SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1525626
THAT PRE-RUNNER THINGY Jeff McCarthy Builds A Prerunner Style VW Thing By Dan Sanchez Photos by Jason Stilgebouer Head out into the desert and you’ll most likely see lots of pre-runners built from a Chevrolet, Ford, or Toyota truck chassis. But when you see Jeff McCarthy’s VW Thing flying over sand dunes and rocketing across whoops, the car is worth a closer look. McCarthy wanted to build something “different” and after building a VW Bug, he wanted to take a VW Thing and turn it into a cool pre-runner. “I had always thought the VW Thing was the ugliest car, but I loved the VW platform,” said McCarthy. “I found a 1974 model that was beat-up one on Craigslist, and spent two years and two months building it.” He began transforming the VW Thing in his garage, but a friend with an auto shop, realized how difficult it would be, so he let McCarthy use it for the rest of the build. Starting with a full tube, TIG-welded Chromoly chassis, McCarthy added the VW Thing body, complete with four doors, along with a set of Baja Designs LED lighting. Not wanting to put just a junkyard engine in it, McCarthy opted for an impressive powertrain consisting of a Moruzzi 414 CID LS3 V8 with a Holley HP fuel injection system. A custom header and exhaust system had to be built that flows all eight cylinders into two large exhaust tips at the back of the vehicle. The powerplant is attached to a Weddle Sequential four-speed transmission, just like a Class 1 buggy, and it also uses a set of 934 CV joints and axles to handle the 650 horsepower from the engine. The suspension is made up of 2.5 King bypass and 2.0 coil over shocks in front, with King 3.0 bypass and 2.5 coilover shocks in the rear. This gives McCarthy’s Thing a total of 20” of travel in front and 21” at the rear. The drivetrain is finished off with a set of 17” Method 103 Buggy Beadlocks mounted to 35” diameter BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A tires. This pre-runner VW Thing looks awesome catching air while off-roading at high speeds. And although it lands softly with its race buggy suspension, the car has a full set of skid plates underneath that keeps everything protected. SJ