Metal Row Rockwell Tech,...
Metal Row
Rockwell Tech, Mar. '09
Teardown, Apr. '09
Axle Buildup, May '09
Suspension, June '09
Project vehicles are never finished. No matter how hard we try to convince ourselves that we're done, there is always one more thing that keeps us from saying "fin."
This philosophy has never been more apparent than with our '99 Dodge Durango, dubbed Heavy Metal Mudder. Last month we set our 2 1/2-ton Rockwell axles in place and fitted the Durango with a fresh multilink suspension using a mix of off-the-shelf parts and custom mounts and brackets from Old Town Customs.
After spending a couple months in Nacogdoches, Texas, working with Carl Yarbrough and his crew at OTC, we had the rig running and driving. We even managed to sneak in a little time for a shakedown run at the popular eastern Texas OHV area, Barnwell Mountain. With a few items still left on our never-ending to-do list we loaded up the mighty Mopar and headed back to home base in Los Angeles.
Though the truck had been ready to hit the dirt when it left the Lone Star State, we still needed to address a few items, such as a winch mount, exhaust, and the always important mud flaps so we can appear to look somewhat legit on the road. Back in sunny SoCal we enlisted the help of the metal magicians at Off Road Evolution to finish up our list and give our mudder some much-needed front end protection. Like most projects, this one is far from finished, but for now it's ready to hit the trail.
 1. Before we could get our...  1. Before we could get our Durango moving forward we needed lots of fluid. Knowing the abuse we had in store for the Dodge, we filled our engine, transmission, transfer case, and Rockwell axles with Mobil 1 synthetic oils. Using Mobil will help reduce heat and extend the life of our truck's vitals. |  2. Because we decided to keep...  2. Because we decided to keep the stock 46RE we had the transmission experts at B&H Transmission in Granbury, Texas, inspect it from the torque converter to the output shaft and rebuild it with a little extra beef, but nothing over-the-top. Securing the drivetrain in place is a custom crossmember built by Old Town Customs that allows our front driveshaft to travel freely and provides the frame with extra support. |  3. We retained the 1410 drive...  3. We retained the 1410 drive flanges at each of the 2 1/2-ton differentials with Tom Wood's driveshafts. Our obvious weak points are the factory 1310 front transfer case CV and 32-spline slip yoke in the rear. So why keep the NP242D case if it's the weak link? The simple answer is cost and time. Retaining as much of the factory drivetrain as possible keeps the overall cost and build time down, which equates to less money spent and more time on the trail. |
 4. A Cherry Bomb 5.9L exhaust...  4. A Cherry Bomb 5.9L exhaust kit was used to replace the factory cat-back system and give the 360ci V-8 a throaty new tone. While Cherry Bomb is known more for its legendary glass packs, the company also offers a full line of mufflers and exhaust kits designed to give your ride a noticeably new rumble. |  5. Since Heavy Metal Mudder...  5. Since Heavy Metal Mudder will see some street time, we needed something to cover our 44-inch Boggers on the road. Our mega mud flap solution came in the form of a DIY flap kit from Kelly's Truck Parts in Nacogdoches, Texas. The huge rubber flaps come with brackets, hardware, and weights that are designed to let you slide the tire guards easily in and out of the provided metal sleeve. The kit bolts or welds on and is a simple and easy solution to cover up our 98-inch-wide stance. |  6. To fill in some of the...  6. To fill in some of the Durango's front bumper gap we decided to use as much of the trimmed-down factory front bumper as possible. We marked the upper metal portion of the bumper and removed the section with a plasma cutter to make room for our custom winch mount. |
 7. To strengthen the frame...  7. To strengthen the frame and open up our mounting options we boxed in the front half of the frame. Using paper templates to create the desired shape and size, we traced the cutout onto a sheet of 3/16 steel and trimmed each plate out. |  8. Since the bumper is a one-off...  8. Since the bumper is a one-off creation, the crew at Off Road Evolution spent a fair amount of time fitting and bending the 1 3/4-inch 0.120-wall DOM tubing into place. We chose to use tubing over a plate-style bumper for simplicity and style. |  9. The Durango isn't what...  9. The Durango isn't what we would consider gigantic, but it's no low-slung crawler either. Though traditionally it's best to keep your winch and tow points as low as possible... |
 ...we chose to mount our winch...  ...we chose to mount our winch a tad high to increase our approach angle and protect the winch better when we go firing into bottomless mud pits. To strengthen the mount we tied the bumper into the frame and our custom crossmember at multiple points. |  10. The new Warn 12.0 fan-cooled...  10. The new Warn 12.0 fan-cooled Endurance winch is affordable and smart insurance for when our mudder's carcass gets demobilized in the mucky stuff. Using an external fan to keep the winch's motor running fast and cool, we mounted ours high within the engine bay to keep it out of harm's way. |  11. Retaining pieces of the...  11. Retaining pieces of the factory bumper was a huge help in covering up the Durango's condenser and filling in a lot of the dead space. Though a few sprays of the rattle-can quickly blends it all together, we are more than happy with the overall look and creative mix of combining the factory bumper with the innovative styling of the Evo crew. |
Rocky Road
So where do we go from here? The first plan is to get the truck dialed in, and then we need to find some mud! So far the Durango seems to be adapting well to a variety of terrains, and we are extremely impressed with how well the suspension is working and enjoy the overall feel of the rig. On the road the steering takes a little time getting used to, and we found that the Boggers handle well around 10 psi. While the 5.9L is a strong engine from the factory, we wouldn't mind a few more horses under the hood. Stay tuned as we continue our search for mud and keep progressing on Heavy Metal Mudder.