Memorial

(Narrator)>> Today on XOR, wait a minute, that's not an off road vehicle.

(Jeremy)>> Nope but it's cool.

(Narrator)>> Jeremy gives the Engine Power test sled some style points. Plus the gang helps out a gold star family with a tribute project.

(Jeremy)>> Guys we're on the road today and I'm joined by Austin Lefort from Truck Tech.

(Austin)>> That's right, we're on a very special Driveway Rescue where we're gonna help a gold star family with a vehicle that's very close to their hearts.

(Jeremy)>> We're meeting up with Todd Ross, who is the father of Corporal Carter Ross in the Marine Corps. Now the Ross family suffered a terrible loss back in December of 2018.

(Todd)>> We always knew but I never pushed him. That had to be Carter's choice.

(Jeremy)>> Corporal Carter Ross joined the Marine Corps after high school, following in his father's footsteps. Now his father Todd is currently a pilot but served in the Navy.

(Todd)>> He asked me why I served and I told him it's an honor to serve. It's one of those things that the camaraderie that you get when you serve, the brotherhood that you get, that you build, it's a blessing.

(Jeremy)>> Corporal Ross went through a series of training and special schools to become a crew chief on a C-130 aircraft. While in training Carter bought his first car.

(Todd)>> So just before he leaves for Japan he does this thing and he buys his first vehicle. He buys a 1994 Mazda Miata. What is planned for that car is he wanted to make a road car out of it. He wanted to cage it. He wanted to put a turbo kit on it, and make it a very nice streetable raceable car. And I told him, I said well you know you're gonna need two vehicles. One to work on and then one to go get parts in. And he's like okay. I'll get one that I can actually pull it to the track with. That's a wise choice. I said what do you want? He said I'm gonna get me a truck.

(Jeremy)>> Carter knew what he wanted. He set his sights high on a second gen Dodge Cummins. With a little help from his dad they were able to find a 1998 three quarter ton Ram pickup.

(Todd)>> He was so proud. I think when we got home that he called everybody that he knew of. I think we saw him for a total of about five hours the rest of that week cause he was all over the place. He had plans for it. He had the rims picked out. He had the tires picked out, everything. He knew what he was gonna do with it, and it was gonna be a tall order.

(Jeremy)>> Corporal Ross returned to duty where he was deployed to Japan, where he would serve as a crew chief on a KC-130-J, a refueling aircraft. On December 6th 2018 the Ross family would be forever changed. Corporal Ross and his fellow crew on Sumo 41 were flying a training mission when the unthinkable happened.

(Todd)>> I get a phone call from Michelle saying there are reports of a mid-air collision in Japan, and I knew, I knew.

(Jeremy)>> All five crew members of Sumo 41 perished, plus the pilot of the F-18 that was involved in the collision. Now since that fatal crash only three members of Sumo 41 have been recovered. All the Ross family has left of their son are some photos, memories, and their son's truck.

(Todd)>> What it is, it's just gonna be a living monument to him. It's not going anywhere. It's just a completion of one of his dreams. That's what it means to us.

(Jeremy)>> Austin you served and you have a different connection with these gold star families.

(Austin)>> Yeah that's right but there's really no way to truly mend the wounds that this family has suffered with Carter paying the ultimate sacrifice. However with us pairing with Rock Auto if it only creates a tiny moment of happiness well it's well worth it.

(Jeremy)>> Yeah and I know Carter would love our help in getting his project done. And again, when Rock Auto heard about what we were doing they jumped right on board for this tribute truck.

That's probably good right about there. That'll work. Hi Todd, Jeremy from XOR and this is Austin from Truck Tech.

(Austin)>> Hey nice to meet you sir.

(Jeremy)>> Looks like you've got a big crew here too huh?

(Todd)>> Yeah we've got Lane and Katelin and David that are gonna help us out today.

(Jeremy)>> Great well that must be Carter's truck. Let's go take a look at it.

(Todd)>> It is yeah. So we bought the truck back in October of last year while Carter was home on leave. Since then we've added some wheels and tires, a little bit of suspension work, and we've had the truck painted.

(Austin)>> Yeah and that color it pops in the sun. I mean that's awesome.

(Todd)>> The funny thing about the color, he had this picked out. It is a Copenhagen Mint Blue.

(Austin)>> I knew it looked familiar.

(Todd)>> If you look at that Copenhagen can on the mint that's where it came from, and they did a really good job of matching it. We've had the Line-X put in the bed to make it nice and sturdy. We've done a lot to it. It's been a real labor of love. We've tried to do everything that Carter wanted done to the truck from the wheels, tires.

(Austin)>> Yeah how's the interior, clean?

(Todd)>> It's not too bad. We've added the carpet to it and sound deadening, and you know stuff like that. It still needs some t-l-c with the interior. We'll get to that. It used to be an old work truck, had that rubber mat.

(Austin)>> You had a vinyl floor.

(Todd)>> Yeah, yeah, and it was loud as crap.

(Jeremy)>> Well it's all coming together. It looks pretty good.

(Todd)>> Yeah we've still got a little bit to do with it but it's coming along.

