It’s not often you see a souped up truck lose a tire and still finish a race. Yet, for this old Chevy K10 4 x 4, that’s exactly what happens. RIP Mud racer sponsored by Lexington Burial Service ironically completes in death what it set out to do in life – tear up a new personal best for speed and high performance. The Thunder Valley Mudplex, in Neeses, SC, is where mud truck legends come to be born. Under the adoring roar of fans lining all along multiple track events, specialty builders alongside first-timers take their modded trucks, ATVs, and bog hoppers through a brutal and unrelenting weekend event. This annual summertime event has become a staple for South Carolinians and those looking to see odd feats of backyard engineering prowess.
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Not Your Ordinary Chevy 4 x 4
While it is a bit tragic the Chevy RIP Mud Truck bought a one-way ticket to the mechanic’s bay with its torn-off wheel, it’s worth noting the transformation that took place to get this little old 1984-era Chevy 4 x 4 to its noteworthy performance.When Chevrolet came out with its K10 Scottsdale 4 x 4, it quickly became so popular for its rugged performance that it was inherited by the US Government as their M1008 light wheeled pick-up.
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Perfect for getting around in rough terrain, this truck quickly proved itself to be reliable asset for soldiers on base looking to support field operations. Equipped with a 700R4 mild shift kit and a GM 350ci 5.7 L V8 engine, it was built ready for hard jobs.There’s been a bit of ambiguity as to where the GMC truck line ends and Chevy picked up during its 1978-1988 era of C/K builds. However, one thing is certain – it’s an easy truck to work on and even easier to mod out for high performance mudding and racing.
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A couple noted differences between RIP and the usual Chevy K10 4 x 4 can be found first and foremost in its rev limiter. Namely, the RIP Mud Truck doesn’t have one. This
Rev Limiting Can Rest in Peace
A couple noted differences between RIP and the usual Chevy K10 4 x 4 can be found first and foremost in its rev limiter. Namely, the RIP Mud Truck doesn’t have one. This is what allows an unleaded fueled vehicle to push up past the red zone and get the most bang for the buck – albeit at the greatly increased cost of destroying the engine and parts. Competitors for the Thunder Valley Mudplex and other mudding and bogging racing events count on their vehicles taking a beating. In order to seriously compete and show the crowd what you’re made of – calculated risks sometimes include pushing high ethanol blends into eight cylinders of pure fury. And for deep mud boggin’ events, the fuel injectors have to be switched to pure ethanol in order to get the type of horsepower necessary to do the impossible. These aren’t your normal garden variety mud cruisers. These trucks are modified from the ground up to take more of a beating and still come out on top. To give some perspective – here’s what happens when you take a factory rev limited truck without custom fuel injection, outfit with a lift kit, and attempt to tackle the mud bog. Spoiler alert: it’s not pretty.
Graveyard of Dreams and Birthplace of Great Mechanics
When events such as the Thunder Valley Mudplex take off, it’s usually part of a larger circuit of races and competitions where serious mud truckers go to demonstrate their skills. More important than a good driver, however, is having a team of mechanics that know how to get a truck up and running after it’s broke. Every truck on the line, at these events, has had to have considerable modifications made in order to even run the circuit. Added to that, many start with older model frames, chassis, and recovered 454 big blocks which demand care and attention lest they shatter at a critical moment. Mudding trucks, indisputably, have it the worst. They’re pushed to the very extremes on what axles and differentials can survive. If their drivers aren’t trying to sink them into a bottomless pit of mud and muck, they’re bringing them to breakneck turnarounds and jumps which even the best suspension systems would struggle to survive. That’s why it’s common to see trucks arrive one year and never make another appearance. When an old Chevy 4 x 4 gets brought onto the Thunder Valley Mudplex, it either has the option (should it survive) of being sold off before the team departs or otherwise gets scrapped for parts for the next big rig. In many ways, these events are sometimes the moment of glory for trucks which had been recovered from the pits of bone yards and outfitted with one last chance to tear up some ground.
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