SEMA 2016: 2016 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited Name Change

A while back, we named our build Project Azul (Link).  The original thoughts were to find a name that would be more of a Blue Archangel.  Thinking I could make Azul work, it usually took some explaining on the name.  Most people just saw Azul = Blue and moved on.  After some conversations, some people felt that Azul was kind of plain or basic.  So after much thought, the name has been changed to Azrael, also known as the Angel of Death.  " Archangel Azrael's primary angelic responsibility is to assist those who are making the transition from physical life to spirit life.  Azrael ensures that the transition process is painless and effortless as well as offers safe passage to those who are transitioning, lovingly guiding them to their heavenly home." (All Thing Healing.)  The Hebrew name translates to "One Whom God Helps." - Wikipedia

Although Azrael's typically associated with the color purple, more specifically Amethyst, he's also listed as a Blue Blood Angel or Sangre Azul.  (Sangre Azul listing)  That just solidified my quest in finding the right name.  Azrael is tough.  Not a bringer of death but a comforter in dark times, which jeep owners know, driving a jeep can bring a sense of happiness. :D  After much more thought, the name Azrael seemed to just fit. Read more

SEMA 2015: BedRug's 2015 F150 XLT - Bushwacker Fender Flares

One of the easiest ways to "mean up" a truck is adding pocketed Bushwacker Fender Flares.  Those who have installed them know they go on perfect.  Every thought it carefully considered and installation always goes smoothly.  So I'm not going to spend too much time on that.

Initial discussions with BedRug, we would wrap the fender flares in a charcoal gray.  However, after a little more thought, we ultimately decided on painting the fender flares body color.  That decision was a good one.  It left the charcoal to accent the truck, and the end result was spot on.

       

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SEMA 2015: Project Brutus *update*

Parts are arriving. As we gather them together, we get ready to schedule one of our biggest builds of the year. After some phone calls, we have almost secured the components necessary to complete this build properly.

American Force Wheels is again our primary sponsor. Always an honor to work with reputable companies. Even better is getting the opportunity to repeat that working relationship. American Force is working on a special project that will debut this year on Project Brutus. 

BedRug and Retrax have returned as sponsors as well. Both great companies with an true no hassle lifetime warranty. We wouldn't want to work with anyone else, so we are happy to have them aboard again. This year, Retrax sent us their newly released MX (Matte) cover, which is amazing.  

BedSlide is another company that has repeated their sponsorship with us. Their products are for SURE a lifesaver for anyone that works out of their truck.

Bushwacker was a no brainer. What better way to accent some 24's with a pocket style fender flare. 

Magnaflow provided us with a dual tip catback exhaust. We can't wait to hear the sound of the itty bitty EcoBoost turbo, spooling.  

Fab Fours sent us their new Venegence Series bumpers to really beef up the truck. They arrived raw for us to Powdercoat gloss black (at our request) and the craftsmanship was amazing.

Roadwire returns to provide us with a leather kit. This one is going to be a surprise which we are really excited about.  We will remove the seats to send off to them for replication. They will return with a new, custom setup. 

Ride Controller is a new company on board this year. This product is amazing. With Bluetooth sync capabilities of up to 150ft, I can turn on and off just about any 12v switched source with a phone!

Extreme Dimensions brings us the hood to give it a more aggressive and tough feel. The hood will also be unveiled at SEMA. 

Sony Car Audio is going to provide the audio system to finish out the interior.

Amp Research is also a new addition, utilizing their XL setup that offers a 3" drop on their steps.  We are super excited about this.  

Last but not least, Bulletproof Suspension, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, and Atlas Suspension finish out the look with a 12" lift. Components will be powdercoated red with a marbled hydrodip to represent Greek pillars. 

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Black Rhino still alive....

Finally!  After a couple of years, Black Rhino Project has been officially published in the July edition of Diesel World Magazine.  Shared throughout social media, online magazines, and other outlets, we have finally seen it in print.  We thank all our sponsors on this build.  It has truly been a dream fulfilled for me and the MSA Team to build a mini Semi-truck.

