1000cc Mini Trophy Truck Build Pt. 6 | Roll Cage, Truck Bed, T-Tops, Rear Shocks!

We make a ton of progress on our mini trophy truck build in this video! We build a roll cage, add a truck bed for utility and added flare, mount the rear shocks, and install T-tops for added 80's bonus! We ordered new coil over shocks because we weren't happy with the travel from the Miata shocks. They were really cheap ($50 each!), so we're a little skeptical, but we were able to get over 10" of travel out of them!
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[@CarsandCameras]

Is it just me or does it look like a mini Jeep Gladiator now? Haha it’s really taking shape and looking awesome!!

[@francispineault9045]

CarsandCameras yeah really but you have to build a shorter roll cage in height because it does’nt look very good like that

[@reidmiller4626]

@CarsandCameras - it’s really starting to look like something!

[@joshuamoctezuma7236]

I really really want to see Cars and cameras V.S Grind Hard Soooo bad...The cross kart Against the snow mobile swapped buggy would be insane

[@Lee01Mr]

Will you add double rear shocks in the future or keep single ones?

[@jeffreydover]

@@joshuamoctezuma7236 That would just be a murder the GHP build is 100 times better that then cross cart could ever be.

[@ISuperfan]

it is a little creepy how natural that look is for Ike.

[@reginaldmiller3655]

Lol it suits him

[@HillbillySailor]

5 will get you 10 that Ike had a t-top Camaro, and a mullet, back in the day.... ;)

[@peterk.2772]

ISuperfan A rockstar is born!

[@adunc45]

It suits him well

[@sykwookiee]

Hair is creepy? You're going to have to 'splain that...

[@andrewbingham4084]

Them sideburns make that mullet look real 😂🤣😂

[@ejcross8713]

🤣🤣🤣

[@mr.shorty5043]

Lol

[@GoinInMusicGroup]

Facts

[@garygrissom1031]

For sure thats what i so to

[@joshuanicolia3491]

What tube/pipe notcher is that ?

[@tucsondog]

Those rear upper shock mounts make me fee super nervous. The amount of shear load on those bolts is going to be tremendous when you start hitting some decent bumps. Check a scrapyard for some rear lower control arms that have a swaybar mounting location; you can cut it out and use those a rupee mounts. Obviously you could easily fab your own.. but you should consider supporting the upper shock mounting bolt on both sides instead of just the one. Great build so far guys!!!

[@theupscriber65]

The shear load on those bolts won't be a problem. Multiply the tensile strength by the area of the cross section and the bolts shear strength will be thousands of pounds. Its the bending moment that is going to cause those bolts or the plate they're threaded into to fail. At least that's what I heard in strength of materials and dynamics classes.

[@cheeto4493]

Yeah the lower mount made me nervous as well. It looks like the diff is supported at its front where the shocks mount and is counter levered at the universal joint under the seat. The shocks should be mounted right over the axle in line with the forces to counter act the twisting.

[@theupscriber65]

@@cheeto4493 Cantilever? Sorry, I'm podantic. You're right that as it comes down like off a jump the shocks mounted between the wheel centerline and front mount of the trailing arm would be a cantilever. But I think it's got solid trailing arms rigidly mounted to the rear end and I can't imaging the shocks having enough resistance to bend or damage the traiking arm or shock mount. Even if the shocks bottom completely i think they'd probably blow out before damaging the trailing arm. Maybe the mount though. I haven't done any of the math, just some thoughts.

[@2000stang5]

I'd just be worried about the welds on the entire thing to be completely honest

[@overhauled5043]

I used those exact shocks on my car and yes they work well but they need limmiting straps because they will blow out and the bushings suck I suggest aftermarket shock bushings you can find them on Amazon

[@anzetkosmuc7637]

What are these shocks called

[@overhauled5043]

Spring assist load carrier shocks

[@overhauled5043]

These ones are made by Gabriel

[@anzetkosmuc7637]

@@overhauled5043 ok thank you

[@RUBIZEN]

A lot of "helper" springs or shocks are meant to pump up under load. Those springs may never work right.

