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(Marc)>> You're watching Powernation!
[ engine revving ]
(Katie)>> Welcome to Powernation Builds. Now when you want to go all out and build the ultimate off road vehicle wouldn't you want it unbreakable? Let's see how the guys tackle the challenge. Here's Music City Trucks. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> So the plan here to kick this build off, what are we going to do today? Where are we headed?
(Brandon)>> We're headed to Adventure Offroad Park, AOP, and we're going to hit mud, hit the trails, and go up rocks. Hopefully, this is a long truck. The rock thing might not happen.
(Marc)>> We're at Adventure Offroad Park in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.
(Brandon)>> I love this place. This thing's got over 500 acres to choose from, 120 different trails. Everything from easy to extreme rock bouncer type stuff.
(Marc)>> Plus they have over 20 events here every year, and thankfully they saved a little bit of time for us to come in here and check out our rigs, and that's just what we're going to do with our Suburban today. See what it can do, and you're driving. Funny noises. [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Where's my keys?
(Marc)>> I don't know if this was a good decision? [ engine starting ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Yeah, it definitely doesn't want to stay in four. This is like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. [ guys laughing ]
(Marc)>> Stalled again?
(Brandon)>> Yeah, I think we broke it.
(Marc)>> Let's see what's going on. Pump it, crank it, crank it and pump it! [ engine cranking ]
(Marc)>> No fuel. [ Music ] Well, this day didn't really end the way that we wanted it to. This is what happens when you go out trail riding, especially when the rig's untested. Sometimes it breaks. [ Music ] Well, our poor Suburban didn't make it back here under its own power, but we got it back here on the hook. It's on the lift and it looks good in here. And it looks good in here.
(Brandon)>> I'm not an interior designer but I think I did a pretty good jog with this thing.
(Marc)>> Don't quit your day job just yet. Speaking of your day job, let's talk about the project.
(Brandon)>> I think that we need to stick with the name that I said at the park, Unbreakable. So, Project Unbreakable.
(Marc)>> You're putting that stamp on there. That is a tall order.
(Brandon)>> Especially for something this big. That's gonna require axles, suspension, engine, trans, the whole works.
(Marc)>> So any moving part either has to be replaced or rebuilt.
(Brandon)>> Probably replaced.
(Marc)>> Let's start under the hood.
(Brandon)>> Throttle body 350, 185 horsepower of fury.
(Marc)>> It's not really anything to write home about in the power level, but they are reliable. In fact, so reliable this is probably the original engine that came in this truck 30 years ago.
(Brandon)>> I wouldn't doubt that. These things are stout, and they seem to never die if you treat them right.
(Marc)>> Except, we don't know the history. We don't know the maintenance history. We don't know what's going on inside there or how many miles are on it, and like you mentioned, the power level. I say this thing's got to go.
(Brandon)>> I think we build a small block and keep this truck small block. You want to see what's underneath?
(Marc)>> Suburbans aren't really known for being the first pick for off roading, but with the right components it can be plenty capable. Well I noticed that the rockers are kind of rusty, but other than that it seems like a solid truck under here.
(Brandon)>> I think this is the perfect starting point for what we're trying to build, but I am going to pick it apart. 10 bolt front axle, which is known for breaking pretty much every component inside of it. The 350 we already mentioned.
(Marc)>> I noticed the 700-R-4, looks like it's been rebuilt at some point. So we might actually be able to salvage that.
(Brandon)>> We might be able to. That may be the only thing we keep. 208 aluminum transfer case, chain driven. Again, not really off-road worthy for what we're trying to do.
(Marc)>> I noticed under here too the wires for the fuel pump, they look like they're either chewed up or got pinched, and I can actually see the copper inside.
(Brandon)>> Let's not talked about the slip yoke that's going to fall out of the tail shaft, and these nice welded on caps for the u-joint.
(Marc)>> Nice work!
(Brandon)>> The one-wheel wonder 10 bolt. Block style lift. And the worst part about this truck, especially for safety, is this tight brake hose you could play like a banjo. That's your only safety device on this truck.
(Marc)>> So bottom line everything we're talking about just has to come out.
(Brandon)>> All of it.
(Marc)>> Let's get some tools.
(Katie)>> Well I sure hope you're taking notes because up next the real work begins.
