The Jeep Gladiator is a pickup truck made by Jeep. It’s designed to handle rough roads and trails, but it still has a truck bed for hauling. That mix is why people talk about it.
The Ford Maverick is a small pickup truck. It’s meant to be easy to drive and useful for everyday tasks, like hauling small items. People may mention it when talking about practical vehicles that can still handle some outdoor trips.
“JK” is the name Jeep fans use for a specific generation of the Wrangler. The speaker is saying the JK came out in 2007, which is why it mattered for their parade.
“XJ” is what Jeep fans call the Cherokee from a certain generation. People like it because it’s popular for off-roading and has lots of aftermarket parts.
“35s” means tires that are about 35 inches tall. Off-roaders use them for more ground clearance, but they can make the Jeep feel heavier and may require gearing or suspension changes.
Term
Unlimited four door
On Jeeps, “Unlimited” usually means the longer Wrangler. It’s made to give you more space in the back and more overall room than the shorter two-door version.
The Jeep Commander is a bigger SUV made by Jeep. It’s designed to carry more people and provide more interior space than smaller Jeep models. The podcast is referencing it while talking through Jeep model names and history.
Term
Mile per gallon carburetor cover up
This sounds like a conspiracy claim about people hiding the truth about how much fuel a car really uses. A carburetor is an older fuel-mixing part, so the idea is that the fuel-economy story may have been manipulated.
“Dieselgate” is the name people gave to a big cheating scandal involving diesel cars. Some cars were set up to look clean during tests, but they polluted more in everyday driving.
The GM EV1 was an early electric car made by General Motors. It was meant to show that electric cars could be used like regular vehicles. People still talk about it because the program ended, and that decision became part of the EV story.
Term
import ban
An import ban is a government restriction that prevents certain vehicles from being brought into a country. In the EV1 story, it’s referenced as part of the regulatory pressure that affected what could happen to the cars after GM ended the program.
Planned obsolescence means designing something so it won’t last or won’t stay useful for very long. The goal (in theory) is to make people buy a replacement sooner.
It means the car would use so little fuel that you could drive 100 miles on just one gallon. People bring it up when they’re talking about very high-efficiency cars or big marketing claims.
A remote kill switch is a feature that can shut down a car from far away. In normal use it’s about security or recovery, but in this kind of discussion it’s portrayed as outside control over your car.
Term
emissions conspiracy
This phrase is basically an accusation that emissions rules are part of a bigger scheme. It’s used when someone thinks the real reason behind the rules isn’t what the public is told.
Press cars are cars the media gets to drive and review. Here, the speaker is implying the press gets special versions that may not represent what normal buyers get.
Term
streetcar conspiracy
A “streetcar conspiracy” is a claim that powerful companies worked together to weaken or remove city streetcars. It’s presented here as a coordinated scheme rather than a normal business shift.
Firestone is a well-known tire maker. Here it’s mentioned as one of the companies said to be involved in the story about changing how people get around.
Tesla is a company that makes electric cars. The speaker is comparing earlier EVs to what people think of as EVs today, which are often associated with Tesla.
Concept
springboarded experience
The speaker means early electric cars helped create momentum for later EVs. Like getting a head start so the next wave is easier.
This is a documentary about electric cars and why they didn’t become common sooner. The host is using it as a well-known explanation for the EV slowdown.
Concept
governing board
A “governing board” is the group of directors or executives responsible for major corporate decisions and oversight. The speaker uses it to frame internal disagreement about the EV1 situation and what the company should do next.
Term
Auto shut off switches
An “auto shut off switch” is a safety feature that turns something off automatically when something isn’t right. The speaker is saying older vehicles didn’t have as much built-in automation to monitor or stop issues.
OnStar is a GM service that uses a connection to the internet/cell network to help with things like emergency calls and vehicle info. The speaker is saying older cars didn’t have that kind of tracking.
A “diesel shop” is a garage that mainly works on diesel engines. Diesel engines work differently than gas engines, so these shops usually know the diesel-specific repairs best.
“Jeeps” means the Jeep brand of vehicles. They’re built for off-road use, and people often customize them, so specialty shops may focus on Jeep-specific work.
Rudolph Diesel was the inventor behind the diesel engine idea. In this segment, he’s used as the historical starting point for how diesel engines and fuel ideas developed.
Peanut oil is a type of vegetable oil that can be used as fuel in some diesel setups. The reason it comes up is that diesel engines can burn certain oils instead of only petroleum diesel.
A diesel engine is a type of engine that doesn’t use spark plugs. It squeezes air really hard so it gets hot, then injects fuel so it ignites on its own.
“Torque” is the twisting force that helps a car pull. A “torque band” is the RPM range where the engine feels strongest, and “immediate” means it feels strong quickly when you press the gas.
Concept
zippy car
A “zippy car” is one that feels quick and eager when you drive it. Here, the host connects that feeling to how the diesel engine delivers power right away.
Term
W bodies
“W-body” is GM’s internal name for a certain car platform used for many cars. It helps describe the kind of car size/shape she was used to before switching to the smaller Jetta.
The Ford Explorer is a family-sized SUV. It’s built to carry several people comfortably and handle normal daily driving. It’s the kind of vehicle many people recognize, so it often gets mentioned in general car talk.
Miles per gallon (MPG) tells you how efficiently a car uses fuel. The host is saying the way cars were made to pass emissions tests could affect how good the MPG looks.
Emissions tests are official checks that measure how dirty a car’s exhaust is. The claim here is that some cars behaved differently during the test than they did on the road.
Volkswagen is a car company. In this story, they’re accused of cheating emissions tests by using different settings on test cars than on the cars people actually bought.
Particulate matter refers to tiny solid or liquid particles in exhaust that contribute to smog and health problems. The host is describing Volkswagen’s alleged strategy of claiming those emissions were lower than they really were.
This means the car’s software that controls how it runs. The allegation is that the software could detect test conditions and act differently to pass emissions rules.
Term
federal import
Federal import standards are the rules the U.S. requires for vehicles to be allowed for sale. The host is saying the company’s emissions strategy was driven by needing to meet those rules.
“Cash for clunkers” was a program that paid people to trade in an older, inefficient car for a newer one. In this episode, they’re discussing how that incentive affected what people did with their cars.
A Volkswagen Jetta is a common compact car. In the episode, it’s the older car the hosts’ family had, and it’s brought up to show how government incentives can encourage people to trade in older vehicles.
Term
buyback or the credit
Here, “buyback or the credit” means the money you get for turning in your old car. The hosts say it worked like a direct payment once you were ready to buy a replacement vehicle.
Term
crush it
“Crush it” refers to the intended end-of-life processing for traded-in vehicles under programs like “cash for clunkers,” where cars are destroyed so they can’t be resold. The hosts dispute whether the cars were actually handled as expected, which is central to their conspiracy framing.
“Divest them” basically means to get rid of them by transferring them out of the program’s hands. In the episode, they’re using it to argue the cars weren’t handled the way they were supposed to be.
Colorado is a U.S. state. The hosts mention it because they claim the traded-in cars were left sitting in parking lots there instead of being destroyed.
“Test vehicles” are cars set up for emissions testing. The allegation is that the test cars weren’t the same as the ones sold to regular buyers.
Concept
out of sight out of mind
It means if a problem isn’t obvious day-to-day, people tend to forget about it. The host is using it to argue that some vehicle risks don’t get attention until they cause real trouble.
This phrase describes a steering system that uses electricity to control hydraulic power steering. The “connection” part means a particular link or component in that system that may have been part of the recall risk.
A VIN number is like a car’s unique ID. When a recall happens, companies use VINs to figure out which exact cars are affected. Two cars that look similar can have different parts depending on when they were built.
Takata made airbags for lots of cars. Some of those airbags could break apart when they deployed, which is dangerous. Because the problem was bigger than first thought, the recall kept growing to include more cars.
