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Engineering Excellence: Project JKBKMay 17, 2012
Newport Beach, CA
If you want a couple tubes bent or some metal stuck together you can probably find someone in your own neighborhood to do it. If you need someone who understands vehicle dynamics and has above average fabrication skills the list gets a lot shorter. If you require someone who can design, engineer and fabricate complex suspension systems and complete vehicles from a blank sheet of paper; you are now in very exclusive territory. When your personal safety is at stake, your company’s reputation is on the line or you just want to receive the full value for your money, you need to go to an experienced capable company like Brenthel Industries. Brenthel has the engineering expertise and the real world experience to properly apply the sound engineering and design principles needed to bring your project to fruition on time and on budget.
Every project at Brenthel begins with an accurate computer generated solid model. Designs are checked for fit and function then subjected to finite element analysis before a single piece of material is cut. Any issues are dealt with long before the fabrication begins. The resulting parts, assemblies and drawings make it easy to reproduce an entire project in a production setting or to develop new products to work with your existing parts.
That’s why TrailMods approached Brenthel to prototype their unique IFS, JK Prerunner that has trailing arm suspension in the rear and long travel, unequal length a-arms in the front and retains four wheel drive. They wanted something different and knew Brenthel could do the engineering, design and fabrication all in-house. “We looked into several suppliers that work with the big three building prototype vehicles,” said Dave Crismon, CEO of TrailMods. “When we saw the level of integration Brenthel had between their cad design and fabrication abilities and their off-road racing experience, the choice was easy. Brenthel has already developed the prototype so after some testing we will be ready for limited production. We are excited about this project, it’s going to be a game-changer.”
Not only will the JK Prerunner turn heads but people will be thoroughly impressed when they check out the clean design and beautiful fabrication work. The IFS front suspension on the JK has a newly designed cross member and subframe to strengthen the chassis and mount the front drive assembly, shocks and factory or upgraded steering. King coilovers and bump stops control the fabricated upper and lower arms and upright.
Limit straps keep the suspension from going beyond its 14 inches of wheel travel and the new configuration accommodates up to a 37 inch tire. They even thought enough in the design stage to allow a Hemi engine swap without interfering with any of the new components.
The qualities of Brenthel’s final products are a direct result of the care and attention to detail that they receive every step of the way. Any job you have, big or small can benefit from Brenthel’s meticulous engineering and careful craftsmanship; give them a call today to discuss how they can help you accomplish your next project.
Jamie Galles returns to off-road racing in Brenthel 7200April 12, 2012
Imperial, CA
It would be difficult to find a more suitable place than Plaster City, California to test a new race truck. You can find a little of everything in the way of terrain out there including sandy washes, steep hills, rough, rocky sections and tight, twisty turns filled with silt. You can go there any day to test but there is something about the heat of competition that causes drivers to dig deep and push just a little harder.
With that in mind, Jamie Galles set out for the HDRA, Imperial 250 held in Plaster City with his brand new Brenthel built, class 7200 truck. If the name Galles sounds familiar, it should. If you bought a Chevrolet in Albuquerque, New Mexico after 1908 then you probably purchased it from the Galles family. Jamie’s automotive roots also run deep in racing. Besides a stint behind the wheel of a Protruck, he was an aspiring Trans-Am road racer when he hung up his helmet to join his father Rick’s Champ Car team in 1996. When you grow up around some of the fastest cars on Earth and drivers with names like Brabham, Unser, Sullivan, Rahal, (the list goes on), you have expectations on the level of engineering and quality of construction a car ought to have. That’s why Jamie went to Brenthel. His new truck is completely computer designed using the latest 3d solid modeling software and constructed from the finest materials by highly skilled fabricators.
“I’m pretty excited; I couldn’t be happier with the way the truck worked on our first time out”, said Jamie, “I drove the first two laps before handing it over to Jonathan Brenthel on lap three. Our class started towards the rear so we had to pass a lot of cars in the dust but we were making good time moving through the pack. The suspension felt great but all the rough running caused the muffler to come loose which then caused the engine to run lean. It eventually blew the engine real good, there are rods hanging out the side. We are designing our own direct injection in-house to work off-road and still developing some of the electronics on our 3.6 liter LSX, Camaro V6. The truck is light but strong with a great power to weight ratio so we should do well once it’s sorted out”.
