Pattie Waters

We?ve been showing and telling you about Bushwacker products for over ten years. In fact, Off-Road.com has featured their fender flares on no less than six project vehicles, including a Suzuki Samurai, Toyota Landcruiser FJ40, Isuzu pickup, Ford Explorer, S10 Blazer and a Chevy Silverado. In the May 2006 issue, we?ll put a set of custom-painted pocket-style flares on our current Project Chevy HD2500.

We mentioned in prior installments of Project Kickin' It, the annoying rattle in the exhaust system, probably in the muffler itself. This month we are thrilled to bring you to a very simple product upgrade that solved that problem and put a smile on the face of the power-lover in our house.

Most owners of SUV's face the choice of "How do I protect it BEFORE I ruin it?" or even worse, "Now how do I cover up THAT mess?!" Since we are still luckily in the early stages of Project Kickin' we thought it best to protect our investment starting in the back, where the most damage can be done.

"IFS CHEVY KIT - $595.00 - 88-98 2-3" LUG FULL SIZE 4X4: This highly acclaimed complete suspension system is an installer's dream. Very minor modifications are required to install. A fabulous kit for the money! All inclusive package includes: Front torsion bars, A-arms, New brake lines, Powder-coated cross braces and hardware, Luxury-Ride long leaf rear springs and shocks. Run 33" tires on stock rims. Try one and experience Rough Country's smooth controlled ride."

This month's upgrade to Project Kickin' It doesn't even show from the outside, but it was definitely on the top of the list of "must do." The 1998 Tahoe's front brakes were so bad that we even went in to our local GMC dealer to see if perhaps there was a recall to correct the vibration. No recall applied to our particular vehicle, so we knew at 48,000 miles, it was time for a new set of pads at least. And from the screaming sound of metal on metal, it was unfortunately probably going to mean rotors as well.

We said one of the things we'd be addressing in this daily driver was pulling some more power from under the hood. First step - a Filtercharger Injector Performance Kit from K&N. In other words, a new air filter. But not just ANY air filter, oh no!

Some of the upgrades to our Project Tahoe hold more than meets the eye (like the K&N Filter System featured last fall) and some are strictly eye-candy (new paint coming this summer), but the best are those that improve both looks and performance.

Coming from a daily driver of a 1975 Landcruiser with diamond plate quarter panels, stepping down to a "real" car (picture a primer-gray four-door Olds Cierra) was a major adjustment. I could only console myself with "but it gets great gas mileage!" for just over a year, before I was whining about wanting "new wheels."

Thank You to our Project Sponsors