Passenger-side airbags are the airbags meant to protect the person sitting in the front seat. The host is talking about which side’s airbags were involved in the recall. Recalls can target specific airbag modules, not just the car model in general.
The driver-side airbag is the airbag meant for the driver. The host is pointing out that the recall seemed to involve specific sides. That matters because not every airbag in a car is necessarily affected the same way.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a popular Jeep SUV. The host is saying the airbag recall may have started with that SUV line. But whether your specific car is affected depends on the exact VIN and build date.
Parts availability just means whether the replacement parts are actually in stock. During big recalls, if parts aren’t available, repairs can take much longer.
When a car has a dangerous airbag problem, the fix is to replace the airbag parts. That repair can take time and sometimes causes other issues while the dashboard area is being taken apart.
A recall is when a car company has to fix a safety problem in cars already sold. It usually means taking the car to a dealer for a repair, often at no cost to the owner.
Term
dealership technicians
Dealership technicians are the mechanics who do repairs at the brand’s service centers. The speaker is saying that for older cars, some techs might not have much hands-on experience with that exact model from its original production years.
Brand
Jeep Chrysler
Jeep and Chrysler are vehicle brands within the Stellantis-era corporate family (historically Chrysler Group), and the speaker is using them to illustrate which automakers used Takata airbags. The key point is that Takata inflators were supplied to multiple major brands, not just one manufacturer.
Takata is a company that made airbag parts for cars. In this story, they’re accused of hiding problems with those airbag parts, which could make the airbag malfunction.
“Do not drive” warnings are safety notices issued to owners when a vehicle has a defect that could cause serious harm if used. In this context, they were tied to high-risk airbag issues for certain models.
An automotive recall is when car makers ask owners to bring their cars in to fix a safety problem. The speaker is saying this airbag issue led to an unusually big recall.
Heat and humidity are weather conditions that can make some materials break down faster. The speaker’s claim is that in hot, humid places the airbag inflator chemistry could degrade and cause the airbag to go off unexpectedly.
Term
randomly
Here, “randomly” means the airbag might deploy even when you didn’t crash. That’s dangerous because it can happen at the wrong time.
Airbag functionality means the airbag system is working the way it should—detecting a crash and deploying properly. It depends on sensors and the wiring and computer that control the airbags.
Term
hook up to the computer
For many safety recalls, a mechanic plugs the car into a diagnostic computer. That lets them check for error codes and confirm the airbag system is set up and working correctly.
The airbag control module is the car’s computer for the airbags. It watches sensor signals and decides when the airbags should deploy.
Term
steering wheel compartment
The steering wheel compartment is the space behind the steering wheel where the airbag and wiring are located. Safety rules often say to disable power before reaching in so the airbag can’t deploy.
Term
battery's been disabled
Disabling the battery means turning off power to the car. Since airbag systems can hold energy for a short time, technicians wait a bit before working so the airbag can’t fire accidentally.
A fuse is a safety switch in the car’s electrical system that stops power if something goes wrong. Here, they’re saying people sometimes remove fuses to disable safety features.
“Federally regulated” means the government sets rules that car makers have to follow for safety. They’re saying airbags only became required by law at a certain point, which affected older vehicles.
Most cars have two main headlights. This one had an extra headlight in the middle that could aim with your steering, so you’d see better where you’re going to turn.
Term
optic eye
It sounds like a special headlight setup. Instead of just shining straight ahead, the light can aim toward where you’re turning so the road in that direction is easier to see.
A rear-engine car puts the engine in the back instead of the front. That changes how the car feels and how parts under the engine have to be shaped to work in that position.
The sump is where the engine oil collects. If you change how the engine is positioned, the oil can move differently, so the sump and oil pickup need changes to keep lubrication working.
Term
pop out feature in a crash
This is a safety idea where the windshield is designed to move out during a crash. That can help keep it from pushing into the passenger area and hurting people.
A manufacturing plant is the factory where cars are actually made. The point here is that the designer couldn’t get access to a factory to build the car.
Concept
World War II
This is the historical period after World War II. The speaker is saying the timing mattered because factories and suppliers were under pressure and harder to access.
“Federal antitrust laws” are government rules designed to stop companies from teaming up in unfair ways. The idea is to keep competition fair—so one company can’t block another from succeeding by working together secretly.
Term
wartime production
“Wartime production” means factories ramping up to make supplies for a war. The host is saying those close connections between companies and government didn’t just disappear after the war.
Rivian is an electric-vehicle company. The host is saying that even today, newer EV brands can struggle to “break in” against the influence of bigger players.
International Scout is a well-known name from the past that the host says is trying to return. The point in this segment is the pattern of old or new brands trying to restart and compete.
The Ford Model T is an old classic car from the early days of mass-produced automobiles. Here, the host is fixing up his Model T—especially dealing with rust and getting the right engine.
Rust conversion is a chemical treatment that turns active rust into something more stable. The goal is to stop the rust from spreading so you can prime and paint the metal.
An epoxy primer is a protective coating you put on metal before painting. It helps seal the surface and resist rust, especially after you’ve treated rust first.
Sandblasting is an abrasive cleaning method that strips paint and rust by blasting media at the surface. The host avoids it here to prevent removing more metal than necessary and to control cost and timeline.
A flathead is an older engine style where the valves sit in the engine block. The host is getting a flathead engine for his Model T restoration project.
Some bearings have tiny date codes stamped on them. If you can read those codes, you can often tell when the parts were made, which helps figure out whether the engine was rebuilt and when.
The crank pulley/harmonic balancer is a part bolted to the crankshaft. Its job is to smooth out twisting vibrations so the engine and belt-driven accessories don’t wear out as quickly.
When you “torque down” the cylinder heads, you tighten the bolts to the exact tightness the manual specifies. Doing it right helps the head gasket seal and prevents leaks.
A side-shift transmission is a manual transmission where the shifter mechanism moves sideways to change gears. The speaker is saying their current setup uses that style and they’re planning a swap to a different one.
“Swap cases” means swapping the housing parts of the transmission/transfer system. It’s usually needed when changing to a different transmission setup so everything fits and works together.
Term
pedal bushings
Pedal bushings are small parts that help the gas/brake/clutch pedals move smoothly on their pivots. If they wear out, the pedals can feel loose or noisy.
Brake lines are the tubes that move brake fluid to the brakes. If you’re doing a big project and moving parts around, you may replace them to avoid leaks and keep braking reliable.
Aquanet is a well-known hairspray brand. The host is talking about it because it was involved in a story about using hairspray in a “spud gun” prank.
LIVE
SFJ 4x4 Studios presents
In my oversized four-wheel drive Jeep
A Jeep podcast starring industry experts
Cure monocity
What? Say that again!
With mad scientist Scott Brown
I use my drill press as a sort of lathe
Our host, Neil Simpson
If one light goes out they all go out
And...
Phil Bruce Shenanigans
We are really professional with Jeeps
This is I-Speak Jeep
No signal!
What?
Are you kidding me?
We're having technical difficulties
and Neil is about to try to fix that
I swore that thing was working
Bear with us
We're attempting to unplug and plug it back in
Yay!
Hey!
