The Build for Offroad Adventure Ride continues as Ian Johnson and the crew leave Big Bear, California, and head into the legendary Johnson Valley — home of the world-famous King of the Hammers. For off-road enthusiasts, this is part proving ground, part mecca. The team takes on the brutal Sledgehammer Trail, where no rig is safe from breaking, before unwinding at Lazertown for a Dometic-powered oasis. The next day, they face the infamous Backdoor Trail to see who will come out on top as the true king of this off-road adventure.

For the Season 2 finale, Ian Johnson teams up with friends and industry partners for the 2025 Adventure Ride, tackling some of the toughest trails in the western U.S. This multi-part, off-road journey kicks off in Big Bear, California, with a scenic mountain “warm-up” before the crew descends into the legendary Johnson Valley.

Ian Johnson already transformed a vintage C10 into the ultimate pre-runner style shop truck. With a twin-turbo LS under the hood, Ian tackles the final wiring and preps the truck for a dyno run to see what kind of power it can make. He upgrades the transmission, radiator, and supporting components to ensure this C10 can handle the boost and put the power to the ground.

Ian Johnson dives into one of his favorite body styles — a low center-of-gravity crawler. This TJ build keeps lift to a minimum while running massive 40-inch tires on JT axles. Making it all work takes plenty of welding, clever fabrication, and some classic Build for Off Road ingenuity. Ian shows how to create a truly bomb-proof TJ that’s tough, capable, and built on a budget.

Ian Johnson wraps up the JK buggy project with a few final touches, including powerful off-road lighting, durable protective flooring, a custom 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and a one-of-a-kind exhaust setup. With the build complete, there’s only one thing left to do — get this rig out in the dirt and put it to the test.

Ian Johnson gets his hands on a Factory Five Racing XTF test mule — a lightweight off-road platform with serious potential. The mission: transform it into a hardcore support rig for the Build for Off Road Adventure Ride.

Part 2 of Ian Johnson’s Southern-Style JK buggy build cranks things up a notch. This time, Ian’s building monster axles to handle the kind of abuse only 40-inch tires can dish out.

Ian’s used to turning junkyard gold into pure off-road glory! A sunbaked Jeep JK tub is about to be reborn as a no-holds-barred, Southern-style throwdown buggy.

Ian Johnson takes a bare Gladiator Jeep bed and turns it into the ultimate overlanding trailer! Starting with a rugged kit tube frame, Ian welds in a full arsenal of custom accessories built for adventure, then lays down a killer paint job to perfectly match his custom Jeep. By the end, this one-of-a-kind trailer is ready to follow its big brother into the wild — and look just as good doing it.

How do you prep your off-road vehicles for their next trip? That’s what Ian is going to show you today. He’s getting his LJ buggy, which has been on the trails for almost 7 years, ready for an end of year off-road adventure.

For the Build for Off Road Season 1 finale, Ian will put one of his custom-built creations to the test on some of the most challenging rock trails and hill climbs in the Southeast.