Mall Crawling Racer...... #4410

[ORV design and fab]

So does the west coast hate the east coast as much as we think they do??????? Great job by the way!

 

[GenRight Off Road]

Nice job Jay. A friend has video of your entire interview from Thursday night and I got some pics of you on the starting line. I have 2100 pics to go through. Be patient and I'll get them to you!

 

[REDLYNER]

Nice job to you guys too! I battled and passed then got passed then passed again a few rigs with Gen right on the side. Great racing!

Congrats to the whole Genright team!

Nice job Jay. A friend has video of your entire interview from Thursday night and I got some pics of you on the starting line. I have 2100 pics to go through. Be patient and I'll get them to you!

 

[GenRight Off Road]

The white one was Richard Garrett. The yellow one was Jordan Pellegrino.

Yes, it was a good week. It was quite a party in the Falken Compound Friday night. We did pretty well, jessi Combs one her class, etc. It was a lot of fun. I'm ready to head back!

 

[GenRight Off Road]

I told my buddy with the camera this was going to be good. So he recorded it and now it's on YouTube for the world to see:

 

[REDLYNER]

So I mentioned dislocating my shoulder at mile 73 or so, I can't remember if I posted that Greg from Raceline came over to congratulate me when I pulled off the podium, only to pull the shoulder back out during an aggressive handshake . Well to put icing on the cake, while I thought I was on the healing side by today, it dislocated again just opening my hotel room door. I had it reconstructed about 10 years ago, I'm guessing that's pretty much toast. Awesome.

 

[GenRight Off Road]

You're a badass like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. He had the same problem with his shoulder.

 

[REDLYNER]

You're a badass like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. He had the same problem with his shoulder.

It's more just bad shoulders and less badass, I had the problem awhile ago and got both shoulders reconstructed, but that seems to be all gone now.

 

[REDLYNER]

When there is a sale on Gucci leather man bags, you get there by any means necessary brah:

 

[GenRight Off Road]

Jay, send me your email address.

 

[REDLYNER]

Jay, send me your email address.

Pm sent.

I also want to say I met and spoke with Tony P. at the line up pre race Thursday morning. Super nice guy! I wanted to thank him personally for your efforts in getting me parts on the lakebed for my 2013 KoH effort. You could tell he was a proud dad with Jordan lining up. I told him I wouldn't be too hard on his boy, but my trash talk was for naught because Jordan was so fast on the course haha. Big congrats to the GR team out there.


-Jay

 

[GenRight Off Road]

Everyone was very proud of Jordan. He's a cool, mature, talented young man and that showed on Thursday.

After Jordan threw down the 4th place run Thursday, Tony had to beat it. He came in and we thought he was third and he says "At least I beat Jordan!".

 

[dirtyjeeper]

#Mallcrawlified

View attachment 144616

Congrats on finishing and having the best interviews! however, I must say, in representing mallcrawlers everywhere you got to loose the old school windows media player. What are you running windows 98? Don't you know its all about macs and apples and final touch pro. Nothing says youre a professional amateur video editor like it!

 

[GotLime?]

What issues did you have with your Jeep Jay?

 

[REDLYNER]

What issues did you have with your Jeep Jay?

I'm working on a decent recap of the race- but issues with the jeep included:

• Transfer case mount destroyed- this allowed the driveshaft to beat the tub and motor movement which destroyed my radiator shroud.
• Frame cracked around steering box- this caused my pump to shift which pulled my hoses and sprayed fluid all over the place. Loss of power steering and now a power steering fluid leak (haven't located the leak source yet)
• Tie rod bent- this happened on more than once, I basically ran out of ways to turn it lol
• Coolant hose ripped off- splashed coolant out of the tube fender vents. Slight over heating at idle in the rocks. Mostly cosmetic, but still...... yuck.

I think that's about it. I'm hoping to get that all cleaned up this week and head over to Devils Playground this weekend.

 

[GenRight Off Road]

Yowza!

 

[REDLYNER]

"Best Tan: 2009" Club La Vela Panama City Beach, FL

"Tightest T-Shirt on Campus: 2001" Auburn University, AL

"Winner- Most Energy Drinks consumed pre-Chest Workout: Eleven" Gold's Gym, NC



Yes, most would be content with their legacy based on those accomplishments, but I was haunted by a 2013 DNF and it left a voracious hunger for something bigger. I thought maybe an all out binge shopping spree for new pants would quench this need, but it didn't. No, I knew no amount of Rave dancing, sun tan oil, or barbell curls would satisfy my condition-





I must go back....... I MUST FINISH THE ULTIMATE MALL CRAWL: The 2014 King of the Hammers EMC.



With a completed car months in advance of the main race, this year already had a different vibe to it. Though the weight of the 2013 DNF was still hanging over me, I knew I took measureable strides to correct every weakness exposed on the Mall Crawler- not enough up travel for the whoops, not enough wheelbase for the climbs, not enough tuning for speed, and most obvious: not enough Axle for the Hammers. I was lucky enough to work with ECGS on a new Spider9 axle and then shipped the jeep up to OMS Offroad for some suspension changes: the car came back with 5 more inches of wheelbase and 2 more inches of usable uptravel front and rear. Now just a few coats of wax and the 4550 was headed from North Carolina to the desert.


