Your Automotive Shop Needs a Full-Size Air Compressor When the Great Recession called for cutting overhead and downsizing, we set up a smaller shop studio. Productivity, photo and video productions and the ability to handle a variety of mechanical work remained our goals. Despite the new shop’s square footage, we refused to compromise on equipment. […]

How-to: Car Hauling Trailer Gets a Refresh with Blackwood Rubber Infused Lumber Decking… Our mid-1990s car hauling trailer needed attention. Wooden trailers decking has a lifespan, and our trailer’s deck was done. In this how-to video coverage, we strip, paint and completely restore the Parker Performance trailer with Blackwood Lumber’s Rubber Infused Lumber decking. Like […]

Portable Off-Highway Manual Tire Changing! For decades we have sublet tire service. We ended that with Gaither Tool Company products. Manual tools and equipment now enable us to change tires at our shop. We can even perform tire service by the side of a remote trail. Hand service tools are available for passenger car, van, […]

Moses Ludel’s Guest Lecture and Slideshow at the 2011 Spring Midwest Willys Reunion: TIG Repair of a Large Cast Iron Axle Housing!      Damaged, rare axle castings can be repaired. In this presentation at the 2011 Spring Midwest Willys Reunion, Moses Ludel discusses the right filler rod and TIG welding technique for best outcomes when restoring […]

Professional Iron Block Casting Repair with Weld Mold 700/750 TIG Filler Rod! See this Caterpillar engine block repair, using TIG (GTAW) welding process and Weld Mold Company 700 and 750 filler rod. The bare block fix, performed on the shop floor at Brad Falin’s Fernley, Nevada heavy equipment repair facility, took two hours and saved thousands of dollars. […]

MIG Welding Project: Building a Spare Tire Carrier with a Square Tube Axle! When the XJ Cherokee’s six-year-old tire carrier began to sag, the time was right for a MIG welding project. (Any excuse will do!) Rather than scrap an otherwise perfectly good spare tire rack, I opted to install a versatile square tubing tire […]

Gaither Takes Balancing to the Next Level: GT12-1US Manual Computer Tire Balancer… The Gaither GT12-1US is a heavy duty, manually operated computer tire and wheel balancer. Portable and easy to operate, the machine is ideal for commercial truck and bus shops, fleet operators and independent 4×4 light truck shops. We test 4×4 aftermarket wheels and […]

Winntec Wheel Assist Gen 2 Lift Makes Big Tire Handling Easy! Our shop moves heavy wheel and tire assemblies. The Winntec Tire Dolly (Model Y471105HD) made our tire rotations and moving tires much easier. Now moving tire and wheel assemblies has become even easier! The Winntec Wheel Assist Gen 2 is ideal for our 102 […]

Pylon Manufacturing Partners with BFGoodrich® on the New KO2 Wiper Blades! Stylish and innovative, the new BFGoodrich® KO2 Wiper Blades deliver superior service in mud, snow, ice and rain. Fully functional both on- and off-road, these blades provide reliable all-season safety. We tested the new blades in a Sierra blizzard, on muddy and slushy roads […]

How-to: Jeep XJ Cherokee Erratic Gauges and “No Bus” Fix The instrument readout is our 1999 XJ Cherokee with the engine running! This not so rare “No Bus” signal and gauge “drop-off” occurs, unexpectedly, on several Jeep models, including XJ Cherokees and TJ Wranglers from the OBD-II era. According to Chrysler’s TSB #08-15-99, the cause on the XJ Cherokee, […]

2020 SEMA360 Event and the AAPEX Virtual Experience Go Virtual! For 2020 the beat continued as the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) took their annual events online. “SEMA360” emphasized new products and equipment in the automotive specialty market. “AAPEX Virtual Experience” focused on the automotive service industry and latest […]

Promoting Women in the Trades! THE JESSI COMBS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2020 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS… Seven Scholarships, totaling $30K awarded to women pursuing careers in the trades! MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA (November 9, 2020) –The Jessi Combs Foundation (JCF) is honored to announce the winners of The Jessi Combs Foundation Scholarship program for 2020. In addition to the […]

Nevada 4WD Association Encourages Volunteers at Moon Rocks Near Reno…. Moon Rocks Cleanup on Saturday, November 7, 2020! N4WDA received an announcement from Paul Amar, Bureau of Land Management, sharing that on Saturday, November 7th, there will be a cleanup at Moon Rocks. There is no starting time announced, but it will be an all day […]

