Input on building the best rock crawler comes from Jeep owners, of course.
The father-son team of Doug and Brad Deberti are the hosts of Discovery Channel’s Twin Turbos, and on a recent episode, they transform a battered JK Wrangler into the ultimate rock crawler. Before tearing into the project, the show’s hosts tapped the Jeep community for help on the proper way to create an unstoppable Wrangler without wasting any money.
The video above comes to us from the official Discovery Channel YouTube page and it gives us a preview of the Twin Turbo Jeep Wrangler JK rock crawling build. The short video begins by giving us a quick look at the basis for their project – a Jeep that looks like it has spent a long time sitting in a junkyard, unprotected from the elements. Many body components are missing and the seats are ripped to shreds, making for a perfect project vehicle.
Budget Build
The father-son team wants to build this Jeep into a stunning rock crawler, but they want to do so with as small of a budget as possible. To get a look at what they really need to do to this project, the hosts went rock crawling with a group of owners to see some of these machines in action.
Crawling with the Crew
Doug and Brad Deberti go rock crawling with a group of Jeep owners who clearly know a thing or two about crossing huge boulders with their vehicles. The show’s hosts quickly learn that things like big tires, rock guards and skid plates are needed, as is a “bomb proof” drivetrain and a substantial suspension setup with plenty of travel.
Of course, learning this meant that the hosts watched these modified Jeeps in action, some of which is included in the preview of this episode of Twin Turbos.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