[@lucavinante22]

The initial "squat" of the suspension sitting down is called sag, you want it at around 10% of the shock's travel. Your suspensions are too soft, let me tell you why you should make them stiffer: If the springs are too soft it will seem to make every small bump pretty smooth which sounds good but when you will really need the suspensions like on the bigger bumps, rocks or in jumps you don't want (especially the rear ones) to bottom-out because when you are all down there is no more travel and the shock want to extend and when it extend after a bottom-out it's fast and will push you up and on the jumps this could be dangerous. Without changing the entire shock you can make it stiffer by adjusting the preload ring or changing the springs. For the slow rebound (if there isn't any adjustment) you can change the inner oil with a less dense one and it will flow more freely. Hope it helps! Great build

[@16driver16]

This is true, but id like if you explained a little more why this is true, and 10% is a general rule not always the perfect number depends on weight of the vehicle vs rider/s, cargo, etc.

[@DktheWelder]

I thought it was more than 10% I am going to start my front suspension on my build soon so thanks for the information!

[@MrCamoman12]

Ive always built/tuned quads and motorcycles and ive been told by every tuner and company ive talked to 30% is where to start from. So is this just buggy/trophy truck style suspension or?

[@MrCamoman12]

Or even is that like it because linkage suspension vs trailing arm suspension?

[@theupscriber65]

SE Creator I just posted about the bushing wear. They could turn one eye 90 degrees to the other so the shock articulates on the bolt instead of crushing the rubber bushing.

[@bugboyaidan7733]

Make the roof just a tiiiiiiiiny bit shorter that would improve the lines so much

[@20lancer03]

Totally agree the roof needs to be lower, everything else looks good. Dont ruin it with a goofy looking tall roof.

[@ford_truck_garage]

Maybe give the roof a slight rake also.

[@blkicemike4857]

Fellas just weld brackets & put two of those red springs on each side, that'd look BadAss and it'd improve rebound as well.. might be too stiff with 2 @ each tire.. FLYING BRICK a name well suited for that engine and frame;)

[@leroysolo7066]

Thats what i was going to suggest as well. Quad shocks in the rear! should improve everything and provide for some load capacity in the bed.

[@heimlichhotrods]

I used those shocks on my 670 predator buggy and ran into a few issues I had to carefully weld the perch to the shock body I got qa1 14-110lb springs and qa1 aluminum lower perches and now they work awesome ps my buggy has 22 inches of travel with those shocks 🤘🏻🚗💨💨💨

[@anzetkosmuc7637]

Where did you bought these shocks and how are they called?

[@heimlichhotrods]

There called Gabriel load carrying Assist shocks You can get them from any auto parts store or online pretty easily

[@M.TTT.]

@@heimlichhotrods Nice, thanks for the info - Where did you get the other parts? Easy google search?

[@heimlichhotrods]

M. TTT. SummitRacing 👍fast shipping great prices they also have a summit brand spring for about 10-15$ cheaper 🇺🇸🚗💨💨💨

[@VeeDees]

I think some Nascar style Bassett steel wheels would look tough on this thing, and they come in tons of bolt patterns and sizes.

[@evhexrc1765]

Well it still doesn’t look like a trophy truck, and that roof is pretty high. I’d suggest a second set of those shocks in the rear(since you already bought the first set) and diffferent mounting holes to allow for laying down or standing the shocks up more. Some preload spacers can and will help you adjust the ride height. I’d suggest limiting straps and bump stops to keep the shock valves from grenading. That’s all I’ll say for now. Rockin the mullets y’all! 🤠

[@antonioramirez-gw3cw]

Maybe add some stiffer springs to put a little more preload on the shocks

[@nathaniellangston5130]

Did you see on Red Beards Garage where they drilled out the shocks that they put on the Manx Buggy to make it have much quicker rebound? That may work on these shocks too!!!!

