Must-Have Modifications To Restore Your Classic Truck Into A Modern Rock-Crawler
Rock-crawling is one of the most intense and invigorating disciplines in the world of off-roading. It involves extremely precise driving skills over jagged, treacherous terrain, and the knowhow to spot clean paths to climb and descend monstrous boulders. The other requirement, of course, is a well-tuned climbing rig that can roll over anything and take a beating.
Classic trucks can make great platforms for rock-crawling rigs. You can easily find an old-school truck chassis for much cheaper than a modern truck, then build up the chassis from scratch to tackle the biggest boulders you'll find on the trail. If that's the route you plan to go, there are some must-have mods you're going to need to make your truck truly trail-worthy.
A Powertrain with Low Gears and High Torque
Most of your time on the trail is going to be spent at low speeds with your foot carefully modulating the throttle to climb obstacles smoothly. The best powertrain to tackle that sort of driving is an engine with ample low-end torque and a transmission with low gearing.
Turbocharged diesel engines are the perfect candidates for the job. By nature, a turbo-diesel engine makes loads of torque low in its rev range. Most diesel truck engines are also mated to low-geared transmissions from the factory to optimize towing capability. Both of those attributes are exactly what you want for slow, steep climbs.
If you're trying to build your rig on a budget, you can drop in a rebuilt turbo-diesel engine from a reputable shop instead of buying a new crate engine from the factory. It will be just as reliable on the trail while potentially saving you thousands of dollars.
Big and Beefy Suspension Components
Once you get your rig running right, it's time to turn your eye to the suspension. Firstly, you're going to want a lifted spring and shock kit to give you more ground clearance. Otherwise, you'll constantly be scraping your truck's underside on rock peaks. That can damage a multitude of vital components and leave you stranded in the woods. Further avoid undercarriage damage by installing a beefy set of skid plates to armor your valuable suspension and drivetrain components against sharp rocks and trail debris.
Once you have your truck sitting high, it's time to beef up the supporting suspension components. Large-diameter sway bars, control arms, and other chassis links will hold everything together tightly and take much more of a beating than stock components.
Finishing Touches
Finally, finish off the underside of your rig with a set of big, knobby tires tuned for rock-crawling. They'll give you traction on inclines you couldn't imagine tackling with stock rubber. Mount a winch on your front bumper so you can pull yourself out of slippery situations and you'll be ready to start tackling everything your local trails have to throw at you.
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