2012 Lucas Oil 4-Wheel Jamboree

Lucas Oil 4 Wheel Jamboree Jumping Ranger

“Frequent flier miles” are part and parcel of the Mickey Thompson NMRO Tough Trucks Modified Class races, as Danny Tyler’s Ranger demonstrates. Breakages, endos, and rollovers are common, though Lima was nearly free of carnage this year.

“Frequent flier miles” are part and parcel of the Mickey Thompson NMRO Tough Trucks Modifi

You can’t be on the trail all the time. If that brings you to the verge of uncontrollable sobbing, console yourself with some alternatives. If you live within reasonable driving distance of the northwest Ohio town of Lima (that’s Lime- ahh, sucker, not Leem-ahh), the Lucas Oil 4-Wheel Jamboree has been administering “four-wheeling Prozac” for 27 years at the Allen County Fairgrounds … right off Interstate 75. Lima is one of four big Jamborees held by Family Events in 2012, the others being in Springfield, Missouri; Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania; and Indianapolis, Indiana. It’s a place where you can bring your rig for the Mickey Thompson Show-N-Shine (shining is optional) and see what other folks have been doing. You can usually get some hands-on time with the latest tech from all the movers and shakers in the wheeling world. With all the big vendors there selling, you may also be able to make a good score on swag you need or swag you just want.

While a fair bit of a Jambo is “stare and compare,” they are not all static. There’s plenty of motion, if only from a spectator point of view. Most people, especially the kids, consider the General Tire Monster Truck Thunder Drags the big draw. The Mickey Thompson Tough Truck Challenge fills the excitement gaps left between the monster truck competitions and all six classes in the National Mud Racing Organization Mud Drags. If you like the smell of roasted tires, the Dick Cepek Burnout Contest is an exciting way to pass the time—or to participate. This is an easy contest to enter if you are willing to sacrifice some zapato skin in the hopes of a big prize.

The food is better than average at Lima, and there were carnival rides for the young’uns as well as a zip line and a Yamaha ATV Ride-N-Drive track. Lima is also famous for its rollicking parade route through the fairgrounds where, if you watch long enough, something bizarre will happen.

Yeah, it ain’t wheeling, but a Jamboree is like a trade convention. You can pick up on some of the latest trends, make contacts, and build up mojo or the spare parts box for the next trail run.

File this rig under the heading “Rigs We’d Like to Take Home.” We didn’t find the owner of this 800 series Scout, but we like what he did with it. It has well-built Dana 60s front and rear, what looked like a small-block Chevy under the hood, and a very nicely executed coil-spring suspension. The notoriously small Scout wheelwells were opened up by sectioning and rewelding, but that work looked incomplete.
File this rig under the heading “Rigs We’d Like to Take Home.” We didn’t find the owner of
A local fab shop, Kat Kustoms in New Knoxville, Ohio, debuted an incomplete but stupendous JK that mounts a Cummins 6B engine along with portal axles and a custom-built suspension. We saw it first in Lima, but once the Jeep is complete you are going to see it everywhere.
A local fab shop, Kat Kustoms in New Knoxville, Ohio, debuted an incomplete but stupendous
Lest we forget the buxom young ladies at the Miss Spring 4-Wheel Jamboree Contest, here are the top three out of 10 contestants. In the center is Miss Spring 4-Wheel Jamboree herself, Coral Greaves, flanked by runner-up Carrie and third-place Mandy.
Lest we forget the buxom young ladies at the Miss Spring 4-Wheel Jamboree Contest, here ar

In the foreground, one of the latest Bigfoot team trucks, Bessie, comes to a landing with Larry Swim behind the wheel. The XDP diesel takes off in the background. After Lima, Swim and Bessie were running fourth for points in the 2012 standings. The XDP diesel monster truck is the only diesel truck competing so far. It made its debut earlier in 2012. It’s running a 6.7L Cummins inline-six with around 1,200 hp versus the V-8s running 1,500 to 1,800 hp from 540 to 565 ci. In acceleration, the diesel just doesn’t have the snap of a gasser. Gas versus diesel is a new concept in the monster truck game, so we’ll see how it evolves.
In the foreground, one of the latest Bigfoot team trucks, Bessie, comes to a landing with
NMRO Class 6 is for the big dogs. These mud draggers can get down a 180-foot track in just over two seconds and hit 60 mph. They generate a lot of wheelspin, and wheel speeds can go upwards of 150 mph. Here you see Dan Schlegel earning an Eighth Place finish in Class 6 in the delightfully pink rig known as Chatterbox 4.
NMRO Class 6 is for the big dogs. These mud draggers can get down a 180-foot track in just
When black diesel exhaust smoke turns white, Houston, we have a problem. Such was the case with Camron Haberstich, who blew up a turbo on his Duramax and caught fire during the Dick Cepek Burnout Contest. That’s especially bad luck for a volunteer firefighter. He was consoled by winning the event handily. The combination of white tire smoke down low and black above was positively artistic!
When black diesel exhaust smoke turns white, Houston, we have a problem. Such was the case

Francis Hogue’s Blue ’77 and Darrell Salyer’s ’67 were among a handful of classic Broncos at the Lima show. Both were showcases of fine workmanship and restification. Classic Broncos are a common sight out west. Here in the Midwest they attract a lot of lustful attention.
Francis Hogue’s Blue ’77 and Darrell Salyer’s ’67 were among a handful of classic Broncos
Mud bogging is a Midwest staple. Jerry Fletcher’s ’74 Dodge has probably seen more goo than a hundred West Coast trucks. Powered by a Dodge 440 big-block, it mounts the Banjo-style axles common to 21⁄2-ton military trucks prior to the better-known Rockwells and 44-inch-tall, 11.2-24 tractor tires. Down and dirty is a way of life for this old campaigner.
Mud bogging is a Midwest staple. Jerry Fletcher’s ’74 Dodge has probably seen more goo tha
Michigander Joe Teddor’s bullnose Commando is still fairly fresh from its upgrade to a trail rig. It mounts a 304ci V-8 with a TH400 behind it and a Dana 300 with a 4:1 conversion. You either love or hate bullnose Commandos, but this one looks to be a fun rig and nicely done.
Michigander Joe Teddor’s bullnose Commando is still fairly fresh from its upgrade to a tra