[@mikeredmond5740]

It may be the race car builder in me, but there are a few things I'd add to make it safer and keep it performing longer. The rear axle should really have one more link in it. A triangulated third link with heim joints give you the best of all worlds, as it will put more of the torsional force into forward movement rather than trying to wrap your shocks and lower control arms around the axle. Next, I agree with a couple of the other comments here, you really want to put the upper mounting bolts of the shocks in double shear. Another plate on the outside of the mounting point tied back to the frame with gussets, would work like a champ and not add a lot of weight. Adjust the spring perches so the spring is stiffer, and if the shocks are internally rebound and compression adjustable that will help. I love this build, and can't wait for the completion!!

[@jaywest4102]

Why does it look like Ike spent half his life with that hairstyle.

[@blkicemike4857]

yep,.. IKE most likely sported a mullet bak in the day ,.. i think we all did at some point in our earlier years,.. lmao...

[@llaeeZ]

He had long hair in the early days of CaC.

[@andrewbingham4084]

It's them sideburns

[@theupscriber65]

I was a welder in the 90's and I'm sure I've worked with that guy. I've worked with hundreds of that guy.

[@PKMartin]

Go rewatch some early Cars and Cameras videos, on the rare occasions when Ike takes off his hat he's rocking a mullet

[@brad08stanggt]

I am really liking the new editing, super HD cameras and sweet camera angles. Time lapses, etc. All of this in addition to The already great formula CandC already has is wonderful!

[@mr.r3_534]

I love how that wig almost matches Ike perfectly 😂

[@crudboy12]

I'm worried about the shock's upper mounting sheering off under load. but other than that I think this build is turning out really well. From an aesthetic perspective, I think trying to do plastic or fiberglass bodywork would be really cool. If you want that trophy truck look doing support struts between the end of the "bed" and about midway up the back of the "cab" and then mounting a spare tire on them would really make it look the part, especially if you do some kind of body work.

[@kollinknack9288]

IT LOOKS SOOOOOO MUCH BETTER WITH THE ROLL BAR

[@jesseswinney9643]

The bed totally make the cart look much better! I have those same shocks. If you push the spring down you can remove the top plastic cup that locks the spring in, then remove the spring. You should be able to get a higher rate spring for little money that'll support your weight better.

[@harmonicadude4732]

Befor you take any big jumps you should add som straps that connect the axel to the frame to stop the shocks from ripping themselves apart.

[@preetamdasika7636]

Looks like a mini hillclimb rockbouncer, badass Edit: im feeling some Can-am Defender actually

[@happytorrentt4500]

I think the truck looks amazing! Looks like a naked trophy truck, and those aren't sleek lol. That's the beauty of them, it's the rugged look of the frame that brings it together. Once you do a fiberglass or sheet metal body kit, it'd bring it together perfectly

[@kelevra558]

Dude that get up is FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!! Isaac's alter ego "T-Top Tom" is coming in hot af spinnin them tires. Just come and give 'er bud, come and give 'er.

[@ExStaticBass]

Hey John bud, you should probably turn the feed rate up on that welder man. I can tell by listening to it. Just bump it up a smidge or so until it sounds pretty constant while your "trigger on" and welding. Just something I noticed and I hope it can help you. Having thought about it for a moment you could weld brackets onto the differential case and do a cross mount from the diff case to the outer frame for your suspension. It should offer you about 15" of travel. Just weld a pivot point on top the diff case and run your shocks from that to the outer frame. You could also just add some there for extra dampening. It will also help with sway control, keeping the axle more centered.

[@triedproven9908]

Need to drill new shock tower mount holes a couple inches further down on that quarter inch plate. I'd say 3 or so inches down would give you 5 inches of travel. What I'd really like to see is you move them inboard and mount them from the axle to the cross member lowers where the seat will be. That will give you more damping at that angle as well as more travel.

[@shaneelliott4622]

It looks awesome can't wait to see the full build

[@trevorhalford8410]

Lol... that intro... lol " ... get your motor running!... Get out on the highway! Looking for adventure, and EVERYTHING that comes my way." Is all I could think of. LOL

[@paulteirney3587]

To set the shocks up, lift the frame up to suit the longest travell you want on the car then measure the length of the shock eye to eye then transfer that measurement to the mounting point on the frame then seat someone in the car and measure how far the spring compresses to see if you have the right height for the clearance you want. It is starting to look like a beast of a machine. Springs have a weight measurement of so many lbs per inch of travel , meaning that it takes X amount of lbs to compress the spring 1inch. The shock should be set so that it in the centre of the travel when at ride height.

