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- Season 6
- Episode 8
Racing a Groovy ’70s Van in the Gambler 500
Dirt Every Day - S6 - E8
On this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle find a 1979 4x4 Dodge van and take it four-wheeling in the wacky off-road rally known as the Gambler 500. The van is complete with shag carpet, a mural, and big, 37-inch General Grabber tires, but can it survive this off-roading circus? The guys head to the hills of Oregon to find some great four-wheeling while trying to hit all the checkpoints of this low-budget traveling party full of wacky machines.
Dirt Every Day: Season 6 - 12 Episode s
6x1 - Snow Racing an Avalanche
Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle drag a tired, old ’03 Chevy Avalanche out of the cobwebs and spruce it up for a north Idaho snow race—because nothing is faster in the snow than an Avalanche! The big truck has an 8.1L big-block and solid 1-ton axles front and rear, but the tires are only 37 inches tall. Will it be enough to win the race, or will the big truck get snowbank stuck? Watch this episode of Dirt Every Day to find out.
6x2 - Junkyard Jeepin’
In this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle enter a junkyard with a battery, some gas, big tires, and a pile of parts with the goal of driving a Jeep home. The guys roll around in the dirt of the desert junkyard fixing up a 1994 Jeep YJ and then challenge themselves to find as many dirt miles as possible on their drive to Pismo Beach. Is it possible to drive a Jeep home from a junkyard? Is it possible to find open dirt roads in California? Is it possible for the guys to stretch a three-hour drive into a two-day adventure? Tune in now to find out.
6x3 - Overlanding Minibike Mayhem
May 18, 2018
On this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle embark on an overlanding trip of epic proportions on motorcycles of minor proportions. Dave, a diehard motorcycle fan, finally convinces Fred to do a moto episode of DED, but bike-rookie Fred picks what he assumes will be the easiest bike to ride: a Coleman minibike from the local Tractor Supply. The 6hp bikes are then loaded down with gear strapped on like a pack mule. What’s left is a 20-mile adventure on tiny machines with zero suspension over rocky desert hills and through rushing mountain streams of northwest Arizona. Fred will learn that even small bikes can battle their way to the top, but some guys are really not meant to ride on two wheels.
6x4 - Building a Tacoma for the Mint 400
The Toyota Tacoma has a huge following, and the latest version is making a splash amongst off-road enthusiasts, so when Fred Williams gets the chance to join a desert race team for a race in a Tacoma on this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, he dives in to see how the truck is built. Williams heads to Camburg Engineering to learn how a stock TRD truck is transformed into a safe desert race machine.
6x5 - Racing the Iconic Mint 400 in a Toyota
The Mint 400 is the Great American Off-Road Race, and in this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams gets to enjoy all the sights and sounds of this iconic desert race that was first run in 1967. The race starts with a week of experiences in Las Vegas and ends with a rocky, dusty battle across the Nevada desert. Tune in to see how the Tacoma race truck built last episode fares in this historic adventure.
6x6 - How to Swap a Barn-Find Willys Jeep Wagon Onto a Wrangler YJ Chassis
Fred Williams’ garage-find 1961 Willys Wagon has been sitting with bad brakes and a tired drivetrain ever since a prior engine swap (Episode 37), so it was time to set that straight on this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack. Believe it or not, the Dirt Heads pulled out the Chevy LS V-8 to swap the entire Willys wagon onto a wrecked Wrangler YJ frame and drivetrain for a more reliable retro wheeler. The guys spend most of the show in the shop wrenching and fabricating in order to bring a cool-looking old Jeep back from the dead and prep it for summer wheeling fun.
6x7 - Army Surplus Humvee Built to Rockcrawl—Awesome or Awful?
April 27, 2018
On this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle are going to figure out if, with a few modifications, a military surplus Humvee is a great desert machine, or an awful off-roader. After getting a ratty veteran of a 4x4 from GovPlanet, the guys take it home to build it up into a more capable rockcrawler and then head to Johnson Valley, California, to see if their mods worked.
6x8 - Racing a Groovy ’70s Van in the Gambler 500
On this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle find a 1979 4x4 Dodge van and take it four-wheeling in the wacky off-road rally known as the Gambler 500. The van is complete with shag carpet, a mural, and big, 37-inch General Grabber tires, but can it survive this off-roading circus? The guys head to the hills of Oregon to find some great four-wheeling while trying to hit all the checkpoints of this low-budget traveling party full of wacky machines.
6x9 - Converting a Two-Wheel-Drive RAV4 to a 4WD RAV4 for Rockcrawling
On this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle take on the challenge of converting a front-wheel-drive, two-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4 to a four-wheel-drive rockcrawler by putting the complete front engine and transaxle in the passenger compartment and swapping in Toyota Land Cruiser axles underneath. But will the mini off-roader work as a capable rockcrawler when it’s all done?
6x10 - How to Build a 4x4 in 48 Hours
On this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle start with a 94 Ford F-250 from IronPlanet and transform it into a more capable off-road machine in just 48 hours to fit 37-inch General tires. Then they head to the Rocky Mountains to test their truck with some high-altitude rockcrawling.
6x11 - Unimog Road Trip to Memphis
July 5, 2019
On this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle pick up a military Unimog in Indiana with just a few days to get it to Memphis, Tennessee, for a big truck show. They think “No problem,” but are they in for a shock when they realize that the Unimog isn’t the dream on-road machine they hoped it would be. However, on roads is not the Dirt Every Day way, so they shift the big Mercedes military machine into low range and see what it can do on the muddy, wooded trails to determine if this is truly one of the greatest 4x4s ever made.
6x12 - UTV Fishing Trip to New Mexico
July 12, 2019
On this episode of Dirt Every Day presented by Tire Rack, Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle decide it’s time to take a break from building crazy 4x4s and just do what normal people do, so they hitch a small boat to the back of a Yamaha Wolverine UTV and head to the hills of New Mexico. The plan is simple: explore the Southern Rockies, find a nice mountain lake, and maybe catch some trout. But is it really possible for Williams and Chappelle to be normal?