baja 1000, emerged victorious at the Laughlin Desert Challenge, and has added an overall win at the Baja 500 to his list of accomplishments. Andy and his father, Scott, drove the McMillin Realty F-150 Trophy Truck through the race’s 439 miles in 9 hours 15 minutes, for an average speed of 47.2 mph. “It was a smooth day, no problems,” said Andy.

More power and bet-ter fuel economy are what we all want. While most off-road modifications seem to detract from both of these high-priority items, a few aftermarket upgrades will help you move in a more eco-friendly direction. Working as your engine’s vital respiratory intake, your air filter and subsequent intake ducting feed life to your engine. Though fuel is the other crucial element in allowing your engine to thrive, your intake is the easier of the two to upgrade. While performance gains and fuel economy numbers are negotiable between vehicles, a well-designed air intake system will help the engine to ingest more air more easily, which often equates to improved vehicle efficiency.

Photo Gallery: S&B Air Intakes Helps Your Engine Breathe - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

Ken Long is a Jeep guy. Well, he was a Jeep guy until he simply got tired of wheeling his Jeep. For many of you fresh Jeepers, being tired of wheeling your beloved 4×4 might sound absurd, but we completely understand where Ken is coming from. You see, Ken wheeled a CJ. And while that open-top, bare-bones machine was a blast for years, as he got a little older, the lack of refinement began to wear on the veteran wheeler.

Photo Gallery: The North Dakota 2006 Dodge Dakota 4×4 - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

NY F1
Vehicle: ‘94 Ford F-150
Owner: Travis Dutcher, Morrisville, NY
Tires: 39.5×13.50 Iroks
Suspension: Custom 10-inch
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: Stock
Other Doodads: 3-inch body lift
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes

Radius Wrong
When choosing a copilot be sure to pick one that knows your vehicle’s turning radius!
Brandon Wolfe
via 4wheeloffroad.com