Project Outdoorsman

Today on trucks, we'll finish up project outdoorsmen by bolting on a brush guard and removable winch. After that, it's time to find out if the totally redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee for 1999 is everything. It's cracked up to be on road and all.

Then it's back to the shop for week two of paint tech. We've already shown you how to prep your project. Next, we'll show you how to use filler and lay down primer.

That's all today on trucks.

Hello, everybody and welcome to this week's show a few weeks ago, we started project outdoorsman by taking this 99 F 150

making it a home away from home with a top up camper. Of course, any real hunter or fisherman needs more than just a place to ha

up at night. He's always on the hunt for that perfect fishing hole or hunting ground that nobody else knows about these Mickey Thompson wheels and tires are going to help get him there without sacrificing his ride home, which is real important, especially if he doesn't catch his limit.

Now, we found it doesn't matter if you're a hunter or an extreme off Roader. If you spend enough time off the beaten path, you will get stuck.

The problem is you never know which end of the vehicle is gonna have the best winch points.

And obviously, if you have a permanently mounted winch, you've got some limitations.

That's why we're gonna go with Warne's Transformer mounting kit

that includes the mounting plate,

the brush guard and all the brackets as well as a 9000 pound electric wind.

But before we can start bolting things on, we need to get this plastic shroud out of the way. Now is the perfect time to check the stock bumper to make sure it's aligned correctly because if it's crooked, your new brush guard is gonna be crooked as well.

Now that Mel's got that plastic out of the way we can mount these lower brackets, now they go right here to the bottom of the frame rail using the existing holes and once it's loosely bolted in place, come up here to the upper bumper bolt and make a mark on the upper plastic piece, then remove it.

Hey, Mel, I need to have you cut this. Got it, man.

Now, the reason you need to have a reference point is so you can cut a slot in the plastic for your main bracket. A hacksaw or a pair of tin snips will get the job done here.

Once the driver's side is cut,

use the measurements in the kit

to notch out the passenger side.

Finally, you need to cut half inch slots in the lower plastic fascia for clearance.

Now, once this is all cut out, you can put on the main brackets,

these go right to the stock bumper bolts,

make sure you leave it loose so you can adjust it later on.

Now, we can get the side members in place. They hook up directly to the main brackets using carriage bolts

at this point. If all you're gonna do is put on the grill guard, just bolt on the cross tubes and you're done. But since Mel and I have been known to break a headlight or two, we're gonna put on these brush guards for a little extra protection.

And since they're so easy to install, there's really no reason not to.

The only trick is you have to tilt the transformer kit forward to get enough clearance to mount them

once they're firmly in place, go ahead and crank down your bolts

and you're finished. I tell you what mel not only is this gonna give us some protection, but it really looks good. It really does.

Now, the best thing about this kid is you got a couple options. You can permanently mount a winch here or you can use the removable kind by bolting in this plate.

Of

course, the transformer kit wouldn't be complete without some off road driving lights. So we're gonna go with these Warren 100 waters that'll light up the trail for us at night. And since they bolt right up to the brush guard, you don't have to do any drilling either. They also come complete with a switch relay and wiring.

Hey,

you about ready for the wire. Now comes the fun part.

Anytime you use a high amp accessory, it's a good idea to use a relay.

This allows you to run directly from the battery without having to slice into your original wiring harness.

Now, the relay is turned on and off by the switch in the cab

and it only pulls about two amps from the ignition,

but the relay itself will send 30 amps directly to your lights without the threat of burning anything up.

While Stacey is hooking up the relay switch under the hood, I went ahead and ran some wires through the firewall using a rubber grommet.

Now, all I have to do is finish up the hookups and mount the switch on the dash. Remember there's no right or wrong place to put it. Just make sure it's accessible.

Hey, ST you ready to check him out?

Yeah, man, I'll go ahead and hit him.

That's what we wanna see.

Now, remember just because you can see at night doesn't mean you won't get hung up. And the crown jewel of this project is a winch.

Now, like we said before, this winch is removable. First thing we need to do is hook up the quick disconnect cables

and they go right under this cover

in place of the stock cables.

After that bolt, a fair lead roller to the mounting plate

and then the winch

warm provides a 6

ft cable to reach the front and you can get up to 24 ft to reach the rear. Of course, one end goes to the battery and we've permanently mounted the other end to the brush guard here

after you've run the lines, make sure you tie them up out of the way.

Now, when you find yourself buried up to the axles, just slide in the winch,

hook up the quick connect,

then the remote.

Now you're ready to pull your way to freedom.

Speaking of freedom, you're free to make a trip to the fridge because we need to take a break. Trucks will be right back. Speaking of the fridge, is that pizza still in there from yesterday?

Welcome back to the shop. Now that we've taken care of the front of project outdoorsman with a removable winch brush guard and off road lights, we're gonna step back and take a look at the size of this F 150. You know, there's a lot of options out there. You can go with side bars or running boards and the tubular look is really popular right now, especially if you're into rock crawling. But if you've ever tried to jump up on one with muddy boots on, you know, that can get pretty interesting. So if you're looking for something that's strong and you can stand on running boards are the only way to go.

