Bilstein's Shane Casad dropped some pre-Expo hints about the new 9300-series bypass shock. "It looks like something out of a science-fiction movie," went the claim. We weren't disappointed. The 9300, dubbed the Blackhawk, is a revolutionary design in the world of hard-core off-road shocks. The Blackhawk uses an aluminum shock body for light weight and quick heat dispersal. Aluminum's high heat-dispersal rate is augmented by using cooling fins on the shock body, keeping the shocks running as much as 100 degrees cooler than comparable-size steel-bodied bypass shocks. Cool-running shocks provide more consistent suspension action and allow a truck to maintain speed in the rough. In the past, aluminum shock bodies were a disadvantage because the bores wore more quickly than steel. The Blackhawk's answer to this drawback is a special hard coating on the piston bore. The coating is so hard that it can't be cut with a hacksaw, or even with lathe tooling. Anything else? The Blackhawk's bypass tubes have distinct detents, making tuning easier and more accurate. The remote reservoir uses an anticavitation valve, allowing nitrogen to run at low pressures, which further promotes smooth, consistent shock action. We're sure that the only thing better than eyeing the Blackhawks will be riding in a Blackhawk-equipped truck.
Dynatrac's Pro Rock 60 is tough to beat. Combining the ruggedness of a 9-3/4-inch ring gear with the strength of 332-X U-joints, the Pro Rock 60 actually has more ground clearance than a standard-issue Dana 44. Dynatrac can build a Pro Rock 60, standard Dana 60, Dana 44, and its beyond-overkill Dana 70 and Dana 80 axles to customer's needs, including widths, wheel bolt patterns, suspension-attachment points, and traction-aiding devices. Yes, all this performance does come at a price, but off-roaders who choose to lighten their wallets at Dynatrac come away with smiling faces.
Sway-A-Way's red RaceRunner shock lineup has been expanded, with models featuring piggyback reservoirs that rotate 360 degrees for easy mounting. This ultra-cool 4-inch external-bypass model is also a new addition to the product line. The girth of the shocks and extra volume of oil that goes along with the added diameter promise fade-free performance on the heaviest of off-road trucks. The size was impressive, but we thought you'd be even more impressed with a close-up view of the gorgeous TIG welds that fuse the bypass tubes together.
There's big, and then there's just plain huge. On the left is a stock-size heavy-duty axleshaft. A Trophy Truck axleshaft looms to the right in its full-floating gun-drilled glory, courtesy of Chrisman. The price? If you have to ask, you probably can't afford one. We were about to inquire, but remained silent and saved some embarrassment. | 
This space-age aluminum cylinder is another way to lower your Low-range gearing beyond what's reachable in stock form. The Klune-V planetary reduction box sandwiches between the transmission and transfer case and provides a double-compound Low-range in addition to the stock 4-Hi and 4-Lo transfer-case ratios. The Klune-V also allows transfer-case clocking. |
At the 2003 MDR Wild Wash 250, Camburg Racing cartwheeled its Prerunner-class entry in spectacular fashion along Pit Row. Although the truck looked mangled and had in fact sustained significant component damage, the main structure and much of the suspension was still usable. Camburg has brought Number 1475 back to life and has added an infusion of V-8 power. Although it was spotless at the Expo, this truck gets dirty on a regular basis. | |