By Perry Mack
4WD has been attending the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show held in Las Vegas, NV for almost 20 years. And while the show covers everything automotive from body shop repairs to 4x4 mods (essentially everything that happens to a vehicle after it leaves the showroom), our greatest fascination is the cars and trucks displayed in and outside the show.
Many of these vehicles are built to be outrageous; their purpose is to attract buyers to a booth, not to be street or off-road worthy. Others are functional, but purpose built for either the street or off-road.
Enter the Canadians at 4WDrive. For this particular build, we don’t want an off-road only buggy, nor do we desire a solely tarmac tearing, mall-crawling pavement pounder. We want to build a 4x4 that can cross the nation from the storm battered beaches of Vancouver Island, to the unforgiving reaches of the Arctic Circle, to Newfoundland’s rugged North Atlantic shores - and still turn heads in Canada’s neon lit cityscapes for a night on the town.
Like a nominated player at the NHL awards in Las Vegas, we can’t be all sweat and aggression; we need a nice suit and a bit of bling.
Can we have it all – can we build for Beauty and drive the Beast? Where will we have to comprise, if we have to compromise? Where is the perfect balance of lift and low centre of gravity? What will it take to make corrections where has Jeep pinched pennies sacrificing performance, and used plastic to save pounds?
Over the next three issues leading up to SEMA, you’ll be able to read the installs and reviews, to see the choices we’ve made, and how, or if, the results have lived up to our expectations. Where rugged rocks and when bling breaks.
We began with a shiny new stock 2015 Wrangler JKU, then started throwing out perfectly good parts, and began cutting and drilling holes in pristine, virgin bodywork (this could give me an ulcer).
What needs to be done to conquer the terrain in your neck of the woods (tundra, bog, sand, rock)? Ride along and comment via email, on the web, Facebook and Twitter as we create 4WD’s 2016 SEMA build.
2016 JKU Mods to Date (and on deck)
- Teraflex Rockguard Epic Front Bumper
- Mickey Thompson 35” Baja ATZ P3 Tires
- Teraflex 3” Lift with 8 FlexArms
- Undercover Light Brow
- Kodiak Polar K8000 Winch
- Teraflex Rock Sliders
- Tuffy Security Deck Enclosure
- Teraflex Rockguard Outback Rear Bumper
- Tuff All Terrain T12 22” Wheels
- Teraflex HD Hinged Carrier and Tire Mount
- ARB CKMTA12 compressor & recovery kit
- Innovative JK Air System, Rear Seat Recliner