Unsafe Off Road Trucks - Don't Build Like This!

Before I start, let me just say that I am not singling out, nor blackballing any company. And in fact this type of truck is the fault of either the truck owner or the shop that modified it. But it absolutely turns me red when I see something like this rolling down the highway. In this particular case, a poor guy who knew nothing about trucks bought this used, pre-built truck from a car dealer. It was probably at the dealership because the last owner quickly realized how crappy it drove and traded it in on something decent. I have no knowledge as to who originally built this truck, nor do I know (or want to know) where this package came from. All I know is that if we do not regulate ourselves within the off-road industry, you can be sure that the government will eventually step in and do it for us. And I can promise you that no company, nor enthusiast, will like the government's way of doing things. I think that a little education and more (industry) internal regulation can stop vehicles like this from ending up on the roads.

This pictured scenario is the result of someone trying to fit giant tires onto an inadequate platform (inadequate to accept such a large tire) and mixing a variety of methods to do so. The big problem is that doing things like combining lifts and adding spacers and wide-offset wheels can allow a builder to fit a tire that is clearly too big for the suspension, drivetrain, brakes, and steering to handle. At that point, the vehicle becomes unsafe to drive. That may be okay for a show truck, but not for a street-driven rig.

1. This is the way this truck showed up at my friend's shop. When the tire/wheel/unit bearing broke off, the knuckle hit the pavement and was ground down beyond use. Really, the owner was lucky that's all that happened.
1. This is the way this truck showed up at my friend's shop. When the tire/wheel/unit bear
2. Not only did this truck have a massive lift, it also had wheel spacers. The safety of spacers has been debated for a long time. In most cases, wheel spacers are very well built and don't cause a problem for an owner that uses them. They do increase leverage and increase steering scrub, but so does a wheel with a wide offset. This pictured problem is not with the wheel spacers themselves, but the fact that they've been applied to an already-weak front end. The wheel spacers may have helped get the tire-and-wheel package onto the truck, but it definitely is adding stress and leverage on that front end.
2. Not only did this truck have a massive lift, it also had wheel spacers. The safety of s
3. Here's the other side of the truck (the one that didn't break, yet). Clearly, the brakes are inadequate for this big of tire and wheel.
3. Here's the other side of the truck (the one that didn't break, yet). Clearly, the brake

This is not to say that large tires are dangerous, by the way! One-ton Dodge or Ford trucks are more than capable of handling the same size tire that's adorning this compact truck. But that's because they have much larger drivetrain, steering, braking, and suspension components that can handle the added load that a large tire puts on a truck.

Do you know how I came across this particular truck? The front 2WD unit bearing's studs had broken off and allowed this truck to hit the ground, knuckle first, and ground part of the knuckle off. A tow truck brought it straight to my friend's shop to see what he could do. The scared owner had no clue that the truck he had just bought a week before was unsafe. And now, with little money left in his pocket, he doesn't know what to do.

4. "Hmm, I know how to hide the massive vibrations that will come from the overly-large tires and insufficient steering. Let's put a steering stabilizer on each knuckle!" Please note my sarcasm. Also, please note the steering fix for the tie rods. Rod ends and tubing were used to adapt to the rack-and-pinion's original tie rods instead of completely replacing them. Nice attempt, but unfortunately now they've guaranteed that the breaking point in the tie rods will be where the tiny little factory tie rod link meets their "custom" steering extension.
4. "Hmm, I know how to hide the massive vibrations that will come from the overly-large ti
5. Honestly, I cannot believe this sway bar had been cut and sleeved. I am assuming that this was done because the suspension kit makes the track width so much wider that the sway bar was too narrow. All I know is that the first time you cut, torch, weld, or dent your sway bar, you alter the spring rate and effectiveness of the sway bar. Oh, and adding hollow, umpteen-inch-tall sway bar drop brackets can pretty much make sway bars useless anyways. Also, notice the welded-on alignment cams at the lower A-arms.
5. Honestly, I cannot believe this sway bar had been cut and sleeved. I am assuming that t
6. Here's a closer look at one of those alignment cams. These are used, from the factory, to align the front end and keep the vehicle moving as smoothly as it can down the road. Do you know why they make this mounting point adjustable? So you can realign the vehicle. How do you properly realign it once the cam has been welded?
6. Here's a closer look at one of those alignment cams. These are used, from the factory,

Please do everyone (including me, my staff, and the entire off-road community) a giant favor and help keep unsafe truck builds off the road. If you see one, don't be afraid to help educate the owner a little bit. The chances are that he/she has no idea how unsafe the vehicle really is; otherwise he/she wouldn't be risking his/her own neck in it. Unsafe trucks are not lost causes, but they do need to be fixed by either installing smaller tires, adding larger components, or fixing whatever is built incorrectly.