When you take cheap 4x4’s on an overland adventure disaster is about to happen. On this Dirt Every Day Fred brings along his buddies on a high desert wheeling trip in their low buck trucks. Along the way they’ll encounter rain
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00:00 This week on Dirt Every Day, it's the return of Cheap Truck Challenge!
00:05 Woo!
00:06 Wait for me, wait for me!
00:08 Before we get into Cheap Truck Challenge, I've got to remind you to check out our brand
00:34 new site, Motortrendondemand.com.
00:36 It's a brand new site, it's full of car racing, car projects, truck builds, adventures, blooper
00:42 reels, lots of cool automotive stuff.
00:44 Check it out, Motortrendondemand.com.
00:54 We are back again with Cheap Truck Challenge.
00:57 This year for Cheap Truck Challenge, we are doing an overland adventure.
01:00 Harry and Brian have a really cool trip laid out for us.
01:03 They've got a bunch of challenges along the way, and I brought Old Blue.
01:07 So Cheap Truck Challenge is a competition between your vehicle and your budget.
01:15 If you're a kid, you're in high school, you're flipping burgers, mowing lawns, and you're
01:19 not making a lot of money but you want to go four-wheeling, this is our event for you.
01:23 The idea is $2,015 to buy something, another $2,015 budget to modify it to go off-road.
01:29 Now you probably remember Old Blue.
01:30 This is the flat fender that we revived in PayWay's backyard a few episodes ago.
01:36 It's under budget and I can do some upgrades to it really cheap.
01:39 First of all, I needed some new seats, and I found these seats out of a forklift.
01:43 I had to build a bracket to mount them in here.
01:46 I did some welding here with a Miller welder.
01:49 I also put a roll bar in because falling over in your Jeep and killing yourself is not as
01:53 much fun as you might think.
01:55 I did add one of these giant HID off-roading lights.
01:58 This one's made by Warn, but I couldn't afford the wiring harness, so I might be able to
02:02 cobble something together, but right now that's all I got.
02:05 Now let the other guys show you what they brought for Cheap Truck Challenge.
02:07 My name is Vern Simons.
02:08 I'm the tech editor from Peterson's 4-Wheeling Off-Road Magazine.
02:12 This is my '99 Kia.
02:14 Kimchi.
02:15 I got some tires from Discount Tire, some new steering parts from Rock Auto, suspension
02:20 kit from Daystar, and locking hubs from Warn.
02:24 But I only paid $1,500 for this fine steed, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.
02:30 My name is Rob Bonney, and this is my first year at Cheap Truck Challenge.
02:34 What I'm bringing is a 1964 Dodge W200 that we scored for $1,100.
02:42 This is very close to the truck that I bought at 14 years old that was a rolling pile of
02:46 junk to rebuild and get running for me to drive.
02:49 So it's pretty close to my heart.
02:51 It's all based on what a 17-year-old should be able to do and what he wants to do.
02:55 So I brought my secret weapon in, a 17-year-old.
02:59 So this is Casey, and he basically put in about 100 plus hours of work into this thing
03:04 and a little bit of money, and we're here to rock and roll.
03:08 I'm Rob Peterson.
03:09 I'm here with my friend Jeep and Joe, slash mechanic, slash co-driver, navigator, jack
03:13 of all trades.
03:15 And this is my 1960 Jeep CJ5 that I bought for Cheap Truck Challenge this year for $1,500.
03:21 I've got some shackles from Daystar, some steering from Omix-Ada to help it kind of
03:26 go down the road a little straighter.
03:28 I got a Warn winch, some cam cans.
03:32 It runs.
03:33 What else do you want?
03:38 So my name is Harry Wagner, and for the second year in a row, I've had the honor of putting
03:42 together Cheap Truck Challenge.
03:45 This year we're going to focus a little less on the challenge.
03:47 Basically the premise here is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to have fun.
03:51 I'll be running tail in the Daystar Super Duty.
03:54 If anyone has any problems, I can just drag them into camp behind my voodoo rope.
03:57 But Brian has put together a route for us today.
04:00 I'm Brian.
04:01 I'm in my '91 Ford Explorer that I built for basically overlanding, this type of stuff.
04:06 We're out here in Arizona.
04:07 I'll be leading the trails.
04:10 We're going from here.
04:11 We're going to find a campsite tonight and do some camping and have a lot of fun.
04:15 These guys don't seem like they have a whole lot of miles on these trucks.
04:17 They kind of just picked them up.
04:18 So I'll be curious to see how they hold together today and if everyone makes it to camp tonight.
04:23 All right, guys, saddle up.
04:25 Let's hit the trail.
04:28 Herding cats.
04:29 So far, I'm very happy with my little Jeep.
04:58 I'm really digging Rob's full-size Dodge.
05:00 That's one of the coolest trucks here.
05:01 I think the kid that's driving it is having a good time.
05:02 He's learning how to do some things.
05:03 Been working on it, learning how to drive a stick shift, which is really neat to see
05:04 that happen.
05:05 Amazingly, the truck has run beautifully all the way from the Phoenix elevations to the
05:06 Ponderosa Pines and stuff that are around us now.
