While at the 2018 High Lifter Mud Nationals we met up with our friend Jason from MTX Audio. Jason was excited to show us their latest UTV build, a customized 2013 Arctic Cat Wildcat dubbed “The Junkyard Cat”.
As Mud Nationals was coming up Jason and his team at MTX Audio wanted to do a custom UTV build for the event, but they were unsure on just what to do. At Mud Nats it’s very common to see many over the top customized side by sides, Jason knew to stand out this build had to be unique. Jason also wanted to build something that catered to mud riding as it was the Mud Nationals. MTX happened to have this older Wildcat that had once been rolled sitting in their shop, Jason got an idea. Instead of doing a custom build with a new machine, like most of the serious builders do, why not be different and do something with this Wildcat.
One of the things they wanted to do with this machine was to keep it simple, doing most of the work by hand using grinders and a hand tube bender; without CNC or fancy paint. They also wanted an aggressive look, so they designed the frame to look somewhat like a skeleton, much like a rock bouncer, which served as good protection to the electronics and mechanical components. They left the frame somewhat raw as well as they didn’t grind down any welds. The cage also featured custom shaping to hold the excessive amount MTX Audio products, as well as full, solid side panels instead of doors. They even added some cool details to the body including custom cut outs on the sheet metal to give an appearance of a cat scratch across the hood.
The front and rear bumpers are actually display bumpers from ICI Creations for dealers to hang on their wall. The design for Chevy trucks, the custom mounted display bumpers were a great fit for the build.
They kept the interior simple, only adding a few new switches to the stock dash and they trimmed up some plastic to allow for a snorkel kit. At the time, they installed some metal bucket seats to finish the build in time for the event, but Jason told us he had some cool, custom PRP Seats on the way for the machine.
For suspension they went with a Super ATV 6” Lift Kit as well as a Super ATV 6” GDP Portal Gear Lift, just the combination they needed to turn the 37” BKT Tires and 20” MSA M36 Switch Milled Wheels through some deep mud holes. To go as deep as they want, they went with a Snorkel Your ATV Warrior Riser Snorkel Kit and a 3500 lbs. winch get out of any extra sticky situations.
To get a great sound and a little extra power they went with an HMF Dual Slip On Exhaust. For lighting they went with all Rigid products and for audio of course it was all MTX. They went with 6 of their 8” Tower Speakers that they custom mounted, powered by 6 MTX Audio MUD100.2 Amplifiers and a MTX Audio Bluetooth Media Controller head unit.
The Junkyard Cat was definitely one of the coolest builds at Mud Nationals, the guys at MTX set out to bring a bad ass, unique mud machine to the event and they delivered.
Junkyard Cat Specs
Platform
- 2013 Arctic Cat Wildcat
Modifications
- Customized Cage and Frame by MTX Audio
- MTX Audio Bluetooth Media Controller
- 6 MTX Audio 8” Tower Speakers with Custom Mounts
- 6 MTX Audio MUD100.2 Amplifiers
- 2 XS Power Batteries
- Super ATV 6” Lift Kit
- Super ATV 6” GDP Portal Gear Lift
- 20” MSA M36 Switch Milled Wheels
- 37” BKT Tires
- Snorkel Your ATV Warrior Riser Snorkel Kit
- 48” Lift Jack
- Customized ICI Creations Display Bumpers
- Rigid LED Lighting
- 3500 lbs. Winch
- HMF Dual Slip On Exhaust
Not only is MTX Audio known for building some really cool machines, they’re known for manufacturing top quality audio products that are designed specifically for off-roading and outdoor use. From sound bars to variety of audio kits, we offer a variety of MTX sound systems and audio options to get you rockin’ and rollin’ on your next UTV ride. To browse our wide selection of MTX Audio products, visit our MTX Audio brand page at SideBySideStuff.com
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