Ever seen a flaming Cheeto in the mud before? Neither had we, so we were a little confused at first, but then Randy Swartz's friends went on to explain. The Flaming Cheeto was what we were there to see: It was Randy's beefy Chevy mudrunner.
Randy built his big Chevy at his own shop, Randy's Off-Road in Azusa, California. With the local mudpit of Azusa Canyon just up the street, Randy had plenty of testing and experience to make sure this was one sick mud whomper. Randy started with a '78 1-ton Chevy and used the bulletproof components to make his own mud monster. With 44s, 1-ton axles, and a big-block powerplant, and weighing in at around 4,500 pounds, this truck has the optimum setup to let Randy teach others how it's done.
The 44-inch Swamper Boggers mounted on 15x15 Bart steel wheels help keep this Cheeto from bogging down in the mud. The lack of a bed allows for lots of clearance in the rear. With fender trimming and moving the cab back 12 inches on the frame helps to clear the Boggers in the front. Moving the cab back also helped to center the weight. | 
The interior had been taken to the bare minimum, as has the body. Holes have been cut to reduce weight on the cab, and any unnecessary amenities have been axed. Summit racing seats and five-point harnesses keep the trucks occupants from getting thrown in the mud, though it doesn't give any guarantee about mud not getting thrown on you. | 
With a license plate like this, we think The Flaming Cheeto might qualify in the category "does not play well with others." The plate sits on the back of a Summit fuel cell mounted in between the two kickers that come down from the truck's internal cage. |
The Flaming Cheeto gets its kicks from a 454ci big-block that's been balanced, blueprinted, and bored 0.030 over. Merlin heads do work on the top end, while J.E. Pistons connected to a 4.25-stroke steel crank pump out power on the bottom end. A Holley double-pumper feeds an Edelbrock RPM intake manifold, and the engine exhales out of a set of Hedman headers. | 
A custom spherical-bearing rod end steering system has been recently built on the front of Randy's Dana 60. The 60 is packed with 5.13 gears, 35-spline shafts, and a locker to match the rear. A hydraulic steering-assist ram is also mounted to the Dana 60 to help turn those huge tires that are cleared with help from 6-inch-lift front springs. | |