Over the years, we've met countless people on the trail who end up becoming good friends. Barry Brummett is one of those people who any of us would be happy to call a wheeling buddy. Not only does he have years of experience behind the wheel, but he is one heck of a nice guy as well. After spending dozens of hours building his previous '93 Jeep TJ and bashing it through mile after mile of treacherous terrain, Barry felt it was time to build something that would take him to the next level of off-roading. To feed his hunger for dirt and rocks, he knew it was going to take more than an ordinary Jeep-body vehicle - this new masterpiece would have to be a rock buggy, and its performance must be second to none.
First things first, Barry turned to good friend Doug Cates and asked him to help design and build the chassis for his new rig. Without hesitation, Doug offered to lend his expertise, and after just a short couple of months the project was under way.
First, the chassis was built on 2x3-inch, 3/16-inch-thick steel using 1-3/4-inch DOM tubing all around. With that kind of construction, this rig is strong enough to get through some of the harshest trails Arizona has to offer.
Under the hood is a '94 Chevy LT1 pushing close to 400 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. If that doesn't put a smile on your face, you need to take up another sport. The block is cast, running factory aluminum heads with an Eagle Racing chrome-moly crank and LT4 hot camshaft. As if that wasn't enough power, he has also added a NitrousWorks 175 nitrous package for that extra get-up-and-go. A Ron Davis aluminum radiator is called to action for cooling tasks. Other additions include a Melling high-pressure oil system, an Optima RedTop battery, an MSD ignition system, and three inline fuel pumps.
The TH400 Chevy transmission gets shifted using an Art Carr race-style shifter with a custom-built short-throw shift kit. The Atlas II transfer case sports a Low-range ratio of 3.8 and has also been beefed up to run a 32-spline front output shaft.