The rough course conditions took their toll on many of the racers. Out of the three 7200 trucks that started, only one finished but the team made it far enough to earn second place at the end of the day.The Galles team will keep working hard in preparation for their next race the HDRA, Fireworks 500 held July 4-8 in Reno, Nevada. With 125 mile long laps in the heat of July it may end up even tougher than the first race but the team is up to the challenge and expects to get everything sorted out for next season when they plan to go for the Best in the Desert 7200 championship.
Main Photo By Mike Ingalsbee
Mike’s Race Photo / www.mikesracephoto.com
Additional Race Photos By Art Eugenio
Get Some Photo / www.getsomephoto.com
California Team to Tackle the Sands of BajaMarch 19, 2012
At its essence, the Baja 1000, a long-running off-road race on Mexico’s Baja peninsula, is a wooly, slightly unhinged competition celebrating horsepower and torque. This year, a new vehicle class called Ultra Green will give the race an air, however subtle, of environmental stewardship.
Jeffrey Smith, a successful competitor in the 2011 race, has set his sights on winning the class in its inaugural year with a purely electric racer. He and his team are building an E.V. with twin WarP electric motors rated at a combined 400 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque, and five packs of Flux Power batteries. The racer is expected to achieve a top speed of 110 miles per hour and a range of approximately 80 miles.
The Baja 1000 has grown in stature since its founding in 1967, and according to Mr. Smith, teams might spend as much as $1 million on vehicle development and in-race support to be competitive. A win can be a thrill, but Mr. Smith and his nonprofit, the Strategic Recovery Institute, which puts formerly homeless individuals to work building electric off-road recreational vehicles, are after something else.
In an e-mail, Mr. Smith, a former Marine flight officer, wrote that his goal was to demonstrate that “battery-powered electric vehicles are fully functional, which includes taking on the most difficult challenge in the motorsport world.”
This year’s race is scheduled for Nov. 14-17 and extends from Ensenada in the north to La Paz. Mr. Smith said his team was a week away from having a rolling chassis completed.
Their quest is less quixotic than appearances may suggest. Mr. Smith won his class last year in a Volkswagen-powered Baja Bug. He’s hopeful that the strong performance of an E.V. at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb last year bodes well for his team.
The Baja competition is also something of a family affair, as Mr. Smith’s daughter and son-in-law, he a former professional supercross motorcycle racer, run Strategic Racing Designs, which specializes in building high-performance off-road vehicles. The firm designed the electric racer’s chassis and partnered with EV West to build the electric driveline.
The car’s systems must withstand more than 30 continuous hours of racing across dunes, gravel and shrub-pocked desert. Every team encounters endurance issues, Mr. Smith said, but his team will have the added burden of charging batteries. The four-hour charge times typical of E.V.’s like the Nissan Leaf at 240-volt stations are out of the question, so the team plans a combination of quick battery swapping and 480-volt fast charging, said to be capable of delivering an 80 percent charge in 10 minutes. Competitors outside the Ultra Green class guzzle race fuel at a terrific rate, so the E.V. will not be alone as it makes pit stops.
The team, based in Oceanside, Calif., may seem outgunned by well-financed programs fielding trophy trucks, but if the battery-powered Baja racer does well in November, Mr. Smith hopes to compete head-to-head in 2013 with 600-horsepower Class 1 vehicles.
A successful run at Baja could also provide a jolt to Mr. Smith’s goal of electrifying off-road recreation. “In Southern California there are 20,000 dune buggies and other off-road vehicles that people take out to the desert on weekends,” he said. “They run on internal-combustion engines now, but we want to put electric motors in them.”
Brenthel Builds A Better Raptor / Off Road MagazineJanuary 20, 2012
Off Road Magazine February 2012 Issue / Hardware Section
Words By Kevin Blumer
Brenthel Industries unlocks more of the Ford Raptor’s potential with a true long-travel kit for the front suspension, coupled with a custom Brenthel-spec Deaver leaf pack for the rear. Premium hardware is complemented by King Shocks. If you were impressed by the stock Raptor, you’d best get ready for another eye-opener.
• Boxed front A-arms are 2.5 inches wider per side and attach to a fully fabricated steering knuckle. Front suspension travel increases to 16 inches, controlled by a King 2.5-inch coilover, 2.5-inch bypass shock, and a 2.5-inch hydraulic bumpstop.
• Rear suspension is a Brenthel-spec Deaver leaf pack that bolts to the stock mounts. The Deaver springs are used in conjunction with a pair of King 3-inch bypass shocks. The 3.0 Kings also bolt to stock mounts so you’ll retain full use of the bed.
