Does the term "Oakley sunglasses" ring a bell? All of those incredibly designed shades, worn at competitions all over the world, have all been designed in this man's office. A week prior to this photo shoot, we spotted Hans Moritz's 1968 Ford Bronco in a parking lot and left a business card on the dash. We had no idea who the owner was but the trick design and solid list of parts kept us wanting to see more. When Hans gave us his work address to meet for the shoot, we were grinning ear-to-ear as we pulled into the Oakley parking lot.inline_mediumwraptextright25405439/features/0912or_1968_ford_bronco_resampled0912or_02_+1968_ford_bronco+tank.jpgTrue

Have you ever ordered sushi at the International House of Pancakes? What about asking for crème brulee at Mickey D's? You're likely to receive a blank stare or a furrowed brow in reply. Rick Curcio, on the other hand, would probably get his order filled. Why is this? Rick persuaded Total Chaos Fabrication, famous for long-travel A-arm suspension systems, to build his solid-axle leaf-sprung Chevy Blazer.inline_mediumwraptextright30941274/features/0912or_1983_chevy_k5_blazer_total_chaos_fabrication0912or_02+1983_chevy_k-5_blazer+ace.jpgTrue

If you have had custom work done to your truck, Jeep or racecar at Off-Road Evolution, then Nate Chisholm has probably worked on your rig. On top of building vehicles for guys like us, Nate also built himself a pretty badass '04 Chevy Silverado prerunner. For most of us, this truck is already done up enough to have plenty of fun. Nate tells us that he has a slew of future plans to make this Chevy faster, stronger and tougher than ever. Round one is already something most of us would love to have parked in our driveway; we can't wait to see where round two leads him.inline_mediumwraptextright26431894/features/0911or_2004_chevy_silverado_prerunner0911or_01_z+2004_chevrolet_silverado+burning_desert.jpgTrue

Scott McCracken grew up riding and racing dirt bikes. A few years back he decided he wanted to build up a go-fast truck for fun and to try his hand at some desert competition. He put the word out that he was looking for a base truck for the project and a friend soon pointed him to a source that had what he was seeking.inline_mediumwraptextright30623928/features/0911or_1977_chevy_c100911or_01_z+1977_chevy_c10+front_view.jpgTrue

What was your first vehicle? A busted-up Toyota Corolla? Dad's barely-running Oldsmobile? Well, for James Holquin, this high-flying Nissan Frontier is not only his first prerunner but also his first ride. Following Desert Racing before he could legally drive meant two things: his first ride was going to be a truck, and this truck must be able to eat whoops for breakfast. Now that his truck is complete, James and his friends have formed a 1450 class race team called Unite. His Frontier serves as a chase vehicle and prerunner and is definitely worth a look.inline_mediumwraptextright30632526/features/0911or_2002_nissan_frontier_unite_team_prerunner0911or_02_z+2002_nissan_frontier+in_mid_air.jpgTrue

It's the end of the year (editorially) for us already, and we've just been looking through some of the past issues that OFF-ROAD put out in 2009. Ya know what? We're pretty happy with the mag's progress, and we hope you are too!inline_mediumwraptextrightDuring our Heavy Metal Weekend in Pismo Dunes, Jerrod Jones caught up with two Eyeball Fabrication sand cars trying to outdo each other. We think this orange one might have won.25414301/features/0912or_best_off_road_shots_of_20090912or_01+2009_best_shots+orange_fabrication_sand_cars.jpgTrue

Working at a shop like All Industries Performance, Chris Jones is used to dealing with modified machines that take a little more skill to operate than the average passenger car. That's why it was no surprise to his family when he dropped off his 2002 Chevy 2500 HD at Off Road Unlimited in Burbank, California, and let them go to town on it right when he got it. To this day, Chris still uses the truck for work, play, and as a daily driver. He's never had any problems with the front end, and though his 38-inch Parnelli Jones Dirt Grips are getting low on tread, they show very little signs of drivetrain and suspension fatigue that would improperly wear tire tread, meaning that his 3/4-ton IFS front end is still holding strong.

John Townsend likes to live dangerously. His passion for high-speed driving and the love of Mexico slammed together into this gorgeous '89 Ford Bronco. Creating a vehicle that could take him to all of the Baja races, prerun the courses, chase down his favorite teams, and make it home safe is not an easy feat. Not a cheap one either! He purchased this Bronco beaten up and bruised for $2,500 and delivered it to Solo Motorsports in Covina, California. Seven months later his dream came to life.

There's unfortunately always been an alarming ratio of guys to girls in the off-road arena. So we always crack our necks when we catch a glimpse of longer hair blowing in the open driver's window of some lifted truck. And if that truck is getting whomped on, it's like adding sugar on top of bacon. We caught up (barely) with Wendi Brod in her 2004 Chevy while she was out playing around in Gorman, California. Wendi and her friend, Emil, built most of the truck themselves and made a nice daily driver for work and play. When the tires started coming off the ground, we grabbed cameras and started shooting.

Specs
Vehicle:
2005 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab Prerunner
Owner:
Jeff Valena
Chassis:
Stock frame fully boxed by DMZ, DMZ bumpers and bedcage
Engine:
1GR-FE 4.0 V-6 with K&N intake and JBA headers
Drivetrain:
OEM
Suspension:
Total Chaos long-travel front suspension with Allied Suspension lift knuckle, DMZ spring-under rear, Fox coilover and bypass shocks.
Front travel:
13 inches. Rear travel: 17 inches.
Steering:
DMZ custom clevis and tie rods
Brakes:
OEM
Tires/Wheels:
35-inch BFG All-Terrain/Walker Evans 17-inch beadlocks
Interior:
OEM
Favorite Off-Road Area:
Mojave Desert, Pismo/Oceano Dunes

Oh man, we've seen those quarter-million-dollar diesel pushers towing fancy sandrails out to the dunes. We've seen palaces-on-wheels, stocked with dirt bikes in the rear sections, flat-towing trucks out to desert destinations. We usually react with bitterness and jealousy. "Those lucky stiffs," we say to ourselves, "they have it so good with their fully stocked fridges, nice beds, and showers. We don't need that stuff-it suits us fine just to rough it." Honestly, we're probably lying to ourselves. Who in their right mind would turn down convenience, comfort, chilled beers and warm beds? Okay, maybe our editor would, but none of the sane staff. We just always figured that kind of stuff was out of our reach when we'd go camping-only rich folk can afford plush RVs, right?