♪
(Narrator)>> Powernation is brought to you by Summit Racing.
[ saw buzzing ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> There it is.
(Marc)>> This may look like we're taking the long way around to get the engine out... That's never been off. ...but it's much easier and cleaner to just remove the front clip. [ drill humming ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> I'm good on this side. [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Still good with me. There we go.
(Marc)>> It wanted to come out. Whether or not you're reusing your old parts will dictate your method of removal. For us, this stuff is all headed to the scrap bin. [ drill humming ] [ hammer banging ] [ saw buzzing ] [ Music ] [ torch hissing ]
(Brandon)>> Oh mine, ow! [ drill humming ]
(Marc)>> We're getting down to the nitty gritty here. [ air chisel vibrating ] [ pressure washer humming ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well isn't that how projects go? You start taking it apart and the next thing you know you've got a bare frame. Well Brandon did a great job in getting this thing all cleaned up and painted, but where this thing really made the transformation is what we took off. Mainly, all of the mounting points for our leaf springs because those things are going away. We're replacing them with four link and coilovers front and rear. This is going to be a bad machine. Here's what we're going for.
(Brandon)>> Unbreakable is the ultimate off roader that can do a little bit of everything.
(Marc)>> Except of course, leave you stranded. Big lift, tall tires, sinister black paint, and all the recovery gear. [ saw buzzing ]
(Brandon)>> Now I could just cut these old rockers out and replace them. Then build the sliders underneath, but I'd rather kill two birds with one stone by building the sliders into the body. That eliminates the rust and gains me ground clearance. [ welder crackling ]
(Marc)>> Dang, that looks good!
(Brandon)>> No turning back now. [ Music ] [ saw buzzing ] [ Music ] [ welder crackling ] [ saw buzzing ] [ welder crackling ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well Brandon really knocked it out of the park with the paint job on our Suburban here, and I'm not a paint and body guy, but I do love a freshly painted vehicle, especially when it's satin black like this. Now it's probably a little overboard for as much abuse as we're going to give this rig, but hey… that's part of it. We've made some good headway, but we still have a long ways to go as you can see by all the parts here on the floor. But it's gonna be worth it, right?
(Brandon)>> Oh, every bit of blood, sweat, and tears. These are the front four link brackets that attach the links to the frame. We're not exactly sure where we want them yet. So we're just throwing them up there to get a starting point. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well now it's time to get our brackets attached to the axle, and these brackets are really intricate here. But what's cool about this side is it's got the center section casting here, and the bracket sits right on that. But the problem is it does hit a little bit here. So I just need to trim it to fit, and that's because of different tolerances in the axle. So mark it there, get it cut, and get it fit and tacked it. [ drill humming ]
(Brandon)>> Sent! [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Awesome, let's see what this is. Zero! [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Now we can start getting the links installed and check our wheelbase. Center?
(Brandon)>> Centered!
(Marc)>> That's 42 and 7/8.
(Brandon)>> Now with the axle where we want it to live front to back, we can measure for the length the track bar needs to be to keep the axle centered side to side. [ Music ] [ welder crackling ]
(Marc)>> Let's try again! We're pretty close, right?
(Brandon)>> We're close! Close dude!
(Marc)>> So my cut was good?
(Brandon)>> No, your cut's good!
(Marc)>> Nice! [ welder crackling ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Yep! It's making some weird noises. I think it's fine.
(Brandon)>> It's settling. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Oh, it didn't go as far as I thought it would.
(Brandon)>> You know what this thing looks like?
(Marc)>> What's that?
(Brandon)>> A monster trophy truck.
(Marc)>> It's monster alright. It's about four inches higher than we said it was going to be. So, it's painted, all the suspension is under it, front and rear. I would say it's time for a refreshing adult beverage.
(Brandon)>> With some lime?
(Marc)>> And salt, make mine a double.
(Katie)>> Up next, is it really unbreakable? Remember, it ain't over till it's over.
♪
(Narrator)>> Powernation is brought to you by EBC Brakes.
(Marc)>> You know one tons, four link, and coil overs are awesome, but this rig would be all knees and elbows if it wasn't for our friends down at Engine Power.