Gordon Sutter Trophy Truck Recon PrerunnerDecember 27, 2011
Newport Beach, CA
This custom 4-Seat Trophy Truck Recon Prerunner vehicle was built for Gordon Sutter, a long time desert enthusiast that works hard and plays even harder!
Features:
432CU Engine
Albins with TC
934 Midboard ProAm Hubs
Mastercraft 3G Seats
Custom Truck Body by FiberwerX
37″ BFGoodrich Tires
The Recon prerunner from Brenthel Industries is a comfortable, four seat vehicle that is built to capably handle any course reconnaissance you may need. It also makes a great vehicle for spectating or just having fun with room for four adults and extra gear. The Recon is built to order with your choice of many options. You can purchase anything from a rolling chassis to a complete turnkey car ready to tackle any terrain. The Recon is entirely computer designed and is constructed from the finest quality materials and components available. The chassis structure, suspension geometry and many of the components are interchangeable with Brenthel’s unlimited race vehicle. Brenthel’s Recon prerunner is an extremely fast and reliable vehicle engineered to perform flawlessly at full race speeds or just cruising.
For more photos of this car and others check out our gallery page.
Ryan Dowdy’s Hi-Flyin’ Recon PrerunnerOctober 19, 2011
Newport Beach, CA
The Recon prerunner from Brenthel Industries is a comfortable, four seat vehicle that is built to capably handle any course reconnaissance you may need. It also makes a great vehicle for spectating or just having fun with room for four adults and extra gear. The Recon is built to order with your choice of many options. You can purchase anything from a rolling chassis to a complete turnkey car ready to tackle any terrain. The Recon is entirely computer designed and is constructed from the finest quality materials and components available. The chassis structure, suspension geometry and many of the components are interchangeable with Brenthel’s unlimited race vehicle. Brenthel’s Recon prerunner is an extremely fast and reliable vehicle engineered to perform flawlessly at full race speeds or just cruising.
If you want to know how tough the Baja 1000 is, ask anyone who’s raced it. If you want to know how good Brenthel’s work is, ask someone who owns one. We asked Recon, Prerunner owner Ryan Dowdy about his car and his experience with Brenthel.
Q: What do you use your Recon for, prerunning or just fun?
Ryan: I race a 7200 truck so I needed a prerunner but now that I have the Recon we take it out just for fun too.
Q: Where have you driven the car so far?
Ryan: We’ve driven the car in Barstow, Ocotillo Wells and at Glamis.
Q: How did it perform?
Ryan: It’s Amazing! It’s got so much horsepower and soaks up the worst whoops with ease. We were going 80 to 90 MPH in the gnarliest Barstow whoops; no problem. It goes wherever you want it to.
Q: Barstow, Ocotillo and Glamis are all very different terrain; did you have to make any changes to the car to make it work at all three?
Ryan: No, we are basically running the car turn-key from when we picked it up. We did some shock tuning at Barstow when we took delivery and that’s it. At Ocotillo it was over 100 degrees out and we spent hours running at high speeds and jumping; really pounding the car and we had no problems. The more I get used to the Recon the more I want to go faster and jump farther.
Q: How was the customer service from Brenthel?
Ryan: I’m not a rich guy. The Recon is not inexpensive to buy. Jonathan was totally straightforward about how much it would cost and how long it would take. It was a hassle free transaction. I had worked with them before when I brought my F-150 to Brenthel to get a bumper built. After seeing the quality of the work the truck left with a bumper and a full cage.
Q: We’ve all had projects snowball like that; did you make any changes to the Recon while it was being built?
Ryan: (Laughing) Oh yeah, I made lots of changes. I started out with an LS-1 and we ended up with the LS-9, nickel plated suspension, full powder coated frame and much more.
Q: How did Brenthel respond to all the changes?
Ryan: They were great. Jonathan took the time to explain everything to me. How things would work together, if you run more horsepower you need to run a stronger transmission, beefier axles; they know what works and what doesn’t. They were genuinely excited for me, they knew how much this car meant to me and I couldn’t be happier with the results. They run their business like I run mine, do what you say and deliver when you say you will at the quoted price, it’s that simple.
For more photos of this car and others check out our gallery page.