DZ makes these polished aluminum boards that feature these rolled beads for traction and

also a lot of surface to step up on here. And that's really nice.

They also give you the option of using a mud flap or a plastic end cap.

And the best part is they come with all the hardware to hang them.

Now, you have to drill three mounting holes for your hangers. And if you can handle a tape measure, it's pretty much a no brainer because DZ provides all the measurements for your application.

Once your marks are made, drill the holes and bolt on the hangar brackets.

Well, milk preps for, for the boards. I've gone ahead and assembled these main brackets and put on the end caps.

Now, the brackets go right to the bottom of the boards and that's what holds your weight

and you may notice that each one of these brackets is a little bit different. So it's important to keep them in the right order or they'll never hook up. Right.

All right. Mel, these boards are ready to go. Cool. Let's hang them.

Now, obviously, these little brackets aren't gonna support any weight. That's what the main brackets are for. But before we can do anything, we need to make sure everything is level.

Well, mel make sure everything stays level. I'll mark the holes for the brackets and drill them out

and then crank them down.

Now, you might have to use a little, uh, friendly persuasion on these brackets to make them fit.

Well, I go about 200 pounds and as you can see these boards aren't even trying.

And if you're not into the polished aluminum look, you can paint them to match the color of your truck. Just make sure you use a good flex agent in the paint. So it doesn't chip off. Now, that project outdoorsman is ready to go out and hunt down some fish and game. We need to know where we're going and how to get back. Of course, a common myth or urban legend if you will is that most guys don't like to stop and ask for directions.

And with the Magellan gps 315, you won't ever have to again. Now, GPS stands for global positioning system, which means this little baby plugs into the satellites orbiting the earth

and can not only tell you where you're at on land, water anywhere in the world,

but it also can tell you how far you've got to go and heck help you get there

about the only thing it doesn't do is turn the wheel and shift the gears for you. You still get to do that yourself, but we don't need a fancy device for me to tell you where we're at in the show. It's time to take a break. Don't go away we'll be right back. Hey, man, can you find my wife on that thing? Uh Let me see, let see

there she is.

Where is she

speeding down the highway? 24 wrong

me.

Welcome back, everybody. You know, 50 years ago, Jeep introduced the two door Jeep

that was powered by the famed four cylinder willies. Ever since then, Jeep is pretty much set the standard for production off road vehicles. Their latest effort that totally redesigned Grand Cherokee for 1999.

Part of the reason Jeep has been able to attain such a legendary status is because they test all their vehicles on the Rubicon Trail, probably one of the most demanding off road trails in the country,

but we decided to see how good it really is with a few tests of our own.

First up the articulation ramp,

it's showing an RT I of 486. Not too bad for a totally stocked vehicle.

Let's see what that translates to off road. The new Grand Cherokee rides on the same wheel base but has a one inch wider track for stability and is two inches higher for better ground clearance. The new body design, front and rear allows for better approach and departure angles as well.

Our Jeep has the new 4.7 L V8 that replaces the 5.2

but at 235 horsepower, it's stronger than its predecessor.

Now, that's coupled with the all new quadra track to transfer case

that keeps the vehicle moving even if only one wheel has traction.

Well, we put it to the test and as you can see that makes this vehicle more than capable off road.

Not everyone who owns the new Grand Cherokee is going to go off road though. So Jeep added some refinements to its on road manners as well. For 99 an all new front and rear suspension offers a smoother ride with less vol in

a

brand new steering gear reduces the turning circle by a full foot for better maneuverability.

Not to mention it has the best brakes in its class.

And speaking of class, you can tell that Jeep has that with one look at this interior. First off, you've got these incredibly comfortable leather seats

that sit you up high enough to give you great visibility over the hood. And for those of us that are a little tall, Jeep didn't skimp on headroom either. They gave you an extra half inch this year.

The dash features wood graining that surrounds dual climate controls, which is better than any marriage counselor.

Now, here's a great safety feature.

The driver has all primary controls right here at his fingertips, even the stereos here on the wheel,

of course, the whole purpose of an SUV is to carry people and cargo. And as you can see, I won't be a problem with this vehicle.

We also give Jeep two thumbs up for retaining the legendary look of the Jeep Grill. Even if it has been raked back a bit

bottom line at about 36,000, the Grand Cherokee Limited will cost you. But then again, anything worthwhile? Always does.

Welcome back to the shop. Now, we showed you last week how to strip paint using mechanical and chemical strippers.

This week, we're gonna show you how to prep the surface for a quality paint job.

Now, I'm using a hammer and dolly here to straighten out this edge. If you do this, make sure you use light strokes, don't hit it too hard, you'll bend it all over the place.

Once you have the metal dollied out to the shape, you want it, you're ready to use filler. In this case, we can't use a dolly because you can't get to it underneath. Remember, filler should never be more than a quarter inch thick. If it looks like it's gonna be, you need to do more metal work first. Also, keep in mind filler is not a bad thing. As long as you use it properly,

mix it according to the directions, then apply it using a firm pressing motion, tapering it at the end, try to make as few passes as you can and make sure to watch for air bubbles.

