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Nolan Scopiak
Meet the Green Bastard
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Al Vandervelde
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Al Vandervelde
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Al Vandervelde
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Al Vandervelde
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Al Vandervelde
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Al Vandervelde
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Al Vandervelde
By Nolan Skopiak
Every boy plays with trucks starting a young age and I was no different. Except that I never let those 4x4 dreams go. I always dreamt of a really big mud machine and at the age of 16 I purchased a 1981 K5 Blazer. With very little cash in my pocket, I traded a CD player and $200 for a set of 40” Gumbo Monster mudders. My wheeling dreams became my obsession.
Unfortunately I had to get rid of that first Blazer, but I soon replaced it with an ’87 GMC Jimmy, followed by a Suzuki Samurai for rock crawling with my brother, Tyler, which later turned into a full on custom rock buggy.
After wheeling for 12 years that boyhood urge for a monster mud truck came back stronger than ever as I eyed up the Stave Lake Mud Flats in British Columbia, just north of Abbotsford. When I saw the ‘For Sale’ thread online for the Green Bastard, something clicked and I knew it was time to build that unstoppable mud machine of my dreams.
When I first bought the Green Bastard it was equipped with a Dana 60 front and 14 bolt full floater rear, 4:10 gears with a rear welded diff. The motor was a 4-bolt main 350, with a TH400 auto and 205 T-case all rolling on a basically brand new set of 44" Super Swamper TSL Bogger’s hung on 6" springs with 3" body lift.
The 350 was tired and got swapped out pretty quick for a fuel injected 496 big block that a buddy had laying around his shop. And that’s how the truck has been wheeled since the spring of 2009 when I bought it, with the exception of replacing broken parts as a result of my heavy foot. I think I’m channeling Dennis Anderson of Grave Digger fame when I'm behind the wheel.
I have always loved Dave Greens’ (Red Deer, Alberta) 2.5-ton Top Truck Challenge winning buggy. When I attended the High Rider Challenge in 2011, I gave it a good look over (in between racing my rock crawler buggy), came home and started collecting parts for my own 2.5-ton Rockwell axle conversion. The end result is that I have built the Green Bastard to handle like my buggy - low, stable, with big power and big tires. I’m more then happy with how the truck performs and anyone who has ridden in it will agree. I've recently entered the Top Truck Challenge 2013, so if you want to see the Green Bastard turned into a crushed pop can vote for me if I make it!
Green Bastards Specs:
- 1987 GMC Jimmy
- 2001 Vortec 8.1L-496 BBC EFI (computer cranked for approximately 450 hp)
- 4" cabin filter intake
- 3" straight piped Dual exhaust
- Duramax Radiator with dual Flex-a-lite fans
- Dual Optima Yellowtop batteries
- DTT (diesel transmission technologies) TH400 with 4L60 billet guts
- Winters shifter
- NP205 T-case
- Custom 1450 drive shafts
- 2.5 ton Rockwell top loader axles, 6.72 gears
- Detroit locker front/welded rear, upgraded front boots and inner axle seals
- Evolution Wilwood pinion brake kits front and rear
- Rear track bar with Evolution Heims
- Custom Chilliwack Spring front 6" springs, Daystar bump stops, Bilstein shocks
- Custom Chilliwack Spring rear springs, shackle reversal, Bilstein shocks
- 3x9” PSC Rockwell steering (behind the axle) kit with upgraded steering lines
- Custom front winch bumper, 16.5 Warn winch
- Custom 16x16 wheels
- 21.5x16 AG tires (45" tall x 22" wide)
- CD player, Rockford Fosgate amp, 2-12" alpine subs, 2-6x9” alpine mids (you always need wheelin tunes)
- Fiberglass cowl hood
- 3" body lift
Outside to outside tire width is 111" and it measures 8'6 to the top of the roof. As good as it is there are still future mods coming soon including a full interior cage, four Suzuki swift GT seats with five point seat harnesses to keep everyone safe while doing wheelies out of the big holes - and maybe some bigger Tires on Ouverson Engineering violator 2" shafts.