[@stymiesnerdly771]

Tie in the overhead cage with the bed, and it'll look like a scaled down Jeep. Enjoying the build fellas. Good work

[@JMLUSA1]

KEEP DOING what you're Doing, And HOW you're doing it! Ingenuity is what I enjoy and Low Buck Engineering is the most fun! Repurposed materials and Innovative Design Ideas (INCLUDING the thinking out loud Brainstorming) is what I enjoy the most about your show! I don't really even watch the others! MAX ENJOYMENT John and Isaak! Keep it Goin brothas!

[@shenaniganswhatsoever363]

To think you guys had doubts about the looks of that thing.. 100% awesomeness 2 thumbs up

[@rimshot223]

I think those shocks can be a winner. You just need stiffer spring rate and then the slower rebound will work for you. Leaf springs to supplement some stiffer spring rate??? You'll figure it out!

[@squeezablemayonnaise8904]

I feel like those shocks are super close to what you need. I think a tad less damping and you'll be good. I thinks spring rate is good because trophy trucks are super soft it's just because of high damping and lots of travel. I think it just needs a little less damping and it'll be perfect

[@cliffpalermo]

Red beard has a video to drill out and change fluid/valving in those helper units worth a watch on his vid

[@fredericrike5974]

On the build, I'm a little out of my zone- BMW cars I know some about- bikes, not so much. Isaac, a MOOG auto parts dealer may well have some helper springs you could run inside the red ones. The front end is still a bit nebulous, I see. See my last Episode comments- it may either explain much or increase your questions! John, on the new shop- figure out where, likely near the building you have , and lay out and have a slab built- a 4" pour with a few grade beams is all you will need- get a metal garage kit with prebent roof trusses and metal siding- insulate it and line it with plywood paneled walls!

[@kenwinston2245]

You could score a couple of light duty springs and perches for the rear end for cheap at a scrap yard... the shocks are good for damping the travel but you need a bit more support

[@deanhallam1440]

Red Beard's Garage tried to use the same helper springs on his 670 buggy. They ended up being too soft and, like you were wondering about on yours, he said the rebound would definitely be too slow for his buggy. I'm no expert, but I think that for your application (I'm assuming you're building it for hardcore off-roading and/or jumping), those springs may not have time to rebound before the next hit. Red Beard used them as mock-up springs, then he ordered custom shocks of the same length (I know, too expensive). If I were building one of these, I think I would look for some used RZR shocks or something. Somebody might have put aftermarket shocks on and shoved the OEMs into a corner of the garage. A small town dealer might have some as well.

[@Beardest_Fishing]

You never run any shock fully extended, it will beat you to death and destroy the shock. Figure out your full shock travel and you want your shock to have 33% up travel and 66% down travel. So if your shock has 10" of travel you want it to be at 6.5" sitting fully setup with driver. Those are oil filled shocks with helper springs which aren't designed to hold weight any way. Those shocks are meant to dampen the movement of an axle that is sprung with leaf springs.

[@amcustomfab]

Run your shocks horizontally with a cantilever push rod setup then you can have multiple ratios on your cantilever to make it stiffer. Keep up the good work

[@daddyoutdoorsman2189]

Not to many people could pull that look off. Bravo!

[@alexseverance2996]

After all these years Ike looks like he should have started the channel looking like that! Almost to perfect! The music, wig and shades made this video wonderful! As always!

[@fullsendsornosends1176]

it would be kinda cool if you guys were to make something about like grind hard plumbing co's 4x4 1000cc 100 hp ktm powered power wheels jeep... you should watch them if you don't already, they could give you inspiration for a future project. The build looks good so far, keep up the good work.

[@1one3_Racing]

More superfluous tubes. This bath tub is really taking shape!

[@Shookiiee]

Those helper springs are pretty sweet I used to run them on my truck and besides it riding a little rougher I could flex the hell out of my rear end

[@s14duma]

Drill more holes for more mounting options on the rear shocks. More adjustability to dial it in when full weight is added.