05:07 So it's surprised me, I guess, so far that it's been as reliable as it has been.
05:08 So I'm going to go ahead and get the truck loaded up.
05:09 I'm going to go ahead and get the truck loaded up.
05:10 I'm going to go ahead and get the truck loaded up.
05:11 I'm going to go ahead and get the truck loaded up.
05:12 I'm going to go ahead and get the truck loaded up.
05:13 I'm going to go ahead and get the truck loaded up.
05:39 So we'll talk you through some of our issues we're having now.
05:58 Oh, there's one of them right there.
06:00 Oh, there's another one.
06:01 There we go.
06:02 Oh, yep, and it died.
06:03 Turn the choke off.
06:04 All right, so we're having some fuel issues.
06:15 Keep going.
06:19 Wow, look, it's excited.
06:25 There's some stuff there.
06:26 There is.
06:27 Let me see some flathead screwdriver.
06:28 Good job, Brad.
06:29 I don't know, I'm going to try it.
06:30 Oh, we're getting gasoline.
06:31 Oh, we're getting gasoline.
06:32 You could have just told us how to do this and we would have done this.
06:39 That was awesome.
06:40 What are you doing?
06:41 I spilled some fuel on myself.
06:44 It happens sometimes.
06:45 All right, crank it over.
06:46 It hurts.
06:47 I was trying to prime the gas fuel tank on the carburetor.
06:48 You have a little extra fuel in there, it turns out.
06:49 That was an interesting technique, Vern.
06:50 It's worked in the past.
06:51 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
06:52 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
06:53 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
06:54 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
06:55 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
06:56 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
06:57 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
06:58 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:05 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:14 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:25 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:34 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:35 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:36 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:37 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:38 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:39 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:40 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:41 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:42 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:43 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:44 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:45 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:46 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:47 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:48 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:49 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:50 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:51 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:52 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:53 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:54 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:55 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:56 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:57 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:58 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
07:59 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
08:00 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
08:01 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
08:02 I'm going to try to get the truck loaded up.
08:03 It's going to rain this afternoon.
08:23 Huddle up.
08:34 Huddle up.
08:35 We've had some adversity.
08:36 We've had a little rain out here, but everyone seems to still be moving, which is good.
08:39 You break down.
08:40 This is from the guy with the closed cab.
08:42 You'll notice I am dry and clean.
08:44 Pretty nice.
08:45 We're going to be starting our next challenge, involving navigation.
08:50 So you have the option of working together, or you have the option of working by yourselves,
08:55 and trying to get to our next destination.
08:57 So Brian has some maps and compasses here for you.
09:00 Oh boy.
09:01 Nope.
09:02 No.
09:03 We're not in Timbuktu.
09:04 He's the navigator.
09:05 And it's starting to rain again, so this is going to get interesting.
09:09 Good luck, gentlemen.
09:10 All right.
09:11 Choose wisely.
09:12 There's a few spur roads up here.
09:13 Probably some mud, since it's raining pretty good, and some rocks.
09:16 So have fun.
09:17 Okay.
09:18 We'll see you towards the end.
09:19 Bonus points for anyone who can tell me which direction is north right now.
09:23 It's actually that way.
09:26 Over there.
09:27 That way.
09:29 [Engine starting]
09:32 [Engine revving]
09:36 [Engine revving]
09:40 [Engine revving]
09:43 [Engine revving]
09:47 [Engine revving]
09:51 [Engine revving]
09:55 [Engine revving]
09:59 [Engine revving]
10:03 [Engine revving]
10:08 [Engine revving]
10:11 [Engine revving]
10:15 [Engine revving]
10:19 [Engine revving]
10:23 [Engine revving]
10:27 [Engine revving]
10:31 Oh, it's beautiful out here.
10:36 We should camp here.
10:37 Let's camp here.
10:38 I say we camp here.
10:41 Well, I hope we don't get lost now that we're using the map as a...
10:46 Blinky.
10:48 Blinky.
10:49 [Laughing]
10:50 As an afghan.
10:51 [Laughing]
10:52 Well, this thing doesn't work.
10:54 It always points the same way.
10:55 So put that one away.
10:56 Never lost.
10:57 Never lost.
10:58 Dude, that's the name of my next garage band.
11:00 Never lost.
11:01 Hello.
11:03 We've been touring since 1986.
11:05 It never lost.
11:06 [Music playing]
11:09 [Crickets chirping]
11:34 [Music playing]
11:38 [Engine revving]
11:41 [Engine revving]
11:45 [Engine revving]
11:49 [Music playing]
11:53 [Engine revving]
12:03 [Engine revving]
12:06 All right, nature.
12:14 Entertain me.
12:15 Well, we've made it to our first destination, our camp for the night.
12:18 So now everyone will see just how prepared they are.
12:22 Did they bring their sleeping bags, their tents?
12:24 We're going to see who's prepared and who isn't.
12:27 It's a friction fire only night.
12:30 We have to create fire using sticks.
12:33 Hold this.
