From 1987 to 1995, GM produced what was coded the "LO5" TBI 350. This engine combo was based on the solid 350ci V8 long-block with a throttle-body fuel-injection (TBI) system mounted directly on top of the intake manifold. This form of "wet intake" injection system didn't produce the higher horsepower figures later obtained with "dry intake" multiport fuel-injection (MPI) systems such as L98 or LT1 F-bodies (Vette and Camaro). However, the torque curve for the TBI engine was a perfect fit for 4x4s. Horsepower and torque values for the LO5 increased slightly over the production term ending in 1995 with 312 lb-ft of torque and a solid horsepower figure of 210. GM used the LO5 in several passenger cars such as the Caprice, but the most popular fit was the 1/2-ton pickup and Suburban line.

Enter the city of Blanding, Utah, and you'll see a sign that welcomes you to the "Base Camp to Adventure." Located at an elevation of 6,000 feet in the region known as the Four Corners area, Blanding is a funky watering-hole-in-the-road situated along southeastern Utah's Highway 95, where herds of deer and elk - and an occasional antelope - dot the landscape. Sporting dinosaur sculptures and a dinosaur museum, Blanding feels more like a small town than a city, and it actually looks a bit like a set for a dust-bowl Western, with few locals in sight on the broad avenue of its main street. But when we parked our '08 Jeep Liberty at Blanding's Gateway Inn, all that really mattered to us was that we had arrived at the jumping-off point for two of the most historic, fun, and scenic 4WD trails in the country.

This has nothing to do with the Mason-Dixon line or the South rising again. "Dixie" is the name Dan Barcroft chose to dub his '71 K5 Blazer. She's a tattered, well-traveled old girl, and one for whom Mr. Barcroft has great affection.

The CA4WDC Hi Desert Round-Up is held over Memorial Day weekend each year and includes four days of trail runs, 4x4 games, great food, and plenty of camaraderie among fellow 4x4 enthusiasts. The event takes place at the Stoddard Valley OHV area near Barstow, California, in the heart of the Mojave Desert. The terrain varies wildly from steep rocky climbs to deep sand washes and rutted trails and includes many meandering razorback paths along the tops of the multiple outcroppings of hills and small mountains.

Tony Pellegrino of Simi Valley, California, says that he just didn't know any better when he selected an '87 Jeep Wrangler YJ as the foundation for building his trail rig. He wasn't worried about frame strength since the YJ is pretty solid in that department, but he was discouraged by the selection of available aftermarket parts for this vehicle. After searching high and low for parts that would meet his needs, he eventually abandoned any hope of finding what he wanted and started making up plans to build his own. Soon after came the launch of Gen-Right Off Road and a full line of YJ-specific parts for those eager to expand upon this oft-ignored Jeep model.

The Ford Bronco made its debut as a '66 model in late summer of 1965 and was designed to provide reliable 4WD travel against the likes of the Jeep CJ-5 and the International Scout.

It's been a couple of months since we last visited the Phoenix Project, but rest assured that work, and a lot of it, has been done to our forlorn '81 Toyota pickup. It's far from over. Here's what's happened lately.

(Note: The names used in this story are CB handles.)

Lone Writer stepped out of the Ole Timer Steak House in Blanding, Utah, and paused to admire the clear blue sky towering above the snowcapped mountains to the West. His brother, Santa Anna, stepped up beside him and asked, "What are we doing this afternoon?"

When I was at the helm of Off-Road magazine, I found a '94 YJ Wrangler sitting in pools of its own fluids on the side of the street in St. George, Utah. After finding the owner, I was able to purchase the Jeep and get it home. Rockworx 4x4 in Montrose, Colorado, built the YJ into something special.

Intake- and exhaust-system upgrades are two of the most popular modifications done by off-road enthusiasts. Not only is just about every truck in the dirt running these aftermarket parts, but they are also usually the two first installed. Not only do both of these mods make your ride sound a ton better, but we feel they are necessities to the life of your off-road toy. A good intake system will help keep all that dirt out of your engine, and a solid exhaust system will ensure your ride breathes properly for many years to come. Not to mention that together they will provide additional horsepower, which is always a good thing. Our friends over at Volant Performance heard we were building a new '08 Toyota Tundra and wanted us to check out their new systems. We spent the past eight months with their intake and exhaust on our truck, and here are our thoughts.

Don't chastise us. We know we're supposed to be all into independent suspensions. Obviously, no solid axle can match the superior bump-soaking abilities that separated knuckles, acting completely independently of each other, can achieve. Nor can the handling of an independent suspension be matched by a solid axle. So why are we so keen on, endorsing even, a solid-axle swap on a 2500 IFS Chevy?

This year marked the 40th running of the second-oldest desert race in the world: the Tecate SCORE Baja 500. This year's racecourse covered a very technical and grueling 441.15 miles of Baja California, Mexico, terrain, with over 100 miles of course that had not been raced on in the previous decade, and over 30 miles that had never been raced before. The race started on Saturday, May 31, in downtown Ensenada on Costero Boulevard and finished, for the first time ever, on that same street 20 hours later on Sunday, June 1.

Last month, we joined Venezuelan ARB distributors Felipe and Enso Campisi for a 500-mile, e-ticket ride from the capitol city of Caracas, to pavement's end at La Paragua. We'd spent several days pushing through flooded lakes, swamps, and trenchy jungle two-tracks. Our quest was to reach Auyan Tepui and the loftiest waterfall on the planet, Angel Falls.

