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25th Annual 4-Wheel Jamboree - Indy Anniversary25 Years of 4-Wheel Jamborees From the February, 2009 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road By Fred Williams Photography by Fred Williams
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The Indy Jamboree is held... The Indy Jamboree is held at the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds, and it is compromised of a grandstand for the monster, tuff, and mud truck competitions, tons of vendor booths, many trucks parked for inspection and show, and a huge maze of routes for truck owners to cruise the circuit showing off their rides. For the last 25 years the Special Events grouphas been offering truck owners east of the Mississippi a place to take their rides and show them off. Whether show truck, trail beater, monster machine, or a mixture of each, the 4-Wheel Jamboree series has a long history of being the place in the Midwest and eastern seaboard to take your 4x4. Thus we knew we had to be there when Special Events celebrated its 25th birthday at the O'Reilly Auto Parts 4-Wheel & Off-Road Jamboree Nationals Presented by Toyo Tires held at the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds. While some folks think these events are just for the show trucks, we've found that's not true anymore, what with all the hard-core trail rigs popping up at the Jambos. In fact we'd recommend that the Best Built Trail Rig be added to the show-n-shine judging categories as well as an Ugliest Truck or Rat-Truck competition (just so we can bring one of our own thrashed rides). Of course there are still the monster trucks, tough trucks, mud racers, and burnout contests for entertainment as well as vendors galore and a handful of bikini-clad babes vying for Miss Jamboree. With events in Texas, Missouri, Vermont, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, there's bound to be a Jambo close by that you can attend. For exact dates call 317.236.6522, or visit www.familyevents.com.  In the past few years almost...  In the past few years almost every Jamboree has added a rockpile for local crawlers to compete on. We caught one of the original rock buggies of the sport, this Avalanche Engineering Sniper, out battering its way over the man-made course.  When cruising the fairgrounds,...  When cruising the fairgrounds, you're bound to work up an appetite. Either park and buy a corn dog from a vendor or fire up that grill (made from granny's walker and an old beer keg of course) in the bed of the truck and cook some burgers.  How about this for exciting?...  How about this for exciting? National Tire & Wheel had a brand-spanking-new 54-inch Bogger from Interco Tire. Yes, 54 inches of mud-chucking, axle-breaking, swamp-crossing rubber is now available. We can hear Dana 60s breaking already (that's a 44 next to it!).  All weekend long they had...  All weekend long they had NMRO Comp Cams Mud Drags presented by TCI, tuff trucks and burnout contest (sponsored by Mickey Thompson Tires), and our favorite, Monster Trucks! In fact you could even get rides in the Sergeant Smash Monster Truck with your whole family!  In addition to the monster...  In addition to the monster trucks on display, this special 25th anniversary event had some big truck celebrities there including the hosts of X-treme 4x4 TV and Superlift TV. But all those young pups pale compared to Bob Chandler, the granddaddy of monster trucks and originator of Big Foot. Yes, back in 1974 Bob bolted a set of the biggest Ground Hawg tires onto his Ford F-250, and with a twinkle in his eye, a new style of truck entertainment was born.  Ah, the infamous "Trar" was...  Ah, the infamous "Trar" was also represented at Indy: part truck, part car, all Kook. Yes, that is a Camaro on a Bronco frame, and we like to see that every musclecar and truck magazine sticker is represented on the rear bumper. Thanks for the support.  Nothing was as hot this year...  Nothing was as hot this year as diesels, and when it comes to diesels in the midwest, it's all about the size of the stack and the smoke coming from it. Cummins swaps are becoming more and more common as well. The black Avalanche with the 10-inch-diameter stack belching through the hood on Boggers has a Cummins. More diesel swap info coming soon, we promise.  All that walking and gawking...  All that walking and gawking at trucks makes a guy thirsty. We don't recommend drinking from gas cans, unless for some funny reason that can doesn't have gas in it. Hmm?  Our boss loves green flatfender...  Our boss loves green flatfender Jeeps, and he probably wouldn't mind one with rear steer. Heck, he may not even complain if it was a complete rebuild with a bitchin' stereo. But for some reason we doubt this is the style of his next buildup.  Now this is more our style....  Now this is more our style. A truck show with a full row of olive drab rigs.  Even though most of the Indy...  Even though most of the Indy Jambo was held on asphalt doesn't mean the trail rigs were left at home. Here is an example of what we would expect in a Best Built Trail Rig or Trail Engineering category of the show trucks. This Toyota was dialed in and ready for the rough stuff, with a full tube exocage, Rockwell 211/42-ton axles, and a set of Swampers on Hummer double bead locks.  Check out this crazy smoker...  Check out this crazy smoker monster truck. Under the hood resides a rattling Caterpillar diesel pushing through an Allison diesel. But for some reason we think the spare tire is a little small.  We love cruising the Jamboree...  We love cruising the Jamboree shows and checking out the crazy stickers and T-shirt slogans. Those funny decals of Calvin disgracing various truck logos have long been replaced by more mature statements.  Even though many folks think...  Even though many folks think the Indy Jamboree is all show trucks (our friends at Truckin' were there all weekend), there are also many trail rigs on display. This super-sano Cherokee was built for trails with 39.5 Iroks on a Dana 44 and 60. Gary Bragg and his dad wanted a beater trail truck, but ended up with such a clean truck they postponed the first trail run to bring it to Indy. We dig the rat-rod paint scheme of flat black paint and red bead-lock rings. Also note the rock slider that runs along the rain sill and through the cab into the internal cage for protection against tight trees or rollovers.  Then right in the middle of...  Then right in the middle of this truck show a bikini contest broke out! Being diligent representatives of the press we grabbed our cameras and rushed to the edge of the MSD Main Stage to get the lowdown. In the end, Melanie Mannix (right) from Davenport, Indiana, won the title of Miss 25th Anniversary Jamboree. Yes, it's a rough job.
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