Hailing from tiny Gibbon, Nebraska, doesn't exactly put suitable rockcrawling at your doorstep. Gibbon is better known for deep topsoil and the flatness of the fertile Platte River Valley farmland. Tucked amidst the lush cornfields of this most unlikely location is one of the hottest extreme rockcrawling rigs, and one of the sport's most dominating drivers.
Joel Randall and his spotter Mike Vokoun have been involved in the highest level of competitive extreme rockcrawling since the sport's very inception. When the first formal competition was held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, back in late 1998, Joel and Mike were there with a Top 5 finish. They've finished in the Top 10 in the Rock Crawlers Association of America (RCAA) series standings each of the last three years. The number three on Joel's current ride signifies a strong Third Place finish in the final RCAA standings last year, and the team is once again gunning for the top spot this season.
Joel put together an entirely new vehicle for the 2003 campaign. This highly successful creation is based on the success of two predecessors, Joel's own observations, and some mighty shrewd speculation as to where the sport of extreme rockcrawling is heading. In Joel's mind, keeping a vehicle as light as possible and maximizing its stability are key factors to success, and his latest rig clearly illustrates that emerging trend.
The vehicle started with a minimalist approach: a 1.5-inch DOM-tube frame, using just enough material to provide a safe, rigid platform. While designing and bending up the frame, Joel made every effort to keep the ride height as low as possible, while still allowing the necessary clearance to successfully evade the big rocks on the courses. The structure is intended to provide absolutely no catch points between the front and rear differentials as everything is tucked up tight and flush with the framerails. To ensure that nothing snags on this flat belly, a slick poly-liner covers the entire bottom of the vehicle.
Up front, the low-slung frame supports an all-aluminum 3.7L V-6. This engine, affectionately dubbed the Shortstar by its adherents, is the shorter and lighter brother of the exotic Northstar inhabiting Cadillac engine compartments. Joel procured the engine and its custom management system from Turn Key Engine Supply in Oceanside, California. In keeping with the theme of stability, Joel reports that the crank on this engine sits a full 8 inches lower than on his previous ride.
The engine feeds its power back into a custom TF 904 transmission that started life behind a 2.8L V-6 in an early XJ (remember those?). With its original quasi-GM application, the tranny bolts directly to the GM powerplant. Propulsion is split and amplified through the ubiquitous Atlas II transfer case with a 4.3:1 reduction and a heavy-duty front output shaft. High Angle Driveline in Paradise, California, supplied the extreme-duty 1350 CV driveshaft that sends the power to a Currie-built Dana 60 rear axle. Up front, Currie whipped up one of its high-zoot shaved 9-inch differentials with some extreme gusseting, F-450 outer ends, 35-spline chrome-moly outer shafts, and CTM U-joints.
The axles are both located with a Joel-designed and -built custom three-link setup. Specially valved Sway-A-Way 14-inch coilover shocks handle the suspension and damping duties. The team runs 40-inch Goodyear M/TR tires on Allied wheels with both inner and outer bead locks. It makes mounting and unmounting tires an incredible pain, but there are never any worries about losing a bead at an inopportune time.