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MSA and the Arkansas Traveler's present the Grand Slam Auto-Rama August 24th, 2014

This is an event that's bound to be a grand-slam.  (Pun intended. :D)

The Arkansas Traveler's and MSA have teamed up to put on the Traveler's first Auto Expo.  50 vehicles selected from various car shows and events from around the state have been invited to display their vehicles in front of Dickey Stephens stadium during the game.  The selected vehicles range in all years and comprise of some of the baddest cars and trucks in the central area.

The primary sponsor, Crain Kia, will have 2 modified vehicles on display: a Hulk themed 2014 Kia Soul and a Batman themed 2014 Kia Optima.

And of course, MSA will feature it's own lineup of vehicles including Kim, the 1989 240sx MSA Formula D Pro-Am drift car - and Black Rhino, the 2014 F350 Dually built and debuted at the 2013 SEMA Show.



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MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Snow Pictures

It's not every year that snow comes down in Arkansas.  So we definitely wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.  Here are the shots we got.  Feel free to use as a wallpaper.  In fact, we'd be honored.














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MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > What's SEMA without hurdles?

T'was the last day of the build before departure.  Late nights assembling last minute parts, the front end, the BedRug, BedSlide, Retrax Bed Cover, Automatic Cargo Lights, and the interior.  After it was all assembled, we took it for a test run.  It was a rocky drive and was deemed undriveable for the 22 hours drive it was to make in a few short hours.  We then scrambled to located a truck and a trailer with the capacities to pull Black Rhino.  The problem was, we would find a 5th wheel trailer and no truck with a hook up.  Or vice versa.  After a few hours, we finally located a bumper pull that would haul the load.

Or so we thought...  After finally getting on the freeway, the trailer began to sway some.  Due to the weight, the drive was no more than 60-65mph down the freeway.  Long nights and a 2 man crew taking shifts, the trailer blew a tire approximately 2 hours from Las Vegas.  Stressed and exhausted, they changed the tire on the trailer and continued.  30 minutes later, a second trailer tire blew.  Already late to the destination, the Black Rhino was pulled off the trailer and drove the rest of the way.

Black Rhino finally made it to the SEMA show approximately 5pm, Monday before the show.  By then, our booth spot was locked up and there were no entries into the location.  So we were then set aside in a new lot where many of the other "late" trucks were parked.  Seems like we weren't the only to have issues. There was another vehicle that was to be in the same booth that had suspension problems.  Broke down on the side of the road, they rented a local shop's bay for $2,000 that night!

The rush to SEMA and fulfilling sponsorship obligations is normally a stressful time for shops.  Unless you're just bolting on parts, you're looking at newly developed parts that are being tested.  You're looking at shops balancing clients and their SEMA build.  So many factors play into building a vehicle.  The final results are always incredible though, and it is always a memorable experience.  Thanks to everyone that's been following the Black Rhino Project.  Look for it's feature in Street Trucks magazine and Diesel Army Magazine.

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MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Headlamp Retrofit

As with most everything, this wasn't an easy task to accomplish.  Most headlamps these days are situated in such a way that disassembling them makes it difficult.  There are several ways to go about separating the headlamp lenses, every single one of them softens the glue.  One way is the oven.  This is risky because the lenses are plastic and can melt under the heat.  Second is using a heat gun.  The challenge here is the black housing itself can melt under the heat gun should you keep it in one spot too long.  The last way I've been told is putting the headlamp in some very very hot water.

My option was the heat gun.  I didn't have a stove here at the shop to boil hot water and using our micro microwave wasn't an option.  The oven was too small.  In order to do this, I had to cut the outer lip of the black housing to access the glue to soften it.  Imagine the headlamp housing (black part) in the shape of a U.  Put your adhesive in the valley, then place the lens in it.  It's the most effective way of making sure you have a proper seal.  However, separating this is not an easy task.  Until I learn a better technique, I've had to cut the "U" into an "L", exposing the glue, then softening it from there.  I then use plastic pry tools and as the glue softens, work myself into separating the lenses.  (I'm sorry I didn't take better pictures of this process.)