(Brandon)>> Let's just say I don't have to make engine noises anymore. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> The boys down in Engine Power whipped us up 383 stroker small block Chevy that makes 490 horsepower and 492- pound feet of torque. [ engine revving ]
(Brandon)>> Not bad! So let's quit playing around, get the flex plate on, get the transmission bolted in, and get this stuff in the truck.
(Marc)>> Let's do it. [ Music ] The angle looks pretty good.
(Brandon)>> Fit?
(Marc)>> It's in there.
(Brandon)>> Woo!
(Marc)>> Well!
(Brandon)>> It's beginning to look like something.
(Marc)>> We've got all of our links set at the proper length. So all we need to do is get'em in here without scratching them. [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Now that all the links are installed we can go ahead and get the coil overs hung. [ metal clanging ] [ ratchet clicking ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Oh yeah! [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Here we go!
(Marc)>> Last time we were at AOP we got stuck on the mountain, but we've added a ton of cool parts and turned this Suburban into our version of the ultimate off-road machine. [ engine revving ] [ doors squeaking ]
(Marc)>> Well it made it back to where we broke initially very easily?
(Brandon)>> So I'm calling this the starting point.
(Marc)>> So as far as this park goes we've only seen a very small portion maybe, three percent, right?
(Brandon)>> Making sure the parking brake works. It's creaking a little bit. So, we've only seen just the beginning, literally the trail head. We're going to go up past where we were broken down before, see what this park is all about.
(Marc)>> I've already been behind the wheel. You take it.
(Brandon)>> I was going to say it right before you said that. [ Music ] [ engine revving ]
(Brandon)>> Oh yes!
(Marc)>> No problem! [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> With most of the weight of the vehicle on one tire looks like we aired down a little too much.
(Marc)>> Let me get my seatbelt back on before you go again though. We're at like a 30-degree angle here.
(Brandon)>> I want to get out and spot it. With how tall our truck is, we've certainly gotten ourselves stuck in a tight spot and at a tricky angle. Here's the plan.
(Marc)>> You really need to straddle this ditch but you can't because of the tree.
(Brandon)>> So what I'm going to do is I'm gonna put it in reverse, and I'm just going to cut hard passenger, swing it this way, and then kind of come up the hill a little bit. This is doing it man.
(Marc)>> It's doing it. [ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Woo!
So, we've got to change that rear tire out and since we're on such an incline, I'm just going to winch it to a tree just to be safe so the truck don't roll away. Alright, that's good right there. [ Music ] [ drill humming ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Onward!
(Marc)>> Some people may call this broken.
(Brandon)>> I call it bent.
(Marc)>> Just slightly damaged. This setup works.
(Brandon)>> Everything we put in this truck is working the way it should.
(Marc)>> Well, can you imagine turning around and going back down, the way we came up?
(Brandon)>> Going up was an adventure. Wow, what an awesome day.
(Marc)>> Well we have some things to fix when we get back. Enough stuff has gone right today.
(Brandon)>> We need the icing on the cake.
(Marc)>> This calls for a little celebration.
(Brandon)>> I call this successful.
(Marc)>> I don't think this thing's dirty enough.
(Brandon)>> It's definitely not dirty enough. [ engine revving ]
(Brandon)>> Oh, right through the floor.
(Katie)>> You guys make it look easy. Stick around and see what we've got coming up next.
♪
(Narrator)>> Powernation is brought to you by Summit Racing.
(Brandon)>> Depending on your interpretation of unbreakable this one's not broken. It's just bent.
(Marc)>> I mean it doesn't move under its own power anymore because last time we took it out we went to Adventure Off Road Park and let's just say we ran into a couple of issues.
(Brandon)>> Now as far as all the mechanical underneath the truck that's all perfectly fine. It worked exactly the way it should, but I didn't really beef up the rear suspension as well as I should have, and I ripped the bracket off the frame on an obstacle. So that's gonna be one of the first things we want to fix, along with some other little things that went wrong. [ drill humming ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Now where I hit that rock on the outside of the axle out here by the wheel it did two things. One, it bent this coil over bracket and this upper link bracket and frame. Now when I hit the rock it actually just broke the welds cause I didn't fully weld it. That's my bad. So I'm just gonna bend it back over, weld it up, and put a brace on it. It should be just fine.