While the FJ Cruiser was a big hit with consumers when it debuted, our first impression of Toyota's premier trail rig was positive, but mixed, voting the FJ Cruiser a third-place finisher in the 2007 Four Wheeler of the Year competition within a crowded field of contenders. While the staff was amazed at the FJ's ride and handling, cargo capacity, and comfort in the dirt and on the highway, they found the styling and some functionality a mixed bag, including the suicide-style rear doors, a smallish back seat, and box-van visibility. To help us understand and get to know the FJ Cruiser, the folks at Toyota graciously offered to let us have one of their last limited-production TRD models in inventory to test for an entire year-assuring us that once we lived with one, we would be as enthusiastic as all of the FJ Cruiser owners.

Managing heat is one of those subjects that people tend to overlook until they are out on the trail sweating bullets and wondering if a part of their rig is going to burn up, blow off, or break down-and once faced with this situation, attempting to control excessive thermal energy is a lost cause. The fault in this scenario typically boils down to a lack of preparation, motivation, or anticipation.

As a rule, we try to avoid arguments. Hey, we're lovers, not fighters-it's our nature. Like Ferdinand the Bull of storybook lore, we'd rather spend our time outdoors smelling the roses than feuding-heck, isn't that why we go venturing into the backcountry in the first place?

But every now and then, while wheeling the trail, we overhear some smarty-pants remark about "inferior front suspension" or "that cruddy carb" that really gets our dander up, and Real Men that we are, we just gotta throw down the gauntlet (OK, the Mechanix gloves) and engage in a little playful 4x4 smacktalk. In the following pages we'll cover several points of contention-gas or diesel? carb or injection? leaf springs or coils?-that wheelers have debated 'round the campfire for years. We may not convince any true believers out there, but hopefully we'll provide you with some food for thought that'll help you out the next time you find yourself stuck in the middle of a good ol'-fashioned 4x4 Throwdown.

This is our fourth annual 10 Best Buys in Four-Wheel Drive list, which differs from our Four Wheeler of the Year competition in that it includes every four-wheel-drive vehicle on the market for consideration, and not just those that are all-new or significantly improved. We pick what we feel are the rigs in each category that will get you on the trail fastest, work as a solid foundation for aftermarket upgrades, and give you the most factory capability for the money. We have changed up our categories slightly from years past and now include recognition for the best four-wheel-drive system available. Here are our picks for 2008's 10 Best Buys in Four-Wheel Drive. Feel free to tell us what you think, or what your picks would have been, at www.fourwheeler.com.

Now you can enjoy the look and feel of an aftermarket steering wheel without losing the function of your vehicle's airbag. Grant Products International Inc. is proud to introduce Revolution airbag steering wheels for popular GM trucks and SUVs. The new wheels retain all factory steering-wheel switches and multiple designs are available to match your own custom look. Currently these steering wheels are available for all '03-'08 GM pickups and SUVs with Dodge and Ford applications coming soon.
Info: 818/247-2910, www.grantproducts.com

Our spies are at it again, this time snapping up pictures of an F-350 mule. At first glance, this truck may not appear significant, until you realize that the taller, raised hood actually houses one of the most important Ford projects-the 2011 6.7L Scorpion turbo-diesel. Diesels make up almost 80 percent of Super Duty sales and the move to Ford's Scorpion engine is expected to permanently end Ford's longtime use of Navistar-built diesel engines in its heavy-duty pickups. Ford has used Navistar diesels in its F-Series trucks since 1982. Our sources tell us the Scorpion-powered Super Duty will also receive a new six-speed automatic transmission, to directly compete with General Motors' and Chrysler's six-speed heavy-duty diesel trucks.

We were reading your "101 Places to Wheel Before You Die" (June '08) and were shocked that your list did not include Clayton, Oklahoma. We've wheeled all over the country-Moab, Katemcy, Hot Springs, Tellico-and we absolutely love Clayton! Love your magazine, and hate to be a critic. (We hate when people criticize y'all.) Just a thought to investigate Clayton-most wheelers in Texas and Oklahoma love to wheel there.

Eddie & Michelle Stephens
Little Elm, TX

As a rule, we strive for consensus on our staff when it comes to things like vehicle tests and project buildups. When discussing a truck's attributes, or the worthiness of various add-ons for a project rig, we typically weigh the trade-offs involved in a given design or modification, discuss alternative setups, and reach a conclusion based on our combined observations. Kinda like the old story about the six blind men and the elephant. Only we're not blind. And we don't test elephants.

They're everywhere off-road, and rightly so. Whether strapped to the rollcage, wedged under the hood, proudly mounted to the bumper, or god forbid, just tossed in the back free to flop around, the Hi-Lift jack is one of those off-road tools you'll find in just about any rig. They can save your bacon in any number of ways, but we're not here just to provide strokage.

Sometimes just backing out of your driveway can be a little tricky!

Jeremiah Lequia
via 4wheeloffroad.com

Q-jets are great carbs but they don't last forever. Luckily JET Performance has two new rebuild kits for Quadrajet carburetors. Both kits include a complete needle and seat assembly, an accelerator pump, a fuel filter gasket, choke seals, a body-to-base gasket, an air horn gasket, a carburetor-to-intake gasket, and an air cleaner gasket. By replacing old seals and worn-out parts, you'll find lost power and be back wheeling in no time.

Information: JET Performance, 800.535.1161, www.jetchip.com

Landon Fausett of Lehi, Utah, built this '08 Toyota Tundra Crew Max as a daily driver. It features Armor Lined exterior body cladding, Bushwacker fender flares, a Pro Comp 6-inch suspension system, 20-inch RBP wheels, and a set of 35-inch Toyo Open Country A/Ts. Inside, the rig sports a pimpin' sound system and custom-colored leather accents.