Technical > Four Wheel Finesse
Old and New
The Changing Face of Four Wheeling Technology
by Jim Allen
Lynn Rickerd, of Grand Junction, Colorado built this ’67 Jeep. It didn’t see much trail time in the late ’60s and virtually none after the early ’80s when it went into storage. It’s a time capsule that shows what the late ’60s and early ’70s ‘wheeler was up to. It was a desert rig, operated frequently in sand. The “Desert Rat’s” answer in those days was the biggest bias ply passenger car tire you could fit — in this case a 8.90-15. Fine for floatation, but with only four plies, though Nylon for toughness, it was more flexible when aired down that a 6,8, or 10 ply truck tire. This rig is also fitted with a ’70 350 V8 from a Camaro, a 4-speed NP-420 and a narrowed Dana 53-1rear axle from a Lincoln, with a Powr-Lok.
Not long ago I spoke to the owner of a WWII jeep with a finely tuned sense of history. It was obvious by his choice of vehicle, one that represented a time many would place among America’s finest hours; a time of courage, sacrifice and honor. His pride was obvious in the quality of the restoration and the way the tale of bringing a nearly dead jeep back to life. Still, I braced myself for the inevitable comment that always makes me cringe. Wait, wait, wait, Ok here it comes.
“... and, yeah, nothing built in the last 60 years can keep up with one of these babies off the road.”
My shoulders slumped a little, but I managed to keep a big smile on my face, pat the guy on the back, and tell him what a great job he did saving a piece of history. There would have been a time when I could not have stopped myself from starting a debate
If you read my Old Iron column in the magazine you will have figured out that I have a deep and abiding appreciation for everything old and four-wheel drive, but I feel compelled to comment upon the innovations that have transformed four wheeling. I’m not quite ancient yet, being just north of the half century mark, but the stuff I’ve seen since I started four wheeling 30 years ago is nothing short of amazing. In light of what people are doing now, versus what was done then, how can anyone say that a 60 year old, 50 year old, 40 year old or even 20 year old rig has any chance of competing without the application of modern technology.
So what are the history making innovations and modifications that make the modern generation of ‘wheelers the most capable of all time? First on the list without a doubt are tires. We take tires for granted, but there is a whole lot of engineering involved in them. Think about it! There’s a whole generation growing up never having had to deal with a flat tire on the highway. It was exactly the reverse in my day. That’s how good tires have become. And that doesn’t deal with the performance issues at all.
As far as ‘wheeling tires go, the larger tires that began appearing in the late ’60s offered a bigger, better footprint and more traction. The lift and suspension industry was born to help owners fit those larger tires. In fact, if you think about it, most of all other mods are designed to help your rig carry more rubber, so you could easily say the big off-road tire was a seminal development.
The radial tire of the 1960s was an innovation in and of itself, but when it was adapted for trail use in the ’70s, the effect was magical. The radials were much more flexible than the bias ply in conforming to the terrain and improving traction. Ride quality was vastly improved and the tires wore better and more evenly. I remember my first set of radials. It was the late ’70s and Armstrong had just come out with the Norseman radials. It took a year to save up $60 bucks a tire for a set of L78-15s, but I was very impressed. In the early ’80s, Armstrong came out with their “Treadloc” steel belted radial and I soon upgraded to a “huge” 30x9.50-15.
This is a bone stock Jeep the built rigs of yesteryear would have trouble with. The Rubicon has innovations barely dreamed about 40 years ago. Contrast Jeremy Hankin’s ’03 Rubicon to Rickerd’s ’67 and you can see 37 years of progress. The only place the new rig would be whupped is in a drag race.
Tires grew larger and better. When open mud tread designs began appearing on radial carcasses, that’s when the true magic began. It was learned that a mud tread radial was pretty close to a universal design. In rock, those locks of tread could squirm, flex and grip. Sometimes a single knob of tread, pressed hard onto a section of rock, could pull a rig up and over. The previous kiss-of-death for bias ply mudders, sand, was no longer a shovel moment for an aired-down radial.
Locking differentials are another hard-to-live-without accessory. Though a boon to off-highway vehicles, they’re nothing new. I have information on lockers going back to 1913. Still, their adaptation to the aftermarket enthusiast market was pivotal. Two standouts would include the Detroit Locker and the ARB Air Locker. The Detroit was introduced as a differential traction aid called the No-Spin in 1941, though it goes back even farther. The aftermarket Detroit Locker was introduced in 1969 and has been a mainstay in recreational four-wheeling ever since. Many of its principles have been used in other lockers as well.
The ARB deserves the credit for introducing a user friendly on-demand locker to the ‘wheeling public and made “dual purpose” 4x4s a practical reality. Yes, some cable operated lockers appeared as far back as the 1960s, but they were expensive, clunky and, overall, not-so-hot. When the ARB appeared in the American market in 1987, a capable, trail rig no longer had to exhibit bad manners on the street. It could be fully locked as needed or completely open and transparent for easy street driving.
Fuel injection and electronics get mixed reviews. While the concept wasn’t intended as the “sliced bread” answer for four-wheelers, that’s just what it is, whether it’s a stock setup or an aftermarket bolt-on. When you’ve spent half your ‘wheeling life nursing stalling, belching, puking, flooding carbureted engines over rough trails, the glassy smoothness, unruffled nature and endless torque band of the modern fuel injected engine makes for a perpetual grin.
There are so many more pivotal aftermarket products, or adaptations of factory products that changed the way we ‘wheel. Art Warn’s hubs and electric winch, The CV-jointed driveshaft. Dana Spicer and Ford 9-inch axles. Alloy wheels. Disc brake conversions. Powerful portable air compressors and CO2 tanks. These and many other things have made four-wheeling what it is today.
So, when somebody with more nostalgia than current knowledge brags up the old time rigs, just smile and remember that today’s high tech is tomorrow’s outdated tech and some future guy like me will be telling all you old buzzards what you’re full of when you brag up the rigs of your day.