After considering a number of different trucks for the build, all of them Unimog, Jay settled on the exceptionally wellequipped U1700. He already had a few items on-hand that were U1700 ready, which marginally helped justify the higher cost of building off of one of the largest members ofthe Unimog family. Cost aside, the U1700 seemed the most suited for the aggressive, off road racing terrain.
Among the features of the U1700 that influenced Jay's decision to choose it as his racetruck were:
The U1700, ready for transformation into
a high powered, high speed, race truck.
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Many
modifications were made, however as Jay Couch is a Unimog purist at heart,
he made sure that his race truck would remain a Unimog at its core. It
is and will continue to be a tractor with hydraulics and PTOs, which will
be reinstalled after the race.
A 5.9 liter Cummins 24-value 245 horsepower motor was installed. As reliability was a key concern with Unimog, the computerized injection system was replaced with therevered Bosch P7100 inline injection pump.
The massive 15,000 lb. U-1700 was not factory-designed to handle the kind of heatthat comes along with the consistent use of the high horsepower numbers delivered by the new Cummins motor. Inter-cooling on the engine was key. Massive oversized air-toair intercooler that utilizes the main hydraulic cooling fan as well as a secondary electric cooling fan. In addition to the air inter-cooling, he also installed a water methanolinjection cooling system, a redundancy factor in case the up-front system becomes damaged. A transmission oil cooler and filtration system were also installed.
Keeping the engine together was also notable concern. The factory brass radiator, selected for its repairability compared to aluminum, was recored and left upfront. Thecooling fan was switched to a massive 6,700 cfm hydraulic unit, which is variable inspeed. CS also has two other aluminum radiators, easily capable of cooling the entiretruck on their own, which are located mid-truck under the bed and use three oversized, Spal brand, electric cooling fans. All fans are also reversible, useful in blowing ou tdebris.
Suspension with custom coil springs and
four-way bypass reservoir shocks.
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of build images >
To help minimize the mass and reduce strain on the Unimog, not originally
ever intended for racing, ten bolt Axels were swapped for the lighter weight,
heavy-duty 6 boltones, which are equipped with high speed gears and a central
tire inflation system (CTIS). This swap removed around 800 lbs in unsprung
weight. Custom-made, doublebeed lock rims, 24" X 12", and balanced
CTIS covers to keep the tire air lines from getting ripped off in the deep
mud, were built to accommodate the massive, 50" X 17" high-speed
tractor-style tire.
Suspension was done with custom coil springs and four-way bypass, reservoir shocks. To help with all of the electric needs the alternator was reworked to approximately 200amps with dry-cell maintenance-free battery functions (alternator battery tied to electric cooling fans).
The exterior of Couch's customized truck was prepared for pushing through trees, glancing off of rock walls, floating over mud and last but not least, looking sharp. The exterior protection was built as a three section unit. A bull bar, designed for fullfront-end protection, begins as low as the oil pan and hydraulic pumps and continues upto where the tree cage takes over, for cab protection. Outer wings are removable toallow for cab tilt. The center section slides over the existing chassis on all four sides ofthe frame rail. Despite the massive size and notable strength, it is relatively light weightat approximately 490 lbs.
For the inevitable, less than passable terrain expected in the Breslau, Jay's Mog has hydraulic winches, 20,000 lbs with two speeds in the front and 1,550 lbs in the rear, bothequipped with two speeds and use synthetic rope.
The black painted and carbon fiber-design wrapped surfaces paired with
the shapes and lines, well suited both Couch and the team's highest level
sponsor, Magpul, provided an ideal backdrop for their brands. As soon as
the race truck took shape, itwas given the name, "Bam Bam".