Rounding out the evolution from last year, my final box to check was some one-on-one shock tuning time with Wayne from Alltech. Wayne went over the car and showed us how we could squeeze out some more mph, but it would take some changes at every corner. So my Team broke the car down to the air bumps and sent me off to Hammertown for some shopping-

Wayne, now joined by Blaine, traveled out to the wash to eyeball how the rig was doing. We were faster..... our second run was 5mph faster than the first. Our third run was 5mph faster than the second, but still, it was bucking. With the sun working against us, Wayne broke down the shocks one last time and chose to ride with me for a final impression. Now, this was my chance. I am not a name, I am just a mall crawler. But now, with Wayne sitting co-pilot, I was going to thrash it so hard through the wash that it would HAVE to earn me some credibility.


I floored it.


I was eating the whoops, the 4550 was on the brink of out of control as I sprang through the sand. I peeked over with a grin to make sure Wayne was white knuckling the co-driver grips in fear of his own life........ Only to see him calmly resting his hands in his lap, annnnnnd I'm pretty sure he yawned.

Ok, so apparently I wasn't 4400 fast. But that's ok, we gained about 15 mph from what I started with.

(photo courtesey of Rugged Radios)



Tuning out of the way, the schedule would now open itself up to pre-running and Qualifying. I hit the qualifying course first, a near roll over and tie rod bash on Red Bull Hill made a forced decision to return to the pits for some repairs. Again, my Team pushed me aside and went to work- tie rod and stabilizer were toast. No one in Hammertown had a replacement stabilizer because everyone runs hydro or assist. So we decided to go without. Even with the small break, my guys stress level stayed low. Everything got repaired, but we decided to go conservative and rest the rig in prep for Tuesday's qualifying run. So with another great night of sleep, my guys woke up refreshed and escorted me over to the track. This in-cab shot right before the flag dropped encompasses Team REDLYNER's whole week:

However..... once I pinned the accelerator down, my adrenaline spiked. This was ok in the rubble and rocks, but may have caused me to make four critical 4wd shift errors that cost us nearly a minute in down time. But a race down Red Bull hill that nearly spilled the rig again, coupled with great co-piloting by Mike and a quick drive out kept us rolling and earned a 17th place starting position for the Mall crawler.

Tuesday afternoon's main course pre-running went about as good as one could hope, only major damage was a bent control arm, but thanks to the overly generous efforts of Clayton Offroad, that was a quick fix. So again, the REDLYNER crew went over all of the nuts and bolts and did a final fluid check. We made the call to cover the car (can't let it get dirty, I washed it daily after all) and do what a mall crawling team was meant to do- Time to hot lap Hammertown: slow-mo walking style:

Thursday morning, Race Day. I have to admit, while I was modestly out shocked, out engined, and out experienced by most of the race teams, I still had a maturing level of confidence- based mostly on my unmatched sense of style. I mean, am I the only one who ironed their race suit last night? Either way, enduring today was going to be tough. For many competitors, they found that out quickly. I passed wrecked racers in the first 1/2 mile, and then more in the first 5 miles. The mall crawler wasn't breaking speed records, but I was able to push it and it was holding together tightly. The mile markers were flying by me..... and so were the really fast guys haha. The desert was coming alive though and started to sort out the competition.

We flew into the pits, no problems from the desert to speak of. Our plans were to take gas and do a bolt check (tc skid/links/lugs) at every pit until I thought we could push it to the end. I couldn't have been more proud of Gianni, Joe, Nate, Josh, and Dillon. They hustled around the car like a seasoned Cup Car team. A splash of gas, some small torques, and we were back in the race.

With the high speed desert behind us, my nerves, for the first time started to intensify. I knew this was where I broke last year, when I was under built and under prepared. Were all of my changes enough? Had I brought a resilient enough of a rig to handle what I was about to drop into? It was time to find out. A high speed crawl through Aftershock proved to be harder than I remembered, but I was through it. I passed mile 73 which bared my waxed white paint from my dnf of 2013, I was officially racing into new grounds. We pushed on and made a couple of passes in the process. Onto Highway 19 and 20........ this unfortunately, is where my race and pace took a hard to recover turn. I cracked the jeeps frame by my steering box which allowed for too much movement, this dominoed into my steering fluid lines ripping off and emptying my reservoir. Steering was gone.

I immediately limped out of the way so I wouldn't hold up other racers and Mike, my co-driver leapt into action. This is where Mike and I make such a good pair in the race car, I know zero about fabrication and he knows a lot, so it's a perfect balance..... right? Huge thanks to Artec for getting me their Turbo G6 quart crate, which I just so happen to pack steering fluid in! We get the steering lines pinch off, replace the fluid, and try to cycle the steering. It's not perfect, but after sitting for 45 minutes or so on the side of the trail, we were tired of watching the field catch and pass us.

