Night Moves
Owner/Hometown: Dan Stidham/Springfield, Ohio
What it is: '00 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
The dirt: Gobs of bolt-ons adorn this good-looking Wrangler. The list includes, but is not limited to, a 6-inch Rough Country/Skyjacker suspension lift with Skyjacker shocks, 33-inch BFG M-T tires, 15x10 Dick Cepek DC-1 wheels, Superior axleshafts, Tom Wood's driveshafts and slip-yoke eliminator kit, Bushwacker fender flares, Quadratec bumpers and sidebars, KC off-road lights, headlight and taillight protectors, a Sony audio system, and Wet Okole seat covers.
Oh, and...: Stidham named his truck after the classic song by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.
1/2-Ton Ranger
Owner/Hometown: Eric Grandszus/Unionville, Virginia
What it is: '93 Ford Ranger
The dirt: The specs read like a well-built 1/2-ton. There's a 302ci V-8 with AFR heads; Crane cam and Mustang computer; F-150 trans with shift kit and Baumann computer; F-150 transfer case; Currie 9-inch front axle with Chevy flat-top knuckles, 30-spline outers; and Jeep CJ hubs, rotors, and spindles; 8.8-inch rear axle; and a custom 10-inch suspension with three-link front and leaf-spring rear.
Oh, and...: Grandszus says his Ranger is a "future Real Truck champion." Maybe someday we'll revive Real Truck and let him prove it.
Black 'Tie
Owner/Hometown: Jeff Moore/Elkton, Kentucky
What it is: '05 Chevy Silverado Z-71
The dirt: This nice-looking Crew Cab has a slew of bolt-ons including a 6-inch Pro Comp suspension lift, 35-inch Maxxis Mudders, 16x10 Eagle Alloy wheels, Flowmaster dual exhaust, a Hypertech programmer, and a K&N air filter.
Oh, and...: The Chevy has six forward-facing Pro Comp lights so Moore can light the trail at night.
Happy TJ
Owner/Hometown: Chet Egley/Logan, Utah
What it is: '00 Jeep Wrangler
The dirt: Egley has improved his rig's traction with a set of BFG A-T KOs. A set of KC lights helps light the way at night and a rollbar-mounted flashlight puts light at his fingertips. Also inside the rig are Rock-Slide Engineering grab handles and a 200-watt audio system. A custom hard bikini top keeps the elements from ruining his run.
Oh, and...: Egley says the sway bars on his Wrangler are disconnected. Presumably this is so he's ready to hit the trail at a moment's notice.
Irregular Cab
Owner/Hometown: Scott Edwards/Currently serving in Iraq
What it is: '00 GMC 2500
The dirt: Standard logic says that a fullsize regular-cab pickup shouldn't be on the trail, but this truck is different. It sports 6 inches of suspension lift, a 3-inch body lift, 36x13.5-15 IROK tires, Pro Comp alloy wheels, a 10,500-pound hydraulic winch, Mad Dog Transmission-built 4L60E with cryogenically treated internal components, a rear Eaton ELocker, a "seriously beefed" steering centerlink, and a Hummer power-steering pump. The freshly rebuilt V-8 engine has Summit headers, a performance cam, custom 3-inch-diameter exhaust, and a slew of ACCEL parts.
Oh, and...: After sinking the rig on the beach and ruining the carpet with saltwater, Edwards bedlined the floorboards.
Thing Of Beauty
Owner/Hometown: John West/Corydon, Indiana
What it is: '96 Dodge Ram 2500
The dirt: This fullsize fun machine has a 1.5-inch leveling kit in the front suspension, Bilstein 5100 shocks all around, custom stainless steel traction bars with poly bushings, and no front sway bar. It rolls on 305/70R16 Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tires mounted to 16x8 Center Line Hellcat wheels with Centramatic wheel balancers. The front and rear bumpers, tailgate, and aforementioned traction bars were all fabbed by West. Under the hood is a Cummins 5.9L turbodiesel engine that makes a dyno-proven 372 hp and 890 lb-ft of torque while getting 18 mpg. Engine mods include a No. 10 fuel plate, 3,000-rpm governor springs, a permanently closed wastegate, a "really big" air filter, and a 4-inch-diameter exhaust stack. Power is routed through an NV4500 trans with Luk Pro Gold clutch and NV241HD transfer case.
Oh, and...: West's rig has 275,000 miles on the ticker. He says the leaking transfer case gives him clues as to where he parked it the previous day, and frontend alignment is "day-to-day."
Kansas Crawler
Owner/Hometown: Don Lunbeck/Olathe, Kansas
What it is: '04 Jeep TJ
The dirt: Apparently a man of few words, Lunbeck succinctly notes that his "Rocky Mountain Edition" rig has a 4-inch Superlift suspension, slip-yoke eliminator kit, Dana 44 rear axle, 3.73:1 gears, automatic transmission, and 33x12.50 Pro Comp mud-terrain tires. We also see a set of aftermarket wheels, a Rancho steering stabilizer, and what appears to be a Warn Rock Crawler front bumper.
Oh, and...: This photo was taken on an outing with the KC Jeep Club.
Sand Sub
Owner/Hometown: Brian Kasky, Chesterfield, Virginia
What it is: '98 Chevy Suburban
The dirt: Yet another Outer Banks fan, Kasky's Sub is sand-ready with a 6-inch Superlift suspension, a 3-inch body lift, 36x15.5 Dick Cepek FC II tires, 15x12 Mickey Thompson Classic II wheels, 4.88 gears, a rear Detroit Truetrac, and a Superlift dual-cardan driveshaft. Other mods include a Superchips programmer, an in-dash television, and a JL Audio sound system.
Oh, and...: Kasky says he has done all the work to his Sub, and soon he'll add a solid front axle with a coil-spring suspension and Cage Off Road radius arms.