Readers' Rebuilds
Do you feel locked up tight in your garage and tinkering on wheeling weekends, or are you simply chained to that never-ending unfinished Jeep project? Well, we wanna see it, even if you've already gotten to that light at the end of the tunnel. Send us before, under construction/destruction, and after photos or just images of whatever stage you're at now. We wanna show off your garage project Jeeps in the pages of Jp Magazine. Send the pics and some info about your Jeep to Jp Magazine, Garage Projects, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 or e-mail them to john.cappa@primedia.com.
Green is good.
Jeep News & Rumors
As we predicted on these pages, Jeep has now released a 65th Anniversary Edition Wrangler, Liberty, Grand Cherokee, and Commander. They'll be available in light khaki, dark khaki, bright silver, black, and a brand-new neat color, Jeep Green (nearly voids the geek factor of buying the floormats-and-decals edition).
According to an article in Detroit News, sales are weakening for Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep, with vehicles sitting on dealer lots for an average of three months before selling. But just wait 'til those limited-edition floormats arrive!
Intelliseek researched online buzz following the introduction of new and redesigned vehicles post auto shows and found that the Toyota Camry grabbed the most buzz, with 17 percent. The Compass was at eight percent and the Wrangler four percent.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has yet again ruined the day of a bunch of dummies in order to crash into the rear of SUVs and pickups to learn that they don't necessarily protect occupants from neck injuries. The rear-crash results put the '06 Liberty and Wrangler in the "poor" category, but the Grand Cherokee earned a spot in the top six.
Commander, now with lift.
Industry News
Transamerican Auto Parts Company has bought Four Wheel Drive Hardware. You probably know Transamerican better by its 4 Wheel Parts Performance Centers name.
Superlift is now carrying a 4-inch lift kit for the '05-'06 and '06 Grand Cherokee and Commander. Superlift and American Expedition Vehicles designed one system that can be utilized on both four-by and two-by Jeeps (on the two-wheel-drive version, there's no front-diff relocation hardware). They say 33x12.50 and 34x12.50 tires on 8.5-inch wheels with 5.5 inches of backspacing will fit with this kit. For more info, go to www.superlift.com.
Advance Adapters, now also known for offering V-8 crate engines for Jeeps and other vehicles, is dabbling in the diesel-swap market. The turbocharged crate diesel of choice appears to be an International Harvester 2.8L TGV inline-four. It puts out 135hp at 3,800 rpm and 277lb-ft of torque at 1,400 rpm. Keep your eyes peeled for more info right here and at www.advanceadapters.com.
Rumor is that Rancho Suspension already has a new '07 JK Wrangler in its shop and is mocking up a lift kit as of this writing.
Ouch.
4.0L Flaw?
Collins Brothers Jeep has told Jp of a "trend" it's starting to see: block failures of the 4.0L's motor-mount section. "We have replaced quite a few '99-'01 blocks with damage. Could be abuse or a design flaw, but we have started checking everything with a big lift that is coming in."
Auto Graphs
We figured out why Editor Cappa will be holding the next Jp staff meeting in Vegas: the new show "Headlights and Tailpipes" at the Stardust Resort & Casino. We probably don't need to tell you this but here's what they say about it: "... An adult sensation that incorporates Playboy playmates and the hottest cars from legendary television shows and movies."
Headline about an Autobytel survey that we had to read twice (and still have the "special-student" look on our faces): "55 percent of car shoppers say they'd consider boycotting Chinese cars, yet 42 percent say they'd 'seriously' consider buying a planned Chinese production vehicle."
And in yet another survey ... HCD Research's results of a national survey of 1,000 Americans claimed that they're more afraid of car accidents than bird flu.
The "Great Race 2008" will happen, thanks to the 100th anniversary of the "Greatest Auto Race" of '08, which took participants from New York to Paris. The redo will have a $1 million purse.
And in yet another anniversary ... '06 is the 50th anniversary of the interstate, or as the government calls it, "The Year of the Interstate." Champagne for everyone - not driving on the interstate, that is.
Photo and Caption
The Rampage concept gives you a look at the latest pickup offering from Dodge. It's as wide as the Ram and as long as the Dakota. It has a Hemi engine, a three-position tailgate (upright, 98 degrees, and 117 degrees), and a rear-bumper fascia that drops down for an enclosed storage space long enough for 4x8-foot plywood. Speaking of pickups, talk about the Jeep Gladiator pickup concept going into production is getting even hotter and heavier.
Jeep Does Hollywood
Since animated flicks are the only ones worth watching nowadays, we're psyched about venturing out in public - even though it means dealing with people who talk to the screen, spend 25 minutes unwrapping their Whoppers, and wear three-foot-tall trucker caps in the row in front of us. The Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar movie Cars is about a rookie/cocky racecar that winds up in Radiator Springs, off Route 66, while on the way to the track. That is where it bumps into offbeat vehicles from the '50s and '60s, which give it lessons in life. And where does a Jeep fit in? One of the characters is a '42 Army specimen. The movie opens June 9.