Good morning, afternoon, evening
Wherever however you are joining us
I'm screaming at you and I apologize sort of
Cause I just genuinely
I swear it was working
Don't know how that happens
Nope
Every once in a while the camera just decides to go rogue
and do something
Do something
Which we have no direct explanation of
Yep
My name is Neil
with SFJ 4x4 Simpson Family Jeeps
And I'm joined in Grandma's couch studio
by the mad scientist
Madness mad scientist
Madness mad scientist
Researcher extraordinaire this morning
And
Jeffrey, clearly the producer
The Italian stallion
Claimed he was going to be here
Nowhere to be found
Nowhere to be found
Crickets
So we had the starting soon
I had a title up
And we were ready to rock and roll
But then the camera did camera things
Still haven't been perfect with the scenario yet
I do want to jump into the comments
Got all the comments this morning
Everybody's feeling invested
Enjoying the heat wave
From the coolness of their home
Their Jeep, their whatever
I was looking at the map yesterday
And I was like, if you were in the red or purple area
Yours is going to hurt
And I was like, I don't like that
Yeah, this is that time folks
You know, kind of hunker down
Prepare accordingly
Go out by an air conditioner as needed
Top off your coolant in your automobiles
And, you know, kind of prepare to check on those
Who might not, you know, handle the heat as well
Yep
In our comments
In our comments, I'll move to this microphone
Nathan was first saying good morning
Billy Joe, good morning
Hope you had a great weekend
Bill McWilliams, good morning
Robert Seaman, good morning SFJ
Mickey Hunt, good morning
Mudhorn Gladiator, good morning
Geaga Jeeps, good morning SFJ
Rob, Daddy Jeep, Morgan, happy Monday guys
Bradford's coming in saying nothing
Not 100% what sure what that was
Family is the way off road, good morning
Maverick Jeep Alliance morning guys
Bradford back in, now we're good
It's a conspiracy
It was a camera
It was a camera issue
Bradford saying we're good to go
The goat was working
Thank you Bill, thank you for recognizing
I finally figured out where the goat is
In the process
It's the small things
Rob, laugh it out, that was
That has to make the next intro
Probably me
With my Arnold Schwarzenegger
Exasperation
Billy Joe says Neil broke it
Leslie Ann, morning
And dispersed dirt off
Road, hay, yinz
Yes, good morning
Good morning to everybody
Thank you for joining us on this
Sticky Monday morning
If I remember, that's a 3 plus 1
For yinz
A 3 plus 1
And yinz
Is a little bit different than yinz
I feel like yinz is downtown Pittsburgh
Yes
And yinz is from the hills of Pittsburgh
You can correct me
We have a great following
And group
In the western Pennsylvania region
And
They can help me
Understand my Pittsburghese
Those of you who know, know that I married
A Pittsburgher
And I relocated her to Ohio
Against her will
But we still
But she has the beach now so she's okay
That's part of the truth
Pittsburghers love the beach no matter what
It's part of like their steel in their blood
But they want to run away to whatever
Beach, whether it be the outer banks
Whether it be ocean city
Of pick one of the ocean cities
Or the Florida beaches
My wife
Against her will
Went to the great lakes beaches
But we still have gum bands
And yinz in our household
Charles
Good morning
And Tony
Painted a bumper with enamel yesterday
Added extra hardener for the humidity
I expect it to be dry sometime before October
Thanks mother nature
I feel that
It's so true
It's so true
My gracious
This is close to
The first of July
It is the end of June
Depending on when and how you're listening
To us this live is
You know happening on
June 29th
This is our 212th show
And inspired
By and I think it was
I think it was Dom Dominsky I think
Right and somebody can correct me
In the comments or he can jump in when
He feels so froggy had suggested
That we talk about
The
The conspiracy theory to kill
The 4.0
How they ripped the still very
Vibrant breathing 4.0
From all Jeep owners hands
From our death grip
Of our hands
And then
Gave us the 3.8
In our
Robust off road vehicles
Moral adjacent
And
I thought that that was a great
Suggestion
We live
In an interesting time
And I've spent a lot of my personal
Endeavor saying that maybe we're not living
In the most unique times and history
repeats itself and yada yada
But I do believe that as a general
We're living in an interesting time
Regarding our fascination around conspiracy
Theories and how things work
And the nature in which
Information is shared
So
So fast anymore it adds to
That process
Also
There are people who have
Shown themselves not to be trustworthy
Our eyes do not deceive us folks
Just because you say one thing
And do another
Doesn't help
I was thinking we could take
Sort of an example
From one of the conspiracy theories
Things I like to watch
And they talk about the myth
Or the conspiracy
And then at the end of that
Then they talk about debunk
It or what truth is in it
So I think we first
Talk about
What the conspiracy is
And what gives it
Weight and then at the end
We put in the facts of
What actually is
The reality
So what we have prepared for
You all folks is this
Conversation
Regarding
You know
Jeep conspiracy theories
Specifically
However
Kind of giving credence to the idea
In general
We would like to start with some general
Automotive conspiracy theories
Which then create this foundation of whether or not
You know what we should believe
Or what we shouldn't believe as automotive enthusiasts
So today we're going to be
Unpacking
Some notable
Or some notable automotive conspiracy theories
Before
As we kind of launch a series
Finishing out the last six months
Or so of
2026
With Jeep specific ones
Also, and we're going to say this a couple times
Without the program, we're doing an all call
To our listening base
To offer up some
Conspiracy theories that you have heard
Specifically about the Jeep and off-road community
For us to
Engage upon or share information
That we are aware of
And reveal that to
Our listening audience in the process
And be prepared
We like the nerd outs on some of this stuff
100%
And so
And what's fun about today's
Is that we are actually
Or have been personally
Acquainted to a couple of
Today's conspiracy theories
And one of them directly
Affects
A large number
Of Jeep Chrysler owners
In general
So there are these things that we'll be sharing with you
Now before we get into that nuts and bolts
If you'd like to hear about what happened in our personal lives
Over the weekend
Make sure you stay tuned through the outro credits
We'll see if I actually manage to get real outro credits
Or Scott or I will make
Mouth noises that transition you
Or Jeff will randomly show up between now and then
It's going to be whatever
We'll roll with those punches
Additionally, I should mention
To all of our listening audience
That this Friday
Is
Our 4th of July
Parade here in Coney, Ohio
On the third
On the third
The third of July celebrating
America 250th 4th of July
And we are encouraging you to come out
And participate as Jeeps
You do not need to register independently
With the
Parade
You just show up at noon
On Friday
As normal, we're just going to Jeep our way through
We're just going to Jeep our way through
I need our listening audience to know this
I'm going to do storytime with Neil for 2 seconds
Before we get into this
Because I don't know how to do anything part way
We started doing
And participating in the Jeep Parade
In 2007
And
And if you remember
2007 was the release
Of the JK and I was very proud
Of this because I drove the 48
Through the parade
We had
I believe my wife drove my XJ
Which was that big
8, 10 inch lifted XJ
On 35s
And my dad had the LJ
And then we had
Partnered with a representative
Jeep Chrysler and I had an 07
Unlimited four door which
At that point in time people thought was magic
Because realistically
It was still pretty new to the market
And we had that as representative of us in the parade
That's when we started
And Jeep people love a parade
And we continued with the parade
Endeavors
For years
Before
We were recognized by the city as
This award winning
Submission, this unit
Right?
