| Contingency
row @ the 98 "Baja 500". |
| Suspension
seating, and an ergonomic location of the controls work in
tandem to lessen driver fatigue. |
| Dual
MSD ignition units are mounted in-cab for a quick change in
the event of a failure. |
| A
pair of 37 in. BFG Baja T/A's take up a lot of bed space -
at least space where the bed used to be! |
| Armored
& Dangerous! The beastly Dodge is well protected from
the dangers of desert warfare. |
| Serious
beef! The Chrissman rear axle & chro-moly 3-link provide
incredible reliability. |
| State
of the art. King Shocks & secondary suspension smooth
out the roughest terrain. |
| National
Spring provided the 1/4 elliptic springs that provide 30
inches of "Vertical" wheel travel. Rockcrawlers
take note...what do you think it ramps? |
| Go to any off-road
event, be it race or trail related, and you're bound to see an
abundance of Ford, Chevy, Jeep, Suzuki, & Toyota vehicles in
attendance. While that's a pretty good cross section of manufacturers,
there is usually however, one glaring omission. Dodge Trucks. Despite the overwhelming popularity of the
"new" Dodge, and an abundance of loyal, nay,
"rabid" Dodge fans, the marque seldom sees print in major
off-road publications. Are we all biased? Should we have our heads
examined? After all, Dodge has been building some of the most rugged
trucks to ever come off an assembly line for longer than....well,
longer than a lot of us have been around. Which brings us to the
August feature........
It's a what? A Dodge? Yes it is, and it's one of the finest
examples of the breed you'll ever see. Ram? Only if you get in it's
way! With over 700 HP, 30 in of wheel travel, and a top speed of over
130 mph, Steve Sourpass' 1996 Class 8 is a Mopar maniac's dream come
true! Lust! ..after the Walker Evans Racing 500c.i.
Mopar (that's 700 HP of "Mo Power"), complete with a Barry
Grant fuel system, Borla exhaust, dual redundant MSD ignition! Thrill!.. to the TorqueFlight 727 custom built
by Walker Evans Racing, complete with custom torque converter! A full
manual valve body & Art Carr shifter ensure that the copious
torque is efficiently transferred to the spooled Chrissman 10 in. rear
axle assembly, and BF Goodrich 37x12.5x17 Baja T/A radials. Marvel!.. at the 21 inches travel from the A-Arm
front suspension! With coilover King shocks, billet spindles, and a
CNC braking assembly, the ability of the front suspension to react to
the terrain is matched only by the rear....... Swoon!.. to the 30 in. of rear wheel travel,
compliments of a 1/4 elliptic 3-link rear suspension, & King
bypass shocks! Wonder!..at the secondary suspension system that
combines the best of both worlds - pneumatic bump stops & torsion
leaf springs! Constructed of the finest in 4130 chro-moly steel,
making extensive use of spherical ball joints, & tuned to within
an inch of it's life, the "Sourapass Express" is well
equipped to excel in the most extreme terrain Steve can throw it at. Tales From the
Cockpit On the inside, chro-moly steel makes up the
structural roll cage. The cage serves as a mounting location
throughout the vehicle for items including the seats, 5 point
harnesses, 2 spare tires, shocks, 55 gal. fuel cell, and suspension. In keeping with class rules, the big Dodge is a
true "door slammer", with gutted, yet fully functional
aluminum skinned steel doors. Aluminum is used extensively in the
interior, including the floor, dashboard, and bracketry. The once
luxurious interior has been completely stripped of factory trimmings,
and replaced with banks of gauges, switches, and an on-board
navigation system. Creature comforts include a Parker Pumper fresh air
system, FM business band 2-way radio, and safety / survival supplies,
in the event of unforeseen difficulties hundreds of miles outside the
auto club's area of coverage. The Unbearable
Lightness of Wheeling While the Dodge retains a significant amount of
factory steel (including the cab, doors, and frame), an equally large
portion has been replaced with far lighter fiberglass in non critical
(strength) areas. The box has been discarded in favor of Dzus fastened
fiberglass bedsides, and the front clip has become non-ferrous (and a
bit wider) as well, making way for the big BFG rubber. Although Steve's Dodge isn't exactly street
legal, the quality of construction, incredible performance, and
eye-catching good looks will surely light a fire or two under the
Dodge enthusiasts out there. Inspire them to build their beasts, wheel
their beasts, and photograph their beasts. As for us at Off-Road.com, we're looking forward
to featuring these fine trucks more often, and give them the respect
they deserve.....any takers?
Contact
info Want to find out more about the
Coors Dodge? Contact
JLCHRISTEN@aol.com Phone:619.566.1800
x 4931 |
