Inside Jason Scherer’s Wildly Advanced King of the Hammers 4400 Race Car

Jason Scherer’s latest 4400 build is the kind of machine that makes you stop and stare. The number 76 car that grabbed second place at King of the Hammers isn’t just fast - it’s a masterclass in modern Ultra4 engineering that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible when you combine cutting-edge technology with decades of racing experience.

The heart of this build’s innovation starts with the portals. Quinn from 74 Weld crafted these front portal boxes with a 1.45:1 reduction ratio, and they’re absolute game changers. The story behind them is pretty wild too - Cameron Steele drove Cody Wagner’s portal-equipped car a few years back and came away saying Cody was “cheating” because of how much advantage they provided. That’s the kind of performance edge that gets your attention real quick.

What makes Scherer’s setup unique is how he’s matched the portal reduction. Since he’s only running portals up front, the rear end needed a 5.43 gear ratio to match the 1.45 reduction from the portals paired with 3.73 front gears. It’s a balancing act that requires serious math and even more serious engineering to pull off right.

The suspension package is where things get really interesting. Those 4" Fox Live Valve shocks aren’t just for show - Scherer actually uses the adjustability during races. He’s got settings for rocks, desert, qualifying, and even a “nuisance rock” setting that he can switch between from the dash. This isn’t some gimmicky knob that nobody touches - it’s a legitimate performance advantage that changes how the car handles different terrain on the fly.

The chassis work by Keith Beam deserves serious respect. Built from 2" main tubes with 1.75" supporting structure, the bottom section is sleeved with 7075 aluminum to prevent rock damage. The rigidity difference from Scherer’s previous car is night and day - where the old chassis would flex and twist, this one stays planted and lets the suspension do its job.

One of the most clever design elements is the custom transfer case work. Most cars run their drivelines to the passenger side, but Scherer’s setup offsets the rear driveline directly under the driver’s seat. This created enough room to drop co-driver Burger’s seat way down to accommodate his extra height. The driveline angles are almost completely flat now, which reduces binding and actually picked up speed just from having less resistance in the system.

The powertrain is a 463 CI Ford small block built by Dugan’s Race Engines. What makes it special are the D3 heads from Ford Performance - designed by Doug Yates, they deliver an incredibly long torque range that extends the power band by about 1000 RPM compared to an LS motor. That extra torque availability makes a huge difference when you’re trying to maintain momentum through technical sections.

The fuel system is another example of smart packaging. The 50 gallon custom fuel cell wraps around the spare tire like a cup, dropping the center of gravity significantly compared to traditional tank mounting. It doesn’t even look like there’s a big tank back there, but you’ve got the range needed for long desert sections.

Those rear trailing arms showcase some serious suspension geometry work. The main coilover is mounted almost dead center on the arm at a 1.6 ratio - exactly what Fox wanted for proper shaft speeds on the Live Valve system. The result is 28" of rear wheel travel from a 16" shock, which is impressive efficiency.

The portal boxes themselves are machined from solid 7075 aluminum billets, and the straight-cut gears inside are absolutely massive. After a full King of the Hammers race, the gears looked like they’d been polished rather than beaten up. Temperature tape showed they only hit 190 degrees, which is ideal operating temperature for the gear oil they’re running.

Running portals only in front creates some interesting challenges. The CVs are spinning 45% faster than before, but the torque load is actually less. At ride height, the CV angles are almost dead flat, which means they’re generating virtually no heat. It’s counterintuitive, but the faster-spinning CVs are actually running cooler than the old setup.

The transfer case is a modified SCS straight-through unit with no high-low range - just a single 1.37 reduction. Combined with a lower first gear in the 4L80E transmission, Scherer gets the crawling ratios he needs for technical sections while maintaining a top speed around 140 mph for desert running.

Heat management in the torque converter becomes critical without a traditional low range. Scherer runs a 4000 RPM stall converter and monitors converter temps through the Motec system. The display shows blue up to 320 degrees, then progresses through amber and yellow before flashing red when things get dangerous.

The 40" BFG tires are wrapped around forged Vision bead locks, and there’s even space designed in for 42" tires if the rules allow them in the future. BFG tire liners provide run-flat capability - Scherer actually ran six rock trails on a flat front tire during his King of the Hammers race.

This car represents the current state of the art in Ultra4 racing technology. The combination of portals, Live Valve suspension, custom transfer case work, and meticulous attention to detail creates a package that’s both incredibly capable and reliable enough to finish races. When you can take a brand new car and immediately grab a podium finish at King of the Hammers, you know you’ve built something special.