[@randomprojectsusa5196]

That is the greatest intro I’ve ever seen! 10/10 would watch again.

[@MrNosajwhitey]

I'm learning to be patient with builds like this cause of grind hard plumbing boys take their time so don't mind waiting until you can get it right

[@scottmason623]

That think is amazing!!!!! Have you through about putting plastic paneling on it or some thing like that when it’s finished?

[@kenerew]

Great job as always..grab the PBR and toast to 'Merica..can't wait for the next video..should tape it with an old 80s video camera..give it that classic look

[@Micky_D_B]

Well now ike looks Like Billy Ray Cyrus. 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheJdizzle02]

You need to mount the "helper springs" aka coil overs on the rear trailing arms up high to give you more travel for less lenght

[@jryer1]

1:19 - Loving that Tube Bender guys, definitely need to get me one of those! Does anybody know if that bender can bend square tube and flat bar also??

[@mochahaze4253]

Im sure this will be just one of many but the height of that roll cage is kinda obscure. When Ike can sit in it and fit a pony keg over his head... its too tall. That being said Im very excited to see the progression of this build. You guys rock!

[@thahitman2]

Ike has got it goin on!!! All you need now is a Nascar and you got the whole setup.

[@joshuadunn882]

Great video guys. Your slowly but surely getting there. Just a little suggestion - from what I could see the shocks look like they are not square to axle and chassis in any plain. Looks like they might bind with so much travel. Might be worth moving them inside the "bed" frame and mount them straight of the axle. You'll lose and bit of travel but it'll stiffen things up and bit and won't wear your bushing out. Also I noticed you were not happy with front screen hoop - might be worth taking off that hoop and the T bars and running bars with a slight bend in them to go from left and right side, where the wind screen hoop is mounted, and running them to the middle of the over head hoop. Then triangulate it all up. Might look a bit better. Just some ideas. Great job guys. Keep up the motivation and the good work. It's not easy.

[@TastierBackInThe80s]

Once you put the back frame on it starts to make sense. I just can't help but help to think those rear dampeners need a bit more travel and the springs adjusted? Saw the same thing happen with Rather B Weldings Grave Ninja as well.

[@goswellmike]

going with the 80's theme, could always gut a set of air helper shocks for a pickup truck.

[@bloodredhornet2704]

Coming along good. This is an awesome project, keep it up! How about welding a tab to your rear suspension mount and making a bracket so the shock bolts mount in a double shear instead of single shear like you have. Might be a tad stronger. Maybe that 1/2 bolt will be fine. Just a thought. Excited to see more of the build.

[@Mach1n3gunn3r]

This is gona be the sickest build! I can't wait to see it finished!

[@jamesmcgee9279]

Do you guys remember the movie Joe Dirt? If you don't or haven't seen it, it's a must watch comedy. The mullet sideburns is awesome. Alas, can't wait to see this truck rip.

[@dallasstepto8409]

Starting to look the part now. Looks like a little rock crawler I love it

[@Jg15243]

How are you going to put cheap shocks on a “trophy truck” that’s the most important thing in a trophy truck 😂😂

[@hobbitilius]

Ike can really pull off that look actually, especially the sunglasses.

[@ewarn3202]

Next build idea half scale rock bouncer

[@duanemiller5606]

Isaac‘s looking good with the Ray bands, the bandanna and long hair. Super cool man.

[@jryer1]

0:01 - Best part of the video, IKE with his 1980s rock hair band-do!

[@AndrewM_148]

@carsandcameras if you move the bottom shock mount so the shock is sitting completely vertical, you'll have more suspension travel out of your shocks, it'll won't compress as much when you sit in it, and it'll have more ground clearance.

[@rodswim492]

The mullet is perfect.

[@manbeast9519]

soft and slow return is good for gettn air in a front engine rig nice work

[@beanieboocoolclub904]

Hey budz y'all should pull this off!! A bettle fender turned into a mini bike, looks pretty darn cool.

