MUST-SEE MACHINES

Just. Everyone. Else’s. Parts.

Wyatt McAllister describes his YJ Wrangler as “just everyone else’s parts,” beginning with the 6.2L Detroit diesel. He’s on his second one of them and with the addition of a marine injection pump and injectors, heads from the 6.5L Detroit diesel, and the turbo out of a Cummins (and a handful of other modifications). The Wrangler clatters its way up and over rocks, through deep snow, and leaves onlookers bewildered as it slices across sand dunes. Wyatt’s NP435 came from a ’78 Bronco, and he used the Top Loader shifter from a 2-ton Ford for a shorter throw. Wyatt found the steering box from a Nissan Xterra to be the hard-core solution (kudos to its beefy sector shaft) to aiming his tires, and he mounted it as far forward as he could on the bumper to keep the unit from contacting his harmonic balancer. At each corner of the Jeep there’s a hydraulic system repurposed from a garbage truck that Wyatt uses to manually level (or tilt) the rig on side slopes or to help avoid obstacles. Each lower control arm is excessively overbuilt, and Wyatt will confidently smash any one of them against a rock with the weight of the nearly 7,000-pound Jeep. Out back, his 14-bolt rear diff is not shaved, instead, Wyatt welded 1⁄4-inch steel teeth to its bottom half to protect places where the pumpkin might encounter a rock. There’s much more to Wyatt’s YJ and to fully appreciate the details, you gotta see it in action. Look out for it on the Rubicon, where he can sometimes be found sans 40s, wheeling for charity with 31-inch dualies at each corner.

SPECS

VEHICLE: ’88 JEEP WRANGLER SAHARA OWNER: WYATT MCALLISTER STOMPING GROUNDS: GALT, CALIFORNIA DRIVETRAIN

Engine: 6.2L Detroit diesel V-8 Transmission: NP435 Transfer case: NP205 Low range ratio: 1.96:1 Crawl ratio: 70.4:1 Front axle/differential: Dana 60 centersection w/custom tubes and C’s, 4340 chromoly ’shafts, Yukon hubs, 5.38 gears/Yukon Zip locker Rear axle/differential: GM 14-bolt, 5.38 gears/Eaton Detroit Locker SUSPENSION

Front: Custom four-link, overbuilt lower control arms, Sway-A-Way Race Runner coilovers Rear: Custom single-triangulated four-link, heavily armored links, Sway-A-Way Race Runner coilovers, MCI bus tag axle airbags TIRES/WHEELS

Tires: 41.5x13.50R17LT Pit Bull Rocker Wheels: 17-in B.A.D. beadlock MISCELLANEOUS

Steering: Nissan Xterra steering box, dual Case 580 backhoe rams, custom links Armor: Custom front bumper w/army truck crossmember; MetalCloak front fenders; diamond-plate/steel tube rocksliders; fuel tank skidplate; custom rear bumper w/air chuck, eight recovery points, and swing-away tire carrier; Chassis Dynamics pinion skid Cool stuff: Warn 12,000-lb-capacity hydraulic winch; four-corner hydraulic leveling system; Fluidyne race radiator; hood clearanced for tires, turbo, and shock towers w/Chevy Vega induction hump

“IF THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WAY, I CUT IT OFF, AND BUILD WHAT I WANT.” -WYATT MCALLISTER

White Whale

Carl Limpus bought his first 4x4 in 2005 while he lived in Colorado—a ’00 Dodge Ram. The truck made Colorado winters a bit more fun, and its duties included daily driving and moving building materials about for Carl’s home improvement projects. Rockcrawling wasn’t even in the plans until he moved to California in 2009. With famed trails like the Fordyce and the Rubicon in his backyard, Carl’s goal for the Ram was twofold: First, he wanted to fit 37-inch tires into the wheelwells. This would enable him to volunteer as a driver for a grassroots veteran organization called Wheelers for the Wounded of California. The group pairs combat veterans with experienced 4x4 drivers for an all-expense-paid weekend of off-road fun on the Rubicon and Fordyce trails, offering the vets a chance to drive 4x4s on the trails, as well. Why build something so big? Like a Ram? Well, Carl also wanted to have space for his wife and children to join him on the trail, especially for the Father Daughter Rubicon Run hosted by NorCal Crawlers. The Ram went together entirely in Carl’s cul-de-sac and has since evolved to accommodate 40-inch tires. You’ll find him creeping through the trails that are oftentimes called “narrow” by drivers of short-wheelbase rigs, with expert precision.

SPECS

VEHICLE: ’00 DODGE RAM 1500 OWNER: CARL LIMPUS STOMPING GROUNDS: FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA DRIVETRAIN

Engine: 5.9L Dodge Magnum 360 Transmission: 46RE 4-spd auto, Winters shifter Transfer case: NP241OR w/NorthWest FabWorks BlackBox Underdrive Low range ratio: 4.0:1, 2.72:1 Crawl ratio: 136.7:1 (max) Front axle/differential: ’97 Ford high-pinion Dana 60; Crane inner Cs, knuckles, and high-steer; chromoly 35-spline ’shafts; RuffStuff Specialties diff cover; Artec truss, 5.13 gears/ARB Air Locker Rear axle/differential: Dodge Dana 70U, 35-spline Dana 80 ’shafts, RuffStuff Specialties diff cover, 5.13 gears/ ARB Air Locker SUSPENSION

Front: Limpus-fab three-link w/2x2x0.25-in square tube, 14-in-travel 2.5-in Bilstein 9100 remote-reservoir coilovers, Fox 2.0 bumpstops Rear: Chevy 1-ton 63-in leaf springs, Carl-built 7-in shackles, BDS shackle flip brackets, 14-in Fox air shocks, Fox 2.0 bumpstops TIRES/WHEELS