HD Video How-to:  OTC 7394 Hub Puller for Jeep and Truck Axle Service! Vintage Jeep 4x4s and AMC/Jeep CJ models with the AMC Model 20 rear axle require a special hub puller to remove the rear wheel hubs. Many vintage cars and trucks require this type puller. OTC makes the 7394 Hub Puller for this task. This […]

Video Interview: Avid Four-Wheeler Overcame Multiple Spinal Surgeries! October 2020 Update: Jake Munoz, courageous friend, husband and father, passed away on October 2nd. At the time of our interview years ago, Jake had endured seven major spinal surgeries yet remained committed to an outdoor lifestyle. As an avid four-wheeler, Jake Munoz dramatically modified both his […]

2014 Wheelers for the Wounded Rubicon Run Includes Jake Munoz and Other Nevada 4×4 Drivers In June 2014, Wheelers for the Wounded (WFTW) grew from a California based organization to the inaugural event involving Nevada 4×4 volunteer drivers. Jake Munoz and members of the Sierra Stompers join with other Nevada 4×4 masters for a briefing […]

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Cooper Tires Discoverer® S/T MAXX™ Our tests confirm that Cooper Tires Discoverer® S/T MAXX™ tires deliver superior highway and off-pavement traction. Testing included interstate, city and a variety of off-pavement uses. During the tests, the magazine’s Jeep® XJ Cherokee plied Nevada’s remote high desert and wild horse country! Test and Evaluation: On- and Off-Road Performance […]

NEW RELEASE: N4WDA Mild 2 Wild Event Postponed…for Second Time! COVID-19 FORCES N4WDA to CANCEL September 12, 2020 MILD 2 WILD EVENT “N4WDA discussed the Mild 2 Wild event that was rescheduled for September 12th (already rescheduled from May 9th) and concluded that they will cancel the event until next year. The 5th N4WDA Silver […]

Restoring Our Jeep® Cherokee’s Paint Finish… The Shurhold DA Polisher Pro and detailing products helped save our 1999 XJ Cherokee from an immediate re-paint. This cleaning, compounding and polishing system provides an affordable way to get professional level results. When we took a close look at the Cherokee, the paint was in poor condition. Years […]

Gaither® Tool Company makes professional grade tools and equipment for the tire service industry. 4WD Mechanix chose Gaither® when setting up a self-sufficient tire service area within our shop studio. It doesn’t take COVID-19 and a lock down to value having your own tire shop. 4WD Mechanix Magazine tests and services tires on a regular […]

Red Line Synthetic Oil’s Suggestions for 4×4 Owners During This Stay-At-Home Period: Red Line Synthetic Oil Provides Helpful Tips and Tricks for Off-Road Enthusiasts Benicia, Calif. (April 21, 2020) – By doing their part and staying home, many off-road enthusiasts have some extra time in the garage to tune up their vehicles. There’s always a maintenance […]

Mahindra Automotive North America takes a proactive stance on COVID-19 at Michigan…

Lubrication Specialties Inc., Manufacturer of Hot Shot’s Secret, Announces Production of Hand Sanitizer in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic  Press Release: Mt Gilead, OH, (April 9, 2020) – Lubrication Specialties Inc. (LSI), manufacturer of Hot Shot’s Secret performance oils and additives and other specialty lubrication products, announced today they are redeploying a portion of the company’s […]

How-to: Rebuilding the Jeep-Ross ‘TL’ Steering Gear! At the 2011 Midwest Willys Reunion, Moses Ludel was guest speaker to a large group of vintage Willys-Jeep enthusiasts who own 1941-71 models. In this segment, Moses discusses restoration of vintage Ross TL steering gears. These gears were original equipment in all Willys 4×4 military vehicles, 4WD civilian […]

“World’s Safest Jack” Gaither Tool Company’s new 20-ton air-over-hydraulic Moore-Safe Jack delivers superior performance, safety and utility. Screw-in “bolt” head design provides stability and improved center of gravity. We do a lot of axle lifting for tire changes and rotations, brake service and axle related work. A safe jack is always important. Our stout floor […]

Coronavirus Crisis: Harbor Freight Steps Up! Harbor Freight Will Donate Key Emergency Supplies to Hospitals In this time of need, Harbor Freight has put community ahead of profit. While other suppliers have been profiteering on sales of scarce medical supplies, Harbor Freight has done the opposite. Eric Smidt, Founder at Harbor Freight, has made this […]