by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
LAS VEGAS — Any trace of the sun was long gone by the time Kelly Flynn and his crew from Quake LED rolled out tractor tires the size of Shaquille O’Neal.
At that point, on a comfortable Monday night in the Nevada desert, most of the SEMA prep crowd had already dispersed out to this restaurant, or that bar. Meanwhile, in the distance, diesel truck engines rumbled steadily as long haul truckers slid trailer after trailer into the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall parking lot.
In time, those trailers would disgorge contents that would turn into outdoor display booths, but for now those guys were taking a well-deserved break.
For the guys from Quake LED though, as well as its custom build off-shoot Freak Show Builds, Monday night was not time for a break.
It was time for work.
We caught up with the Quake LED booth at an almost perfect time Monday night. Flynn had given us a heads-up earlier in the day that they were set to do something major, so we just had to get over and see what they had planned.
Of course, you may remember a few years ago at SEMA when Quake took one of its show Gladiators and removed the stock tires in favor of 13.5” tiny rubber versions.
Well, in a SEMA sea full of Gladiator builds that year, Quake’s version was one of the top photographed vehicles for the show. So this time around, Flynn and his comrades decided to go full cannonball into SEMA with several ‘interesting’ builds designed not only to catch the eye, but to show off product as well.
But first, getting back to those huge tractor tires because it took three people to roll them into position and hold them in place right by that same Quake Gladiator.
With the whir of some air tools, the regular Gladiator tires quickly came off and huge spacers were then added — we’re talking giant feet-long spacers designed to push those tractor tires out and away from the vehicle’s body.
It took some effort, but each tire synched with those spacers and soon enough lug nuts torqued tight and the whole ensemble was all set. Well, except for a few kegs that needed to be bolted to the driver’s side rack, and a rear spoiler to, you know, make sure to reduce that wind resistance.
In addition to Quake’s giant-tire-sized Gladiator, the company also debuted a Chia-infused 2021 Ford Bronco, a 1978 Gremlin on tracks, a 2009 low-rider GMC Hummer and a 1985 ‘Jeeagle’ which fused a Jeep Wrangler frame and an AMC Eagle body together.
While we enjoyed all the builds, we especially loved our Stealth Q-Series winch up the Gladiator, Hummer and Chia-Bronco.