Dirt Sports F150 ProjectJuly 11, 2011
From the June, 2011 issue of Dirt Sports Magazine
Photography By Bink Designs
It happens every time, almost like clockwork. Here’s what occurs in the life of a Dirt Sports project build. It begins like all love affairs – all flowers, hope and promise. Then comes the grind of matching our newfound marriage with the picket fence-like dreams of trying to build the ultimate anything. Toward the end, a million details and countless hours later, you swear it’s time for divorce – you’ll never take on anything like it again. But when that beast is finally complete and fired up, we discover we really don’t want to walk away, but maybe just have a new affair with the next sexy vision that comes along.
So, after five such marriages, our track record resembles that of the late Elizabeth Taylor. The family photo album is filled with images of the past loves; VW Elf, our token red head (the Retro Bronco), our trick Yamaha Rhino, the smoken’ Plug N’ Play Alumi Craft and the over-the-top Kawasaki Teryx TT.
Now it’s time for something new. It’s almost impossible to fathom, but our stable of “wives” has yet to include a truck!
With the conclusion of the Teryx TT build (see final results in next month’s July issue!), our eyes didn’t have to wander far when we looked toward our next conquest. At a recent LOORRS short-course race, we spotted the ultra-clean, ultra-truck Ford F-150 of Dirt Sports contributing photographer Brian Binkert and stopped dead in our tracks. His truck was a mid-2000s F-150, but was modified with ultra slick bodywork by FiberwerX that included a late model front grill and headlights in a front-tilting one-piece front end. The wide-track rear end was equally appealing.
Beauty was more than skin deep, however. Up front Bink’s F-150 was graced with a very trick long-travel suspension created by those forward-thinking guys at Brenthel Industries. Armed with a set of specially valved Fox Shox, there is no doubt the set-up can make prerunning, play or chasing a race more enjoyable.
The good news is that we have a suitable base vehicle to start with. Our company CEO Jim Ryan has a tired 2006 F150 that needs some serious TLC. Over the course of the coming months, we will transform this tired girl with a new FiberwerX Raptor kit (with one piece front end and OEM grill work), a Brenthel long-travel front end and new rear bed-mounted shock assembly and Fox Shox for starters. Then we will add a custom widened rear end by Currie Enterprise, 37-inch General Tire Grabbers and a unique set of Method’s latest wheels. Of course, you can count on a custom blue, orange and silver Dirt Sports paint job. Beyond that…you can bet we will come up with some insane touches.
The DS-150. We will take our tired grandma and convert her into our next big fling. Stay tuned.
Official Sponsors
Brenthel Industries
FiberwerX
Fox Racing Shox
Currie Enterprise
General Tire
Method Wheels
Stage 8
Brenthel Industries Site RevampedMarch 31, 2011
Santee, CA – Newport Beach, CA
Bink Designs is proud to announce the unveiling of their latest collaboration, a website for the designers and builders of high-end vehicles and bolt-on truck suspension systems, Brenthel Industries. Brian Binkert owner of Bink Designs commented “We are extremely pleased on how this project turned out. We worked hard to provide Brenthel with a site that reflects their company’s own design philosophy of uncomplicated functionality”. The Bink designed site showcases Brenthels extensive line of products and services with loads of info and stunning photography. The easy to navigate site will have you coming back again and again for the latest news on the company’s cutting edge projects.
Brenthel offers complete design services from concept through working prototypes all done in computer generated 3d solid modeling and utilizes the latest in Finite element analysis software to verify concept feasibility before a single part is made. Each part has a self fixturing design which when used in conjunction with their 6” thick, Blanchard ground assembly table ensures each build is constructed as close to the 3d computermodel as humanly possible. Brenthel can design and construct any type of turn-key vehicle you desire and have several existing chassis designs available for professional off-road competition or just plain fun. They also do manufacturing and prototyping formilitary and civilian industries.
“We chose Bink Designs because we like their work,” said Jonathan Brenthel, head of sales and marketing for the company that bears his and brother Jordan Brenthel. “Our business is based on quality, innovation and with an emphasis on esthetics. We consistently get those same qualities from Bink Designs. They have always delivered something special when asked and have never missed a deadline in the four years that we have been working together. That’s important to someone who works in such a fast-paced environment like we do”.
About Bink Designs
Bink Designs is a premier graphic design company located in Santee, CA. Since 2003, we have been committed to providing cost-effective solutions to our clients’ high-end graphic needs in Identity, Print Design, Vinyl Graphics, Web Design, Photography & Apparel.
