Archive for category Project XK (Jeep)
Life Updates: 4xGuard, Classes, Tenure, and Writing
Posted by Michael Livingston in Academics, Fiction, Project XK (Jeep) on September 12th, 2011
The semester is in full swing here at The Citadel, which has clearly made my life busy again and contributed a bit to the quiet hereabouts.
But that’s not the only thing that’s been happening.
Earlier this year I was asked to be the Associate Director of the Honors Program, and only now is that job becoming a reality in terms of time spent on the clock. It’s exciting and fascinating, but it’s also a draw-down on my spare time.
On the plus side, I had more spare time to give to the job since two weeks ago my father sold 4xGuard, the Jeep accessories business I’d been helping him to run. The good folks at JeepinByAl are now in charge of the business.
Meanwhile, I’m readying my application materials for tenure and promotion, which are due at the start of November. While that seems like it’s a fair bit off, I have two conferences to go to between now and then, in addition to graduate exams to grade, plus the usual business of teaching.
And then there’s the fiction-writing business. I’m working on two novel-length projects right now, and I just returned from an extremely productive and enjoyable invite-only writers retreat this past weekend.
So life’s good. Things move forward. One step at a time.
A Publication Not Likely to be on My CV
Posted by Michael Livingston in Project XK (Jeep) on October 11th, 2010
In the Jeep part of my life, I spent a chunk of my summer in the mountains of Colorado testing various products and, well, having a great time. Part of that process meant a few days at Camp Commander, which was held in Silverton.
I bring this up now because a brief note about the event, written by yours truly, has now appeared in JPFreek Magazine. I like how they did the layout; it looks pretty sharp.
My Jeep is the red one you see from behind in the big picture, getting ready to go over the edge on Black Bear Pass. That’s Telluride waaaaaaay down below it.
Back at El Cid, with New Job
Posted by Michael Livingston in Homelife, Project XK (Jeep) on August 8th, 2010
So I’m back at The Citadel, getting ready for a new year of the old job — medieval literature professor and all that — but I come back from Colorado with a new job, too. The preparation for it has been a big reason for my silence this summer, in addition to the fact I spend a good chunk of my time too far out in the wilds of the West to have internet or even (gasp!) cellular service, of course.
If you know me only as a writer or a professor, the new job surely will sound strange. My brother and I — and our saintly patient wives — are for at least a while slipping into management of the family business that our dad started as a “hobby” in his retirement: 4xGuard.
Super manly logo.
We’d already been doing some work for 4xG — redesigning its website and logo, working through new product design, and just generally talking through issues as they came up — but things are much more official now. Yes, I am now collecting a paycheck to help design and sell skidplates and other off-road accessories for Jeeps.
Strange for a specialist in medieval literature, I suppose, though it does sort of make sense when you think about it. After all, what 4xGuard makes is simply the modern equivalent of this:
Medieval skidplates, baby.
The new job means a bit less free time in my life, obviously, but it’s also something I really enjoy doing. Plus, well, it gives me a good excuse to build new goodies for my Commander. It’s work, right?
Project XK: My New 4″ Lift from Superlift
Posted by Michael Livingston in Project XK (Jeep) on May 27th, 2010
Why a New Lift?
About a year ago, I installed a 4″ BDS lift-kit on my Jeep Commander, as previously documented on this site. In that previous post I discussed my reasons for getting a lift, and I also presented my conclusion that the BDS kit was superior to its primary competitor — the 4″ Superlift kit — in many respects.
This post is in large part a renunciation of that general conclusion, though many of the positives I documented in that review remain.
Project XK: Dealer Sticker Removal
Posted by Michael Livingston in Project XK (Jeep) on February 7th, 2010
I’ve been meaning to remove the dealer advertisement from my Commander since the day I bought it. Somehow, though, I consistently forgot about the matter unless it was pouring rain outside. It’s not that I didn’t have a great experience at Auction Direct, or that I don’t wish them well as a company. I just don’t like the look of the sticker. Here’s a file photo of my vehicle featuring the offending blue monstrosity of a sticker on the tailgate:
Read the rest of this entry »
Project XK: 4xGuard Front Guard 4
Posted by Michael Livingston in Project XK (Jeep) on October 17th, 2009
In an earlier post I mentioned that my 4xGuard experiments with my father this summer had included the installation of a prototype Front Guard (version 1.5) that had never gone into production. As I wrote then:
Good for me, but not useful for anyone else. Not to worry, though: we also effectively redesigned the production Front Guard model (which would make it Front Guard 4, I think) and its bracketry in order to fit the XK with very minimal cutting. The results should be a win for everyone.
Well, Front Guard 4 has arrived. I just completed the test-fit on my Commander. It simply could not have gone better. Before I get to the details, here’s the latest shot of my Commander at distance:
My Jeep Commander as of 17 October 2009.
Project XK: 4xGuard Matrix
Posted by Michael Livingston in Project XK (Jeep) on October 13th, 2009
I’ve mentioned that my father and I installed a Matrix brush guard from 4xGuard on my XK this summer — and it appears in a number of my Commander pictures — but I didn’t want to write about it in-depth until now.
Why not? Well, the Matrix was engineered for the WK (like 4xG’s Side Guard), and the experience of trying to install it on the XK revealed to me and my dad that some superficial design changes would help it fit the Commander much better (while leaving its compatibility on the Grand Cherokee untouched). I hacked and ground metal to make our experiment work, and then those changes had to go through engineering and then into production … and then had to be test-fit once more on my big red beauty (hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do). I wanted to wait until that was done before I wrote anything up here.
Since I’m writing, you know that the test-fit is done. And since I’m smiling (you can see that, can’t you?), you know that the test-fit went well. Here’s my Jeep as of this afternoon:
4xGuard Matrix Installed.
Nice, eh? (Oh, and for my friends and family in colder parts of the world right now, you may be interested to know I took this while wearing flip-flops and was quite comfortable.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Project XK: Front to Rear Guards
Posted by Michael Livingston in Project XK (Jeep) on August 27th, 2009
Today’s Project XK feature is all about vehicle protection: skidplates and such. As it currently stands, my Commander has Front Guards and Side Guards from 4xGuard and a “rear guard” built from spare parts.
Read the rest of this entry »
Facebook
RSS
Recent Comments