Dude that is bent! Okay to get that port-a-jack in between the frame rails I'm gonna have to get this driveshaft off. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Why don't you just get them all loose, and I'll come in and help you get them out. [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Got ya! That one! Now that the axle's hanging by the limit straps and supported by these pole jacks we're gonna get the port-a-jack in there and try to straighten that frame out. [ grinder buzzing ] [ welder crackling ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> We're gonna be using the torch to straighten this frame out cause it's got a little S-curve in it. So we're gonna relieve some stress right here and here where you can see where the kinds are, and once we get it heated up Marc's gonna start jacking and try to get this frame straight. [ torch hissing ] [ welder crackling ] [ Music ] [ hammer tapping ] [ Music ] [ grinder buzzing ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Alright, now that we've got our secondary spring in the right spot we'll be able to adjust our jamb nuts once we get the truck down on the ground and all the weight put on these shocks. That way these springs can do their job properly.
(Marc)>> Well Brandon it's time.
(Brandon)>> This is the best part of the build.
(Marc)>> Yeah, the end! [ drill humming ]
(Marc)>> Let's get this thing loaded up and go get it dirty.
(Brandon)>> This is it, taking it back to AOP!
(Marc)>> Yeah you know I didn't think we'd be able to come back here again but I can't wait to get back out here and see what this thing can do the way it is now.
(Brandon)>> Especially since we're going in the mud this time!
(Marc)>> That's where I like to go. Well, we are back here at Adventure Off Road Park in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.
(Brandon)>> It's fixed and we're gonna have some fun.
(Marc)>> Let's do it. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> Go right! [ engine revving ] [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Woo, hoo, hoo, hoo! [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Broke something! [ Music ] Come out of gear. [ clicking ] ( Brandon)>> Oh we're good. [ engine revving ]
(Brandon)>> This has been one of those projects that like most it's always a ball banger.
(Marc)>> This thing has climbed the mountain…
(Brandon)>> And now it has tackled the mud. What a great day. Woo!
(Katie)>> Unbelievable! I mean sometimes the impossible is actually possible. Remember you can catch all of our great projects right here on Powernation Builds.
Show Full Transcript
[ engine revving ]
(Katie)>> Welcome to Powernation Builds. Now when you want to go all out and build the ultimate off road vehicle wouldn't you want it unbreakable? Let's see how the guys tackle the challenge. Here's Music City Trucks. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> So the plan here to kick this build off, what are we going to do today? Where are we headed?
(Brandon)>> We're headed to Adventure Offroad Park, AOP, and we're going to hit mud, hit the trails, and go up rocks. Hopefully, this is a long truck. The rock thing might not happen.
(Marc)>> We're at Adventure Offroad Park in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.
(Brandon)>> I love this place. This thing's got over 500 acres to choose from, 120 different trails. Everything from easy to extreme rock bouncer type stuff.
(Marc)>> Plus they have over 20 events here every year, and thankfully they saved a little bit of time for us to come in here and check out our rigs, and that's just what we're going to do with our Suburban today. See what it can do, and you're driving. Funny noises. [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Where's my keys?
(Marc)>> I don't know if this was a good decision? [ engine starting ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Yeah, it definitely doesn't want to stay in four. This is like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. [ guys laughing ]
(Marc)>> Stalled again?
(Brandon)>> Yeah, I think we broke it.
(Marc)>> Let's see what's going on. Pump it, crank it, crank it and pump it! [ engine cranking ]
(Marc)>> No fuel. [ Music ] Well, this day didn't really end the way that we wanted it to. This is what happens when you go out trail riding, especially when the rig's untested. Sometimes it breaks. [ Music ] Well, our poor Suburban didn't make it back here under its own power, but we got it back here on the hook. It's on the lift and it looks good in here. And it looks good in here.
(Brandon)>> I'm not an interior designer but I think I did a pretty good jog with this thing.
(Marc)>> Don't quit your day job just yet. Speaking of your day job, let's talk about the project.
(Brandon)>> I think that we need to stick with the name that I said at the park, Unbreakable. So, Project Unbreakable.
(Marc)>> You're putting that stamp on there. That is a tall order.
(Brandon)>> Especially for something this big. That's gonna require axles, suspension, engine, trans, the whole works.
