Tag Archives: XL Videos

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Mar 14, 2021XL Big Truck Feature, XL Off Road Feature, XL Truck Feature, XL Videos

EPIC BUILD: Off-Roading College Student Converts School Bus Into Camper And Toy Hauler Combo For His Jeep

I’m a fan of schoolies, and really like the ones that guys are making into schoolie toy haulers. If you don’t know what a schoolie is, it is a converted school bus rv. Take one cheap and well maintained school bus, gut it, fill it with all the amenities you want, and then drive around have a great time in it. We’ve seen party schoolies, long term living schoolies, and of course toy hauler schoolies like this one. As a fan of ramp trucks, it is hard not to like the schoolie version of a ramp truck, which is exactly what this one is. In this video you’ll get a full tour of the build, the features, the Jeep it carries, and more, from the kid that built it. I say kid, because he’s a college student that is seriously ate up with off-roading his Jeep so he built this as the ultimate toy hauler and sleeping spot for his trips. I love it.

The modifications are simple, there isn’t a ton of money in the thing, and the setup for hauling his custom Jeep is perfect for the task. This is by far not the fanciest schoolie we’ve ever seen, but we dig the simplicity and comfortable feel of it. I’d sleep in this sucker out at a trail event anytime.

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Feb 06, 2021XL Spotlight, XL Tech Stories, XL Videos

Snatch Block Or Snatch Ring? Which One Is More Efficient For Pulling Your Junk Out Of A Tough Spot? Time For Physics Class

If you are an off-roader, and have ever used a winch, then you are probably familiar with a snatch block. If you’ve ever had a hard time dragging a car onto your trailer with a winch and have used a snatch block to help, you know to use them, but may not know why.  If you’ve used one, even if you don’t know that you know, you have experience with the Pulley Principle. I won’t bore you with too much physics, but here are the important parts. Generically speaking, using a snatch block does two things. First, it makes the winch work half as hard, or able to pull twice as much, and second it pulls half as fast. Again, it’s simple physics, but the snatch block has been around for hundreds of years. Seriously, the same principles and technology have been used in moving things and lifting things since man first made the wheel. But is there something better? The technology changes in the rest our world surely have impacted the snatch block right? Well, sorta.

Instead of just having snatch blocks, now there are snatch rings, which work on the exact same principle but with a little more flexibility. Again, same physics, but different logistics and ergonomics. But is one actually better than the other? And does it matter just how you are using it? Keep in mind, snatch blocks and snatch rings are not just used to make your winch stronger, but also to be able to change the direction of a pull. Does this change which one is better?

I’ve never used a snatch ring, but now that I’ve seen them I think there is some merit in keeping one in the trailer box to go along with my other wince accessories, like my snatch block.

Before you watch this video, be fare warned that there are some physics class moments in the video, but the payoff is actual testing while pulling rigs with a winch cable. This is real world testing, with all the physics and dynamics explained.

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Jan 16, 20211320 Engine Tech, 1320 Tech Story, 1320 Videos, Apex Engine Tech, Apex Tech Stories, Apex Video, ENGINE, ENGINES, Tech Stories, Videos, XL Engine Tech, XL Tech Stories, XL Videos

Small Block Ford Intake Testing – Single vs Dual Plane On Both 351 Cleveland And Windsor

The world of intake manifolds is a diverse one, where dual plane, single plane, tunnel ram, IR, cross ram, long runner and short are available for just about every popular engine combo. And because modern intakes have gotten more and more modular, there are lots of ways to configure intakes for your particular application. But with the increasing number of throttle body fuel injection systems, and the still much larger number running carburetors, the age old discussion of dual plane vs single plane is a valid one. There has always been a belief that single planes are for racing and dual planes are for street cars, but with the ever increasing performance potential that we take advantage of, our street cars are getting more and more powerful all the time. So does the rule still apply? Is single really only good for the race track? Are dual planes only good for a cruiser?

Thanks to our friend Richard Holdener, we’re going to see the results of some testing with both a 351 Cleveland and a 351 Windsor on the dyno at Westech Performance Group. Watch, look at real data, and listen to the conclusions Richard has come to after years of dyno testing. Then use the info to help you make the right parts decisions for your bitchin Ford build.

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Oct 31, 2020XL Videos

Can Halfass Kustoms Get This Seized 1951 Chevy Pickup Running And Driving Since It Last Ran In 1976?!

Halfass Kustoms doesn’t always do things the way that some fancy shop might, hence the name, but they certainly get results and we love that. I wish I was half as good at getting stuff done as they are, but that’s a completely different topic. Ultimately you’ll just have to watch and see just how stuff happens around there. I have to say, sometimes cars that have been sitting forever are easier to get running than people realize. Others are absolutely horrors that just never seem to cooperate. I’ve seen engines start with just a spray of brake clean, the best starting fluid ever by the way, and then I’ve had ones that just didn’t want to run no matter what you gave them. Seized engines are of course a completely different ballgame, and getting them to turn is often much more work than the actually running part can be.

