Subscribe to the Crankshaft Culture YouTube Channel

March 8, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Well, we do and we’re asking for your support. OK, we’re just asking that you subscribe to the Crankshaft Culture YouTube channel but you get the point.

At the Crankshaft Culture YouTube channel, you’ll see a host of our longer-form videos which include how-tos, reviews, and event coverage, such as this Alcan 5000 recap video (there will be 10 of them).

We just crested the 1,000 subscriber mark, and hope to keep some great momentum. We hope you’ll subscribe!

Vehicle Reliability: An Automobile Has To Earn My Trust.

February 18, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

When I get a new or new-to-me vehicle, it needs to earn my trust. I can’t hop in any car or truck and just assume it’s going to let me go the distance. Vehicle reliability can’t just be assumed. Any automobile has to earn my trust.

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Orphans And Oddballs: How I Became The Car Enthusiast I Am Today

September 8, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

When I was a kid growing up in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, University Avenue was the prime cruising spot. When I was in my early teens in the early 1990s, I went to this place for the first time with my buddy, Dan. I often think this is where I really found…

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Opinion: ’80s and ’90s Style Is In, But What’s Ugly Then Is Still Ugly Now

September 6, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Style and trends are a funny thing. There’s always this desire for retro, whether we’re talking clothes, music, or automotive styling. Currently, ’80s and ’90s style is in, and the nostalgia can hit hard. Heck, we own three 1990s Mitsubishis. But some people are making caricatures of these retro rides, going way overboard—even more overboard…

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The Cars of My Youth Were Slower Than I Remember

November 24, 2019 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

Something occurred to me today as I was watching one of those old MotorWeek videos; this one was about the 1990 Mitsubishi Galant GSX. I realized today’s cars are faster than ever before, and we’re living in a modern muscle car era. A time where even a ho-hum car offers impressive performance compared to cars…

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Pajero Problems

September 6, 2019 / Andy Lilienthal / 5 Comments

Right now both of our Mitsubishi Pajeros are out of commission. I know it’ll only be temporary, but we will definitely have some interesting times coming up here shortly. Let me elaborate.

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FACT: Older Vehicles Need More Repairs.

March 27, 2019 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

Vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s are starting to become popular projects, especially those older JDM or Euro cars and trucks that are now available for import to the U.S. under the 25 year rule. But those looking to buy something from the malaise or Radwood era should remember: these are not new cars, and…

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Ask. Learn. Pass it on.

May 25, 2018 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

I just got back from Overland Expo West where I was on booth duty. Frankly, I love working the show booth because I enjoy helping others with their questions. On the way home I stopped for the night at a favorite camp spot in NorCal off of HWY 395. I opened an IPA and started…

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How the Jeep Community Made Moab Happen

May 1, 2017 / Andy Lilienthal / 8 Comments

Words by Andy Lilienthal; photos by Mercedes Lilienthal As we work on The PDXJ (project ’01 Jeep Cherokee), we’ve had an outpouring of support and help to get it upgraded, maintained, and well, fixed. Whether it’s the crew from ARB USA, the team at Nitro Gear & Axle, Jason from Outlaw Xpeditions, or our friends…

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New Year’s Resolution: Drive Jeep More Than we Work on It.

January 5, 2017 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

This meme: This is my New Year’s resolution. We picked up our 2001 Jeep Cherokee, aka, The PDXJ, in July 2016. Almost immediately, we started working on it, and we haven’t slowed since. Whether it was standard maintenance things, minor repairs, or aftermarket upgrades, I feel like all we’ve done is work on the thing….

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