And I do give credit to
Willoughby days or something to that effect
And a guy named
Dusty who
Started a parade process
Called Jeepalooza and I do
Miss Jeepalooza and that was a huge
Endeavor, fantastic parade
Down to a well oiled
Machine
Before that dispersed
And so
Here's the thing
So as things progressed
I ended up saying hey I would take
On the parade aspect
For the city
For the endeavor of the festival
The three day festival and the fireworks show
And blah blah blah
I needed another thing
To do like I needed another hole in my head
So
I said that I would do that
And then quickly this was about two and a half years ago
And quickly I was elected vice president
Of the local
Fourth of dry board
Committee
And board
And I just have to note
And I'm sharing this with my Jeep community
Because I already have a number of really great volunteers
From the Jeep community who are coming to help me
On Friday
I am now running everything
So
Not by choice folks, not by choice
I didn't really volunteer
This was an unfortunate incident
There is an internal conspiracy theory
That maybe he did
I know when Greg started that
It's not true at all
I don't need this
I don't need it
So here's the challenge
Typically we progress from our Jeep parade
And we head down to the waterfront
And we align
And we take a picture
And it's really cool
And we kind of sit around and we BS
A little bit and we tell lies about our Jeeps
And then people go off to enjoy the festival
Find something to eat
Go hang out on the beach, whatever
And it's going to be a great day for that
I need you to know that I will not be joining you down there
Because
Now I am wholly responsible
For the dedication ceremony
That is happening up at the festival
Where we'll be opening up the 1976
By Centennial time capsule for the community
I'll be emceeing over the festival
And so I am
In trusting our Jeep community
To kind of help and assist
In organizing ourselves
Appropriately down with the waterfront
Being respectful and I'm sorry
I'm just kind of front loading
That I will not be joining you
And you're not allowed to do Jeep things into the lake
Correct, no Jeeps in the lake
We have to be conscientious of that
So just kind of front loading
What this weekend looks like
In the process
This too shall pass
But I did not exactly volunteer
To be
Kind of the
Operations
It's just another chink
Of unprecedented
Times
That we are continuing to go through
For SFJ 4x4 and Neil Simpson
And company
There you go folks, there's this weekend
We hope to see you
Somewhere in the 11
To noon o'clock hour
I believe it's 340 341 Harbour Street
Come hang out with us
Please be respectful of everybody else
At the event
And then we'll process through town
Throw candy at people
Have a good hoot and hanny
No political affiliations
If that is your interest
There are political parties marching in the parade
You are welcome to join them
No matter what side of the aisle you fall on
So just my peace out to the
To the community
If there is
No further ado on that one
I think that covers it
And then we are closed on Saturday
That peace
We are here on the third
Dividing Conquer
Yes, making it happen
I will keep
Greg as much as I can
Abay from
Attacking any people coming in through the door
Please do
Leslie Ann, our north of Pittsburgh
It's Yun's here
Dispursed
Dirt says
Hillbilly Pittsburgh is Yun's
Neil, did your Pittsburgh
Come with fries and coleslaw
She absolutely
She absolutely did
Actually, you know, when she cuts herself it just bleeds
Fries and coleslaw
And
And cabasi and pierogies
From, you know, from other bodily functions
Charles says hate the Pittsburgh beaches
Or hates the Texas beaches
Sorry, except down
By Padre Island
Heard good things about that myself
65 miles of beach, I've heard it's gorgeous
Love to see it, I've loved jeeping the
Outer Banks beaches, I can only imagine
What Padre Island is like
Tony says at least
They didn't give us the 37
Which they did
They kinda did
Fortunately, I think they learned
Their lesson on the Liberty
The Commander
I'm trying to think of what else the 37 was in
I tried to block the grand
The grand had the 37 for a hot second
The Dub K grand had the 37
And so
Fred Modais says good morning
Bill, the Jeep 4-0 was built too good
Tony says
He's getting to fetch his tinfoil
Dang
You should have had our tinfoil
Miss opportunity
It's a little warm for that anyway
Gladiator, Geaga Jeepers says gladiator with the 392
And backward facing back seats
Oh, I'm not sure about that
Charles, LJ for sale here in herns, Texas
I need one
Let's let's tell me more about that Charles
Yes
Tony says
You were voluntold
I was voluntold
To now run
The entirety of the event
As honest
Mitch says hey guys
Nathan says
AKL Presidente for life
Against my wills and wishes, that's true
And Charles says it's y'all here
Yeah, I was a y'all guy
Even though I'm in an industrial blue
Caller town
I still don't say yins
But my family did because my grandfather was from Brownsville
Fun piece
Alright, we should actually talk about automotive
Conspiracy
So what I'm going to do is I'm just going to read through
What
The old google says
Is the top ten
Conspiracy
Yeah, I mean we didn't work super hard
We were like hey tell us what
We definitely were aspiring a little bit
And then I
Re-did it with Jeep
And I will then read those
And we are going to
Kind of pick a couple we think are cool
And then we're going to also
Obviously do our own
So first
The hundred
Mile per gallon carburetor cover up
I don't know that much about this one
I think I'm just going to read the titles
And then we'll deep dive into
Okay, and we'll come back to them
Because this is again, this is just your general
Hey, what does the
What is the search engine
Populations say are the
The top ten of sorts
Yes
Great auto conspiracy theories
Number two, the General Motors streetcar conspiracy
I'd never heard of this one
I'm kind of excited to look
Into that one
Let's
The
Tucker 48
We're both very familiar with the Tucker 48
Yep, dieselgate
Ah, that's a classic
Look in the mission scandal
A classic, we'll talk about that one
For the next 50 to 100 years
General Motors kills the EV1
I guess I didn't see that that had made that
Real quick
If you don't know what the EV1 was
It was the first sipping your toes
Into electric vehicles
You're just supposed to be reading the titles
I know, I couldn't help myself
The 25 year import ban
Origin
The
Planned obsolescence by a touch
Screens
Porsche project
Segment
Segmentation
What word are you trying to say
And bring a trailer
Price mellipant
Oh my god, he's off the rails
I need to go paint something
Do you need to paint?
I do, I need to paint
You need to get in the paint booth
I did not
Give me that other sheet that you just
Butchered all those words on
Let me see that
So then into Jeep ones
Just because it's fun
The hacked death trap Jeep
Quotations
The i64 experiment
The street car conspiracy made it again
The 100 mile per gallon
Carburetor
Planned obsolescence
Again
The government controls your car
Remote kill switches
They're coming for you man
This one's kind of cool
The auto illuminati
Emissions conspiracy
Again
The 25 year import ban
Press cars
Are intentionally souped up
Press cars?
Oh, for the pressers, like the release
They killed the eagle
Before it's time
I'm excited to talk about that one
And then the 2026
Shane
Hollander Jeep boycott
What was that?
The 2026 Shane
Hollander Jeep boycott
I have no idea what that one is
Which one do you want to talk about first?
Or do you want to just rip the bandaid off
Go right in the four liter
We're going to make
The four liter
It's own session here
They're going to have to look forward to that one
But I do
And that's like I said
They inspired us
To talk about this one
I'm familiar
With the
100 mile per gallon carburetor cover up
Which was a fascinating one
I
Was not familiar
About the General Motors streetcar conspiracy
I'll just give you guys
The 100 mile
Bird's eye view of this one
It's saying that General Motors
Firestone Tire and Standard Oil Company
Conspired
Together to systematically dismantle
America's
Public trolley networks
That America's public
Transportation was too good
That they weren't buying vehicles
And tires and oil and gas
Correct
And so they pushed through
Lobbying and legislation
And
They hired some people to go get run over
By Trolley's
And this theory was popularized
By the 1988 film
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
What? Right
How
Ridiculous is this
Right? Now here's the challenge
That I offer out
To the world, to the listening body
We know factually
That and I'm a train
I'm a closet train nerd
That we know
That the train system did things
Like this
To other industries
Absolutely
And there was a strong precedence
Of this formidable big business
Making
Moves and then enacting
Legislature which directly
Benefited them
The fact that
This GM Firestone and Standard Oil
Has anything to do with
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Is a plot twist
I wasn't ready for
I wasn't ready for that
And I think what's fascinating
And there is actually
This is a lost-to-time
Situation because I just
I kind of have this belief that humans
We get so self-consumed
That we just move on
But in 1949
A federal antitrust trial
Actually
Convicted GM
And corporate partners
Of this
This was real
And that the verdict revealed
They were guilty of monopolizing
The sale of buses and supplies
To transit companies
They actually did this
It was not a deliberate national plot
To single-handedly destroy
The streetcar system though
So it's kind of like
If we were the mythbusters
It's plausible
It's plausible
That they actually did this
While GM continues to stay
In the forefront of our interest
I will simply say
That
General Motors kills the EV1
Is probably one of
I feel like the broad spectrum
Of automotive enthusiasts
Kind of
In my opinion, no and accept
And understand
This
We lived it
That's our generation
