From My Point of View - Vol1 Issue 1

From time to time, NEOW.org publishes editorial content of general interest to the wheeling community. The views expressed herein are those of the author alone and do not represent an official position of NEOW.org.

Getting "All In"

an editorial by Cory Ashe - Way Off Road Fabrication & Design

For my first in a series of articles, I'd like to share with you one of my observations from being professionally involved in 4x4 building. Today's issue pertains to a problem I see again and again with first and even second time buildups. It is a problem I have discussed many times around the shop with other professionals "in the know". When building a vehicle, people are either uninformed, impulsive, financially strapped, or don't have the foresight to get "all in". This leaves them wasting tons of money and time on mods that are in a continuous process of "upgrade".

As an example, many people who have been building a rig for 3 years, have 3 sets of tires for sale, pieces of a suspension lift behind their garage for sale and a second lift on the vehicle which they're in a hurry to upgrade. They'll usually have at least one axle that they have spent hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars on with lockers, gearing, or even a complete rebuild and they now realize they need to replace because it's not strong enough, not big enough, or whatever.

I would like to offer four simple and logical steps you can take that may help you avoid some of these common mistakes in judgment.

Avoid impulse buying: Most people get a drug-like euphoria from their modification purchase. They feel an almost irresistible need for this product as soon as possible. Once the decision has been made to purchase a product, they cannot eat, sleep, or be a productive member of society until they have that cherished product taking up space in their garage, under their bed, or in the shed out back. In the grand scheme of things, you will have this modification or product for a long time after the purchase pleasure has worn off. Exercise some self-control and avoid an impulsive purchase, wait until all the circumstances and options have been evaluated, which leads us to...
Research your modification purchase: Use the internet, magazines, 4x4 clubs, and other individual's personal experiences to help you with your decision and form your own opinion about that product's suitability for your situation. When you have completed your research, we go to step three...
Plan your project carefully: Most people build on a whim, taking only into account what they need for modifications right now, and not taking the time to plan out their buildup. Write down your plans. Where do you see yourself going? What do you want to be able to do? What type of terrain are the people you wheel with doing? What type of terrain are the people you would like to wheel with doing? Take time to think about your future, and the future of the sport and plan your project accordingly. When the size of your wallet doesn't meet the scale of your plans...
Do not let your financial situation influence your purchase: If you need a Dana 60, but can only afford a Dana 44 right now, Wait. This is not easy mind you. In fact it is often extremely difficult and unsatisfying at that moment in time. Let's consider using a new axle to illustrate this point. If you are one of the few people who truly needs a Dana 60, and the cost difference between a used Dana 60 and a used Dana 44 for the purpose of this example is $400. Lets say you buy the Dana 44 because that's what you can afford at the moment, you (or your favorite mechanic) go to the trouble of setting it all up, putting it in, locking it up, regearing it, putting on those cool disc brakes and so on. Later on the next year you decide that you need a 400hp engine and 40 inch boggers, because that's where your at now! That's the kinda wheelin' your doing! So I'll ask: "How much did you waste on that Dana 44?" All of it, that's how much. With a little forethought (avoiding impulsive behavior, researching your options and planning your upgrade path carefully) you could have saved up the extra $400 and been done with it. Although not everyone needs a Dana 60, what YOU need to think about is, where are you going, and what will you need when you get there?