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The 4500 MJ Build

This was our last weekend to try and complete the last few projects before we depart for HammerTown next weekend.

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Tool trailer was inventoried and loaded. This will be our mobile garage on the lake bed.
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Joey was busy making spare hoses, and a bypass line just in case we run into any steering issues.
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After a few test runs it was apparent we needed to up our spring rate. I believe we're now 175-14/200-16. The car is weighing in at ~5200lbs. We'll tune with Fullstack Motorsports on the lake bed.
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#4506, 6 is a lucky number for the NWC with Oregon Trophy Challenge, hopefully we can keep the streak going and bring back a finish at KOH.
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Gosh...That is cool! Good luck!
 
The LS motors have a tendency to lose oil pressure on steep climbs due to the baffling in the pans. Improved Racing sells an aftermarket baffle kit to solve this problem. We dropped the pan, and tossed a baffle kit on our LS2.
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With the engine back together, we tossed our flat belly skid on.
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I believe we're right around 20" belly height. We had to put a small kick out for the Atlas that's less than half an inch.
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At this point, the car is as ready as it's going to get. Just gotta do some paint touch ups, and then it's onto the trailer Friday.
 
I’m too lazy to read through, you are running an accumulator on that motor yeah??
 
Awesome Build Dustin ! Hope you guys are having fun out there !
 
How was king of hammers. Just read your whole tread, awesome build!

KOH was an amazing experience. I wrote up a trip report HERE, kind of summarizing our teams' week down there.

The MJ exceeded all of our expectations. We knew we built a solid car, but I think we all really questioned just how competitive it would be in its class. After all, it's just a "garage" built Jeep. :D

We drew a random 99th start position for race day. By race mile 63 when we came back into main pit, we were 29th overall. The car was doing awesome. We averaged probably 40-50mph through the desert whoop sections with very little shock tuning done beforehand. We managed an 87mph pass across Melville, and dropped Backdoor like it was nothing.

We then started on the rock trails 80 miles into the race. The car crawls, and maneuvers the rock trails very well. Even with 22psi in the General's, I had little trouble sticking lines. Turtled the car once on Sledge Hammer. Drove Wrecking Ball, Chocolate Thunder, Her Problem, and even Jack North unassisted. We were dropping down Jack Hammer canyon, got past the main obstacle near Plaque Rock, and shortly after broke a rear drive line. Broke the solid shaft just before the splines where it connects to the tube.

Our race was over at race mile 93. I'm pretty confident we worked our way to the top 20 before we broke, and stood a pretty good chance at not only finishing, but possibly a podium spot. We finished Jack Hammer in front wheel drive, and drove back to our camp. We didn't destroy the car, and were only taken out by a mechanical failure. To race KOH was an experience of a lifetime. I'm already thinking of ways to improve for next year. In my opinion, KOH is won in the rocks. The desert just weeds out the weak. With more seat time in the car, and more prerunning, we can get better at the rock trails. The 4506 MJ will be back for sure!

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Huge thanks to everyone who supported us!

In the mean time, I need to get back to the shop, and help with post race inspection and repair. The MJ may be heading down to EJS, and we're talking about racing V2R in August. Stay tuned for updates!
 
The team was at the shop this weekend working on getting the MJ ready for Moab's EJS. For racing KOH, it actually faired really well. No loose bolts, rod ends, or fluid leaks.

Driveline failure.
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The RuffStuff pinion guard took a beating for sure. We actually managed to shear one of the bolts, and bend the 1/2" thick mounting flange by almost .250"!
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We got into the lexan door skins a bit, but they were made knowing they were going to be consumables. This cab dent on the other hand is another story. I believe I tagged the cab going up Her Problem.
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The MJ will be heading down to Moab in ten days. We got the 40" MTR sticky play tires mounted up on it. It should do alright down there.
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The MJ just got back from a week down at EJS in Moab. From what I've heard it did great in the rocks with the 40" stickies.

