Off Road 2nd Annual Heavy Metal Weekend

Hey! It's our old Sport-Trac project. Now driven by our pal Kenny from South Bay Truck, the thing performed way better than it did when we had it!

This was one of the coolest first-gen Tundras we've come across. Central Coast Prerunners sure knows how to build a truck!

Former OFF-ROAD Publisher Jeff Dahlin piloted The Juice, getting tires in the air every chance he got. For the first time in recent memory, nothing broke on this Bronco.

Our pal Dennis Gregory owns Xtreme Unlimited, a full-service 4x4 shop just a few blocks from the dunes. He helped Nathan James build this rig, which is actually a fuel-injected, small-block V-8-powered classic Bronco mated to a Bronco II body.

Blazers made quite a showing at Heavy Metal Weekend. This trick '72 is owned by Ryan Burke of Campbell, California. It features a Dana 60 in front, with an ARB locker and 4.56 gears (the rearend is a 14-bolt with a Detroit Locker). Ryan recently put a Z06 Corvette LS2 under the hood.

This '82 Blazer featured a similar engine and drivetrain, and its owner, Kevin, set it up with a four-link in the rear and a three-link in the front, dampened by Fox coilovers.

It's not every day we get to see dueling Blazers on a sand-drag mission!

Kevin from KORR UTV Rentals brought out his custom RXR-S that KORR rents out, along with a lifted Denali and trailer to pull the UTV into the sand.

Word about the weekend spread to FullSizeBronco.com. A couple of BroncoSpeeders (Steve and Billy) showed up with expertly-built rigs to run the dunes with The Juice.

When playing in the sand, it's inevitable: someone's going to dig in and bury the tires.....

.....Usually, ultra-low tire pressure can help avoid this (and sometimes rectify it), but in other cases,....

.....there's no salvation better than a buddy with a tow strap. We had almost as much fun yanking people out as.....

....we did watching them get stuck. Did we ever need a pull?....

.....You bet! There's no shame in requesting a pull when you're at the dunes.

Here, ex-Publisher Dahlin tries to keep up with Editor Jones' beast of a Blazer. "That's it. I'm going to have to get nitrous," Dahlin said afterward.

Off-Road personality Mac McMillan danced his strange ceremonial waltz around the campfire. "It's all a tribute to Michael Jackson," he explained.