A Fortified Custom Crawler Built for the Toughest One-Day Off-Road Race in the Country

Building a race vehicle can mean many different things to different people—from circle-track cars to drag racers. But when it comes to building an off-road race car, it takes a different drive and understanding of performance and durability to create something not only fortified for the abuse the vehicle will certainly have to withstand, but also something competitive in one’s class. For this, many people turn to professional chassis builders, but some take on the daunting project themselves, proving that even a garage builder can create a worthy off-road race vehicle. Patrick Jones’ Death Proof Crawler is one such race rig.

Patrick Jones of Menifee, California, is no new-comer to the off-road world. Having dabbled in everything from drift cars to prerunners since getting his license, Patrick discovered his love for rock crawling many years ago. While he’s built a few off-road rigs in his days, he decided to take it a step further in late 2023 and build a rig to compete in what has been dubbed the toughest one-day off-road race in the country—King of the Hammers.

“To make sure the suspension was up to race spec, Patrick went with Locked Offroad 2.5, 16-inch stroke coilover shocks and air bump stops on all four corners, giving the rig adequate suspension travel to take on both rock obstacles and fast, wide-open desert sections.”

Built for Abuse

TPatrick is what some may call an aggressive driver, as he fully admits he’ll use every bit of his rigs’ cages as sliders to get through rough spots on any given rock trail. That being said, he needed to make sure his race rig was up for the challenge, especially if he was going to race in the Legends Class at King of the Hammers for the first time in 2024. This, as well as the need for more power, and a vehicle that would pass tech and safety inspections is what prompted Patrick to start from scratch and build this one-of-a-kind race rig instead of trying to modify his existing crawler.

Knowing that his race rig would have to be fully reinforced, Patrick started the build by creating a full custom tube chassis with a 118-inch wheelbase. This included 2-inch 0.250 wall A-pillars, B-pillars, halo and main hoop for the utmost strength, going above and beyond what King of the Hammers requires for roll cage tube size. After all, the last thing Patrick wanted to do was to build something that could get damaged during the race and compromise the rig for further competitions. Wanting to give the undercarriage added protection, Patrick bolstered the chassis with ¼-inch steel and 1-inch UHMW skid plates.

To make sure the suspension was up to race spec, Patrick went with Locked Offroad 2.5, 16-inch stroke coilover shocks and air bump stops on all four corners, giving the rig adequate suspension travel to take on both rock obstacles and fast, wide-open desert sections. Trailing arms with 17 inches of travel in front and 30 inches of travel in the rear were also added, in addition to a full hydraulic steering system, making use of a PSC Motorsports steering ram.

“A modified single-cab Toyota Tacoma fit the bill perfectly!”

Race-Built from Tip to Toe

WWith the chassis fully fortified, the engine and drivetrain for the car also had to be of utmost strength. Of course, there was also power output to be considered, so Patrick opted to equip his rig with a 2004 5.3L LM7 V-8 built out with a Brian Tooley Racing Stage 2 V2 truck camshaft, upgraded valve springs, and a high volume oil pump backed by a Moroso accumulator. Fuel for the engine is fed from a 32-gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell with a Radium Engineering universal fuel surge tank, while exhaust is expelled via modified headers and a custom 2 ½-inch exhaust system.

Behind the LM7 engine you’ll find a fully-built 2004 4L80 automatic transmission fitted with a stage 4 kit and reverse manual valve body, cooled by a single 10×11-inch transmission cooler up front and two  5×18-inch dual pass trans coolers in the back. The 3,000-stall torque converter helps give the car adequate power to the ground off the line, while the 4-speed Atlas transfer case gives the rig optimal crawling potential with a 3.8 low-range ratio.

The transfer case spins 1410 ¼-inch wall 2-inch DOM-balanced driveshafts tied to built Yukon Gear & Axle 2005+ SuperDuty 1550 chromoly axle shafts up front via a 10-inch ring gear and Branik U-joints.   A 40-spline axle shaft takes care of business our back via a 14-bolt rearend. Both front and rear are fitted with spool differentials and 4.88 gears.

Sticking with race-ready toughness, Patrick outfitted his rig with 17-inch Dirty Life Canyon Race beadlock wheels wrapped in 37/13.5R17 Maxxis Razr AT tires with 3.5-inch backspacing both front and rear. Braking power for the rig is provided by disc brakes on all four corners, fed by a GM master cylinder and Toyota brake booster.

