Dirt Every Day | Episode 51: Combining a Range Rover With a Ford Ranger—Huh??
When Fred Williams and Dave Chapelle attempt to build one vehicle that can run all types of terrain
Transcript
00:00 This week on Dirt Every Day, we're turning this old Range Rover into the ultimate overlanding vehicle.
00:04 This week on Dirt Every Day, we build the ultimate pre-runner out of this old Ford Ranger.
00:08 That'll never work.
00:09 That's what I've been telling you.
00:11 [Music]
00:33 We get a lot of comments in the videos from kids who are getting into off-roading.
00:37 This is kind of a whole new world to them.
00:39 Basically, they want one vehicle that does everything.
00:42 The fact of the matter is, that's like a Swiss Army knife.
00:45 It's not really the best thing at anything.
00:47 But, we are going to show you today how to do one vehicle that should do everything really well.
00:54 Or maybe moderately well.
00:56 Or maybe not really well at all.
00:57 Dave, come here. Let me show you what we got in plan.
00:59 So, we're going to build the pre-Ranger Rover Lander Runner.
01:04 One vehicle is this one over here.
01:07 This is a Ranger pickup truck.
01:09 Ranger Rover will be the overlanding vehicle.
01:11 It'll have a roof rack.
01:13 It'll have a rooftop tent that folds out.
01:16 So, your pre-runner is going to have white fenders, which is handy.
01:18 The whiteboard is already white.
01:19 And we'll throw in a light bar up here.
01:21 That's what every pre-runner you ever see.
01:24 Light bar, white fenders.
01:25 We want a pre-runner. We want an overlanding rig.
01:28 We also should figure out how to do some rock crawling and maybe mud bogging.
01:31 My Ranger runs really well already.
01:34 So, mine is basically going to be the top dog on the show here.
01:39 What?
01:39 Yours runs terrible, but it has all sorts of gadgets and stuff.
01:45 So, I say we just ditch the motor in this because it's just a big anchor.
01:50 Basically make it into a trailer and we hook it up to mine.
01:54 Instead of building a camper trailer, let's just combine all of this.
02:00 Let's extend the frames between them both.
02:02 Extend the roof rack to connect it all and have a giant rooftop tent.
02:08 And we'll keep my engine because it's aluminum and it's not heavy and it's not going to slow you down.
02:14 So, if I have a V8 and you have an inline 4, we would have a VI12, which is a lot of horsepower.
02:22 Perfect for mud bogging.
02:24 All right.
02:25 And then if both axles steer, it'll just be like one of those competition rock crawlers.
02:29 We'll be able to have front and rear steer.
02:31 I like that part.
02:33 Mud bogger, rock crawler, pre-runner, overlander.
02:36 All right.
02:38 Where do we start?
02:39 In the middle.
02:40 What we're going to do is we're going to cut the body right here in half.
02:58 Right here underneath along the frame rail is a fuel line and some electrical lines.
03:04 We don't want to cut through the fuel line with this.
03:07 The car will blow up, burn down the whole shop, and then no more dirt every day.
03:13 [ Music ]
03:29 You going to measure the roof real good?
03:31 I'm going to cut it right here.
03:35 The roof skin's all aluminum.
03:38 When you cut it, it's all white sparks.
03:40 All the yellow sparks or orange sparks is all steel.
03:43 [ Music ]
03:49 Are you writing your name?
03:50 [ Music ]
03:56 The back half of the Range Rover is ready to come off.
03:59 So if any of you viewers are looking for the back half of a Range Rover,
04:03 we will have this sitting outside in the weeds here shortly.
04:06 So at this point, there's no turning back.
04:10 And in theory, it should just come right off there.
04:14 One, two.
04:20 Look at that.
04:25 So much room for camping.
04:27 [ Music ]
04:40 This is why my neighbors love me.
04:42 [ Music ]
04:48 No.
04:49 You good?
04:50 No.
04:51 Heavy.
04:52 Go all the way to the trailer.
04:53 Okay.
04:54 [ Music ]
04:57 [ Whistle ]
04:58 [ Music ]
05:06 [ Laughter ]
05:08 This one's working.
05:10 [ Laughter ]
05:12 We're going to cut the frame right here.
05:14 We got to be careful because these are our two fuel lines running to our fuel tank.
