Jeep News & Rumors
•"Monster Walk with a Tyrannosaurs Rex." That's what is being called the uniting of the UK charity fundraiser, Lloyd Scott MBE, and Jeep. A life-size T-Rex was towed by a Wrangler to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The dino was made in the Philippines and more than 13 feet tall at the hips and about 30 feet long. The Monster Walk/tow-something-extinct-with-a-Jeep event took 70 days to complete.
•While we're talking about 2010, pricing has arrived: Base price of a random few are as follows: Grand Cherokee Laredo and Limited 4x4s are $32,680 and $39,420, respectively; the Wrangler Rubicon is $28,775, while the Unlimited Sport is $24,585.
•The Chrysler and Fiat technology-sharing has begun and there's a buzz that includes the Viper SRT possibly getting a Ferrari engine. To whom do we have to talk to about the Grand Cherokee SRT possibly getting a Ferrari engine?
•Word is that Chrysler will dump the lifetime powertrain warranty starting with 2010 Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler models. Instead, enjoy the new five-year or 100,000-mile one.
•Automotive News is reporting that the Ram might make a switch to become the umbrella brand for commercial vehicles at Chrysler. What does that mean for the 1500?
•According to Forbes, America's most overpriced "cars" includes the Jeep Liberty, with a true market value 20.9 percent lower than its MSRP. The Dodge Ram 2500 is 26 percent less.
•Kelley Blue Book has done some market analysis of its Website's traffic patterns and has determined that Jeep made the fifth position of top five upward-climbing brands for July 2009 compared to July 2008. It was the Patriot that seemed to make that happen, because of its size and fuel economy. So, it's personality.
Industry News
•JC Whitney will tack a one-year guarantee onto nearly all of the six million parts and accessories it sells.
•Holley has extended its tech service department hours to now include Saturdays from 9-5 CST.
•RCH Designs has launched the new Poison Spyder Customs Website, poisonspyder.com.
•The Eastwood Co. has created a new line called MaxxPower Hi-Performance Engine Accessory, which includes GM-ready products: a 105-amp one-wire alternator, two high-torque 1.7kw starters, and a distributor.
•California's Fordyce Creek Trail in the Tahoe National Forest has been named a 2009 Outstanding Trail by BFGoodrich. It joins Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area in Gilmer, Texas, as the other 2009 recipient. To learn more, head to bfgoodrichtires.com/outstandingtrails.
•The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is launching two programs: Brick Legacy and Adopt-a-Vehicle. Bricks are for sale to add a 12-character message (Twitter should be making you skilled at that) and are at the museum's front porch and back patio. Adopt-a-Vehicle allows individuals or groups to basically sponsor the care and maintenance of a vehicle, such as a heritage-model Jeep, in exchange for signage with your name near the vehicle. You can go to wpchryslermuseum.org for more info about cost.
Auto Graphs
•We don't normally talk about Camaros on these pages, but we do talk pizza, so we figured that was good enough to mention that John Schnatter sold his '72 Z28 Camaro for $1,600 to buy used restaurant equipment to make pizza in a broom closet at his dad's tavern. Now of course he's out of the closet and you know him as Papa John, and he's on the prowl for that Camaro. He's driving a replica while on a quest to find it, and there's a $250,000 finder's fee.
•Tampabay.com says that two tractor-trailers were stolen from a trucking company along with the $70,000 worth of beer inside. That would break down to about 1,260 six-packs of Corona Extra in one, 990 cases of Modelo Especial in the other.
•Discovery has reported that scientists at Ohio University used a nickel-based electrode to make inexpensive hydrogen from...wait for it...urine. Electrode into urine plus applied electrical current equals hydrogen gas, which is perfect for fuel cells.
•And while we're on the subject of wacky, the wood-science researchers at Oregon State University have noticed that microcrystalline cellulose-a product that can be made from any type of plant fibers-could partially replace silica as a reinforcing filler in rubber-tire manufacturing, thereby potentially reducing the energy required to produce a tire, reduce costs, and improve heat resistance. So, what happened with the rubber tree?
•Will California adopt a pay-by-the-mile vehicle-insurance plan? All signs point to most probably.
•If you happen to be in the Middle East October 8-10, head over to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Abu Dhabi, for the Barbican Turbo, a custom, tuning, and motorsports festival.
•This just in from Shanghaidaily.com: A 14-year-old kid was drinking gasoline for five years in an attempt to get "energy" like Bumblee Bee and Optimus Prime from the Transformers animated TV series. "Since my son started to drink gas, his IQ has dropped sharply and now he can't figure out simple addition and subtraction," the father said. But did he get "energy"?
Know of a Good Custom Shop?
We're putting together a guide to custom shops across the U.S., and who better to ask to do our legwork than you? We want recommendations for shops that did your engine swap, built your rollcage, or did any kind of good fabrication work. Think of it as one reader recommending a shop to another reader.
Now, don't just send us a note saying there's a great custom shop in your town that built your Jeep and it's behind the Waffle House near that place where the thing happened that time a few years ago. These are the specifics we need:
•Correct name of the shop
•Contact info (website and phone number)
•The type of custom work they do
•A couple of sentences about why you liked the shop
If you've got a photo of your Jeep as a work in progress while at the shop, feel free to send it, although we can't promise we'll use it. And don't send us more than one photo or 10 different angles of it. One photo is all we want. And surprisingly, we do have standards at Jp: The image must be a minimum of 1600 x 1200 pixels (or two-megapixels). Format should be maximum quality .jpg, .eps, or .tif. Send info to Jp Custom Shops at jpmag@yahoo.com.
Jeep Clunkers
As we went to press, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shared a few stats with us about the CARS program (the polite way of saying cash for clunkers), and the top 10 vehicles traded in (the polite way of saying put to death in a painful, inhumane way) were as follows:
1. Ford Explorer 4WD
2. Ford F-150 2WD
3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
4. Jeep Cherokee 4WD
5. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD
6. Ford Explorer 2WD
7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
8. Ford F-150 4WD
9. Chevrolet C1500
10. Ford Windstar FWD Van
Things to Do With Your Jeep
November 6-7: 29th annual Hump N Bump hosted by Vegas Valley 4-Wheelers, Logandale, NV, vv4w.com
Want people to know about your club event? Follow the format below to increase your chances of your announcement appearing here in Jp. Feel free to also provide a high-resolution photo related to the event (make it a minimum of 1600x1200 pixels or two megapixels in .eps or .tif, or a maximum-quality .jpg). Or don't send a photo at all. You can snail mail info to Jp magazine, Things to Do With Your Jeep, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, or e-mail john.cappa@jpmagazine.com (make the subject line "Things to Do With Your Jeep").
Name of event
Name of host club
Date of event
Location of event (venue/trail and city, state)
Website or phone number you want listed in the magazine