We saw a disgruntled Danny DeVito
Getting his EV1 rip from his hands
Correct
Took his electric vehicle
From his cold little
Nubby fingers
Sorry Danny DeVito
And so
We had electric vehicles
Far sooner than
You know
Than our current Tesla
Saturated
Interest allows
And these EV vehicles
Were pretty
Functional, pretty efficient
And they started
A springboarded experience
Now my own interest
At this time
And so here's the part of this conversation
And we don't need to talk about it a lot
Because in 2006
There was a pretty famous documentary
Who killed the electric car
I do believe there's actually
A part two of that as well
It's a little lesser produced
I think you're correct
A little lesser produced product
Attempts to piggyback on the success
Of that initial documentary
I will say if you want to deep dive into this
There is actually a YouTuber
They went and found one of the
Remaining EV ones
That was donated to a college
And then they accidentally
Got it towed
Because they forgot they had it
And the tow company then
Was able to
Do a
Lean on it for the tow
Charges and storage fees
Get a title for it and then
Was able to then sell it to these
YouTubers So they are
Currently restoring this EV one
And trying to make it 100% functional
Functionally
Well and you know
What most people may or may not know
Is that basically there was
This
Corporate situation
Where they actually came and took back
All the cars that had been
Reasonably delivered that they knew where they were
They were leased to people of sorts
But they kept ownership
Of them and then they decided
They were done and they crushed them all
But a few select
That were content
And when it comes to the Jeep
Community
I will tip my foil hat
As Bill McWilliams has
Referenced as well
Things like this do exist
As enthusiasts
As civilians
To the auto manufacturers
We oftentimes think of them
As this big one-eyed
Monster entity sitting somewhere
Off yonder making decisions
And
And while that is actually a little
True
They are just humans
Once you actually get through enough layers
And there is a great
Jeep
Truck that
In its own right of a conspiracy theory
I don't know that we need to elaborate upon it
But it was an extended cab full-size pickup
Truck
And in similar fashion
It was supposed to be crushed
It was supposed to have been crushed
But it somehow sunk out the back door
And yet somehow was still
Actively used as a pickup truck
Basically in the back
Yard of Jeep Chrysler
You know
AMC manufacturing
I mean they used it in a town just
Adjacent
The engineer is who
Took it
And kept it
And it was the family truckster
And it has now been restored
And there is contention amongst
The purists
And what's funny is that people debated
When they initially said
Hey we have this truck
People debated its validity
And yet the family
And some of the individuals
On the inside said
Yeah no that truck really
It existed, we tried something
It was a one-off, it was a prototype
We tried, we didn't really tell the whole world
But this was actually manufactured
Then when you looked, then there were people like
Sitting randomly and like I don't know
California or Colorado would be like
Look at the title, the paperwork says it was born elsewhere
That kind of stuff
And so it just seeds this
Degree of miscommunication
And grand conspiracy theories exist
The truck really exists
The lineage of ownership
Exists
It's a very short lineage
And so like the EV1s
The corporate
Entity tried something
It did or didn't stick
There was legislation, there was dissent
Amongst the governing board
In the EV1 situation
They went out and they attempted to clean up
All the ones that they knew
However
You know, realistically
Once they make
The vehicle and they send it out
Certainly back in the day when there were not
Auto shut off switches or on-star
You couldn't track these things
You know?
And there is rumors that there's one or two around
But the goal of this
YouTuber is it's going to be the only functioning
EV1 left
Until somebody comes
Out of the woodwork
And his garage magically burns down in the middle of the night
Absolutely
While he was playing with electric battery technology
That was 30 years old
And how easy that is
For us to
Stop our brain and go well that's plausible
Absolutely
So the EV1
I don't think we need to elaborate too much more on it
Though it is a fun one
That one is very much real
They did produce these
They did, there's documented proof
People received them, people got them taken back
And then they got destroyed
For the most part
I do think
I do want to address
One that I'm personally acquainted to
And that is in fact
Dieselgate
And
As a diesel
Enthusiast
And I really do say that
We're not a diesel shop
I appreciate
Individuals who do specialty work
We do specialty work on Jeeps
They do specialty work on diesel
It was just something you were interested in at a young age
I've always liked big trucks
And big trucks need diesels
Absolutely
To try to be any efficient
And so my own
Interest here as well
Despite not actually acting upon it
Like some other folks have
Is that I was actually really fascinated
From a conspiratorial
Sense
I'm going to go all the way back
To the late 1800s
With the World's Fair
And
Rudolph Diesel
And producing
An engine that ran on peanut oil
Basically
And this was to me
Or has always been one of the
Kind of the coolest
Kind of concepts
And to think about how diesel engines work
And efficiency
And crude refining
Processes
It's really the oldest conspiracy out there
Because we've heard for years
About how all of Europe
Has diesel cars
And they get great mileage
And all that other kind of stuff
And we have not been able to do that
The fact that Jeep has tried
I don't know
Emptying zillion times to have a diesel
100%
And you know
You recently procuring
The best iteration of that
And rubbing the mile per gallon in my face
Having a blast with it
And it's still even
Kind of stock equipment
As far as
This has a lot of tie ends
And
The Volkswagen
Drama
That was that is just insane
Correct
And for those that don't know
Neil's mom worked a great deal
Away from home
And she buried a few
The Sabres
And
Park Avenue
And Park Avenue
Pretty much that classic four door
Family
90s vehicle
Bonnie that kind of stuff
She buried a couple of those
And then they were like hey we should get some better mileage
And I'm sure you twisted their arm a little bit
And next thing you know
When I first got adopted
Mom was driving a silver
Jetta diesel
And it was super cool
Had a black leather interior
Super economical
She loved how
The immediate torque band
Because again torque feels different than horse purse
And so that
Concept of having a zippy car
It was a smaller platform
Than she was used to
And her more
The W bodies
That's a Greg question
The boat
The boats that she was used to driving
From here to there
Of course gas was cheap at that time per se
But as we progressed into the early 2000s
Gas started to rise
And diesel actually was still
Slightly more affordable
They had not touched it in the way that they currently do
Because again
Fun fact folks
Diesel is about a gajillion times easier
To make than gasoline
Hence another conspiracy theory
You can pretty much blow hard
On some crude oil and diesel
Happens as a biper on it
You just put the crude in there
And you go running
Back in the day
And some vegetable oil and diesel would run on it
It was just that simple
I really want to get on my high horse
About this
The fun part about the personal
Of this story
Is you guys had driven the crap out of this
Jetta
By the time that
Everyone has decided they are now evil
What actually happens
With the conspiracy theory
Is that
There are certain situations
It is
By 2015
So let's see
My mother's Jeep
Was I think
Jeep Volkswagen
Let's take another sip of coffee here
Because my wife does have a diesel now
There's a confusion here
She was getting
Stupid miles
Stupid mileage
It was us
Monitoring, writing
Doing the old little notebook stuff
And
I want to say it was an 07
To 9
Somewhere in there
The facts get in the way of a good story
But anyway
She had driven the wheels off this car
And
You know
Kind of used it
Service life
At the point that the big
Blow up happened
The blow up actually happens
Prior to I was looking to see if there was
A documented date
On it
But it actually says that
In 2015 the EPA actually
Found this to be 100% true
Which does happen
But basically
At that point in time there was
A series of
Legislative issues
Concerning
Specifically emissions and miles per gallon
Now if you ever hear us
Talk explicitly
Regarding
Your tire pressure
That is indicated in the door jam
Or on the door of your applicable vehicle
You'll know that
That is part
Of a metric
That the engineers
Of said vehicle have put together
And so they'll say
With this tire
At this air pressure
With
This given load
With this fuel
Whether 87
89, 90 whatever
This vehicle gets
This mile per gallon
And that is
And protects you from sleepy
Ford Explorers
That is
That is
A
Legislated
Component
Of the manufacturing process
To create
Originally it was created with
Appropriate consumer protections
It originally was
Which was
In the
To
To
To
neighbor. And that is based in that concept. And GM proved that back in 49 when, you know, they
conspired against streetcars. Once again, you know, the government comes in and legislates
miles per gallon and so on and so forth. Come to find out, Volkswagen had been fudging their
emissions tests, specifically saying that the particulate
of kind of smog causing emissions was lower than it was, so much so that they were utilizing
test vehicles that had different computer programming in their computer to have less,
have reduced emission and fuel consumption and so on and so forth. And then the vehicle that
actually went to market was different. If I remember right, that wasn't there a contention that if
they would have made it legal, it would have killed the mile per gallon on the vehicle?
