How to Make an Off-Road Rock Rig
Ever since the introduction of the Jeep to the consumer market, Americans have shown significant interest in off-roading activities. One such activity is rock crawling, an intense display of modified off-road trucks over an extreme terrain. A stock vehicle is going to struggle over rocks, and damage may easily be inflicted. A heavy-duty rig with a short wheelbase and plenty of wheel travel is ideal for this type of terrain, allowing drivers to make quick movements that test the limits of these machines.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Suspension lift kit
- Rock crawling tires
- Custom roll-cage
- Metric wrench set
- Air filter system
- Intake manifold
- Exhaust system
- Ignition system
Instructions
-
-
1
Raise the ride height of your rig to allow for maximum wheel travel. Add a suspension lift kit and larger tires and wheels to your truck to achieve this. Suspension kits come in a variety of sizes and capabilities, therefore finding the right one is up to your specific needs. Talk with a local off-road vehicle shop to check for available packages fit for your truck.
-
2
Remove any unnecessary components to reduce the weight of the vehicle. A lightweight rig increases the nimble agility of this vehicle over rocks. Seats and interior components are the first objects that may need to go, as your truck is geared more for off-road enjoyment rather than carpooling street use. Unless you have a full-sized spare, this replacement feature is no longer necessary, either. Additionally, clean out your vehicle.
-
-
3
Replace factory bolt-on engine parts with aftermarket, performance versions. The air filter system is a simple but effective replacement procedure to increase the cleanliness of your air intake. However, if you want to create a real performance gain, replace the ignition system, throttle body, intake manifold and the exhaust system from the engine block to the rear of the vehicle. If the budget allows, you may want to purchase a crate engine to drop into your rig, as well.
-
4
Design an interior roll bar for your rig, making sure that you are safe inside if anything ever happened while rock crawling. Rolling a vehicle is not uncommon on extreme trails, therefore it's best to be prepared. If you are not experienced in welding, consult a specialist in order to outfit your truck with a properly sized structure.
-
5
Reinforce the undercarriage of your rig. This is the area that will take the most abuse from any rock damage on trails, therefore it needs to withstand harsh conditions. The last thing you want is a broken axle or differential case while on the trail.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Stay away from body lift kits, as these provide a slight increase in body height over frame, but increase the rollover rate.
Cut the fenders of your truck to allow more wheel travel.
