READER'S RIDES: DESTINATION MOAB, UTAH
A FEW YEARS BACK we built a Jeep for our good friend Mike Kelemen at our shop Shocker Mechanical, in Camrose, Alberta. It was a pretty serious build. We started out with a mint condition 2012 Jeep Rubicon with low kilometres, then we did a gear ratio change from 4:10 to 4:88 & G2 axle shafts front and rear, diff covers, and G2 full gusset kits. Then we added a 4.5 BDS long arm suspension kit and upgraded 1350 front and rear drive shafts. We installed a RIPP super charger system, custom exhaust, XRC Bumpers and winch, an onboard air system, 35 ‘General Grabber tires, flares, rock sliders and extra skid plating and a bunch more… RIPPED Ruby was born.
That fall Mike and his fiancé Therese drove RIPPED Ruby from Camrose, Alberta to Moab, Utah and wheeled with it for five days before moving on to Parker, Arizona to wheel some more, then drove back to Camrose. While on their trip they posted some insane videos of their adventure on Facebook. Merlin Friel and I decided Mike was having too much fun. So Merlin and I pulled the trigger and found two brand new 2016 Rubicon’s & followed the format from Mike’s build. They each have a little different look to them, but the meat and potatoes are the same. I named mine “Shock3” while Merlin named his “Ester”.
The following September, Mike, Therese and their dog Hawke Eye; Merlin & Fran and their dog Pepper drove to MOAB; myself, my wife Jaclyn and our three kids, Bella, Brook & Blain Jr. followed behind in our diesel pusher with Shock 3 in tow. We all made our way from Camrose to Moab in three days.
We set up camp at the KOA campground and went wheeling every possible moment we could. We saw the sun set on the red rock desert and wheeled trails to places you could otherwise never see. We were blown away
by how the landscape was completely different on each trail. It was unforgettable wheeling with amazing people in a truly incredible part of the world. How much better can it get?
#shockermechanicaljeepadventures #jeeplife #moab2018 Blain Schacher is owner of Shocker Mechanical Inc. in Camrose, AB www.shockermechanical.com Facebook @shocker.mechanical