The Mud Rod shares its proportions with just about every 4x4 we ever doodled during math class. With huge tires, zero overhangs, and a ridiculously low roof height, it looks just about perfect to our eye. Only five feet of the factory frame remain in the center, the ends having been replaced with 1.75-inch-diameter, DOM 1.20-inch-wall tubing. Forty six-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claws mounted on Dick Cepek DC-1 wheels somehow look right. Maybe a restomod is in the Mud Rod's future?The Mud Rod shares its proportions with just about every 4x4 we ever doodled during math c Mud Rod It isn't everyday you see a rat rod pickup featuring a 6-inch chop sitting on 46-inch tires, and we're pretty sure it takes one heck of a twisted individual to come up with something as totally rad as the '37 Ford pickup known as "Mud Rod." This truck defines the very essence of cool-and while we may not be able to tell you exactly what constitutes cool, we know it when we see it. And we see it here in one sinister TTC challenger. If only Dick Cepek made 20x12-inch steelies to fit some baby moons on it. Specifications Owner name/city: Kevin Simmons/Wakefield, NH Occupation: Owner, KMS Welding and Off-Road Center Vehicle model: 1937 Ford Pickup Estimated value: $20,000 Engine/aspiration: 521ci Ford OHV V-8 Transmission: NP435 Transfer case: NP205 Suspension (f/r): 4-link,18-in F-O-A coilover/18-in Fox Air Shocks Axles (f/r): Dana 60HP/Sterling 10.25 Axle ratio: 4.10:1 Wheels: 20x12-inch Dick Cepek DC-1 Tires: 46-in Mickey Thompson Baja Claw We don't need no stinking race seats. And why would you when you have the bench from the third row of a destitute Dodge Caravan? Other interior touches include a tow-hook shifter and just enough gauges to know if the engine is running. Did we mention that the top has been chopped six inches and actually offers less trail visibility than a Hummer H3? Simmons doesn't seem to mind, and neither do we. The whole thing is just too cool.We don't need no stinking race seats. And why would you when you have the bench from the t Kevin Simmons, Team #21 Most looking forward to: "Tank Trap. It's the most like what I'm used to." Not looking forward to: "Frame Twister looks hard on parts." Playing in his iPod/CD player: "What's an iPod? (NH ya know)." Simmons says: "Just 'cause I look grumpy I'm not (all the time)." From the moment we saw the awesome checkered firewall hiding under the center-hinged hood, we fell in love. Of course, our attention span is fleeting and we immediately turned our gaze to the 460ci Ford motor that has been bored and stroked, blueprinted and balanced into the 521ci fuel-swilling monster you see here. This bad boy of big-blocks is rated at 575 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, which is just enough to send the driveline screaming in pain every time the pedal is mashed. Fortunately, the Mud Rod utilizes a stout NP435 transmission and NP205 transfer case components.From the moment we saw the awesome checkered firewall hiding under the center-hinged hood, When you are trying to be different, you don't bring a Rockwell to TTC. Instead, the Mud Rod uses a high-pinion Dana 60 with 4.10:1 gearing and a tried-and-true Detroit Locker. Superior shafts and Reid Racing knuckles give the 60 some more beef. Eighteen-inch coilovers are sourced from F-O-A, and a PSC full hydro steering system rounds out the front axle mods.When you are trying to be different, you don't bring a Rockwell to TTC. Instead, the Mud R Out back, a Sterling 10.25 rear axle with 4.10:1 gearing and a Detroit Locker are abused by the powertrain. Shocks are 18-inch Fox 2.0 Air Shocks and a rear Currie Anti-Rock keeps things level. And yes, that fuel tank was a beer keg in a former life.Out back, a Sterling 10.25 rear axle with 4.10:1 gearing and a Detroit Locker are abused b By Four Wheeler Staff Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
