It was approaching my typical bed time when I stepped into Wayne’s CJ-3B – the last of the flat-fender Jeeps. It was his grandfather’s and had been in his family since it was new – purchased at the time to be a ranch-hand vehicle. All these years later, it had become a family heirloom… that didn’t have any seat belts – a fact that I had already been made aware of despite still getting into it. The Jeep also didn’t have any other handle for me to grab on to – a fact that I had just then discovered. As if it was more important to me than myself, I moved my camera gear to Joe’s TJ Wrangler and got back into the flat-fender, wondering what was ahead for me in the next few hours.

I had been wanting to experience a flat-fender Jeep for a long time at this point so I was seriously committed. I decided to just hold on to the seat bottom and hope for the best. I was placing a lot of hope on Wayne’s shoulders even though I had only met him once and was more aware of him from stories – stories that were never about his modesty either. At this point, I was just grateful for what I was considering a bucket-list experience.

Going for a night-time trail ride in a flat fender Jeep was just one part of the 2024 Shamrock Shakedown – an annual off-roading event that takes place (usually) at Windrock Park in Oliver Springs, TN every March. It’s the spiritual continuation of Titan Offroad – the club that really got me started in this hobby back in 2015 – but is now ran by Rocky Top Customz, a custom off-road shop in Knoxville, TN.

I had been asked to attend this year’s event as a secondary photographer because, as usual, my trail rig is in pieces shoved into a corner and not ready for primetime. I’ve also had a long history with taking pictures while on trail rides with this club – usually finding ways to get into somewhat dangerous and/or stupid positions just to get the right shot. Take the below from our first major club event back in 2015 as evidence.

Having not changed much in the past 10 years, I was excited when I got the invite. A chance to camp and just take pictures of my old friends driving their 4x4s at one of my favorite places sounded like heaven. I was definitely disappointed that I wouldn’t be driving my own rig with the gang again, but at least I didn’t have to stress about breaking anything on the trail. The only way it could be better were if it rained as I could not only get my favorite camping weather, but my favorite off-roading conditions.

A few days before the event even started, the weather forecast looked like I was going to get my wish so I made sure to pack accordingly. Having commandeered the better-half’s daily driver Jeep XJ and saddling it with with the responsibility of taking me on this trip, I made sure my camping setup was so that I could make my morning coffee in the safe and dry cabin of the Jeep while also having a full length sleeping space inside. No tent needed for me on this trip!

After a couple of weeks of waiting and preparing, I was ready to head to Windrock… right after I visited my parents for a haircut and replacement of the Jeep’s windshield wiper motors… obviously.

Walking tall from the satisfaction of successful DIY maintenance, I made my way through Knoxville traffic, Oak Ridge weirdness, and Oliver Springs “oldness” to arrive at Windrock. As if planned, I pulled into the old general store parking lot at the exact same time as my crew – including Joe in his “Pork Chop Express” Wrangler TJ. This thing is a model of long-term TJ ownership and served as my main shuttle for the event. Unlike Wayne’s flat-fender, Joe’s TJ had plenty of handles… and seat belts… and doors…

Joe’s had this TJ for as long as I’ve known Joe and back then, it was on stock suspension and 32″ tires. Now however, it has a refreshed lift with adjustable everything, slinky dual-rate coils, and 37″ Baja Bosses. It also has a Toyota rear axle swapped in, a tried-and-true Dana 30 in the front, 4.88 gears, and lockers that do and don’t work, depending on the weather. The drivetrain – the original 4.0, 32RH automatic, and NP231 – seem to be this Jeep’s party piece, like most old Jeeps. Preventative maintenance can go a long way too as every vital sign on the TJ stayed picture-perfect throughout the trip. Joe already knew that his Wrangler was rock-solid reliable though – what he didn’t know and needed to find out on this trip was how well the newly refreshed suspension worked.

The soft spring rate coils and 37s made the Jeep ride like a cloud and transfer weight like the slowest moving and most predictable carnival ride ever. Watching it drive on the road was hilarious – watching it glide over rocks was impressive. Riding in it over obstacles made me want to reconsider my addiction to high spring rates.