Gary Knight’s ’70 Jimmy is a hit wherever it goes. Knight is only the second owner and has owned this rig since 1995. It is a top-of-the-line truck with a 350, automatic transmission, air, and the Custom option. It has 3.73 gears and still mounts the original spare. It underwent a six-year, $18K restoration a few years ago.
Gary Knight’s ’70 Jimmy is a hit wherever it goes. Knight is only the second owner and has
Finding old stuff in the Rust Belt is a big deal. Emmett Minnick’s ’66 Ford F-250 Camper Special has the tall stance that made Fords of this era stand out. Minnick is collecting parts for a resto-mod, and when you see this truck again it may be dialed right in. Originally powered by a 352 FE, it now mounts a 302.
Finding old stuff in the Rust Belt is a big deal. Emmett Minnick’s ’66 Ford F-250 Camper S
John Eaglin’s S-10, dubbed Outer Limits, may be one of the fastest S-10s you’ll ever see. He runs in the highly competitive Class 4 of the NMRO Mud Drags. Eaglin placed 18th with runs a fraction of a tick over three seconds to cover the 180-foot track used at Lima. The winner in this class was just a half-second faster.
John Eaglin’s S-10, dubbed Outer Limits, may be one of the fastest S-10s you’ll ever see.

You’ll see a lot of polished chrome and high-dollar paintjobs at a 4-Wheel Jamboree, but you’ll also find plenty of trail rigs to ogle. Here are a few of the Midwest wheeling rigs we found worthy of a photo.
You’ll see a lot of polished chrome and high-dollar paintjobs at a 4-Wheel Jamboree, but y
Mud is one of the common denominators around here, so you will see a lot of technical focus in that direction. Given that wooded trails are more common ’round here, it doesn’t pay to have too high a cosmetic budget for your buildup.
Mud is one of the common denominators around here, so you will see a lot of technical focu
If you like monster trucks, you may be excited by the news that a Monster Truck Museum is being built. Jeff Cook, one of the drivers from the early days of monster truck competition, is tracking down the old trucks and arranging to display them in a special wing of the big National Military History Center/Kruse Horse Power Museum in Auburn, Indiana, just off Interstate 69 north of Fort Wayne. Cook had two retro-style monsters on display at Lima. Check out the International Monster Truck Museum & Hall of Fame (monstermuseum.org, 260.925.1951).
If you like monster trucks, you may be excited by the news that a Monster Truck Museum is

Another creation from the fertile (or is it feverish?) mind of John Conrad. He owns JD’s 4x4s, a custom fab shop of some repute in Kingman, Indiana. This CJ-8–based rig is designed as a desert race support truck and will be working as such in the fall. Soon it will be wearing Jeeplike body cladding that will cover up all the lovely technical details. Like most of Conrad’s work, this 4x4 you can examine for hours. Powered by a 425hp AMC 401, it’s designed for going fast. The front and rear suspension is a three-link setup reminiscent of what was used in the back of Range Rovers. Conrad says the front was a difficult engineering challenge, but that it works like a charm.
Another creation from the fertile (or is it feverish?) mind of John Conrad. He owns JD’s 4
Brian Specht’s ’86 F-350 has that just right look for a resto-modded truck. Brian’s work was all done at home and includes a ’91 5.9L Cummins 12-valve conversion with a ZF-5 5-speed with it. This was originally a 460 powered truck but the diesel power has breathed new life into this truck. Not to mention saved a little on the fuel bills.
Brian Specht’s ’86 F-350 has that just right look for a resto-modded truck. Brian’s work w
It’s hard to walk by an M-37 without taking a picture. Joe Durling’s ’62 has seen some hard times, but it’s still at work on the Durling farm in Michigan. Except for a 12V conversion, it’s all stock.
It’s hard to walk by an M-37 without taking a picture. Joe Durling’s ’62 has seen some har

Everything you need, nothing you don’t. John Roger’s ’72 K20 is done in a minimalist style that turns your head. It started out as a bare-bones, low-mile, six-cylinder 2WD truck that had sat in a building for decades. Roger swapped the nearly perfect body onto a same-year K20 frame, installed a 502ci big-block/ 700R4 combo, and reused the original NP205, transfer case, 14-bolt rear, and Dana 44 front. He added enough lift to mount 35s, redid the interior in the original minimalist style, and ended up with the truck equivalent of Shaker or Arts & Crafts furniture. Simple but elegant.
Everything you need, nothing you don’t. John Roger’s ’72 K20 is done in a minimalist style
Nicknamed The Thunda From Down Unda, Clive Featherby of Australia is campaigning in the American monster truck scene this year. Monster trucks are as big there as here, and Featherby figured that he might have something to show us Yanks. He didn’t do any better than a Round 2 shootout in the evening race on Saturday, but he was running seventh for points nationally after the Lima show. From the look of things, he is gonna have to double up on the Vegemite if he wants to catch up to the point leaders.
Nicknamed The Thunda From Down Unda, Clive Featherby of Australia is campaigning in the Am
We’re seeing a trend toward better-engineered show trucks, but we still see chrome shocks now and then.
We’re seeing a trend toward better-engineered show trucks, but we still see chrome shocks