Tires: 41.5x13.50R17LT Pit Bull Rocker Wheels: B.A.D. 17x10-in beadlock MISCELLANEOUS

Steering: Lee Power Steering ported gearbox, Trail-Gear hydraulic ram-assist Lighting: LED scene and bumper lights Armor: Cul-de-sac Customs front/rear bumpers, rocksliders w/3x3x0.188-in square tubing, gas tank skidplate, fullsize spare tire carrier Cool stuff: Front Warn M12 winch, rear Badlands 12,000-lb-capacity winch w/Master Pull rope, York compressor w/5-gal tank, Thule bed rack w/cargo basket

“IT WAS NICKNAMED WHITE WHALE BECAUSE OF HOW LARGE IT APPEARS COMING DOWN THE TRAIL.”

-CARL LIMPUS

Imperfectly Perfect

Joe Polcari’s search for a Land Rover took him (virtually) overseas, and it began in Spain. He wanted a Series he could fit with a V-8 and a manual transmission and really make it his own. After some sage advice from a friend, he locked eyes with the ’81 Series 3 Stage 1 seen here and knew that was the truck he wanted. The following 70 days were some of the longest of Joe’s life as he tracked his new truck across the ocean from Brisbane, Australia, to Baltimore, Maryland. Since then, the Series has been “the best worst car ever,” as Joe put it, explaining how it doesn’t do anything particularly well and how it’s even ended up on a flatbed a few times. To the contrary, the Series makes even the most mundane drives exciting, adding the sensory experience of a race car (just without the speed) and the ever-present question of “will it make it to the destination?” Joe removed the rear bench seat, built a mattress/cot setup for the rear of the Series, and with some hanging lights strung from the roof, the yellow Rover becomes an imperfectly perfect backwoods camper.

Grandpa’s Truck

When Nick Miller was 15 and deciding which vehicle he’d learn to drive, he picked the ’71 Chevy Suburban that had been sitting for 18 years. Nick’s grandfather bought it new, his dad learned to drive on it, and now it belonged to Nick. He got the engine running, the brakes stopping, and eventually settled on an 8.1L big-block to motivate the sizeable machine. “Now that it went fast, I needed it to ride better,” Nick said, and with some help from the folks at ADS Racing, he fit the truck with a suspension to keep it going no matter what the terrain. Nick wheels the Suburban in the sand and snow as much as he can, doesn’t shy away from greasy mud-and-boulder tracks, and he enjoys using the trails outside the King of the Hammers race as a proving ground for his upgrades. Due to the sheer amount of factory sheetmetal and glass still in the rig, Nick uses extreme precision when navigating the trails, but he’ll tell anyone “it’s never not fun.”

SPECS

VEHICLE: ’71 CHEVY SUBURBAN OWNER: NICK MILLER STOMPING GROUNDS: BEAVERCREEK, OREGON DRIVETRAIN

Engine: 8.1L Vortec V-8 Transmission: NV4500 5-spd manual Transfer cases: Offroad Design NP203/205 doubler Low range ratio: 4:1 (max) Crawl ratio: 112.9:1 (max) Front axle/differential: Jantz Engineering Dana 60/70 hybrid, Yukon ’chromoly shafts, CTM U-joints, Yukon Hardcore hubs, 4.56 gears/Yukon Zip locker (heavily modified to fit Dana 70 gears) Rear axle/differential: Eaton HO72, Miller-fab diff cover, Yukon chromoly ’shafts, 4.56 gears/Yukon Grizzly Locker (slightly modified to fit) SUSPENSION

Front: Three-link w/2-in 0.250-in-wall solid 6061 round stock, 14-in-travel ADS 2.5-in coilovers, Eibach springs, ADS 2-in bumpstops Rear: 56-in 3⁄4-ton GM leaf springs, Fox 11-in 2.0 shocks, ADS 2-in bumpstops, zero rate add-a-leaf, custom traction bar w/1.5-in, 0.250-in-wall D.O.M. TIRES/WHEELS

Tires: 39.5x16.50R16.5LT Pit Bull Rocker Wheels: Stazworks H1 beadlock MISCELLANEOUS

Steering: 1.5-in, 0.250-in-wall D.O.M. steering links; RuffStuff Specialties joints; PSC Motorsports ram-assist Lighting: Baja Designs LED lights, Hella E Code housings w/LED bulbs, 7-in LED pods Armor: Miller-fab front and rear bumpers w/0.250-in plate steel, custom pinion skid, custom rocksliders Cool stuff: Warn M12 winch, original rear seat, ’13 Silverado front seats, ’80s EFI fuel tank

“I CARRY A FULLSIZE SPARE AND ENOUGH PARTS TO REBUILD HALF THE TRUCK.”

-NICK MILLER

Never Too Big

Gavin Johnson is accustomed to looks of disbelief and amazement when he shows up to the trailhead with his crew cab Ford pickup on 39-inch tires, fully intent on weaving it between the trees and rocks. So, pointing his lifted Ford Econoline 4x4 at trails outside the King of the Hammers race in Johnson Valley, California, was nothing new. He found the van at an estate sale and originally bought it solely for its wheels. However, when it came time to hit the lakebed and his crew cab was still on the lift, he needed something exciting to wheel. Using parts he had on hand, Gavin set up the van with heavy-duty Ford truck running gear, borrowed tires from another of his rigs, and fit the back with a bench seat for all his passengers. What you see here is the result of his handiwork, which he pilots through some of the hairiest trails in the West.

Let ’s f ind your per fect ride.