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LetzRoll Offroad gets the chassis rolling
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A lonely Jimmy’s chassis looking for a home
Words and Photos by Brady Melville of Pathmaker Productions
The Risky Business rig started out like many projects, as a pile of parts and a dream. And the dream was to wheel an Ultra4 caliber buggy in Moab, southern California, and back home on Vancouver Island. Owner Randy Jenkins has owned multiple built Jeep’s over the years, but he felt it was time to step into a fully built tube-chassis buggy. He started by collecting parts sourced from various friends in the offroad industry across North America. A local shop began fabrication of the custom chassis but after multiple delays, the shop went out of business mid-build, the project stalled and the search for a chassis began anew.
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Bringing Risky Business home
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Proud owners Randy and Elizabeth Jenkins
During a trip to King of the Hammers in 2017, Randy had a conversation with the owner of LetzRoll Offroad, Andrew McLaughlin, about his large pile of fancy parts with no chassis. Andrew happened to know of a brand new Jimmy’s 4x4 chassis. It was time to join the Jimmy’s Army and let LetzRoll get the chassis rolling. Then Randy could bring it back to Canada and get it finished up by a local friend and Offroad shop GOT 4x4. Building a fully custom offroad rig never easy - the majority of the parts were still in Canada - so Randy flew home, loaded all the parts that he had collected into his truck and trailer, and drove them to Arizona.
Andrew and the gang set to work turning the project into a roller, while leaving the electrical, plumbing and finishing work to be done back home. A few short weeks later Randy flew back to Phoenix, picked up the now rolling Jimmy’s chassis, his truck and trailer, and drove the rig back to Vancouver Island. With Randy’s friend Daryl working on the wiring through the summer, the buggy started to come together. With such comforts as heated Beard seats, a Lowrance GPS, Rugged Radio intercoms and radio, Rigid light bars and strobe, the rig was built so that it could run King of the Hammers (which is not in the plans, but I’ll make sure to keep bugging him) but also be comfortable for a long day of trail wheeling. With the electrical finalized it was off to GOT 4x4 for Lance Don to get it ready for the trails.
With a parts inventory that reads like a Christmas wish list, Risky Business has a 565 hp cammed LS3 motor, bolted it to a beautiful Reid TH400 transmission, and a 3-speed Stak transfer case inside the Jimmy’s Trail Series Chassis. All that power goes to his Currie Rock Jock Super 60 axles with ARB Air Lockers, RCV 300m axles, and 5.38 gears. Bolted to the axles are chrome Walker Evans 17” beadlocks and 43” Interco SX Stickies, which are a big tire, but seem to work fantastic in his local Vancouver Island terrain, as well as on the slick rock in Moab or Johnson Valley. Helping turn the tires is a Howe Steering fully hydraulic double-ended ram steering system. To keep the ride comfortable, Randy has added some 2.5” ADS coil over shocks and air bumps, as well as a rear Currie AntiRock bar to keep the rear tires firmly on the ground. Beautiful 2” aluminum links from LetzRoll and super tough EMF Heim Joints round out the suspension. With WARN winches front and rear running Factor55 winch shackles; Randy is ready for any obstacle on the trail. Shiny chrome panels and a custom orange wrap on the hood from Ryan del Ponte of Redline Projects with the name RISKY BUSINESS round out the buggy.
Getting it finished just hours before leaving for KOH 2018, Randy has already taken it through most of the trails at the Hammers and down to Moab to do a ton of trails at Easter Jeep 2018. At less than six months old, it already had quite the offroad pedigree.
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Brady Melville
Winter test run
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Ready for the trails
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Brady Melville of Pathmaker Productions made a fantasy a reality by leaving corporate construction to pursue a career as offroad photographer and videographer. Share in his adventures offroad at www.pathmakerproductions.com and www.youtube.com/pathmakerproductions for a front row seat on his next journey.
Thank You to:
- AJ Polishing & Detailing – panels and detailing
- Brady’s Powder Coating
- LetzRoll Offroad – Andrew McLaughlin & Matt Hinitt
- Jimmys 4x4 –Randy Rodd
- Genright Off Road – Tony Pellegrino
- Lordco Auto Parts – support
Special Thanks to:
- Elizabeth Jenkins- wife putting up with yet another build
- Darryl Janes- thanks for all your help
- Got 4x4 – Lance & Pat - the support crew