05:17 But we will come back in and re-plumb all of that in once we have the trucks back together.
05:25 You haven't measured anything yet, have you?
05:28 I used my icrometer.
05:29 Let's get the fuel lines off, and then we'll cut it, and then we'll worry about measuring, I guess.
05:34 Got it.
05:35 Screwdriver.
05:36 [ Music ]
05:39 Got it.
05:40 Got it.
05:41 Let's set your fuel cell over here onto the race truck.
05:45 [ Music ]
05:47 Look, now it's an overlander.
05:48 It's got dual tanks.
05:50 [ Music ]
06:04 Perfect.
06:05 [ Music ]
06:08 All right.
06:09 Look at that.
06:10 [ Music ]
06:13 Whoa!
06:14 [ Laughter ]
06:17 [ Music ]
06:26 Yesterday we showed you the technical drawing of how these two vehicles would go together.
06:30 It has all the specifications required for melding a Range Rover to a Ford Ranger.
06:36 We don't use micrometers on a vehicle like this, and we don't use tape measures.
06:39 We use what's called an icrometer.
06:41 It's kind of a measuring device based on your eyes, and you look at things, and you go, "Yeah, that'll work."
06:46 Once we get the axle out of here, the spare tire out of here, this really pristine bumper out of here,
06:51 get all of this stuff out of the way, squish these two together, frame rails will probably line up.
06:57 Not at all.
06:58 And the next thing you know, we will have one vehicle with dual engines and four-wheel drive.
07:03 But it's never going to work.
07:05 [ Laughter ]
07:07 [ Music ]
07:30 That's a noteworthy accomplishment right there.
07:35 That's beautiful.
07:37 [ Music ]
07:48 Okay, here goes nothing.
07:52 Look at that ground clearance.
07:54 This thing is ready to cross the Kalahari.
07:59 Is it just me, or is it crooked?
08:02 I'm really good about this, Fred.
08:06 Fred can weld this.
08:08 [ Music ]
08:13 I think we're off just a little bit.
08:18 We need a safe and secure way to hold this gas tank in the bed of the vehicle,
08:23 and since we can't come up with anything safe and secure, we're just going to use this ratchet strap.
08:27 I'm becoming a believer in this project.
08:29 I think once again we have proven that we cannot build something crappy.
08:33 We pretty much build awesome stuff no matter what task we're given.
08:38 All right, so Dave's going to crank it over.
08:40 Here's that thing you were looking for.
08:42 [ Humming ]
08:44 [ Engine starting ]
08:51 Bounce hard.
08:56 So this will be the first time out of the shop.
08:58 Now, we still got a few things we want to finish up to it before we take it camping and rock crawling
09:02 and mud bogging and pre-running and jumping and ranch racing,
09:07 but let's go see if it will even stay together.
09:11 So the gear ratios in all likelihood will not match.
09:13 This has a manual, that has an automatic, that has a V8, this has a 4-cylinder.
09:17 In all likelihood, when we get it on asphalt, the car will break in half.
09:20 You drive forward, and I'll drive in back.
09:23 Ready?
09:24 Copy that. Over.
09:25 Copy.
09:27 Ready?
09:29 I don't have a mirror.
09:31 Let's go.
09:32 All right.
09:34 Are you in reverse?
09:35 Go.
09:36 [ Music ]
09:50 This is really scary.
09:52 [ Music ]
10:07 All right.
10:09 [ Music ]
10:13 Hang on, hang on, hang on.
10:18 This is a great idea.
10:20 This is the greatest thing we've ever done, Dave.
10:23 All right.
10:24 Don't run over the camera guy.
10:28 Slow down, slow down, slow down.
10:30 Okay.
10:33 That worked perfectly.
10:36 Dave, look what I got us.
10:38 What did you get us?
10:40 A wine cellar.
10:42 Tent house.
10:44 Big money, big money.
10:46 [ Music ]
10:53 So it's really simple.
10:54 You just grab this part here, and then bring it down.
11:03 Climb up in here.
11:05 Open all this stuff up and climb inside.
11:08 This is the part I wasn't sure about.
11:12 [ Music ]
11:19 All right.
11:20 It looks beautiful.
11:21 Can we work on my half of the truck now?
11:23 Yes.
11:24 Let's turn it around and put yours in the front so that we can actually see what we're doing.
