****Mods- Move this to tech if it doesn't belong here.****
I know this downhill Barbie Jeep racing has taken the nation by storm. You got guys driving half way across the country to compete for a shot. You got nationally recognized extreme videographers going for broke to get these races on tape.
Well this is to help the guy who just wants to get out there and give it his all. Sometimes you just need someone to show you how its done. Well this tech is for the little guy.
How to Barbie Jeep Race Prep: Get your Barbie Jeep in Race Trim.
1st we start with your bone stock early model Barbie Jeep.
To kick off the mods we need to start shedding weight. These things are pigs!
1st to go is that pesky windshield. It does nothing but block air anyway. I used a standard Phillips head screwbit in a cordless drill to remove the fasteners from the hinges in the cowl.
There we go, looks good now that we got that barn door off of the body.
Now we move on to the rollbar. Yeah I understand your concerns here. Yes we are offroading and very safety conscience, but this rollbar needs to go. It could stay if it had more triangulation but at this point its more of a hindrance. That and you'll save a ton of weight right here.
Next up we pop the hood and get a good look at that powerplant.
She's not going to cut it, so out she comes.
It is truly amazing how clean the engine bay is sans the juice.
Now is the perfect time to shed all the fat out of the passenger compartment. Here is a before look of what we're dealing with .
Out comes the shifters! This is real tricky as you need both hands. One hand to hold the shift mechanism up, and the other to disconnect the wiring harness. Be careful, these things run the shift by wire technology and you don't want to stick it in gear.
Next up the accelerator pedal. Since we are converting this Barbie Jeep to downhill racing it would be foolish to keep the pedal as the fuel will be pouring in via gravity on the slope. All or none BABY!
Here we go a final look at what the inside of your Barbie Jeep should look like in full race trim. As you can see we kept the steering wheel and the dash mounted CB on the left. And like all true racers no cup holders, so your beer will have to get in where it fits in.
Now its time to get down to the "Serious" of the mods. With the Jeep up on the rack you'll be able to get under it and work on the drivetrain.
Be ready to put in some work, I worked up a big sweat under this Jeep trying to break the rear diff open. Have a beer handy.
Here we are at the transmission, and rear differential. Getting ready to start the mods.
There are two flat head screws on the wheel side of the tranny/transfer case that you must unscrew to liberate the tranny from the transfer case. You can see here how I have just removed the tranny as you can see the 10 splined output shaft "Bling"
Next we need to break into the transfer case. There are 4 Phillips head screws that hold the two sides of the case together. Once they are removed you can pry the case open to access the gears. And remove the two outermost gears to free up all burdon on the drivetrain.
Here is the 1st of the offending gears. They were just way to low to use for racing. Maybe a lil backyard crawling or a trip to the mall parking lot but they just wouldn't cut the mustard in competition.
Onward to the body. Here is the stock frontend.
You'll need to pop the hood, and remove the headlights. Then we used a tin screw with rubber grommet to beef up the attachment of the grill, core support, and radiator assembly.
With the headlights reinstalled you can't even tell where the body mods were even made.
The next body mod is to the hood. Last thing you want when you are in the lead on the downhill stretch is for the hood to come unlatched and blind you. So we ran a couple more screws into the hinges securing the back of the hood a bit better to the cowl.
As well as secured the leading edge of the hood to the grill. Now heres a tip: make sure you run your fasteners down behind one of the grille uprights. That makes for the cleanest install, as the grill bars hides the fastener.
And here we go a parting look at the scrap pile, all of that adds up to a good amount of weight, and should pay off handsomely on race day.
And here you can see the #8 Dale Jr, Budweiser, Power Wheels, Camp Barbie, Muchado Productions Jeep in full race trim.
Hope this Tech article helps you get out there and experience just what you can do in a Jeep.
And makes you fall over laughing cause I had a damn fun ass time doing it.