(Marc)>> So any moving part either has to be replaced or rebuilt.
(Brandon)>> Probably replaced.
(Marc)>> Let's start under the hood.
(Brandon)>> Throttle body 350, 185 horsepower of fury.
(Marc)>> It's not really anything to write home about in the power level, but they are reliable. In fact, so reliable this is probably the original engine that came in this truck 30 years ago.
(Brandon)>> I wouldn't doubt that. These things are stout, and they seem to never die if you treat them right.
(Marc)>> Except, we don't know the history. We don't know the maintenance history. We don't know what's going on inside there or how many miles are on it, and like you mentioned, the power level. I say this thing's got to go.
(Brandon)>> I think we build a small block and keep this truck small block. You want to see what's underneath?
(Marc)>> Suburbans aren't really known for being the first pick for off roading, but with the right components it can be plenty capable. Well I noticed that the rockers are kind of rusty, but other than that it seems like a solid truck under here.
(Brandon)>> I think this is the perfect starting point for what we're trying to build, but I am going to pick it apart. 10 bolt front axle, which is known for breaking pretty much every component inside of it. The 350 we already mentioned.
(Marc)>> I noticed the 700-R-4, looks like it's been rebuilt at some point. So we might actually be able to salvage that.
(Brandon)>> We might be able to. That may be the only thing we keep. 208 aluminum transfer case, chain driven. Again, not really off-road worthy for what we're trying to do.
(Marc)>> I noticed under here too the wires for the fuel pump, they look like they're either chewed up or got pinched, and I can actually see the copper inside.
(Brandon)>> Let's not talked about the slip yoke that's going to fall out of the tail shaft, and these nice welded on caps for the u-joint.
(Marc)>> Nice work!
(Brandon)>> The one-wheel wonder 10 bolt. Block style lift. And the worst part about this truck, especially for safety, is this tight brake hose you could play like a banjo. That's your only safety device on this truck.
(Marc)>> So bottom line everything we're talking about just has to come out.
(Brandon)>> All of it.
(Marc)>> Let's get some tools.
(Katie)>> Well I sure hope you're taking notes because up next the real work begins.
♪
(Narrator)>> Powernation is brought to you by Summit Racing.
[ saw buzzing ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> There it is.
(Marc)>> This may look like we're taking the long way around to get the engine out... That's never been off. ...but it's much easier and cleaner to just remove the front clip. [ drill humming ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> I'm good on this side. [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Still good with me. There we go.
(Marc)>> It wanted to come out. Whether or not you're reusing your old parts will dictate your method of removal. For us, this stuff is all headed to the scrap bin. [ drill humming ] [ hammer banging ] [ saw buzzing ] [ Music ] [ torch hissing ]
(Brandon)>> Oh mine, ow! [ drill humming ]
(Marc)>> We're getting down to the nitty gritty here. [ air chisel vibrating ] [ pressure washer humming ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well isn't that how projects go? You start taking it apart and the next thing you know you've got a bare frame. Well Brandon did a great job in getting this thing all cleaned up and painted, but where this thing really made the transformation is what we took off. Mainly, all of the mounting points for our leaf springs because those things are going away. We're replacing them with four link and coilovers front and rear. This is going to be a bad machine. Here's what we're going for.
(Brandon)>> Unbreakable is the ultimate off roader that can do a little bit of everything.
(Marc)>> Except of course, leave you stranded. Big lift, tall tires, sinister black paint, and all the recovery gear. [ saw buzzing ]
(Brandon)>> Now I could just cut these old rockers out and replace them. Then build the sliders underneath, but I'd rather kill two birds with one stone by building the sliders into the body. That eliminates the rust and gains me ground clearance. [ welder crackling ]
(Marc)>> Dang, that looks good!
(Brandon)>> No turning back now. [ Music ] [ saw buzzing ] [ Music ] [ welder crackling ] [ saw buzzing ] [ welder crackling ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well Brandon really knocked it out of the park with the paint job on our Suburban here, and I'm not a paint and body guy, but I do love a freshly painted vehicle, especially when it's satin black like this. Now it's probably a little overboard for as much abuse as we're going to give this rig, but hey… that's part of it. We've made some good headway, but we still have a long ways to go as you can see by all the parts here on the floor. But it's gonna be worth it, right?