12:35 Do it like this, watch.
12:36 You can feel it.
12:38 It's a bit warmer.
12:39 It got hotter.
12:40 I can breathe it heavier.
12:42 What'd you guys get?
12:47 Southern Stand for a hot ocean.
12:49 Oh yeah, that's going to be delicious.
12:52 This is going to be good.
12:54 Oh yeah, it's like a smorgasbord.
12:59 [Music playing]
13:02 Folded down the back seat, and then I folded down,
13:20 I removed the headrest from the passenger side front seat and folded that down.
13:24 And I kind of slept like this.
13:28 I slept.
13:29 It's not highly recommended by anybody who knows anything,
13:34 but beats not sleeping.
13:37 We packed in some tents.
13:41 I had a big four man, Rob had a little baby one man.
13:44 And set them up and slept awesome.
13:48 I slept okay.
13:49 There was a rock I didn't see.
13:51 I slept in my tent cap.
13:53 It was pretty good.
13:54 I did hear the chupacabra at about two in the morning.
13:59 I think it was just a bird.
14:01 It might have been a bird snoring.
14:02 Things didn't get too rowdy around the campfire.
14:05 Some accommodations were better than others.
14:07 Rob had that full size truck, so he was able to bring a palace with him,
14:12 everything he would need.
14:13 But all that sheet metal might work against him when we get into tighter trails.
14:17 We're just loading up and about ready to get started on day two.
14:21 [Music]
14:25 [Music]
14:29 [Music]
14:32 [Music]
14:50 [Music]
14:53 So you're all still here.
15:01 That's good.
15:02 Everyone's made it so far.
15:03 We've covered a lot of miles, washboard roads, some issues,
15:07 but we're all still together.
15:09 Now you're going to have your biggest challenge yet, though.
15:11 We're going to go up this wash that is full of boulders.
15:15 I need two Eaton Detroit lockers or a TrueTrak.
15:20 Vern's Kia doesn't have very low gears.
15:22 The power wagon is getting hot.
15:25 The little blue Jeep has been getting hot the whole trip and doesn't run very right,
15:29 and my flat fender has open diffs,
15:32 so none of us are actually qualified rock crawlers at this point.
15:36 But we will be by the end of this trail, hopefully, or broken.
15:39 All right, Vern, you're up. Break something.
15:41 Okay.
15:42 That's it right there. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
15:45 There she goes.
15:49 Go, go, go. Climb, little truck.
15:51 Full-size power wagon.
16:01 Professional rock crawler.
16:03 Yep.
16:05 I need more rock.
16:08 Okay. Hold, hold, please.
16:10 I'm freezing.
16:11 Try that.
16:14 Climb, little Jeep.
16:22 Rock kind of bouncer.
16:34 Woo-hoo.
16:35 My front tire's spinning and my rear tire's spinning,
16:50 but I'm not really climbing.
16:53 You got to really bang it through these things.
17:01 [engine revving]
17:03 I wish I had a Detroit.
17:11 Oh.
17:15 Okay, so the Jeep stopped running again.
17:24 Happens.
17:25 So to get over this obstacle,
17:27 I'm going to use my handy-dandy Warn winch that I got for Jeep Truck Challenge
17:30 and get myself out.
17:32 You really don't want to wrap your winch line or cable around a tree
17:36 because it can scar the tree.
17:38 It'll pinch.
17:39 Plus, it can kink your cable if you loop it around and hook it back to itself.
17:42 So you use a tree saver.
17:44 These guys got a recovery sack from ARB.
17:47 Okay.
17:50 [engine revving]
17:52 Little driver.
18:03 8,000-pound winch, 3,000-pound Jeep.
18:09 [engine revving]
18:12 [crash]
18:17 [music]
18:19 [engine revving]
18:23 [crash]
18:25 [crash]
18:27 [crash]
18:29 What the hell is that?
18:32 We're good.
18:39 That's the good part about an old truck.
18:41 Body work you can do yourself.
18:43 [engine revving]
18:46 [crash]
18:47 [engine revving]
18:50 We're getting the booty rope to hook up.
19:00 Help pull me off this rock.
19:02 [music]
19:14 Well, that's about it for Jeep Truck Challenge.
19:16 We're having a good time on a nickel and dime.
19:18 We got Team Blue right here running out of gas and not really running at all.
19:22 Vern's got the Kia hung up and Rob's yanking him with his voodoo rope.
19:27 And old Blue is still running, sort of.
19:30 I think it's time for a cold drink and some shade.
19:33 You guys all right up there?
19:36 I'm very stuck right now.
19:38 Well, I guess Vern was between a rock and a hard place.
19:42 [crash]
19:43 Yeah.
19:44 Ran out of talent? Ran out of luck? We don't know.
19:47 It is Vern.
19:49 [music]
19:51 We'll see you next time on Do It Every Day.
20:01 [engine revving]
20:03 [music]
20:12 Yeah. Nom, nom, nom.
20:14 Mmm. Caveman.
20:19 This shirt's only going to last me three more days.
20:27 Boom.
20:31 I got all the food groups right there.