Standing Out from the Crowd

While every type of race vehicle needs to be built with safety and performance in mind, they also need to have a unique look and personality. With Patrick being a Toyota guy through and through, he wanted to incorporate some of his love for the  brand in his race rig. He also wanted to build the cab so that it had functioning doors, could have a windshield put in, and even be outfitted with air conditioning for hotter races. A modified single-cab Toyota Tacoma fit the bill perfectly!

In addition to the Toyota cab, Patrick outfitted the race car with Xprite USA pod headlights, as well as Project X Offroad secondary lights. The car also features TMR Customs brackets and fire extinguisher mounts, as well as two Superwinch winches—one in the front and one in the rear with additional Gy6 Offroad recovery gear in tow. The black and red color scheme on the car is a vinyl wrap with custom graphics done by both Patrick and his friend Nate, co-producer of Dirt Road Journey off-road videos.

Inside the race car is pretty standard race fare, from PRP Comp Elite suspension race seats to a PRP steering wheel with Motion Pro quick disconnect. The car is also outfitted with a MICTUNING push-button switch panel, Rugged Radios comms system, and a Winter’s Rock Crusher shifter. Air conditioning will come later!

Built to take on King of the Hammers earlier this year, the Death Proof Crawler was built in just five months and proved that even the “little guy” building his own rig in his garage can race one of the biggest off-road races. Unfortunately, Patrick’s rookie year at KOH didn’t quite end with a finish, but we have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of this car at races and out exploring the trails for many years to come!

custom 2-inch chromoly rollcage, which is integrated it into the custom interior flawlessly.

Giving the driver ultimate control of the truck’s direction is a MOMO steering wheel, while a B&M Pro Ratchet shifter makes easy work of manually shifting the truck from the center console. Gauges in the custom dash hail from both Speedhut and Fuel Air Spark Technology, while a full Rugged Radios push-button communication system with AlphaBass headsets make for easy driver.

---

UPGRADES

Custom Death Proof 4800 Legends Class Race Car

Owner:

Patrick Jones
Menifee, California

Chassis & Suspension: Custom Death Proof tube chassis built by owner with 2-inch 0.250 wall A-pillar, B-pillar, halo and main hoop; 118-inch wheelbase; Locked Offroad 2.5, 16-inch stroke coilover shocks and air bump stops; Trailing arms with 17 inches of travel in front and 30 inches of travel in the rear; PRP limit straps; Full hydraulic steering with PSC Motorsports steering ram; ¼-inch steel and 1-inch UHMW skid plates

Wheels & Tires: 17-inch Dirty Life Canyon Race beadlock wheels; 37/13.5R17 Maxxis Razr AT tires with 3.5-inch backspacing both front and rear

Engine & Drivetrain: 2004 5.3L LM7 V-8; Standalone harness; Brian Tooley Racing Stage 2 V2 truck camshaft; OEM GM truck intake; Upgraded valve springs; High volume oil pump Moroso accumulator; 32-gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell with Radium Engineering universal fuel surge tank; Optima batteries; Modified headers to clear front driveshaft; Custom 2 ½-inch exhaust; Fully-built 2004 4L80 automatic transmission; Stage 4 kit with reverse manual valve body; 3,000 stall converter; Winter’s Rock Crusher shifter; 10×11-inch transmission cooler up front and two 5×18-inch dual pass transmission coolers in the rear; Transmission work done by Black Smoke Garage and Maximum Transmissions; 4-speed Atlas transfer case with 3.8 low-range ratio; 1410 ¼-inch wall 2-inch DOM balanced driveshafts; Yukon Gear & Axle 2005+ SuperDuty 1550; chromoly front axle shafts with a 10-inch ring gear and Branik U-joints; 40-spline rear axle shaft; 14-bolt rearend; Spool differentials front and rear; 4.88 front and rear gears; Disc brakes; GM master cylinder; Toyota brake booster

Body & Paint: Xprite USA pod headlights; Project X Offroad secondary lighting; Small part of a single-cab Toyota Tacoma body; Superwinch winches both front and rear with Gy6 Offroad recovery gear; TMR Customs brackets and fire extinguisher mounts; Custom red and black vinyl wrap with graphics from Nate @ Dirt Road Journey and owner

Interior & Stereo: PRP Comp Elite suspension race seats; Death Proof Crawler roll cage; PRP steering wheel with Motion Pro quick disconnect; MICTUNING push-button switch panel; Rugged Radios comms system

---

Editor’s Note: A version of this article appeared in TREAD July/August 2024