(Brandon)>> Oh, every bit of blood, sweat, and tears. These are the front four link brackets that attach the links to the frame. We're not exactly sure where we want them yet. So we're just throwing them up there to get a starting point. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well now it's time to get our brackets attached to the axle, and these brackets are really intricate here. But what's cool about this side is it's got the center section casting here, and the bracket sits right on that. But the problem is it does hit a little bit here. So I just need to trim it to fit, and that's because of different tolerances in the axle. So mark it there, get it cut, and get it fit and tacked it. [ drill humming ]
(Brandon)>> Sent! [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Awesome, let's see what this is. Zero! [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Now we can start getting the links installed and check our wheelbase. Center?
(Brandon)>> Centered!
(Marc)>> That's 42 and 7/8.
(Brandon)>> Now with the axle where we want it to live front to back, we can measure for the length the track bar needs to be to keep the axle centered side to side. [ Music ] [ welder crackling ]
(Marc)>> Let's try again! We're pretty close, right?
(Brandon)>> We're close! Close dude!
(Marc)>> So my cut was good?
(Brandon)>> No, your cut's good!
(Marc)>> Nice! [ welder crackling ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Yep! It's making some weird noises. I think it's fine.
(Brandon)>> It's settling. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Oh, it didn't go as far as I thought it would.
(Brandon)>> You know what this thing looks like?
(Marc)>> What's that?
(Brandon)>> A monster trophy truck.
(Marc)>> It's monster alright. It's about four inches higher than we said it was going to be. So, it's painted, all the suspension is under it, front and rear. I would say it's time for a refreshing adult beverage.
(Brandon)>> With some lime?
(Marc)>> And salt, make mine a double.
(Katie)>> Up next, is it really unbreakable? Remember, it ain't over till it's over.
♪
(Narrator)>> Powernation is brought to you by EBC Brakes.
(Marc)>> You know one tons, four link, and coil overs are awesome, but this rig would be all knees and elbows if it wasn't for our friends down at Engine Power.
(Brandon)>> Let's just say I don't have to make engine noises anymore. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> The boys down in Engine Power whipped us up 383 stroker small block Chevy that makes 490 horsepower and 492- pound feet of torque. [ engine revving ]
(Brandon)>> Not bad! So let's quit playing around, get the flex plate on, get the transmission bolted in, and get this stuff in the truck.
(Marc)>> Let's do it. [ Music ] The angle looks pretty good.
(Brandon)>> Fit?
(Marc)>> It's in there.
(Brandon)>> Woo!
(Marc)>> Well!
(Brandon)>> It's beginning to look like something.
(Marc)>> We've got all of our links set at the proper length. So all we need to do is get'em in here without scratching them. [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Now that all the links are installed we can go ahead and get the coil overs hung. [ metal clanging ] [ ratchet clicking ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Oh yeah! [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Here we go!
(Marc)>> Last time we were at AOP we got stuck on the mountain, but we've added a ton of cool parts and turned this Suburban into our version of the ultimate off-road machine. [ engine revving ] [ doors squeaking ]
(Marc)>> Well it made it back to where we broke initially very easily?
(Brandon)>> So I'm calling this the starting point.
(Marc)>> So as far as this park goes we've only seen a very small portion maybe, three percent, right?
(Brandon)>> Making sure the parking brake works. It's creaking a little bit. So, we've only seen just the beginning, literally the trail head. We're going to go up past where we were broken down before, see what this park is all about.
(Marc)>> I've already been behind the wheel. You take it.
(Brandon)>> I was going to say it right before you said that. [ Music ] [ engine revving ]
(Brandon)>> Oh yes!
(Marc)>> No problem! [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> With most of the weight of the vehicle on one tire looks like we aired down a little too much.
(Marc)>> Let me get my seatbelt back on before you go again though. We're at like a 30-degree angle here.
(Brandon)>> I want to get out and spot it. With how tall our truck is, we've certainly gotten ourselves stuck in a tight spot and at a tricky angle. Here's the plan.
(Marc)>> You really need to straddle this ditch but you can't because of the tree.
(Brandon)>> So what I'm going to do is I'm gonna put it in reverse, and I'm just going to cut hard passenger, swing it this way, and then kind of come up the hill a little bit. This is doing it man.
