By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

We thought there were laws against stuff like this! This demo derby, which happened in Delta, Utah, featured trucks. Not little weenie trucks, but large half and three-quarter ton jobs. There’s a bad ass Suburban thrown in the mix as well. The hits are major league, especially the finale at about 1:10 into the film.

The field looks to be filled with Chevy trucks, some of classic age! There even looks to be an old International pickup in the group which made us sad. Those babies are in short supply and to see one get pulverized made us wince. We winced harder at that last massive crunch, though!

Buckle up!

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

Altered wheelbase cars are some of the most romanticized in drag racing history. They represent one of the earliest evolutionary stages of what we now know as Funny Cars, and for their short time in the sun, represented the pinnacle of doorslammer chassis technology. They quickly captured the hearts and minds of drag racing fans with their wheelstanding, guard wall to guard wall runs as well as because of the colorful men who drove them.

Many original examples were wadded up on the strip due to their mercurial handling attitudes as well as the fact that non-factory backed efforts were often built by guys under shade trees.

Like all other facets of nostalgia drag racing, these high-riding, non-handling, beasties are enjoying a resurgence today. We gathered up a collection of videos showing some awesome street legal examples in action! See the rest at BangShift.com

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

We were tipped off to this pretty cool site that has a collection of videos featuring four wheel drive vans from the mild, like stocker Quigley conversions all the way up to van monster trucks. Obviously vanning is a subculture in the gearhead world, but we’re wondering if these big four wheelin’, mud slingin’, rock crawlin’, vans fit in with the ‘slammed and hot roddy road going vans we see making a comeback.

The van is certainly on of America’s yoeman vehicles, transporting kids, plumbing equipment, awesome murals with naked chicks on them, drugs, electrical equipment, and musicians and equipment all over the place. The four wheel drive is a real rarity, even in our New England eastern headquarters location, you simply don’t see many. The few we do see aren’t sporting six wheel drive, massive amounts of lift, or the ability to crush cars. This website shows the best of the best, and vans doing some truly crazy stuff.

LINK:A Huge Collection of 4×4 Van Movies!

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

We tend to get fixated on stuff every now and again. Recently we have become obsessed with people jumping school buses over stuff. Judging by the comments of our previous items featuring flying passenger buses, you all dig it in reader-land too. We knuckled down, and by tha we mean we popped a few beers and worked our magic to dig up a huge collection of bus jumps. Some rule, some are week, but all are spectacular in their own way.

You have to be some kind of crazed weirdo to sign on as the tiller-man in one of these stunts, but we’re thankful such whack-nuts are out there. Some of this footage is priceless. See more bus jumps at BangShift.com

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

One of the sad realities of life is that everyone eventually dies. Despite the fact that you are really pretty out of it when dead, people like to get creative with the vessel that they will be spending the rest of eternity in. The old pine box is just plain gauche when you get a look-see at a Cruisin’ Casket hot rod burial box. Truth be told these are pretty bitchin’.

While the website featured some Merc looking pieces, Cruisin Caskets claims that they can create other makes and models on a made to order basis. We may contract them to create a mini-Goliath for us to take the dirt nap in.

The shots with the lid up actually give the impression that the interior is pretty darned comfy. We just hope the pillows aren’t lumpy. That would be annoying as hell.

Hit the link below to check the site and learn more about Cruisin Caskets

LINK: Cruisin Casket Company

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

The is the most dangerous, ill-conceived idea ever. It is 100% BangShift.com approved and we’re jealous that it is not in our own driveway. Taking a lawn tractor chassis, mounting a 650cc motor cycle engine on it and then placing a small van body over the whole works? We’ve got a single tear running down our cheek.

Watch these videos and marvel at how the driver doesn’t die instantly.

We need to tell the Van Jockey guys about this!

Continue reading "A 650CC Van-Bodied Lawn Tractor" »

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

We’re going to get your morning started off with a Texas sized bang today. We were tipped off to this video which shows a pass down the strip that goes very badly for both racers. When the slower car in a bracket-style race gets into trouble, it never ends well.

This wreck is really a mini version of the infamous 2005 smash-up between Pro Stock racers Bruce Allen and Kenny Koretsky at the Texas Motorplex. The massive impact you’ll see is scary enough, but the fire? Yeah, the fire is bad.

Thanks to Robert Martin for the tip on this scary video!

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

Crash testing is a normal part of modern automotive engineering. Sensors, wires, high speed cameras and all manner of complicated testing widgets are used to make sure new cars are as safe as possible. Back in the late 1950′s crash testing was just starting to resemble what we know it as today.

The funny part is that the technology used for these tests is very crude by today’s standards. The car to be cashed was towed into a parked car. The car that was being towed was wired into a testing truck that drove in parallel with it. That truck had an umbilical cord of wires attached to the car beside it and a couple of guys in the back to record data.

We’ve come a long way since these days!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

I love these tall, loud tri-five Chevy gassers! The photo is from the Goodguys Nationals last weekend in Des Moines, and there are a ton more to browse over at Bangshift.

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

There are few things we love more than good television news bloopers. When over-zealous, smarmy reporters get a dose of their own medicine on camera, it is pure gold. In what could be the single greatest film clip involving on old Ford F600 dump truck and either liquid animal guts or animal refuse ever, a reporter learns the dangers of hard braking.

Pay close attention right up to the end. The background laughter makes the whole clip.