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| Cedar City, UT - May 2000 | Short Cuts | ||||
| by: Joshua Lowenstein |
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Durham Smokes the Competition in Cedar City
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| Chris and Moose collect their trophies
after winning by an unheard-of 31 points.
Joshua Lowenstein |
In Cedar City, UT, Chris Durham won a round of the Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling Championships. He attributed his rock crawling success to the skill and strength of his spotter Kevin 'Moose' Nalley -- and keeping his CJ10 simple. I know from watching that this is only part of the story... because when Chris is at wheel, he handles his rig like an extension of his mind. He knows when to "bump it" and when to crawl it. Trust me, when Chris says, "Get out the way, I'm a-gonna bump it," he means it! He launches and flies over obstacles with the same type of control a surfer has when riding the pipeline of a thirty-foot wave -- close to edge, yet with the full ability to hold it together.
Chris will modestly tell you, "Back in South Carolina, I'm the runt amongst my 4x4 club. Most of these guys have years more time behind the wheel and make obstacles that I'm still try'n to". "There is this one fellow named Randy Sloan, who makes me look like a novice. He's 54 years old and with the exception of one spot called the 'waterfall,' he makes me look plain bad." Chris told me about the competition between his club buddies on the trail, "When a guy makes it up a tough spot the rest of the gang must also, or keep trying until they make it or break it. If they just give up, don't roll it, break it or smash it, we never let them live it down."
Given that type of competitive relationship with his fellow hometown wheeling buddies, it's no wonder that Chris goes all out when he's up against the best drivers/rigs the country has to offer, at the Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling Championships.
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| The CJ10 just about filled the width of
Stage 7 of Course B.
Randy Burleson |
Chris and Moose made short work of the
bouldered ravine.
Randy Burleson |
The CJ10 articulates well, and the long
wheelbase stretches wheels out toward traction.
Randy Burleson |
Aircraft Tug to Championship Chariot...
Chris' 1985 Jeep CJ10 started out life as a two-wheel drive airplane tug at an air force base. The blue- and black-striped Jeep sports massive axles at either end, and an equally massive 401 driving a built-up TH400 tranny, split with an iron 205 transfer case. The entire drivetrain mounts low in the frame -- the engine-driven fan only actually fans the bottom half of the stock-mounted radiator. A custom-fabricated adapter clocks the transfer case up just past horizontal to allow this low-slung powertrain decent clearance.
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| All smiles after a big win.
Joshua Lowenstein |
Chris removed the whole floor of the CJ10's bed area. I asked Chris if that was for weight concerns, but he replied, "Nope, it's for seeing -- I can see when my diff is about to be hung up, or if my rear tires are exactly where I want 'em." Its little things like that that makes the difference betwen leading and following in the tight quarters atop the ARCA hill.
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| Chris pilots up onto the ledge prior to the
squeeze between the cracks on Stage 6 of Course A, in Cedar City.
Randy Burleson |
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| A spotter like Moose could turn an 18-wheeler
in its own length.
Randy Burleson |
The CJ10's 111-inch wheelbase is great for inclines, like in Farmington, but can be a bit of a handicap for flatter courses, like Cedar City. With a big fellah like Moose spotting, and throwing his muscle on one end of the Jeep, this turns out to be less of a handicap. Chris has been known to call Moose "my own version of rear wheel steer."
The CJ10's carbureted 401 AMC powerplant has a Q-jet carb sitting backward on the intake manifold. Chris calls it 'Redneck Fuel Injection,' noting that, "It works, so why make it more complicated." Chris also told me that he had blown up his engine just a week before departing on the trip to Cedar City. He said that he had a helluva time getting a machine shop to build a replacement in time. The engine that powered him to victory in Cedar City only had 5 hours of run time before it powered the Jeep up onto the trailer for the long drive west. Cutting it fine is all part of the fun, I guess.
Down-to-Earth Driving ExperienceI arrived in Cedar City just in time to watch a fellow come up to Chris and request an autograph. Without hesitation, and with characteristic South Carolina hospitality, Chris signed the magazine and even took the time to pose for a picture.
| The plans for this 2.5-ton rig target massive weight reduction. Chris may show up with a tube frame, with the powertrain set well back for better weight distribution. He's talking about body panel lightening that starts with losing the hood and takes him well in the direction of funny car's hinged fiberglass body. The Dana 70 is scheduled to be yanked in favor of a high-pinion, reverse-cut Dana 60 spinning flanged axles and non-Hummer rims. |
Chris thinks that his biggest driving asset may be more than a thousand hours of time spent in this Jeep's seat in the woods around his home. This is his competition Jeep, but it is also his primary 4x4. He's been 'wheeling this truck in nearly the same configuration for years. The truck is well-proven, and the consistent performance of the team shows it. Chris describes his truck as a 'junkyard jeep,' and credits the original manufacturers with sound, strong engineering. He notes that OEM manufacturers do much more development and testing than even the best aftermarket manufacturers do. The OEM engineers may have never imagined this ultimate usage for their stock parts, but I doubt that the Jeep engineers that designed the CJ10 as a 2WD aircraft tug expected their truck to compete in extreme 4x4 contests.
Chris notes a basic difference in driving, that he thinks may give him an advantage over other drivers. East Coast 'wheeling is mud and slick rocks, and you learn to judge and balance wheelspin, wheelspeed, and momentum. He loves to 'wheel in the rain, and is probably the only person at an ARCA event that is praying for precipitation!
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Freshly-built AMC 401 engine Backwards-mounted Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carb Turbo 400 with a B&M 2200 stall torque converter 205 T-case Rear full-float Dana 70 with Detroit Locker, Moser axles, stock 4.88 gears Front high-pinion Dana 60 with Detroit Locker and 4.88 gears 37x16.5 Goodyear M/T Tires or 38" Swampers on Hummer wheels |
Chris co-owns Foothills 4x4 with Ken Shupe and Chris Sonen, in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. They specialize in building 4x4s that get used hard off-road. Axle upgrades, custom axles, straight axle conversions, full-width axles, fuel-injected engine swaps, you name it - they can do it. After building a championship rock crawler out of an airplane tug, most other things should be easy. Call 'em up at 864-834-9960. |
4x4Wire AGR pump, box, & slave-cylinder assist Powertrainers, Engine and tranny Suspension: Trailmaster Suspension Tom Woods driveshafts Tractech Lockers |
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