Editor's Note: Staff Sergeant Jeff Bade is currently serving with the Air Force in Iraq right now in sweltering heat. He got this story to us just before he left the states and showed that his talents include not only defending our country but also writing and photographing, as well.

It's flying in our photo, but the first time we spied the Nissley Racing Team and their Jeepspeed Cherokee it was an entirely different situation.

We all have a vision of the perfect daily driver. This big black '07 GMC Sierra is what Doug Hare's dreams are made of. Doug is a transmission specialist and brother to the mind behind Addictive Desert Designs stout bumpers. Doug needed a vehicle that could tow his boat, a race truck, and advertise his brother's bumpers while looking good for the ladies cruising through the dirt.

We've all thought the same thing after hitting a trail for the first time: "How can I make my rig handle better off-road?" Jim Brunett was no exception. Realizing he needed more suspension flex than the factory offered in the Grand Cherokee, he took his WJ over to Jeeps R Us for a much needed off-road capable suspension.

It's amazing what a few small hand tools can do to enhance the off-road capabilities of a rig. The owner of this Ram found out first hand how much articulation he could get out of the solid front axle of his 1999 Dodge Ram 4X4.

When most of us think of off-road trucks, we picture aggressive tires, suspension lifts, and other big mods to make sure we get stuck further out in the sticks than we would in a stock truck. Well, there are still a lot of stockers out on the trails too-even ones that are verging on 50 years old! We were 50 miles outside of the closest real town, on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere when we ran across Paul Ellis in his almost completely stock 1965 Ford F-250 Camper Special. Paul's had the truck ever since 1968, and it's served him well since the day he bought it. To date, the truck has more than 459,000 miles on it, and still hauls Paul and his camper into the sticks whenever he wants to get out of town. Paul has driven this '65 Ford everywhere from the Yucutan Peninsula to the Eastern tip of the United States and back. Needless to say, Paul and this truck have some history together. That's just cool.

James Hable isn't a rock star, he doesn't own 5,000 acres of real estate and his sponsor list contains no companies found outside of his own wallet. He is an off-road guy like many of us, spending days polishing concrete and his weekends tearing through places such as Ocotillo Wells and Plaster City, California. James has a passion for old body style trucks, which is why he decided to create his dream truck out of a '74 Chevy Crew Cab. With the help of Complete Fabrication out of El Cajon, California, this '74 was reborn better than ever.

According to Brad Bontems of Tempe, Arizona, if you have a well-built desert truck you should be able to launch it into the sky. We decided he should put his truck to the test and show us how it's done. Fortunately, Brad's truck has spent some time at the right shops and is loaded up with worthy aftermarket goodies that made his long distance landing a success.

Owning an affordable off-road toy is much easier than it used to be. We are seeing mini versions of the race trucks we all love popping up and some of them have even sprouted their very own race series. If you haven't heard of the T3 from Tiny Trophy Trucks, it's about time you did. Eric Pierce and Bryan Schuette have been in the business of building prerunners, race trucks, dwarf vehicles and high-dollar toys for years. The team wanted to build a vehicle that looked like a mix of a remove control stadium truck and a full-blown Trophy Truck. Something that would work great off road, be safe to drive for nearly anyone and be able to handle hardcore abuse. Take a look and be sure to keep an eye of our them tearing up various UTV Race events soon.

We caught up with Alfonso Zatarian in Ocotillo Wells, California, streaking through the desert with his family loaded up in his '94 Ford Bronco. We found a pretty nice truck hidden under all that fiberglass. We asked Alfonso why he built this truck and his response was, "I truly love off-road racing and I wanted a truck that could transport my family to all of the races in Mexico." With some help from Curry Race Cars in Mexicali, Mexico, he transformed his Bronco in a feature worthy ride that any off-road enthusiast would love to own.

As media professionals, we occasionally get access to some pretty cool things. Ford and Fox held a special sneak preview event in Santa Barbara, California, that we couldn't pass up. The new Ford Raptor SVT was going to make an appearance loaded up with an all-new Fox suspension system. Would this truck live up to all the hype on the Internet? Is it really going to be everything an off-road enthusiast wants? We headed to Santa Barbara to find out for ourselves.

When it comes to super clean daily-driven trucks that can also perform off road, it's hard to not take a close look at Brian MacLean's '07 Toyota Tundra. Brian works for SoCal SuperTrucks, a company based out of San Bernardino, California, that has been known for turning out show quality purpose built trucks that have been gracing magazine covers for years. After owning a supercharged Ford Ranger and a highly modified rock crawling '83 Jeep CJ7, it was time a clean full-size truck ended up in his garage.

For as long as he can remember, Nathan Whitson has had a need for speed. For years he satisfied this need by drag racing alongside his sister, Laura Collins. Whitson kept building and racing cars, culminating in a 1200hp, 8-second Ford Mustang. In 2004 Whitson lost his sister to cancer, and drag racing was just not the same for him. When his friend Anthony Dixon took Whitson to the sand dunes, his need for speed was in full force once again.