(Marc)>> It's doing it. [ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Woo!
So, we've got to change that rear tire out and since we're on such an incline, I'm just going to winch it to a tree just to be safe so the truck don't roll away. Alright, that's good right there. [ Music ] [ drill humming ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Onward!
(Marc)>> Some people may call this broken.
(Brandon)>> I call it bent.
(Marc)>> Just slightly damaged. This setup works.
(Brandon)>> Everything we put in this truck is working the way it should.
(Marc)>> Well, can you imagine turning around and going back down, the way we came up?
(Brandon)>> Going up was an adventure. Wow, what an awesome day.
(Marc)>> Well we have some things to fix when we get back. Enough stuff has gone right today.
(Brandon)>> We need the icing on the cake.
(Marc)>> This calls for a little celebration.
(Brandon)>> I call this successful.
(Marc)>> I don't think this thing's dirty enough.
(Brandon)>> It's definitely not dirty enough. [ engine revving ]
(Brandon)>> Oh, right through the floor.
(Katie)>> You guys make it look easy. Stick around and see what we've got coming up next.
♪
(Narrator)>> Powernation is brought to you by Summit Racing.
(Brandon)>> Depending on your interpretation of unbreakable this one's not broken. It's just bent.
(Marc)>> I mean it doesn't move under its own power anymore because last time we took it out we went to Adventure Off Road Park and let's just say we ran into a couple of issues.
(Brandon)>> Now as far as all the mechanical underneath the truck that's all perfectly fine. It worked exactly the way it should, but I didn't really beef up the rear suspension as well as I should have, and I ripped the bracket off the frame on an obstacle. So that's gonna be one of the first things we want to fix, along with some other little things that went wrong. [ drill humming ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Now where I hit that rock on the outside of the axle out here by the wheel it did two things. One, it bent this coil over bracket and this upper link bracket and frame. Now when I hit the rock it actually just broke the welds cause I didn't fully weld it. That's my bad. So I'm just gonna bend it back over, weld it up, and put a brace on it. It should be just fine.
Dude that is bent! Okay to get that port-a-jack in between the frame rails I'm gonna have to get this driveshaft off. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Why don't you just get them all loose, and I'll come in and help you get them out. [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Got ya! That one! Now that the axle's hanging by the limit straps and supported by these pole jacks we're gonna get the port-a-jack in there and try to straighten that frame out. [ grinder buzzing ] [ welder crackling ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> We're gonna be using the torch to straighten this frame out cause it's got a little S-curve in it. So we're gonna relieve some stress right here and here where you can see where the kinds are, and once we get it heated up Marc's gonna start jacking and try to get this frame straight. [ torch hissing ] [ welder crackling ] [ Music ] [ hammer tapping ] [ Music ] [ grinder buzzing ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Alright, now that we've got our secondary spring in the right spot we'll be able to adjust our jamb nuts once we get the truck down on the ground and all the weight put on these shocks. That way these springs can do their job properly.
(Marc)>> Well Brandon it's time.
(Brandon)>> This is the best part of the build.
(Marc)>> Yeah, the end! [ drill humming ]
(Marc)>> Let's get this thing loaded up and go get it dirty.
(Brandon)>> This is it, taking it back to AOP!
(Marc)>> Yeah you know I didn't think we'd be able to come back here again but I can't wait to get back out here and see what this thing can do the way it is now.
(Brandon)>> Especially since we're going in the mud this time!
(Marc)>> That's where I like to go. Well, we are back here at Adventure Off Road Park in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.
(Brandon)>> It's fixed and we're gonna have some fun.
(Marc)>> Let's do it. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> Go right! [ engine revving ] [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Brandon)>> Woo, hoo, hoo, hoo! [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Broke something! [ Music ] Come out of gear. [ clicking ] ( Brandon)>> Oh we're good. [ engine revving ]
(Brandon)>> This has been one of those projects that like most it's always a ball banger.
(Marc)>> This thing has climbed the mountain…
(Brandon)>> And now it has tackled the mud. What a great day. Woo!
(Katie)>> Unbelievable! I mean sometimes the impossible is actually possible. Remember you can catch all of our great projects right here on Powernation Builds.