For more information about Bink Designs, please visit www.binkdesigns.com
Brenthel Raptor – When Good Isn’t EnoughDecember 15, 2010
From the January, 2011 issue of Off-Road
By Jordan May
Photography By Jordan May
How many of you have been drooling over the new Ford SVT Raptor ever since our Tech Inspection in the August 2009 issue? Although the Raptor comes rolling off the showroom floor ready to run off-road, this article proves you can improve upon anything with four wheels. Brenthel Industries got a call from Mohamed A., a customer based out of Virginia and Dubai, looking to increase the performance of his Raptor. Mohamed knew his truck would be in good hands having seen the numerous masterpieces rolling out of the Brenthel shop these days.
On top of meticulous welding, Brenthel is leading the way in aftermarket suspensions by creating kits designed off OEM 3D CAD files supplied from the manufacturers. What that means is Brenthel uses original drawings of each vehicle’s suspension system to design its Baja kits, just like the Raptor kit Mohamed had added to his new truck. Each kit is 100-percent CAD designed from an engineering standpoint to work perfectly with each vehicle.
Specs
Vehicle: ’10 Ford SVT Raptor
Owner: Mohamed A.
Chassis: Stock
Engine: 5.4L V-8, ProCharger Supercharger System
Drivetrain: Stock
Suspension: Baja kit by Brenthel Industries; King shocks & hydraulic bumpstops
Steering: Full Heim steering and tie rods
Brakes: Stock
Tires/wheels: Stock
Interior: Stock
Other Parts: N/A
Favorite Off-Road Area: Deserts of Dubai
Twisted Stitch limit straps are also added keeping the 16 inches of wheel travel in check. The new King coilover allows you to adjust the front lift height 2 to 4 inches as desired. The new knuckle was made to fit the stock hub and caliper without issue. Also included are stainless steel brake lines and all necessary tabs for relocation of engine bay items like wiper fluid box and battery.
Holding the coilover in place and part of the Raptor Baja Kit is the sheetmetal shock box as Brenthel calls it. It is made of sheetmetal rather than round tube for superior strength and aesthetics. It also provides a great platform for the shock support tower running over the engine. The amount of engineering and CAD drawing time put into this kit makes it fit perfectly and keeps it fairly easy to install. It is available to purchase all boxed up, or Brenthel can install it in-house. There is a good amount of fabrication involved so if you plan on doing this in your garage, we hope your experience level is above average.
A custom shock tower was built to hold the reservoir cans as well as provide increased support across the front end. The tower and all of the fabrication required to install this kit is included with the price. Brenthel also installed a ProCharger system to Mohamed’s truck adding more horsepower. The Stage II HO intercooled system features a heavy-duty, dedicated supercharger drive and a larger, three-core intercooler. ProCharger claims increased horsepower of up to 65 percent from 8 to 9 psi of boost on stock gas.
Brenthel wasn’t given enough time to complete a complimentary rear suspension to work with the front, but stay tuned to their website for a rear kit soon to come. For now, the truck was given a nice King 2.5 Performance Race Smooth Piggyback Reservoir shock to help soak up the bumps.
The rest of the truck hasn’t been modified and honestly, we don’t think it needs much on the inside. The Raptor interior is one of the best looking out there. The NAV system with Microsoft Sync gives the user one of the most intuitive systems available today.
Once the new kit is designed, the old components are removed and the new boxed sheetmetal upper and lower control arms go on. The kit also includes a custom fabricated upright (knuckle) with massive 1.5-inch uniballs on the lower arm, and 1-inch 4130 uniballs on the upper arm. The stock coilovers are replaced with 2.5 King coilovers and King bumpstops for those extra hard hits. The kit is 2 inches wider per side, setting the new track width at 75.6 inches. A full Heim steering is also added, including a stainless billet clevis that bolts to the rack and new tie rod. Longer axles are included in the kit and work with the stock CVs.
We pushed, threw, and shot the truck off numerous hits in Barstow during our shoot to see what the new front end was made of. Brenthel didn’t disappoint. The new setup improved upon an already great-riding truck. Coming down from five feet in the air felt great. Through the whoops, the rear did well but could not keep up with the front end and all that travel. A nice spring-under leaf pack and a longer shock would really send this truck to the next level and is probably close to what we can only assume is up Brenthel’s sleeve for the rear.
Brenthel Recon 4-Seat Prerunner AvailableOctober 6, 2010
We are proud to introduce the new revised Recon 4-Seat Prerunner to the line of our high-quality prerunners & race cars. Stay tuned on the latest happenings