Good day to you all, and welcome to Readers’ Rides. Putting together your submissions via our Facebook page, messages sent to our email address (offroadxtreme@powerautomedia.com), or just everyday browsing through the classifieds of various internet locales, we’re excited to jump right in and talk about some interesting trucks, Jeeps, and other four-wheelers that deserve their time in the limelight. Buckle in and enjoy!

In the past, we’ve brought the spotlight on groups of three vehicles, but for January, we found a vehicle that spoke to us on a personal level and seemed deserving of its own entry. The vehicle in question is a 1979 Chevy Camaro belonging to James Henderson of Casper, Wyoming, a car that may have seen some excitement in two-wheel-drive in its former life, but nowadays gets to enjoy the spectacle and thrill of four-wheeling while also making an important statement.

We took the opportunity to speak with Henderson over the phone and get a better understanding of what makes this muscle-car-turned-4×4 tick. Along the way, we learned about the build process, the purpose of the car, and the effects of having to deal with a horrible illness afflicting a loved one.

Backstory Of The Build

In late 2013, Henderson found himself looking at the Camaro he had just bought and felt stuck at a crossroads. His wife, who had suffered through nine years of mortal struggle against breast cancer, was finally on the other side and enjoying life again. Henderson didn’t want to forget what it was like to endure through that and succeed, and believed he could make something meaningful and lasting.

“My vision was to have the car be taken around the country and become something of a rolling monument,” he said. “We would take it somewhere, give people rides, and remind folks to keep courage in the face of a rotten disease.”

With its home firmly in Casper–Henderson doesn’t plan on ever selling or auctioning the car–the Camaro lives its life traveling to fairs, car meets, and other events, where it does some light off-roading in mud or dirt. It stands eight and a half-feet tall, with standard half-ton axles spinning massive mud bog tires while the crowds whoop and cheer.

“We took a ’76 Chevy truck as a donor for the chassis,” explained Henderson. “It uses 1,500-pound overload shocks and three-quarter-ton leaf springs on all fours. The engine is a small block Chevy with a four-barrel carb and headers, putting power down through a Monster Turbo 350 transmission and a 205 transfer case.”

Henderson and his friends went through four Camaro bodies to get everything complete, and the process from start to finish took an entire year. “We couldn’t have done it without our sponsors and supporters,” said Henderson. “Inland Truck Parts, Thornburgh Honey Farm, Formula 1 Window Tinting, Rusty’s Knotty Pine, Konkler Motorsports Announcing, Kevin Orr at Orr’s Garage, Diego Nicholas, and our stuntman, Levi ‘Kamikaze Kid’ Troutman.”

If you ever get the chance to see Henderson and his purpose-built Camaro in action, take it. We tip our hats to the man and his machine, and wish him the best here in 2015. Happy trails, James!

If you or someone you know has a really bitchin’ truck, Jeep, or SUV that you would like to be featured here on Offroad Xtreme, then what are you waiting for? Go ahead and email us at offroadxtreme@powerautomedia.com, or find our Facebook page to Like us and send pictures and information along. Be sure to include the owner’s name, the year/make/model of the vehicle, and the city and state where it’s located. Till next time!