11:27 I asked Fred to hook me up with some fenders to clear all this bitchin' suspension we were going to get.
11:32 I got no suspension.
11:33 I got no fenders.
11:35 I got nothing but a white spray paint can.
11:38 All the money got spent over there in Great Britain, and America's getting the shaft.
11:43 So coming from Southern California, the pre-runners in the desert scene is really big.
11:49 Most of the younger kids or the guys that are doing the at-home pre-runners,
11:54 they all buy the fenders to cover the big tires to give it more up travel,
11:58 but they'd never bother to paint it to match the truck.
12:02 So you end up with all these Ford Rangers running around with, like, a black cab and big white fenders.
12:06 That's the look we're going for.
12:08 Make it look like the Southern California budget pre-runner.
12:12 Hey, Dave, I got you some tires.
12:14 Sweet.
12:15 Oh, you put the fenders on.
12:16 They're almost done being installed.
12:18 This is going to be so much faster.
12:19 No matter where we go, we're probably going to run into some mud or maybe rocks.
12:23 We talked to Maxxis about some big horns.
12:25 So I got you this 4,000-watt inverter, and you're going to need this because I got you a special gift.
12:29 What'd you get me?
12:32 A light bar.
12:33 It's a shop light.
12:35 This is getting out of hand.
12:36 No, it's going to be perfect.
12:38 All right.
12:39 Next year at SEMA?
12:47 Yeah, this is going to be all over the place.
12:49 Light bar, light bar, light bar.
12:51 All right, we have a pre-runner because it has white fenders and a light bar.
13:02 We have an overlanding rig because it has a rooftop tent and a kitchen and a tire on the hood.
13:08 We have a rock crawler because it has super knobby tires and four-wheel steer.
13:12 We have a mud bogger because we have lots of power.
13:14 We got a V8 and an extra four cylinders.
13:17 This vehicle is the pinnacle of all things.
13:20 Let's go four-wheeling and see what it'll do.
13:22 Let's at least go camping.
13:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:28 Here comes the gypsy wagon.
13:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:38 Woo-hoo!
13:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:48 [ENGINE REVVING]
13:51 We're doing a U-turn.
14:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]
14:06 [ENGINE REVVING]
14:15 Follow me, Dave.
14:16 I thought I was the one who was supposed to go fast.
14:19 Woo!
14:20 There's going to be a neutral.
14:23 Overlanding, overlanding.
14:26 This is what it's like to go overlanding.
14:29 Whoa!
14:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]
14:33 We lost the belt on the alternator.
14:39 And we have two choices.
14:40 We can go to town and try and find the right belt.
14:43 We can try and wire the battery on the Range Rover
14:46 off of the battery on the Ranger.
14:48 So we tracked down some wiring in the Range Rover.
14:50 There was this big red wire that probably ran
14:52 some sort of security system.
14:55 And a couple speaker wires.
14:57 If we double up on the speaker wire, attach the red wire,
15:00 and run it all down the roof rack,
15:02 we should be able to hook the hot side on this battery
15:04 up to the hot side on the battery on the Range Rover
15:07 and jumpstart the whole thing.
15:09 Fred, I knew this wasn't going to work.
15:11 It's going to work just fine.
15:12 British junk.
15:13 Watch out for the bush.
15:39 Dave, we just got to get to camp.
15:42 There's a nice spot right up here.
15:44 We're going really fast, Fred.
15:46 Whoa, big boulder.
15:52 I really like pasture driving.
15:55 This thing's pretty good at hill climbing.
15:57 And ridge riding.
15:59 This is kind of scary, being right next to this bridge.
16:04 I think we can just huck right off the edge of it.
16:07 [engine revving]
16:10 I'm getting out.
16:25 Okay.
16:27 Maybe you should get in yours, and I should push.
16:35 Okay.
16:37 Maybe if I rock back and forth, too.
16:47 We got to rock at the same time.
16:49 I think we should camp here.
16:52 We tried really hard, but he gives up really easily.
16:56 So it looks like we're camping.
16:58 Dave, I know that you're a pre-runner-er,
17:01 but let me give you a little lesson on overlanding and camping.
17:05 The most important part of overlanding and camping
17:07 is picking a good spot.
