Lights, Camera, Action!

While our first love is getting gritty in the great outdoors, Off-Road Adventures enjoys a bit of glitz and glamour as well. (Hey, wouldn't you like to be on TV? After all, it helps our hobby with some publicity, why not?)
Unlike so many automotive-themed shows, though, Off-Road Adventures TV is about real people doing real things with real rigs. Over the last few episodes, for instance, vehicle makeovers have been done for regular folks on a Ford F-150, Toyota FJ Cruiser, and a Jeep TJ Wrangler.
The latter appeared in the third episode of Off-Road Adventures TV, in which co-host Rebecca Grant surprised Julie Earl at her home in Apple Valley, CA. Julie won the opportunity to have her Jeep transformed after producer Bob Hamel noticed her entry letter, in which she talked about raising her brother after her father passed away, and how he inspired their love of off-roading.
Rebecca is no stranger to off-road rigs either, having previously hosted a truck TV show. She also drives a Range Rover, but not just down Rodeo Drive for shopping in Beverly Hills, since she has ready access to trails in Southern California.
After Rebecca did a brief run-through of Julie's love for 4 wheeling, her TJ was whisked away to be transformed from a basic trail rig into one capable of tackling some tough trails with ease.
That's when the show's other host, Steve Magnante, stepped on stage. A long-time automotive enthusiast, magazine writer and TV host, he explains in clear and practical terms the hows and whys of the upgrades being installed. These included mods to the drivetrain using Ox Locker's Dana 44 axle front and rear assemblies (5.13 gears). No part of the Jeep was left untouched, from: Bestop's tubular grille guard, front and rear High Rock bumpers and a Extend-A-Trunk, to a Volant cold air intake, MagnaFlow cat-back exhaust, 4-inch Pro Comp Suspension kit, Master Craft seats, Smittybilt GEAR seat covers and grab handles, Optima yellow top battery, a 20 lb. Power Tank, Currie H-D tie-rod kit, Warn XD9000i, and Pro Comp Mud Terrains on 16-inch black PXA alloy wheels gave Julie's Jeep a ton of extra off-roading performance and style.
While Steve is an experienced mechanic, having worked at various resto shops and handled countless buildups for automotive magazines, he lets the technicians at 4 Wheel Parts do the heavy lifting. "Those installers can do it blindfolded," he points out. "Besides, I only have one dress shirt," he quips.
Once the transformation was complete, Julie's TJ was unveiled to her at the Johnson Valley, California OHV area. Here Julie was greeted by Rebecca Grant and Becca Webster, well-known woman's rock crawling championship competitor sponsored by Red Bull.
"It was more than I ever expected," Julie relates. "It was over and beyond, just 10 times more. To see Becca Webster get out of my Jeep and then take me rock crawling-my world hasn't stopped!"
Becca first showed off the upgrades made to her Jeep, and then it was off to the trailhead to test Julie's new and improved Desert Jewel. First Becca Webster guided Julie's Jeep along over the rocks, while pointing out how the new upgrades made it easy to tackle obstacles that were difficult if not impossible before the transformation.
Then, Julie took the wheel and got a feel for how her Desert Jewel could now conquer the toughest trails. "It just climbs anything," she enthuses. "I can get through sections I wouldn't have even attempted before, and haven't got stuck yet."
For those readers who'd like to have their vehicle considered for the show, just go to www.4wheelparts.com and click on the link for Off-Road Adventures TV. The show airs weekly every Monday at 9 pm EST on the Outdoor Channel. Check out www.outdoorchannel.com for listings and repeat air times.