(Jeremy)>> Well you know we've got a van full of parts and we love to actually kinda get at it, and it looks like you've got a whole crew to help us with. So what you say we unload the van? You guys see what we've got.

(Austin)>> Lot of sun shining, let's get to work.

(Todd)>> Let's do it.

(Narrator)>> Up next the team gets to work transforming the exterior of this tribute project for Marine corporal Carter Ross.

(Jeremy)>> We've got a ton of parts. We can start unloading and see what we've got here. Lane you take that.

(Todd)>> It's very humbling that people want to be a part of this project. What it is, it's just gonna be a living monument to him. A completion of one of his dreams.

(Jeremy)>> What do you think Todd? I think this should look perfect on the front of his truck.

(Todd)>> I think it's gonna set it off real well. It's gonna look good.

(Jeremy)>> You and I, let's go take on the front here.

(Todd)>> Alright let's do that.

(Austin)>> Hey Jeremy, while y'all do that I'll take the rest of the crew and we'll tackle the back huh?

(Jeremy)>> Sounds good.

(Todd)>> That's nice.

(Lane)>> Carter is my best friend and brother, and he had a dream for this truck when bought it and ever since he passed away we are here to fulfill that dream for him and capture the embodiment of who he was.

(Katelin)>> He would be so overwhelmed with joy over this truck. It's so touching to see this actually come to fruition. It's amazing!

(Austin)>> We'll just line it up with the back of the bed and set it down.

(Jeremy)>> Alright David, why don't we get these brackets on here for the grille guard, and then you can go underneath and get the other one.

(David)>> Looks good!

(Todd)>> That's slick.

(Jeremy)>> Nice and clean right?

(Todd)>> It's clean man, it's good.

(Jeremy)>> Well we've got a couple more odds and ends. Let's get at that huh?

(Todd)>> Okay.

(Jeremy)>> Austin why don't you go ahead and light this up. Well that'll work awesome. You know it kinda ties the whole truck together and truck's still got a nice, clean look. So everything you asked for actually added a lot to the truck. On behalf of Austin and myself, Powernation, and XOR we thank you so very much for letting us be a part of this build.

(Austin)>> Yeah I've got to say from one Marine to the other it's an honor to touch this truck.

(Todd)>> Gentlemen it's been pleasure. I can't thank you guys enough. XOR, everything that you've done. This is a dream come true. Thank you very, very much.

(Jeremy)>> You're more than welcome.

(Austin)>> Well in my opinion there's only one thing left to do and that's let Sumo 41 carry on.

(Jeremy)>> We should go take this thing for a drive huh?

(Todd)>> Let's do that. He would be so proud of the truck. He'd be so proud of the truck.

(Jeremy)>> What's it feel like when you get behind the wheel?

(Todd)>> That he's with me. It makes me feel a little closer at times. I play his country music and for just a moment. It's just a piece of machinery but it's a piece of him, even though he never got to enjoy it very much.

It's for you son, it's for you.

(Narrator)>> Up next we have a packed house. A look at this year's projects on XOR.

(Jeremy)>> Hey guys welcome back to the XOR shop. Now we have a rare instance where we have all of our builds in one area. This gives me a chance to show you guys and tell you guys exactly what we did on each project. Well not all of you may remember the Toyota Tacoma. This truck started life as an independent front suspension truck, and after we ripped all of that out from underneath we went ahead and threw in a Dana 44 and a custom three link suspension. From there we threw on some 37 inch tall tires, took this thing out, and absolutely beat on it. Now when General Tire heard that we had the Tacoma they asked if they could bring it along on our XOR Adventure ride. Well of course we said yes. So you guys get to see this in action one more time in West Virginia. And this, this is our brand new 2018 Jeep JL, and we got this truck with only 50 miles on it and we tore right into it. With some help from Dana Spicer and their Ultimate Adventek Dana 44 front axle and some gears we got beefier axles. Rusty's sent us their three and three quarter inch advanced lift kit. We got some fluids for underneath the hood and in the axles from AMSOIL. General Tire gave us some 37 inch tall XThrees, and Edelbrock gave us a supercharger to put underneath the hood. And now all we're doing is waiting to take this thing out on our XOR Adventure ride in West Virginia. And last but not least is our 2002 Ranger pre-runner. This thing has been a labor of love for the past two years and we've done so much to this truck. We got rid of the stock suspension and upgraded to a long travel kit that we got from LSK Suspension, which will allow us to float over the dunes. We took out the tired old VSix and jammed in a Coyote Aluminator with about 450 horsepower that we got from the boys down in Engine Power. We also added a complete roll cage inside, an engine cage to protect our Coyote, and a complete back half so we could bring along a couple of spare tires. And with a couple more things to do on this truck it should be an absolute animal when we get it out into the desert, and now to move on to something that's not off road at all. This is the test sled from down in Engine Power, and it's a custom built chassis built by Factory Five Racing. It's setup to do any engine and transmission combination that you guys can dream up, and when Pat and Mike came down and asked me to help them get this thing ready for the street I said bring it on because believe it or not they're actually gonna drive this thing to test out their drivetrains. So the very first thing we're gonna do today is build some custom fenders. We're gonna keep the rear fender design pretty basic because this whole chassis' pretty basic. Just a whole bunch of round and square tubing welded together. So I'm gonna build a bob style fender that's only gonna cover half of the tire because all I'm worried about is protecting the guys from Engine Power when they're sitting in those racing seats. Now we're gonna start all of that work when we come back.