17:09 A spot where you can see the sunset,
17:11 or maybe with a river nearby, even if it's a dry river.
17:14 That's pretty much the most important part of overlanding and camping.
17:17 That, and also making sure that your co-pilot packed the cooler.
17:21 Did you pack the cooler?
17:22 No.
17:23 I got it.
17:24 So we got a good spot to camp,
17:26 but I don't think we're going to have much to eat for dinner.
17:29 Yeah, this is going to be perfect.
17:31 Tomorrow we're going to get up,
17:33 and I'm going to continue dominating our challenges.
17:36 I'm probably going to mud bog way better than him.
17:39 I'm probably going to continue to keep jumping my end of the truck.
17:43 I'll probably jump all day.
17:46 Probably going to just sleep in this chair.
17:48 Good night, Fred.
17:50 Good night, Dave.
17:52 Watch out for snakes.
17:54 Thanks, man.
17:57 [music]
17:59 We have three challenges.
18:05 Well, we had four--overlanding.
18:07 Nailed it.
18:08 Pre-running.
18:09 Going to kill it.
18:10 Rock crawling.
18:11 The best ever for before.
18:12 And mud bogging.
18:13 It'll suck it.
18:15 I have something special for breakfast for you.
18:18 Here in the cooler.
18:20 Thanks, bro.
18:25 That feels safer.
18:26 Now we can do stupid stuff.
18:28 All right, follow me.
18:29 Okay.
18:30 [music]
18:32 Go, Dave, go!
18:37 I just got it!
18:38 Go, go, go!
18:40 Fifth gear!
18:44 We're going 100 miles an hour!
18:47 We're winning the race!
18:52 I don't see any other competitors!
18:54 [music]
18:56 That was stupid!
19:22 It looks like the fan went through the radiator somewhere or something.
19:26 That's fine.
19:28 Oh, hey.
19:29 What?
19:30 Come here.
19:31 I found something very interesting.
19:33 This is the motor mount that's supposed to be down inside here.
19:36 I bet that's all the banging and clanging when it goes into gear.
19:40 It doesn't sound happy.
19:44 Why is the air conditioner smoking?
19:46 I think we might have broke the rover.
19:48 Well, it's glorious.
19:49 It's going to be fine.
19:50 Remember that time on Dirt Every Day when we started the--
19:53 Field on fire?
19:54 Field fire?
19:56 Okay.
19:58 [engine starting]
20:00 Go, go, go!
20:06 Go, go, go!
20:08 [inaudible]
20:10 Let's go, Mudwagon!
20:13 [music]
20:16 [engine revving]
20:18 Hey, we got it!
20:43 We have another gear!
20:45 [engine revving]
21:04 [bleep]
21:07 [laughter]
21:09 [music]
21:12 [engine revving]
21:14 Somebody bring the Jeep!
21:17 [engine revving]
21:29 [engine revving]
21:35 [engine revving]
21:37 [music]
21:41 [laughter]
21:44 I'm driving out.
21:47 All right. Hop in and I'll spot you.
21:49 Fred, are you ready?
21:55 Yep.
21:56 [engine revving]
22:03 You got it, Dave! You're almost out!
22:05 I'm going to reach.
22:08 Well, Dave?
22:09 I think we did it again.
22:11 We have proven the point that if you really want to build one vehicle that will do everything,
22:15 you're going to end up with something that doesn't do anything awesome.
22:18 Yours is still running.
22:19 Mine pretty much carried the show.
22:21 Well, I think that's it for Dirt Every Day.
22:24 If you're looking for a vehicle that will do everything,
22:26 and it's made out of two vehicles,
22:28 there'll be one sitting here in a ditch.
22:30 Hardly ridden.
22:32 Only driven on Sundays.
22:34 We'll see you next time.
22:36 This would be a nice bed for a trailer.
22:38 Yeah.
22:39 We should have used the back halves of both of the vehicles,
22:42 welded them together.
22:43 Oh, yeah.
22:44 Then we could have one that was like a hot tub,
22:46 and the other one could be an ice chest.
22:48 And tow it behind the couriers.
22:50 We wouldn't actually get anywhere, but we'd have a good time.
22:53 Remember that Dirt Every Day where they just sat in a hot tub
22:55 and drank stuff out of the giant ice chest?
22:58 A million views.
23:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]