We started an in depth tear down today to look things, fix a couple small issues, and race prep it for further testing/tuning throughout summer. There's talk about running Vegas to Reno in August with the MJ.

Pulled shafts and thirds for inspection. Will check all welds on the link mounts, brackets, and replace any worn heim joints.
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Pulled the dash to check the cage for any stress cracks. We'll likely pull the trans next weekend.
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Race car parts.
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Well the guys and I have been working on prepping the car, and putting Humpty Dumpty back together.

We yanked out the transmission, and swapped it for the TH400 out of our 4800 car. The one in the 4506 was building heat, and seemed to be slipping, so we swapped in a known good one to see if it's the trans or our torque converter. We're thinking we may have too high of stall, which is causing excess heat to build. Not a huge issue, but something we're looking into.

We worked on the steering a bit to try and get more angle out of it at the axle. We'll likely need to disassemble our steering ram and modify the stops to allow for more travel, but it'll be worth it for tighter steering in the rocks.

Overall we haven't found any major issues, which meant all our work paid off. No cracked welds, or anything structural needed repaired. No rod ends or bearings showed signs of wear.

Ryan, Joey, and myself put in a good day on Saturday reassembling.
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Just need to toss the dash, and interior back in, and she'll be ready for some testing / more seat time down in Central Oregon soon. We need all the seat time and testing we can get as the team has decided to run the 4506 MJ in the Best in the Desert, Vegas to Reno race August 17!
 
How much is that oil baffle kit?

I know there are a few companies that make aftermarket beefy pans with extra baffling. Just wondering what the price difference is.
 
How much is that oil baffle kit?

I know there are a few companies that make aftermarket beefy pans with extra baffling. Just wondering what the price difference is.
Ours came from Improved Racing. Looks like they go for ~$199. Fitment was great, installation instructions poor, however we maintained great oil pressure all race long at KOH so it did its job.
 
The team headed down to Millican ORV just outside Prineville this past weekend to get some more seat time and miles on the MJ before Vegas to Reno.

Millican doesn't have much for technical trails, but the terrain is perfect for desert testing.
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The MJ did great all day. We logged about 120 miles on it with no mechanical issues.


The MJ is so easy and comfortable to drive. Most of my time with it has been in the rocks at KOH, so it was nice to log some desert miles with it, and get a feel for how it handles at speed. It likes 2nd gear / 40-50mph for it's power band, but on the straights 3rd will get it up to 70mph plus real quick.
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Did manage to kill a Grabber. (n)
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The team and I spent the past few weekends tearing the car down again for another batch of race prep. Some of the highlights from this last round are...

- Tore down both axles, installed studs for the thirds to hopefully solve out loosening bolt issue. Also installed Currie pinion skids.
- Pulled the trans, and installed a new lower stall torque converter only to find out the manufacturer messed up the fly wheel bolt pattern. So back out with the trans again to install our existing (but reworked by A1) torque converter
- Installed an overflow for our cooling system
- Fabbed up an aluminum slimmed down belly skid for V2R to shed some weight
- New door skins and sticker panels
- Switched over to KMC wheels to run the JeepSpeed class at V2R


We race Friday, August 17, in the 3700 JeepSpeed Class. Our race number is 3703, and you can follow us on the Best in the Desert website. It's going to be a tough 500 miles, but we're feeling confident the MJ has what it takes to finish.


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I'll try and post some pics from Thursday's contingency event, and a race recap after. Wish us luck!
 