Now, at this point, you should have already decided what paint system you're gonna use. We're gonna use house of colors because they pretty much set the standard on cool custom paint.

Now, it's important to use the same manufacturer throughout the whole project because remember, painting is a chemical process and not all manufacturers, products are compatible with each other. If you mix them up,

you might end up with a big mess and have to start all over.

You can start working the filler. As soon as it starts to get rubbery.

You want to use a coarse paper here to rough shape the filler, we recommend 80 grit.

Once you have the basic shape, you want, give it some time to dry.

Well, Mel's taking a break from sand and I'm gonna go ahead and show you the steps we're gonna use with this house of color system.

First thing we're gonna put on is an Epoxy primer

and that goes right on the bare metal. Now, once that sand and prepped out,

we gonna put on a white base coat,

then we'll follow that

with our color cos

the last thing we'll put on is clear. Now, I know this sounds like a lot of work, but leaving out any of these steps will have an effect on your final paint job.

Once the filler is dry

block sand, it using progressively finer grit, make sure you use an X pattern to prevent any waves.

Also, keep in mind it's important to use the right size sanding block or tool, depending upon how large an area it is that you're repairing.

All right, stace this piece is about ready to be shot.

Now, we can shoot on some primer

surfer before you do make sure you have the proper respirator and body protection.

If the paint you're using has isocyanates in it.

A charcoal style respirator is not good enough. You need something with a fresh air supply.

Now, I'm gonna set the spray pattern of the gun,

adjust the flow rate. So you get a nice square pattern from about eight inches away,

start your pass beyond the panel. And as you get close, start the flow of paint and go the length of the panel

you'll want to use at least three coats a surface

that's gonna do the job. Stace. At this point, you need to let it properly dry and depending on the temperature and humidity that can take anywhere from 2 to 3 days to complete. After that, you can start the most time consuming and tedious part of the whole project and that's block Sandy.

Make sure you join us next week because that's when we'll take you step by step through that process before we lay down some color.

Let's say you've gone to a swap meet because you wanna put a little more grunt in the rear end of your pickup, say in the form of a 411 gear ratio.

The problem is the seller can't quite seem to remember what the ratio is. Yeah, you know what I mean?

Well, fortunately there's a couple ways to check this.

Now, if the gears are exposed, simply count the number of teeth on the ring gear

and divide it by the number of teeth on the pinion. This will give you your ratio.

Now, if the gears are not that easy to see, come down here, make a mental note of where your yoke is

and then come up here and mark one of your teeth.

Now rotate the input shaft and count the number of times

one

that it takes to make one complete rotation of the ring gear two

and three quarters, two and three quarters turns equals a 275 gear ratio.

That's good for the street, but it's not gonna give you the grunt of a 411.

After spending $30 million in 1953 Ford debuted the F 100 pickup considered by many historians to be a milestone in truck design

and now truck gear, parts, tools and equipment for pickups and sport utilities.

A few weeks ago, we showed you a carpet stain remover by lifter one and it works so good. We thought we'd turn you on to another one of their products called bug and tar remover. A 12 ounce can goes for about $4 and dissolves tar bugs and tree sap from the paint chrome and windows of your vehicle in a matter of seconds. It's also a citrus based and has no kerosene in it. So it's safe to use on your clear coat finishes as well.

For those of you that do a lot of towing,

you know that having the wrong size ball for the hitch can be a major pain.

Well, that's where the roto is manual

cfour hitch ball mount can be a major pain reliever.

It comes with the three most commonly used balls and slides into any standard two by two receiver.

It's also adjustable up to 12 inches vertically

for lifted or lowered vehicles and with a 10,000 pound towing capacity, you can rest assured that your trailer is not gonna pass you on the interstate

handle all your towing chores with the roto ease for about 265 bucks.

Mickey Thompson has unleashed an all new extreme terrain tire, introducing the Baha

Claw,

the new tread pattern and extra long side biter design allows you to dig out of any terrain. You can imagine.

The claw also

features a 20 inch contact patch on the 33 13.5

and a six ply cut resistant side wall compound for extra strength and stability. Climb your way to the top of any trail with the

Baha Claw for about $200. That's gonna do it for this week's truck gear. Here's a preview of next week's show.

Everybody wants more horsepower. So we'll take you step by step through the pursuit of 450 horses as we build up a 383 Stroker.

After that, we'll take you for a rare ride down memory lane in a 46 Hudson pickup.

Then it's back to the shop to finish up our three week series on paint

tech.

That's all next week on trucks.

Well, that's gonna do it for this week's show. Thanks for being with us and we look forward to trucking with you again next week.

What is this? You'll never guess

probably. What is it?

Tracks?

What is this?

There are tracks

you, well,

can you try these on the street?

Who

are we gonna stick these on? The,

this

trucks is an RTM production.