Once the lens was separated, the inside housing was removed for trimming.  Per the instructions from the retrofit source, the housing is cut and JB Welded into place.  Due to time constraints, this is what I did.  However, it was my first option to create 4-way adjustments.

Another trick we did on this setup was, we relocated the hi/low beam to the top section and the turn signals to the bottom.  It was a subtle hint that most may not have caught.  I dremeled the lower housing to allow the turn signal to fit in there as if it were factory.

The reflector was separated and paint matched as well, leaving a small strip for DOT legal purposes.  The law states that the front must have an orange reflector.  The retrofit source's xB light strip in amber replaced our existing 194 bulb for a brighter light and a cooler effect.

This was my first retro fit installation, so of course, there were some hiccups.  The instructions require the truck to be at level height to do the installation.  Unfortunately, I didn't have that due to the suspension being modified.  All in all, it was a good learning experience for me.  I'd say I would definitely continue to do this type of work just to gain the experience.

Again, I apologize for the lack of images.  As the deadline grew closer, the focus was on getting the truck done.  In addition, the reflections in the images, made it difficult to capture the true look of the headlamps.

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MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Front Bumper, Rear Bumper, and Other things you might not catch.

There are a few subtle changes on this vehicle that people don't notice.  I thought they deserved some pointing out.

FRONT BUMPER
If you notice the original rendering, the front bumper is WAY lower than OE.  It was designed that way.  The theme of the truck is a mini-semi truck.  In order to do so, we had to have a larger front bumper/air dam.  To do this we had to succeed in doing 2 things - keeping the factory lines and lowering it approximately 4 inches.  With our time constraints, our best option was to purchase another front bumper, weld, and mold it in.  When completely deflated, the front bumper with air dam sits about an inch off the ground.  Perfection.


REAR DUALLY FENDERS
As described in a previous blog, the rear fenders were rendered to be flush with the wheels.  But this was also our tow vehicle that would haul a 24' enclosed trailer with a drift car and tools.  So, we wanted 10ply tires to ensure the truck could handle the load.  Nitto, our sponsor, had 1 tire that would fit the bill - The Terra Grappler at LT315/50R24, which equates to a 36.54" total diameter and approximately 12.5" in width.  Most people walked by not realizing the massive width of the fender, but it came out to be about a 4 day job to make sure both sides not only matched, but the lines were right.

SUICIDE DOORS
Most people didn't play with these, and of course, we aren't complaining.  At shows, vehicles really aren't meant for the general public to just play and handle as they wish.  But, when one of us were present, we definitely want to show the 3 weeks of love put into this.  The doors open and close just like factory from the inside or the outside.  The gaps between the doors and the body are right.  The added metal reinforcement prevents them from sagging.

BAG SETUP
The rear setup is heavily reinforced.  We used 1/4" and 1/2" steel because we knew that there was a possibility of a gooseneck setup in the future.  So we set it up that way, and with our 3800lb bags, we should be able to haul just about anything.  The parallel bars and other items on the truck assists in that setup, keeping the rear more rigid than it was from the factory.

SWITCHES and RUNNING BOARDS
The switches and the running boards weren't offered for my truck's specific model.  They could have been upgraded, but weren't purchased that way.  The running boards are from a Lariat which were disassembled and painted.  This truck is an XLT model.  It also had the AUX OE Switch option that we purchased separately.  These run the Grille lights, additional fog lamps, and the rear bumper lights.

FENDERS
We actually molded the front fenders.  We wanted a more smooth look, and the front fenders seem out of place with the line in it.  Since we did that, we had to modify the Bushwacker Extend-A-Fenders up front to account for the body line elimination.

PAINT
It was a common misconception that we wrapped the truck.  There are several companies that had the brushed steel look in a wrap, so at a quick glance, a lot of people made that assumption.  But no.  We didn't want the truck to be merely wrapped.  That showed no technical skill.  We had to take it a step further and we actually "scratched" the truck to give it the brushed look.  We accomplished this with 180 grit sandpaper, and red and gray scotchbrite pads.  Total process took about 8 hours.



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