[@danilolattaro]

My Formula SAE/Student background gave me the bad habit of evaluating when the nodes on the chassis don't converge :P ohhh that main hoop to frame versus bed to frame nodes hahaha

[@jacobbowling179]

I honestly hope one day u guys are on like motor trend and make a good living doing this stuff its super fun to watch

[@bernardjohnson1208]

SWEET! is starting to come together

[@moparmanmarshal1]

Red Beard garage shows how to revalve those shocks

[@jmar8094]

If those shocks end up being too soft you could consider running monroe or gabriel air shocks. That could give you the adjustment you are looking for

[@Zzeke]

Just a few comments to be constructive. I think it’s customary in many off-road vehicles to count on setting up your shocks for 25% sag. That’s how you get a nice plush ride. You don’t want your shocks to top out either, unless you’re actually in the air. Now it looks to me like you’ve got more shock travel than you do axle travel at (12:05) if that’s true then maybe mount the shocks a little bit lower? Just a thought....

[@battery_solar_ev]

hey guys dont forget you need enough down travel for terrain to keep the shock from topping out there is going to be an optimal travel range on that shock and spring at least 3 to 4 inches is normal you make it to stiff and the shock will slam at the top all the time

[@crabtreemedia8169]

At first I didn't think it looked great but it looks great now! Remember, usefulness over looks.

[@chadhubbard3056]

Y'all the greatest and most most underrated channel in my opinion

[@gameboy1141]

for real, some of these clips of mullet mode would make great posters/desktop backgrounds

[@eformance]

Make some sleeves to space the lower spring perch up a few inches, that'll be as good as adding stiffer coils.

[@beaud3035]

I hate to be the 1 that says it cuz i luv Isaac but his chops and his hoop earings with the necklace he wears all blends in with that mullet 😂 luv ya man!

[@ItsDaJax]

Usually you'll see those desert vehicles run dual shocks at each corner. At least Trophy Trucks and Unlimited Buggies were like that until advancement in shocks happened. Now you'll see single shocks with two different rate springs on one shock body.

[@rotare30guy17]

Most long travel off road setup run close to 70% Droop and 30% up travel. The ride height is set relatively low to keep the center of gravity as far down as possibly and the large amount of down travel give the suspension more time to absorb the impact of landing from a jump. But cool build either way. Not sure how much time in the air this thing is planned to spend

[@jhavarcytonge9439]

Along with the shocks. Add springs to the back to help with the return

[@NoWr2Run]

With that rear in there that will use up a hell 0f a lot of HP & TK. That thing is HUGE, WOW.

[@darrellnichter9894]

I'm late to the party boys but maybe look into front forks on larger motorcycles for suspension ideas! Lots o travel

[@adew4u2enjoy]

Looks so much better going truck style and the stub bed. I like it.

[@brianproffitt7263]

The way it’s starting to look is money 🔥

[@shawnramsey2791]

Man some companie need to sponsor them some really good off-road shocks ,,,,that would be sick

[@handyhippie6548]

I still have my ponytail from the 80's. I'll die with one hanging down my back. METAL RULES!

[@FloridaMan0561]

This is gonna be one bad ass machine,I can't wait to see it finished and tearing shit up!

[@Lord_Verminaard]

The damping looks pretty good, need a bit more spring rate. If you can swap springs that would be easy, otherwise you might need to find a way to inset a coil spacer or something. Either way, looking good!

[@jasonpetrich4141]

I like the recycled f150 shocks. Those should do very well for the weight of the machine and you. You might need to do 2 shocks per corner

[@zexos13]

Currently that front suspension will shimmy all over, can’t wait to see what you do with it

[@orionbennett7343]

The long hair is a good look for Issac .... said by a 69 year old guy with longer than shoulder length hair, since getting out of the Navy in 1972.

[@waymoretheoutlaw5895]

I think you'll need to use staps like rock crawlers have to keep from the shocks over extending from the frame to the differential

[@bethnichols4960]

shy is looking like a monster

[@shtopfl5247]

Maybe stiffer springs could help 🤔 or put the pivot points of the lower shock mount further back to change the leverage that pushes it in