Michael Cox and Blake Wilkey have had their hands full with their Build & Battle vehicles since the project to turn two thrashed SUV beaters began. With a total budget of $10,000, including the cost of the junkyard escapee Ford Explorer and the Craigslist special XJ Cherokee, the teams have fifteen days to turn these rolling wonder wagons into off-road rompers. And these two aren’t using junkyard parts and hoping that things stay together, either…okay, maybe some junkyard upgrade parts like Ford 8.8 axles appear, but these guys do have a budget to maintain and an 8.8 is a pretty stout piece. But that is barely the tip of the iceberg that Cox and Wilkey have to deal with. From poking through a shock manufacturer’s “scratch and dent” pile for a deal to completely reinforcing the Cherokee’s unibody to keep the Jeep from turning into origami on the first big jump’s landing, each team is busy working everything out…and moving some things out to Craigslist buyers so that there is something resembling a pizza budget!