We headed down to Las Vegas this past weekend for the Vegas to Reno. "The longest off-road race in the United States"

Wednesday morning I met up with Bill and Lance at PDX to catch a morning flight to LAS. We arrived and Uber'd to the strip where we killed a few hours wandering around and people watching.
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Eventually we made it to Texas Station, head quarters for V2R tech and contingency. We met up with the rest of the team, and greeted Ryan who arrived with the car.
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While most of the team booked rooms at the casino, a few of us kept it interesting at a $40 a night BNB... :eek:
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Thursday morning contingency was in full swing at the Texas Station. It was cool to see all the Class 1 cars, trophy trucks, and UTV's.
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Ryan and Justin had the car in line for contingency while those of us driving dealt with registration.
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Stopped by the JeepSpeed booth. Mike and the rest of the JeepSpeed community were very welcoming to us racing in their class.
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We raced KOH on General tires and were very pleased with their performance. They were the title sponsor for V2R, and we had zero tire issues all race.
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Passed tech inspection, and were cleared to race in the morning.
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Parking lot filled with chase trucks.
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Friday morning the team got together, divided up pit gear, and we set off for the town of Beatty where the race officially starts.
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We had four drivers for this race, Joey, Maureen, Sam, and myself. Joey and I would be starting the race, and would be in the car for the first 100 miles where we would get out at Pit 3.

My nerves were pretty calm Friday morning, and even while staging. I felt confident in the team, and all of our prep work on the car. It was well over 100 degrees out, and sitting in the staging line in a triple layer fire suit, and full face helmet was brutal.
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The 3700 class we were racing in was set to take off near the back of the pack (motos left 0545, ATV's, Trophy Trucks, and then the rest of the classes). We were rolling up to the start line a little after noon.
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:cheers:
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When the green light lit, Joey hammered down, and we were starting our Vegas to Reno race. We both agreed to use the first couple miles to settle in and get a feel for the car. This was the first time we had the car in high ambient conditions. We noticed when in second gear in the chop our trans would start to creep up in temp. There were a few times Joey had to check up and let it cool. We continued on, and started picking off cars ahead of us.

Best in the Desert uses RaceTrax transponders which not only act as a tracking aid for viewers at home, but also act as passing tools for the cars. I could press a button which would let the car ahead of us know we were looking to pass. Very useful tool, and it made it much safer for everyone on course.

At race mile 68, the car started cutting out on us. Our fuel pressure gauge was fluttering down to zero. Joey switched to secondary pump, and it netted the same result. We pulled off course, and I got out to take a look. After a bit of troubleshooting we suspected a vapor lock or heat issue. We let the car sit, and then got back on course with 60psi pressure.

Two miles out from Pit 3 I radioed into pit letting them know we were arriving, and what needed looked at. Joey and I got out of the car completing the first 100 miles. Sam and Maureen geared up and strapped in. Our awesome pit crew looked the car over, checked lug nuts, fuel dump, and found our fuel cell vent line was covered in mud possibly causing our fuel pressure issue. After a quick pit stop, Sam hammered down and was back on course.
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Welcome to the desert.
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I caught a ride to Pit 5, where I would be starting my 100 mile leg as driver. Waiting at the pit trying to relax.
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Other teams' cars would come through and pit. These 1700 class XJ's were the Energizer bunnies of the desert. They just kept going and going. Lots of respect to this class of racer.
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Sam had a fast pace going, and got the car up and over 100mph. Needless to say we didn't have much down time before they were coming into Pit 5. I got in, strapped in, and started our next 100 mile leg.
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Just as I was pulling out of Pit 5 the rain started. It was actually kind of refreshing, and provided some cooling from the heat of the day. As 8:00 rolled near the sun began to set. We kicked on our LED headlights and light bar. It was a bit different driving at night, definitely had to check up on our speed a bit, but the car was doing great. Pit 6 was a drive by with no issues with the car. We continued on course, and stopped at the next pit, Pit 7 for a quick light bar adjustment. Pit 8 we rolled through with no issues, and eventually completed our 100 miles at Pit 9 around 2200.

Maureen and Sam got back in the car while the crew looked things over at Pit 9. After a quick fuel dump, and torque check Maureen was off on her leg of the race. I grabbed a ride to Pit 10 where we would see the car next. Thanks to folks at home tracking us online, we recieved text updates with race miles and speed. Maureen had an awesome pace going, 53mph, 47mph, 63mph. She was about two miles out from Pit 10, when the tracker showed 0mph.
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We all anxiously watched the dark horizon looking for lights. With no radio communication with the car, we were left wondering. We eventually saw a light in the distance, it was Sam running the two miles to Pit 10. He was yelling, "we rolled the car, but we're okay."

