Jeep Cherokee XJ - 10 Day Jeep Speed Racer Part 2

Here's how TMR figures to get this race truck done in five days: There were five crew members working on various tasks in and around the truck. That was about average. Sometimes there were even more. It'll be a wonder if they don't kill each other by Day 10.

When we left the shop on Day 4, Krellwitz was welding up the mounts for the Deaver 4-inch spring packs.

Day 5: Work continued on the rollcage. In fact, the cage seemed to be a never-ending project that kept the crew busy for just about the entire 10 days. Here, Rivera test fits the windshield header bar into the cage.

When completed, the cage will be a self-contained structure with bars that pass through the Cherokee's body in a number of places and tie into the front and rear suspensions. Key to this structure will be subframe bars running under the doors that connect the front and rear hoops to each other. Here, McCallum cuts into the bottom of the front hoop on the passenger side to prepare it for a joint that will eventually attach the connector to the hoop.

Reinforcing the Cherokee's body would be a theme revisited throughout the buildup. Karl Armbrust measured and cut steel plates that would eventually hold the XJ's A-pillars to the rollcage. "Without these plates, the body will flap around and could crack right where the pillar meets the fender," LaFortune explained. "Rigidity is needed to keep the truck from cracking apart. If we make the truck strong enough, it should last three to four seasons."

Armbrust drilled a series of what looked like lightening holes in each A-pillar plate. Then he ran the plates through a die that dimpled each hole. The dimpling adds strength to the plate by pushing each hole into three dimensions.

How blistering is the pace set by the TMR crew? Take a look at the state of Rivera's shoes-and he's just halfway through the buildup. Will he be barefoot before the truck ever sees the dirt? Check in with us next issue to find out.