Correct. Yeah. Correct. So they actually were attempting to have this exceedingly high miles
per gallon conversation. But in order to have the emissions representation for federal import
and standards, they had to smog the heck out of it. And so you kind of couldn't have one without
the other. So remember, at some point, they were like, well, we did it for you guys because we
wanted you to get good mileage, which is actually why the general consumer who had these vehicles
does not end up being upset. Yes. Right. We did not, as a society, get our pitchforks and
torches out. There's Jeffrey. He's all we need you for is the outro now. We already talked about
that. Great timing. Good timing. So we, as the vast majority of automotive enthusiasts,
we're actually not that upset because, and if I remember right, we're getting good fuel mileage.
And like the early standpoint of the upset Danny DeVito, there were people upset
that they wanted to take their vehicle away. Well, okay. And so as a continued conspiracy that
doesn't even appear in this Google is top 10 is cash for clunkers. And what and we'll talk about
that in our Jeep one as we unveil the series because I 100% have this relating to jeeps.
And but, but realistically cash for clunkers had just happened. Yeah. Right.
Or is happening and kind of we're living. And if I remember right, they kind of did a
letter from that book of the cash for clunkers and they're like, okay, we have a bunch of people
that don't want to give up their Volkswagen. That's correct. And they're getting good mileage,
but we need them off the streets. So we're going to entice them with money. That's correct.
Which is, which is 100% how you satisfy an American is you care it of money in front of
that. Let's just be a dream. Yeah. Yeah. So it's like, oh, we were killed. We were purposely
baiting switching the government and killing the environment in the process. You should be angry
at us, but we're going to give you money. Yes. And then the rest of us, general consumers,
auto enthusiast and people who might have been on the edge sit up like begging puppy dog puppy
dogs and we're like, oh, yes, please, may I have another right. And in this specific situation,
my parents, my mother had ran this Jetta into the ground, as you had said. Yeah. It was long
in the tooth. It was probably seven to 10 years old, roughly speaking. The value it had
gone in the toilet should have absolutely been in the toilet. Yeah. And yet because we pushed the
buyback or the credit so far. Yeah. And they did offer a direct credit. And this was a Volkswagen's
thing was that basically, once you were prepared to buy another vehicle, they would cut you a check
and, you know, so on and so forth. Come get it. Basically. And then they had to crush it, right?
Oh, no, no, they went and sat in open parking lots in Colorado. And I have seen those. Correct.
They were supposed to divest them. They didn't. That my parents were able to put
a sizable down payment on a brand new Jeep Cherokee at the time when they re-released or were
close to re-releasing the KL series Jeep Cherokee, which in itself, again, conspiracy theory. But
speaking of conspiracy theories, Charles just timed in said Aquanet and girls from the 80s
environment. Aquanet was fantastic for spud guns, just saying.
And so diesel gate, very much a real thing. It was proven that Volkswagen engineers were
absolutely and was in the cookie jar. They flew close to the sun and they got burnt.
They were baiting and switching. They were falsifying records. They were utilizing test
vehicles that, you know, that had different computer programming or emissions equipment
than actually what was for production purposes. Yep. It was at the end of the day 100% true.
They spun it. Their PR people spun it in such a way that as as American consumers just kind of
neatly folded it up, put it in our pocket, accepted the situation and moved on, which is
on a moral level, we probably should not be so forgiving. Yeah. But on a functional nuts and
bolts right in front of us levels, certainly us being directly affected by it. This is the
out of sight out of mind, the hazard to the environment and the so on and so forth.
You know, we don't see that. We don't feel that. And we air quotes benefited in the end.
We benefited with the vehicle by getting amazing mileage and we benefited at the end
because we got a big big buyout. Yeah. All right. So now we're going to move into
for purposes of trying to expedite our actual last, I'm going to give you kind of the Jeep-ish
conspiracy theory, despite having all these other ones. Yeah, I think we'll move
to the Takata airbag. And some of our listeners may or may not be familiar that they might have
heard whispers in the wings, right? Like right now, all three of us sitting in here are not supposed
to be parking our Jeeps inside a garage because what was it? 1.3, 1.4 million affected vehicles
based on the electric over hydraulic steering connection. Yep. So we hear that it makes
national news for a 30 second flash in the pan. Yeah. But because it is literally affecting
right now the affected cases, 74-ish people with one person having a severe injury. It's is,
you know, there's plenty of people who are going to pull their jails and JTs and whatever
into their garage tonight and be none the wiser. Likewise, their actual calculated
exposure to risk is pretty small. Yeah. So Takata airbag. And the Takata airbag
situation. I think it's the funny thing about this is it started out so small. It did. And they
had said, oh, it's yes, it's a manufacturer we've used forever and makes it for all these vehicles,
but it's just a certain number. I was going to say, wasn't it under 100,000 on the first
initial recall? Something like that. And then it just kept expanding. And they just kept expanding
it and spanning it. And it was basically like literally at the beginning, it was down to the
VIN number of like, this one was guilty, good. And it was just like a rolled over.
Yeah. And I remember thinking like that doesn't make any sense. That's not how manufacturing
works. Correct. And then as we saw, that's right, it didn't make sense. And they just kept making
it bigger and adding more years. And at this point, it's like all of them are guilty. I really
want to know just kind of as a general assessment and for our on-site listeners, I would love to
have you, you know, throw in the comments. If you are privy to the Takata airbag recall, just a yes
or a no. Throw it into the thing. And we're going to do the loosest kind of a general survey of
on-air listeners. Because yes, you're familiar with it. No, you're not. Because as you guys
mentioned, or were you directly affected by it? Or do you know if you're directly affected?
Right? Obviously, you know, Charles and his YJs, we die like real men in YJs. We ain't got no
airbags, right? So we don't have that problem. UN's aren't safe.
UN's. But I want to know, are people actually familiar with it? Because again, it reminds me
a lot of Dieselgate with Volkswagen where it's kind of like, yes, I am, no, I'm not. I've kind of
heard about it, but I don't actually care. Something else that just made me remember.
I also remember it was like, passenger side airbags, guilty, driver side airbag.
100%. It started on passenger on like grand Cherokees or something.
I don't even 100%. I think at this point, aren't all,
it doesn't matter, are guilty. So interestingly, an investor said sort of.
Yeah. So interestingly enough, we have this all guilty by association. Because,
and I'm personally fascinated by it. I'd like to say that I, so in the grand scheme of things,
I'm definitely not kind of an expert like I was about the Dieselgate. But I was planning to do
Takata airbag YouTube video. And so I had some some initial framework prepared for that. And
and the fascinating piece yet again, is the fact that this is 100% true. And it is
due to actual manipulation. And the other thing I thought was really interesting about this whole
blow up, because these are older vehicles at the time that this was happening. So infrastructure
wasn't quite what you wanted it to be for parts availability. Lots of people were going to the
dealership trying to get their vehicle fixed. They didn't have parts for it. There was a lot of
finger pointing of which directions you should go. I remember there was a bunch of cars that
were getting their airbags replaced. And in the process, their dashboards were getting damaged or
hurt or harmed in some way. So then there was enough of that that they went back on those
manufacturers and they had to replace dashboards after the fact, after the service. Once again,
it was a situation where you had 15 plus year old vehicles going in for recalls, right? Full
dollar full high dollar recalls for, you know, tech dealership technicians who quite frankly,
may have never actually worked on that vehicle when it was new. Yes, right. Now they're trying to
move into a used vehicle. They were kind of grossly unprepared for the severity of the situation.