And the worst part about a seized engine is that sometimes you don’t have a clue why it is seized. Is it stuck rings, which can usually be fixed with liberal amounts of spray lube and some time, or is it a spun bearing that caused the engine to seize and end up in a wrecking yard or parked or whatever? There are all kinds of other moveable parts in an engine that can seize up and hold the engine from spinning as well, but sometimes you get lucky. Will they get lucky here?

Watch.

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This 23,000 Mile 1985 IROC-Z Z28 Camaro Is A True Survivor. Too Bad We Can't Get Any Other Info From The Seller!

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Oct 18, 2020XL Videos

Playing In The Dirt: 2020 Baja 500 Robby Gordon Highlights & Recap

As you well know, we love BAJA, and specifically racing in BAJA. In fact, just last night we were talking with a group of folks about the BAJA 1000 and just how awesome that event is even if you never leave town. Seriously, just going and hanging out and seeing the spectacle is amazing, even if the only off-road action you see is the action in the wash as the racers leave town. The whole thing is fun and excitement at every turn and there is a spirit and a personality that you’ll find at no other races in the world. This is what BAJA is all about, and perhaps nobody lives and breaths it more than Robby Gordon. After all, he took his first trip on the BAJA 1000 strapped into the rear of his father’s Baja Bug when there wasn’t even a seat in place. If he had been any older he’d never have fit, and his mother’s reservations and dad’s disbelief were not nearly enough to keep him from taking that first ride. I’m not sure he’s missed one since.

I’ve had the privilege of hanging out with Robby a couple of times and can tell you that this dude is as hard core as they come. He’s raced everything, and wants to win no matter what and where he’s racing.

Here is a little fun from Robby and the gang during the 2020 BAJA 500

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Jul 17, 2020BangShift XL, XL Videos

The Mud Pit From Hell – Try As They Might, They All Sink To The Bottom!

Do you remember the kite-eating tree in the Peanuts comic strip? No matter what Charlie Brown did to avoid fate, his kite wound up getting taken out by the one single, solitary tree that just had it out for him. Every single time, like clockwork. Even Lucy wasn’t that evil with the football…and she was misery dipped in anger. Poor Chuck…fly a kite, tree eats good, cue “Good Grief.”

The Perkins mud bog in Michigan works kind of like that. The closer you get to the bog, the more likely your truck is going to dig in and start heading towards the center of the Earth. Got a big lift? The bog doesn’t care. Got a ton of power? All the better to dig to the bottom with, my dear! And the mud itself is the kind of thick slurry that is just thin enough to not offer any grip but is thick enough to slow down forward progress. Go ahead, give it your best shot. When your axles are under what looks like chocolate cake mix and the truck has returned to it’s original height from ground to door frame, just hop on out and reflect on where you went wrong. This is a perfect storm for anybody who thinks that they can handle any little ol’ mud puddle out there. When the bulldozer has to get pulled out, you know that it’s bad…

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Wacky Drag Racing History: The Day An Airplane Destroyed The Tree At An NHRA National Event!

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May 13, 2020BangShift XL, HISTORIC, RACING & ACTION, Videos, XL Videos

Video: 1950s Tractor Crash Testing Is The Best Crash Testing – The Creepy Music Adds To The Weirdness

When is comes to crash testing, tractor crash testing is kind of the weirdest. Why? Because lots of times when you crash a tractor you die and you don’t die some quick way, it’s like being stuck under the thing or worse. So companies have worked over the years on safety guard to protect operators in the event of different wrecking situations. How? They use dummies and place the tractors in the kinds of places that cause the physics to go pear shaped and them to end up with the wrong side up. Be that a steep side grade, climbing a too steep hill or more.

This black and white video shows a John Deere 4010 going through various different crashing scenarios and the dummy riding on the seat is really in for it in more ways than one. While this guy does not get the bad end of it every time, he does most times and that’s the rub here. Farming is a dangerous job for lots of reasons, but the bottom line is the tractor does not really care about you near as much as you care about it.

Our favorite test in this film is the “side entry steep ditch” program. We have no idea if that is what it’s called but that is what we’re tagging it as. Seeing that thing go in head long and at speed is pretty awesome. The ROPS (roll over protection system) works well although we’re thinking that if were human the guy would be hating life pretty bad.

Enjoy!

Press play below to see this awesome film of old school 1950s tractor crash testing

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Funny Car Chaos And BangShift.com Launching Chaos Live Stream! Funny Car Racing Is Coming Soon!