As impressive as Joe’s TJ is, it wasn’t the only piece of machinery at the Shamrock Shakedown that I envied and admired – it was just the one I rode in the most. There were plenty others. My first couple of hours on day one were spent strolling the campground, investigating what “rigs” had shown up already and getting reconnected with friends. It was clear that the days of 33″ tires and full-body rigs was behind a lot of them and the bigger the tire and more radical the body, the better.

Some, like Evan, just went full on buggy.

Evan is known for chronic vehicle flipping and has sampled countless different rigs – mostly Toyotas. His latest is one of the coolest and carries serious prestige. Built by pioneering Ultra 4 racing outfit Hendrix Motorsports in California and used in some of the earliest King of the Hammers races, this rock buggy racer, known as a “F-Toy,” was built to spec and used in the Formula Toy rock crawling series. The rig is a hodgepodge of old-school factory Toyota 4×4 parts and well-thought-out custom fabrication.

It runs on leaf springs and propane – like God and Hank Hill intended. The 22R is backed by a Toyota manual transmission and Marlin Crawler transfer case. The controls are minor – only what you need as this is a “tool” after all – a cut-throat weapon designed to drive upside down… which it almost did on our first night run of the event.

Our goal was to drive up Trail 2 to a particular rock facing that’s not even a part of the trail – it’s just something you see “over there.” It is however something that makes you tell your buddy, “I bet you can’t drive your rig up that” knowing full well that they 100% in fact cannot drive up that. Evan even said, “I just want to put tires on it.”

This ridiculous ambition meant that Wayne, who brought two rigs to the event, decided to take the smaller, flat-fender versus his heavily hacked up and fully welded Wagoneer on 37s. Trail 2 is an “easy Blue” that can be accomplished with smaller tires and no lockers – the exact recipe of his flat-fender. With open differentials, skinny 29″ tires, and only three forward gears, it meant Wayne would be forced to drive like his grandfather, look way ahead, and pick his line accordingly.

Gripping the seat bottoms on the flat-fender as strongly as I could, I held on as we started the climb up Trail 2, amazed by both the ride quality and capability of the ancient Jeep. Wayne had spent a lot of time (and I can only assume, money) on getting his grandfather’s old Jeep to be reliable so he could use it more often. That night, it felt happy and healthy – pulling each gear with ease and torquing its way up hills like a old Billy goat. Wayne was picking lines like a mad-man, ensuring that the flat-fender didn’t lose its precious momentum – the real key to small tire wheeling. The ride up to the obstacle in question was fast and smooth and solidified a truism for me – I MUST own a flat-fender Jeep before I die.

Wayne and I stopped at the obstacle ahead of everyone as we knew Evan was at the back of the pack. I pulled out the camera from Joe’s TJ and waited for Evan, shaking my head and the other Jeep owners trying to get up the impossible rock, risking a roll-over in the process.

After a few failed attempts by the drunken TJ, the real contender strolled up, backfired (because propane), and lined up for its first of many attempts. And when I say many, I mean many.

Wayne had taken charge as the lead spotter throughout all of this – sharing his cryptically accurate advise on what the Toyota buggy was and wasn’t going to do. In a Hail-Mary attempt and at the advice of Wayne, Evan aimed hard left in an attempt to get his mud-caked BFG “Reds” to grip anything they could – which happened to be a small tree. This sudden traction sent Evan’s nose straight up to the sky. As the buggy fell back to the earth, Wayne yelled out, “I WAS JUST KIDDING!” as everyone else simultaneously died with laughter and amazement at what they had just witnessed.

Rock one, Toyota Buggy – zero. Maybe next time.

The first night run continued as Wayne, unburdened from the responsibility of me (I jumped into Joe’s Jeep after the rock incident), decided he wanted to see how far his flat-fender could get on one of the most infamous tracks at Windrock – Trail 15. This sharply step yet short trail features a number of rock steps that usually require 35″ tires at the smallest. Needless to say, Wayne didn’t make it very far – we could still see him from the road.

Joe got out and tried to spot Wayne down the trail – which worked until the flat-fender simply could not move anymore – stuck between a rock and a rock. A quick backwards winch from Patty’s XJ on “40s and tons” was all that was needed to bring Wayne and his flat-fender back to reality.

When we got back to camp, it was damn-near midnight and I had mud in my hair. The weather looked grim for those that don’t like rain and as I went to bed, I prepared to wake up in a deluge – which I did. We all did.