You guys just spent the entire weekend wheeling and your truck is a filthy mess. Well now it's time to clean it up, and I can build trucks but I can't tell you the first thing about protecting your paint that's underneath all of this mud. So we brought somebody in to help. This is Michael "Maestro" Pena with Mobile Auto Detail. Now Michael I don't know the first thing about detailing so where do we even start?

(Michael)>> Oh Jeremy this is the exciting step. The degreaser that I'm spraying starts to break down the dirt and grime, and it works even before you or I pick up a water hose. After we do our pre-spray the degreaser starts working. Give it a few minutes to activate. After it's attacked all the dirt and grime we will rinse it off. [ engine starting and idling ]

(Jeremy)>> Michael I guess the next step here is to just wash it right?

(Michael)>> We're just hand washing, get all the little dirt off. We'll follow that up with a quick rinse with the pressure washer, and then move the truck inside so it's in the shade. Alright Michael for me the truck is finished but you're a detailer. There's so much more we can do. There is so much more. So now's a step of protection. We can have two months protection on up to several years.

(Jeremy)>> Okay so what's first?

(Michael)>> So the Brilliant Shine detailer, this has carnubas in it. This last for a couple of months. Beyond that we have a polymer net shield that last for several months on up to a year, and then the most extreme is paint, window, suspension pieces are all protected with the professional ceramic grade coating that resists dirt.

(Jeremy)>> Fantastic, well before we get any of these things on here we should probably protect our hands.

(Michael)>> Yes.

The Brilliant Shine detailer is versatile. You're able to apply directly on the panel or a soft micro fiber towel and then wipe off any excess. To apply the polymer net shield spread it on the panel with a sponge, work in small sections. Then wipe away any excess with a clean micro fiber towel.

(Jeremy)>> Okay Michael you already put ceramic coating on the tailgate. What were the steps you had to take to get to this?

(Michael)>> I hand washed it, I clay barred it, and I polished it, and I applied the coating on top.

(Jeremy)>> Okay so you gave me a great analogy with an egg in a frying pan. The ceramic coating kind of acts like Teflon. So when you're done all you've got to do is really just wipe it off and then it's clean again right?

(Michael)>>> The ceramic coating allows you to have fun in your off road vehicle, and when you come home you can clean it in a less amount of time and obtain professional results.

(Jeremy)>> Okay well we've got a little bit of a test. We've got some dirty water. Let's see how it beads off.

(Narrator)>> Coming up the fenders Engine Power always wanted. How we built them next on XOR.

(Jeremy)>> That's perfect. Hey guys, welcome back to the rear fender build on the test sled. Now while you were at break I went ahead and built the passenger side, and all I did was use some square tubing, follow the curvature of the wheel, and then I took some aluminum and I built the skin. Now this is exactly what I wanted the fender to look like, and I'm gonna show you guys how I built this side and we're gonna do it step by step on the other side. First things first, we'll bend the tubing to match the curvature of the wheel.

I'll trim off the excess on the band saw.

Then cut out a couple of mounts. [ saw buzzing ]

(Jeremy)>> Alright now all I'm gonna do is tack these pieces on but I want to leave enough room for the suspension travel. I'll tack the first pieces together on the floor. [ welder crackling ]

(Jeremy)>> Then we'll tack those onto the chassis, and with a level we'll finish the frame work up with the top bar.

[ welder crackling ]

(Jeremy)>> If you guys are looking for reliability under the hood then Pertronix Performance Products has the ignition parts to keep your motor running. Their eight millimeter wires have a low ohms per foot resistance and their ceramic boots are great for high heat applications, and their Flame Thrower Two coil outputs 45,000 volts and maximizes energy and reliability over the whole r-p-m range. So if you guys are looking for performance ignition parts why don't you guys take a look at Pertronix Performance Products. If you guys are interested in starting your own business well Dustless Blasting may have a solution for you. Anything from cleaning concrete, stripping graffiti off the walls, all the way to going to somebody's house and helping them get their restoration project started. Best part is that their entire setup is built on a custom trailer so you can take everything you need with you. From their DB-500 setup all the way up to the big boys to help you get the job done quicker. Now if you guys are interested in becoming your own boss why don't you guys take a look at Dustless Blasting dot com. Back at the band saw we'll trim out the aluminum skin for the fender. [ saw buzzing ]

(Jeremy)>> The aluminum fits the frame perfectly, and all I did was go over to the slip roller and gave the aluminum sheeting just a little bit of curvature to match the fender. Now all I'm gonna do is come back, use the same screws that Factory Five used to put all their stuff on, and we'll finish up this fender. If you guys are interested in anything you've seen today why don't you go to Powernation TV dot com? I'm Jeremy Weckman. Thanks for watching XOR.