Yes. So if you're unfamiliar, familiar, Takata is a Japanese manufacturer who has a stronghold
in Honda. And I'm going to totally butcher this, maybe Toyota and maybe I don't put the
Toyota folks in there, but Chrysler for sure. Right. And so this, I mean, it was Subaru GM.
They are a global provider, but they almost are an exclusive manufacturer for like three of three
big global manufacturers. And almost exclusive meaning like that is, that's your only choice.
That is your only choice. Right. And I need you to know that Takata is still in business providing
airbags to Jeep Chrysler right here and now. Yeah. Okay. So this is, you know, kind of like
Volkswagen, you know, they've, they've done what they're going to do. They kind of allowed,
got allowed to really have their can in the cookie jar and really not have any consequence from it.
Correct. Correct. Which is weird because, because this is actually a decade long cover up scheme.
Yeah. Where engineers within Takata manufacturing factually falsified reports used dangerous chemical,
known dangerous and illegal chemicals and covered up injury and situations where
the product defects happened. Yeah. The extent of it is there was nearly 20 different automotive
manufacturers across 60 plus million vehicles globally and that the faulty supply or inflators
were roughly 2001 to 2015. Yes. And what's so mind numbing is the sheer volume that you're saying
60 million plus vehicles and the deliberate nature at which they falsified, you know,
their experience as being able to provide these vehicles. We're talking about 2001 and here as
things are still, and again, I don't know the statutes of limitations and whatnot. I don't
know that I got to that part in my preparation for the video, but there were people who were
actively going in with a 15, 20 year old vehicle and getting an airbag, attempting to get an airbag
put in a 2002 TJ. Yeah. I personally had two vehicles affected by it. Got one rid of one
and got another one and had to do it again. They had specific do not drive warnings for
specific high risk like the Honda Acura and the Ford Ranger models, but it was the single largest
automotive recall in US history. Correct. It is the largest deliberately known conspiracy of
our modern times, automotive known modern times. And arguably most people are wholly unaware of it.
They largely were able to keep this under wraps, in my opinion, that the average person does not
have a moral objection to to Toyota. In fact, again, they are still a global provider of airbags.
And basically the grand scheme of this, folks, again, besides falsifying records and having
chemicals that were known to have problems and whatnot, but basically there was a breakdown
in that chemical based on heat and humidity. And basically the airbag would just go off randomly.
Yeah, because that's right, because it was one of those things like, oh, you don't live in Florida,
so you're actually okay. Right. Those Texas folks are really SOL. You know what I mean?
To clarify that company doesn't exist anymore. So they do, but again, that's how the corporate
washing of hands and nature. So no new vehicles are built using Takata parts. Airbags, they were
dissolved in 2017. Right. Sure, they did. I'm going to explain upon that in my conspiracy theory
for you. The name has been poisoned. So of course they had to change the name. Correct.
Correct. I bet you the people that work there are still making airbags. Very much still making
airbags. And I'm not going to get into that part, because like I said, I was going to shoot a whole
YouTube video on this, because I find the situation to be so fascinating. I additionally
suspect that there are related things along the way. Right. And that oftentimes we see manufacturers
do ignition or, this is my own conspiracy, my own tinfoil hat, do ignition and or
clock spring recalls. And oftentimes I suspect historically some of those actually had to do
with airbag functionality as well. And again, we're talking about those early mid 2000 to the
12 to 15 range where those were highly pertinent where you would go in and they would hook up
to the computer and verify one way or the other. I think, and again, totally my own tinfoil hat
kind of putting on the conversation here, that that was a way for the auto manufacturer to do
some checks and balances about what airbag you did or didn't have installed in that vehicle.
And I think that, certainly I know that when we got into working on vehicles,
there was this conversation about people. I think a lot more airbags went off because of
faulty mechanisms and functionality. And when we went off there, when we started in this, there
was a lot of like, well, you don't want to off-roader Jeep because the airbag might go off.
You don't want to work on your clock spring because the airbag might go off. And I remember
thinking to myself, well, the manner in which those systems function should not be
directly inputting each other. But I remember the average enthusiast having these concerns. And
in the early years, I was going to say, even in the early 2000s in the fire department,
we were trained that the airbags could randomly go off and don't stick your head in the steering
wheel compartment unless the battery's been disabled for more than 30 seconds. And this
isn't that. And put these steering wheel cover things that were made to prevent it.
Yep. Just because me being the car nerd I am, I had a friend that had a Volvo wagon,
though those were known for like the greatest safety things known to man. You know, you're
basically, the live thing was off the charts with a Volvo. They had a disclaimer.
They had this disclaimer in the door jam on the driver's side that said that
after 10 years, don't expect their safety equipment to keep you alive.
Right. Oh, yeah. Right. And I had an expiration date.
Well, that was the firefighting thing. It was literally killing firefighters.
Yeah. It was breaking their necks. I believe it.
And so I think that, you know, with that as a loose conversation, I suspect,
and we will likely probably never know, you know what I mean? Oh, and this is what I was
going to say. In the early years of business, even in my part-time capacity, again, as I started in
06, I field a lot of questions. And of course, by 07, the JK comes out and has a broad and mass
appeal to a whole new buyer of this vehicle. I field a lot of questions about turning the airbag
off when off-roading. Yep. And we're pulling fuses and all kinds of stuff.
100%, you know. And again, I'll just kind of, I'll go back to, I suspect that there was actually some
things we'll never know as a society based on this specific conspiracy theory that they rushed
to market and they made a bunch of money and they provided these safety services,
but there were unintended consequences. Because again, airbags didn't become federally regulated
until 096, right? 095, 096. Yeah. Which is what killed the YJ Wrangler, whole other
story line, right? Just some teaser for you as we talk about what's coming for you in the future.
I think the last one I want to touch on, though I really do want to talk about the 100 mile per
gallon vaporized carburetors. I don't think we'll do that. Which one were you going to...
It's not on here. I looked back through. You're looking for the Eagle one?
No, no, no, not the Eagle one. The guy with the seat belts and the car manufacturer, not the
cord, not the... Oh, Tucker. Tucker, thank you. Oh, thank you. Yeah, it cut off the top of that.
But Tucker 48, so... Yes, thank you. That's the one I was trying to... That was a 50s car,
if you're not familiar. The claim the fame or what made it unique that most people will recognize
is it had the optic eye, or basically it had a third headlight in the middle of the car that
would turn with the steering wheel. The idea was it was going to light up down the road as you were
going that. Illuminated into your turn. Which is kind of funny because actually cars do do that now.
It's kind of crazy. Forshadowing. I'm going to interrupt, but don't lose your place. Forshadowing
the Eagle and the Spirit death in the 80s of AMC and Chrysler. That's how I feel
about that as well. I promise you we'll talk about that. Some of the unique things about
Tucker is the designer tried to make it so that it would last a long time. He had a flat
six in the back. His last name is Tucker. Ripped out of a helicopter, so they had to
figure out how to make that work, changing its orientation. Rear engine. If you don't,
you know, just use general everyday enthusiasts. It was a rear engine car.
Because in the helicopter, the crankshaft goes up and down and the car has to lay over, so the
sump had to change a bunch of stuff. They did factually make it so that the rear seat and
the front seat were identical so that if your front seat wore out, you could swap them and keep
using it. The windshield had a pop out feature in a crash. The windshield would come out and not
hurt you. We're talking the late 40s, early 50s, folks. Yep. Very innovative. Very innovative.
A very new age looking as well. And the big conspiracy is that he could not get a manufacturing
plant. This was right after World War II. They were pretty much giving you a manufacturing
abilities if you had any idea. He was kind of getting that, but then getting it taken away.
Steel suppliers were wanting to sell him parts and metal and that kind of stuff and then not.
Again, some of the brake manufacturers and other general car part manufacturers were going to sell
him parts and then didn't want to. So the conspiracy was that the big three went in and was basically
like, if you buy or if you sell any product to help make this car, we will pull our contract from
you and bankrupt you to steel suppliers, brake suppliers, that kind of stuff and put him out
of business. There was also a big lawsuit to say that he was intent to defraud the public,
which he was actually acquitted of. But because of that and all the other pressures,
they only made 50 cars. And Tucker was an innovator. He was a kind of visionary.
