We've seen the Internet threads and heard the rumors. We know that there are a lot of great buildups going on, and we'd like to bring those buildups to our pages. We're testing the waters this month, and depending on future response, "Rides in Progress" may become a regularly featured department similar to (but not replacing) Off-Road Rides.
This month's Ride in Progress is now underway in Gardnerville, Nevada. Brothers Danny and Brad Bolton are hard at work transforming a rolling chassis from McNeil Off-Road into a competitive Class 7 desert weapon.
We decided a short Q&A session would be the best way to tell the story. Here are the questions we posed, along with the answers Danny provided:
Q: How will your truck be used after your build is completed?
A: We will be competing in Class 7 Open in the 2006 BITD season and the 2006 Tecate SCORE Baja 500 and Baja 1000.
Q: Will the truck still be street-legal?
A: Not as of right now, but we'd like to make it street-legal in the future.
Q: How long have you been building it?
A: We've been building the truck for about three months.
Q: How much of the work are you doing yourself? Who else is helping you?
A: We built the full 'cage ourselves and are also assembling the truck. McNeil Off-Road built the chassis. FiberwerX is making the fiberglass and dash. Shaffer's Off-Road in Carson City, Nevada, is making all the aluminum panels.
Q: Where is the buildup taking place?
A: In our shop in Gardnerville, Nevada.
Q: What have you learned most about during the buildup?
A: Patience, lots of patience.
Q: If you were starting over, what would you do differently next time?
A: Take our time... and rob a bank.