Back in the jeep with the wheels rolling. My dad preached to me before flying out "little brah, just keep your wheels moving. The course will come to you, just keep the wheels rolling". It's funny how certain small thoughts race through your mind out there, but it was true. And we were moving. But now the steering was unpredictable, what was smooth 30 yards ago, was nearly uncontrollable now. I fought the car, I looked over at Mike and said "dude... this is like being in an MMA fight". We crested a hill and could see the Pits, Mike warned just hold it together for another 1/2 mile and we'll get it fixed.

And that's when my day started getting challenging. I hit a rock at speed and the steering wheel took a violent turn, dislocating my right shoulder. Even worse, I couldn't get it back in because of my harness and neck restraint. I slid to a stop, threw off my harness and helmet and slowly started to slide the shoulder back into socket. A loud snap meant it was back in, but now, with 45 miles of course left, my right arm was completely numb.

We limp into the pit where Ruff Stuff starts welding on the frame and my crew starts cycling the steering. Some Tylenal, some energy chews, and some water and we were ready to go..... again.


The jeep felt good, so I picked up the pace, but now with the breakage and the long pit stop, I was running into traffic at every turn. We had to wait at bottleneck after bottleneck- racers were stuck, rigs were broken. I learned very quickly why teams spend so much on resources to be fast in the desert: it's not "just" to be fast in the desert, it's to get ahead of the bottle necks. But this was Hammers racing, bottlenecks happen and all I could control now were my own lines. When traffic clears, take advantage and make a move if it was there- Mike, who was A-gaming his spotting, found us some lines that got us back on the move. A huge highlight was hearing my wife and 2 year old son cheering for me while we waited at Chocolate Thunder! What perfect timing to be in the middle of the desert, with strangers yelling and cheering for a wreck, to hear "go daddy!" from two familiar voices out in the crowd.

Once through the rocks..... we got some clean air and the 4550 started to open up. The shocks had cooled off and I felt like I had full use of them again. With only one good arm, I was nervous about pushing it, but the jeep felt so smooth, so I decided on a final surge to the finish, passing a couple more racers along the way.

(photo courtesy of Poison Spyder)



I knew we were getting close, Mike knew we were getting close, neither of us would dare say out loud that we were going to finish though. We were battling a broken transfer case mount, death wobble, and a driveshaft that could have let loose at any moment, but the course map was ending, we crested King Shock Mountain and just as it started to rain, my Olympus Offroad lights pierced through dust and laid out the final 300 yards to the finish line. Mike was yelling "Do not flip it in the last 1/2 mile!!!" I had to laugh, it was a cool feeling to have a whole team so focused on the same goal, everyone was all in on Team REDLYNER and as I crossed the finish line, 9 hours after starting from it, I felt such an enormous level of accomplishment. My entire team, it was hard not to bear hug all of them.

 

[BRUISER]

nice job

 

[jcramsey]

"go daddy!" from two familiar voices out in the crowd.

Best part right there.

 

[REDLYNER]

Best part right there.

My wife and son were at the starting line, cheering me on at Main Pit 1, saw me go through Chocolate Thunder, and were back at the finish line when I came over King Shock Mountain. Just hard to get much better than that.

 

[dirtyjeeper]

Now thats the short story i was waiting on

 

[REDLYNER]

Post race tear down and repair is........





Done!

Thanks to Carolina Metal Masters, the jeep is already back to pre-race form!!! I just got back with it this afternoon and since it's still on the trailer, I thought I would swing up to Devils Playground Saturday to test out the new repairs. Anyone else going?


The last few days CMM worked overtime to get me the rig back before the weekend. With some of the discoveries, I'm shocked it finished. A few examples- Driver side engine mount essentially ripped off during the race. Two of the three bolts were gone and the third bolt was 80% backed out and bent. Every mile towards the end I could hear the drive train moving and banging around.

Sample shot:

If I told you that this picture is an optical illusion, and that really everything is straight..... would you believe me?

To get the jeep back into top Mall Crawler form, Carolina Metal Masters went over the 4550 bumper to bumper-

• Steering Leak: Replaced return line from cooler. When steering box mount broke, box got into the line that was routed between box and frame.
• Steering box mount: Removed and re-welded bung. Installed new bolts.
• Engine mount: Engine mount on the block was missing 2 of the 3 bolts and the third was loose and bent. The middle boss on the block was broken, polymount was loose.
• Installed new CMM Tie Rod and Drag Link, new stabilizer mount and RAM clevis. Fox 2.0 stabilizer.
• Drag link was only finger tight at pitman arm. Increased the length to have less exposed thread on the TRE's and installed with tefgel.
• Battery was beyond dead. Suggest master kill switch.
• ALL LCA's were worked loose.

 

[ABadJeeper]

Looking forward to getting this thing back in the shop to work on it a little more.

 

[REDLYNER]

Looking forward to getting this thing back in the shop to work on it a little more.

Same here! I'm researching the engine mount options right now, then would need to explore a possible transfer case brace option. I think between those two, we can keep the driveshaft off of the tub. I was really pleased with how the jeep tip toed through the mud at DPG this past weekend.

 

[zombhntr]

Well jay im using ironman4x4 motor mount plates on my tj race junk and I like them alot