SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1546251
ENGINEERED FOR FUN A Pre-Runner Built To Play Hard And Drive Home In By Dan Sanchez Photos by Garrett Spicer Growing up riding dirt bikes, Kevin Callaway has always had a love for off-road. During the late 2000s, Trophy Trucks were a big deal, and building a pre-runner seemed untouchable to a college student studying mechanical engineering. “I graduated from Cal Poly Pomona, and while there, I had the opportunity to join the Baja SAE team,” said Callaway. “That really sparked my interest in building something for myself.” After owning a side-by-side for a while, Callaway eventually bought a 1993 Dodge D250 diesel pickup that he thought would make a great pre-runner. “I originally bought the truck thinking I would install a bolt-on kit, but then I ended up running away with it and used 3D modeling to draw up a complete tube chassis. My friend at LSK Suspension in Fontana, CA bent and rolled all the tubing so I could weld it all up myself.” It took 16 months to build to the point where it was a rolling chassis and another year after that to refresh and swap in another motor. Callaway stuck with the diesel, as he’s always enjoyed driving diesel vehicles and knew how to work on them. He swapped in a Cummins 5.9L with an intercooler out of a 7.3L Ford Powerstroke. “I also built the Dodge 48RE transmission with a Firepunk Diesel rebuild kit, and added a manual valve body,” said Callaway. “I added a custom two-piece driveshaft because the motor was set back eight inches into the cab, and used a Precision Performance ratchet shifter to operate it.” The engine as it is now makes around 525 horsepower and 950 lbs.ft of torque with an upgraded HE351 turbocharger on it. “The engine has a standalone harness controlling the engine with a factory ECU,” he says. “It’s also equipped with Power Driven valve springs and pushrods, head studs, a billet water pump, and polished stainless steel turbo inlet and outlet piping.” With some decent power behind the Dodge, Callaway moved to adding a pre-runner style suspension to the chassis. He began with custom front I-Beams that feature dual radius arms to keep the caster consistent, and with rod ends on the upper spindle to adjust the camber. LSK Suspension modified the spindle to take standard 2010 Chevy Duramax brakes, rotors, and calipers, aided by a 2018 Dodge brake booster. At the rear, LSK also built the lower links and triangulated upper links, to which a set of Pro Bearing rod ends were added along with Uniballs. Both front and rear currently use a set of custom-built ICON 3.0 bypass shocks, along with Fox bump stops. “In the future, I want to add a set of King Coil-Over shocks,” says Callaway. With 21” of travel up front and 32” of usable travel at the rear, the Dodge uses 40” BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR3 tires mounted on 17” diameter Walker Evans Racing Beadlock wheels. With a large set of tires, the factory fenders wouldn’t suffice. Knowing that the great off-road champion and innovator Walker Evans ran these model-year Dodges during his career, he sought out and found Trailer Products Inc. in Hemet, CA, who had the original fiberglass molds Evans used on the 1990s Trophy Trucks. The wider fenders and hood used Dzus fasteners that are recessed into the body. Once fitted and installed, Callaway took to painting them himself, choosing a British green hue with a pearl coat added to it. The effect is something Walker Evans would have approved of. The factory cab with the truck’s original grille, door handles, and side mirrors keeps the pre-runner looking like a Dodge pickup. Callaway built a front 2” diameter tube bumper that features Baja Designs lights, with the company’s RTL rear light bars on the back fenders. Part of Callaway’s genius includes modifying the Baja Designs S2 amber lights as flashing signal indicators, which can be switched to full running lights when needed. Open the door, and you enter into a combination of factory and pre-runner components which includes machined aluminum panels with wood grain inserts on the dash and door panels that provide an original equipment appearance. The MPI steering wheel, sPod light control system, and custom center console let you know this is a serious pre-runner. Callaway added PRP Whiskey seats with harnesses that hold the driver and front passenger in place. Noise and dust are some of the biggest problems for anyone driving aggressively off-road, so Callaway used his engineering prowess to add aviation headsets to the Rugged Radio’s intercom system. “Each headset has active noise reduction and a Bluetooth logic system so communication is incredibly clear,” he says. An Old Air AC system keeps the interior cool, but to keep out the dust, Callaway modified a Rugged Radio’s air pump system to pressurize the cab. “With the electric windows and a pressurized cab, it keeps the dust out, and the AC unit keeps us cool.” “I love this truck, and I keep tinkering with it to make it better,” he adds. “My whole goal was to be able to drive it out to the desert, play hard, then drive it back home to San Diego while stopping in Julian, CA to have an apple pie.” Callaway has plans to continue upgrading areas that he wants to improve, such as swapping out the 14-bolt dually rear differential for a stronger 9-inch. Nevertheless, this Dodge pre-runner gets audiences riled up watching it jump and kick up dirt, and amaze onlookers with its ingenious modifications while parked at a show. SJ