A mix of emotions comes with hearing that news. Sam and Maureen were top priority, and it was a relief to hear they were okay. Sam said they rolled the car doing about 45 two or three times. It was on it's side in a ditch, and needed pulled over. Damage report was still TBD.

We could do driver changes at pit locations, so Joey swapped with Sam and began to hike back to the car. We talked with race officials and let their recovery crew know of our status. Joey reached the car, and assessed the situation. Mike with JeepSpeed came up on them, and agreed to pull the car back over. We can't thank Mike enough for stopping his race to help us out!

BITD recovery then towed the MJ two miles back to pit where we would be allowed to make repairs and continue our race if possible. The MJ was looking pretty beat up.
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Everyone jumped in, and began assessing damage, and making repairs. The damage from what we could tell was mostly cosmetic to the front skins. We ripped all that off,and massaged our headlights back into place. Since the car was on it's side for over an hour, we opted to pull the interior panels to pull plugs. We cranked the motor over, and it puked a lot of oil out. Everything was reinstalled, and the MJ was fired up. A bit of a smoke show, but she was a runner.
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Pit 10 officially closed at 0145, at 0140 I was getting into the driver seat getting ready to continue our race for the finish. With Sam co-driving we set out into the pitch black desert with our crooked headlights leading the way. Just outside Pit 10 we hit silt, and a lot of it. Silt is very fine powder, but it's also thick. It's thick enough to bog down our LS motor. I had to grab first a few times just to power through it. Thankfully we had four wheel drive, and had no issues in it like a lot of the two wheel cars do.

Surprisingly the car had no issues after the roll, and was driving great. I drove it forty miles to Pit 11 where Sam and I switched seats at 0300. Sam would have 80 miles to get through on his leg. We continued on after a quick fuel dump, and began checking off the RM's. We completed the 80 miles with no issues, rolled through remote Pit 12 where BFG was, and then brought the car into Pit 13. Joey was geared up, and ready to drive the car to the finish. Sam and I talked it over, and I opted to co-drive to the finish. After a few sips of Monster to try and stay awake, we were off for the final leg of the race.

Joey and I watched the sun beginning to rise on the horizon. Fog covered the desert, and actually made for a pretty chilly few miles. We rolled into Pit 14 the last pit stop. Ryan and Lance greeted us, we took a quick splash of fuel, and set off for the final stretch. This was still a race though, and we caught up to a few cars, all of which pulled over to let us pass. We caught a trophy lite truck, who didn't respond to our RaceTrax pass prompt, horns, or siren. With no front skins, I felt Joey speed up for the nerf to their back bumper. They quickly got off course, and let us pass.

About 15 miles from the finish the course hits the rocks. Big enough to allow us to use our low range to finesse through them. After 515 miles, the last few miles of rocks were brutal on us and the car. We were both just praying to keep the car in one piece, and not lose a tire so close to the finish.

Eventually the rocks ended, and we began to drop into the valley. One more pass on a 1700 car, and the finish was within view.
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Just after 0730 and 530 miles, 3703 crossed the finish line.
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Finishing this race was so rewarding for the team. We were just drivers, who couldn't have done this race without our pit crew. Huge thanks to Ryan Bill, Lance, Conrad, Gretchen, Kayla, Justin, Dan, Winton, Maureen, Joey, and Sam.
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Even after losing a good four hours to the roll, we still pulled off a 3rd place finish in our class. Not bad for a rookie race team, and a garage built jalopy. ;)
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The MJ will be torn down for inspection, and some cosmetic work. The team will discuss what our future race plans are. Whether it be KOH in February, or possibly another desert race instead. Stay tuned!
 
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