It's the newest heavyweight to rock onto the pages of 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine, decked out in deep purple and black leather. Let's hear it for this '99 Dodge Durango, better known as the Heavy Metal Mudder! Now you may ask yourself, "Self, what the heck does heavy metal and mud have to do with a Durango?" Well, it could have something to do with the 4WOR crew's job moonlighting as an '80s hair-metal cover band, but when you mix in the massive weight of 2 1/2-ton Rockwell axles, killer mud cleats, and a healthy V-8, it's a pretty fitting title-and way better than Durangosaurus, Barney, or Mutated Purple Peanut.
It's painfully purple, has...
It's painfully purple, has less than 100k on the odometer, and, at $3,000, was too good a deal to pass up. Our '99 Dodge Durango was a capable wheeler from the factory, just not enough for the deep mud pits and tough wheeling we have in store.
Though we love all types of terrain, lately we've missed the golden days of just going out with our buddies and spinning our tires in the mud. So with this 5.9L Durango's seating for seven, a dirt-cheap price, and most of the mud-truck essentials already in place (light weight, strong V-8, and a stout frame to make for a solid build platform), we couldn't resist tearing into it.
And since this SUV is destined to be a big rig, we packed up and headed out to the far east corner of Texas, a state that knows a thing or two about rolling big. Heading up the build is Carl Yarborough and his crew at Old Town Customs, which specializes in big buggy and Rockwell builds. Follow along as we spend the next few months grinding this Durango down to the essentials and transform it from a pint-sized grocery-getter to a monstrous mudslinger that won't be a trailer queen. That's right, Rockwells on the road! We'll show you just how we aim to tame the 2 1/2-ton axles.
 1. Starting off with a healthy...  1. Starting off with a healthy and powerful engine is always a plus. Though the 360ci 5.9L is no Viper-eater, it is a solid starting point and a V-8 more than capable of powering a set of Rockwell axles. |  2. Though the black leather...  2. Though the black leather and carpeted interior isn't quite ready to be hosed out, it does have a simple set of gauges, a floor-mounted shifter, and plenty of room for tools, gear, and equipment. Not to mention seating for seven, which is a definite plus when you're stuck in the mud, as you can always make one of your six buddies hop out and hook up the tow strap! |  3. Similar to the new Jeep...  3. Similar to the new Jeep Wrangler JK, the gas tank resides inline under the side of the vehicle instead of directly under the rear cargo area. Having the tank offset will allow for more room for the massive 2 1/2-ton third member, and though it may limit a few of our multilink options, it does give us more room to place the axle and additional suspension members. |
 4. As soon as we yanked off...  4. As soon as we yanked off the factory front bumper, we knew that the factory front crossmember had to go. Before we took the torch to the front member, we braced the frame to prevent it from twisting. This will give us more room to position the axle and open up our steering options. |  5. The biggest challenge so...  5. The biggest challenge so far is to keep the Durango low and still have enough uptravel so we can really romp around in the mud. With the oil pan in the way, and not wanting to push the front axle obnoxiously forward, we're thinking we will limit the uptravel to about 31/2 inches until bump. This will make the rig a touch taller than we would like, but with the projected width and wheelbase, we don't think stability is going to be a huge issue. |  6. Steering is always a hot...  6. Steering is always a hot topic of conversation among guys running Rockwells. Do you run a single-ended ram, a double-ended ram, or scratch both and try and stick with a traditional steering gearbox and possibly tap it for hydraulic assist? Our '99 Dodge Durango sports a traditional rear-swinging steering gearbox from the factory, and for now we'll set it to the side until we figure out what's going to be the best steering setup for our needs. |
 7. From the factory the Durango...  7. From the factory the Durango sports a spring-under configuration in the rear which keeps the 9 1/4 axle in place. An independent front suspension supported by torsion bars cradles the differential... |  ...Though a relatively stout...  ...Though a relatively stout combo in factory form, they're no match for the massive size and strength of the 16-spline 2 1/2-ton axles. |  8. The original Durango owner...  8. The original Durango owner told us of a few problems that he had been having with the 46RE transmission, so rather than taking any chances, we pulled it out and sent it to our buddies at B&H Transmission in Granbury, Texas... |
 ...Not knowing the extent...  ...Not knowing the extent of the problems, we're going to let the experts tear into the transmission and see what they find. |  9. One of the surprises we...  9. One of the surprises we found was the NP 242D transfer case. Why is this a big deal? Because it has 2WD, 4 part-time, 4-high, and 4-low, the key feature being 2WD! We're not sure how many of the 5.9L had the 2WD option, but it definitely makes us rethink tossing the case-but how long will it survive? |  Next Month We continued our...  Next Month
We continued our build at Old Town Customs in Texas and begin the rebuild, starting with our 2 1/2-ton axles. While we don't want to spoil all of the surprises, a hub-mounted, bolt-on disc-brake conversion is just one of the few rock'n items that will get our Heavy Metal Mudder ready for the muddy roads ahead. |