He was larger than life. If you watch the movie The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman,
which is great, is that Barnum and Bailey? What is that? PT Barnum.
Yeah, PT Barnum. It is oftentimes those individuals who have these larger than life
kind of personalities that they do forge ahead in the world. However, they create
repels in the process. And that was exactly what this individual and his car were.
And if you haven't seen the Tucker movie, you definitely should. It's older, but it's a good
movie. It's a very good movie. And it is as we recognize the streetcar conspiracy theory
to be found to be federally true, kind of violating federal antitrust laws in 1949.
This Tucker thing is largely based in fact. 48 was the year the Tucker came out.
And factually, GM and the Big Three are in conjunction with the Big Three,
and the boom of that industry and all related parties had a lot of weight. Again, go back
to what the railroads did in the 1800s. The auto manufacturers were doing that in the early 1900s.
And to give some of the conspiracy volition is they also had just got done working closely,
very closely with the government and rubbing elbows and that stuff from wartime production.
Correct. So everybody knew everybody kind of stuff. Everybody had someone's
phone number, that kind of thing, and was helping out their buddy, that kind of thing happened.
And along comes Tucker, who put it by equation. He's a new guy on campus. He's kind of a
big, bold personality, kind of a modern day. We have Lordstown Motors, which is now defunct.
We had a workhorse, fleet management vehicles, Rivian, which is still trying desperately to
get their stronghold in the market. We have International Scout, which is trying to come out
or come back out under an independent label, or just Scout Motor Company, excuse me.
A number of these manufacturers, the big difference with Elon Musk and Tesla was he took
capital. He didn't really care about the conspiratorial aspects of these people who are like,
hey, you're going to sell your steel to Tucker? Well, then I'm not, you know, so that's $100,000
PO. You're going to lose my $2.2 million PO if you do that. That's a real politicking backdoor
thing that happened. And I would say Tesla did politic also. Well, and they had more money to
now. They politic now, but I think that when he was coming up, he simply just had more money.
They as an industry had more money. And the original Tesla people that originated the company
aren't part of it anymore. They didn't have the capital to do it. Correct. It was only because
Musk had the amount of money to influx it. That's correct. That piece is almost lost
to history. The fact that he didn't actually conceptualize this. Tesla brothers. He actually
just came in and attempted to bring it to volition. So the Tucker one is a cool piece to end on as
far as I'm concerned, because again, a conspiracy theory that is a little less founded than some
of these other ones that actually went to trial that this, that and the third happened.
Charles says, catch you all later. Got to get serious about this dang Mariner. Y'all are
distracting them. We're having a good time, man. Regardless, the Tucker piece is the one that kind
of is a little lesser known, but the most plausible that was not totally defined, right? The full
extent of just the fact that he was taken the trial made him guilty in a lot of people's eyes.
The public court of public opinion, even though he was acquitted and everything else, they drug it
out long enough. There's there didn't matter. Ben case studies that show that those court trials
have happened purposely. The muddy names. Correct. That's exactly no legitimate truth tool. And if
you have again, the financial wherewithal to continue to pay those court costs and to continue
to open stuff, you just that's just what you do and drag it out. Spoiler alert a little bit with
the movie. They show basically like, well, you have to prove that you were not set out to defraud.
And they had 50 working cars. So they surrounded the courthouse with Tucker's. Yeah. And offered
people to give rides and that kind of stuff. And they did. They took people for rides and they
and he does make it happen. But something happens where they never produce another car,
basically, there was partial crash happens. Doesn't crash happen and somebody dies or
something. No. So they had tried to do a durability run of the car had the run for 24 hours. And the
guy that was driving it fell asleep and rolled the car. And the lawns are basically no, it was
actually around like a track. But but the windshield popped out was like proof of concept. Because
you know, obviously back then we didn't really have to crash testing and stuff like that.
So I think he had seatbelts too. I think so. There's a big thing about seatbelts with him.
It was it was a very much safety conscious car. Correct. But you're right. He falls asleep at the
wheel and rolls the Tucker that pretty much despite the fact that there
was a proof of concept that the big the bad guys tried to use that against them. Yeah. Correct.
Correct. Super cool concept. I definitely encourage people to just as an infotainment
piece kind of look further into that one. I think we've covered enough conspiracy theories.
We've kind of laid the seed of the foro being, you know, planned obsolescence. I think planned
obsolescence within the Jeep model is one that we will talk about. AMC era is is on the on the
talking point. And I'd like to bring the YJ into conversation and do a session. So we've got four
five that that you think of two with the YJ specifically. Correct. And I think that there's
value in giving it its own program. So you can look forward to these conspiracy theories
and us unpacking them. If as we mentioned at the beginning of the program, if you have one that
that you're familiar with that you think is interesting, we want to hear from you. Reach
out to us. Contact us at SFJ4X4.com. Hit us up on our text only 440-855-2100. And let us know
a Jeep or off-road conspiracy theory that you are privy to. And maybe we'll nerd out on it and use it
in one of our upcoming programs on this series of actual automotive conspiracy theories and how and
where and who's doing what to whom in the process. I may or may not get into the diesel world,
diesels and Jeeps and and all that kind of stuff. So I'm pretty excited about this series of
programs coming up for all of you. I think we've covered it pretty good. I hope to see a number
of our listeners out at the parade this Friday, July 3rd, starting at roughly 1145 noon o'clock
at 340 Harbor Street in Coney Island, Ohio. We'll process a little under a mile northbound on the
road throwing candy, turn left on to Erie Street, process past the festival down into the waterfront
where you guys will be reasonably on your own and somebody's going to have to coordinate a whole
group set up parking. Jeep people are usually pretty conscientious of that, but we'll try to make
sure there's a point person. Take some pictures and then head on your way to enjoy the festivities
as you see fit. So just kind of a precursor. If you are interested to hear about our personal
weekend activities, feel free to hang out through the outro credit. Until next time, Jeep on.
Jeep on, Jeep on. Jeff wrote up just in time to rob them of our transition of our of our mouth
transitions. And he did that so smoothly. He did. And I'm looking at it and I can see
what he did and where it's at and how we should have done it. We all need to have a repeat of
last week. I understand it. I'm just showing it on the screen. I'm just saying I would have once
again panicked and I would have just chosen to, you know, make mouth noises. Pretend you were
boxing it. Yeah, which definitely not even be. So I guess you posted a lot of cool content on
your insta page. I did. And I'm very excited about what you've accomplished this weekend.
I'm going to start just because mine's a little less. Mine's a little less, you know,
honestly, a big shout out to my parents on their 50th wedding anniversary. The heck of a
accomplishment in the world that we're living in.
They laid. And they still like each other. Well, some days.
Well, the pictures made it look like it. Yeah. You know, they laid the groundwork,
the seeds, the foundational beliefs that allow this business to exist. Honest to Pete.
Yep. And, you know, I am so thankful for how they did that for me specifically.
A lot of people have always come in, certainly in the beginning years, and they asked for my dad.
They thought it was something that he or my grandpa had started and it was generational this or that
or whatever. And realistically, it was through their leadership abilities as individuals and as
a couple who enabled me to kind of endeavor into this business pursuit. And they instill the passion
for the Jeep culture and a camaraderie that kind of comes with family activities and our ability
to engage and share and and communally experience both positives and negatives and kind of come
out the other side for the better. And, you know, and that was a telling piece, you know, how we
celebrated. We just had a dinner at one of our favorite Italian joints in town and then ended
up out at my wife and my homestead. We all kind of rolled in with our Jeeps, which is always just
kind of fun to look at that. A lot of them are less modified than they used to be. But then just
kind of got to enjoy each other's company and sit around a campfire. Nothing, nothing overly
elaborate, nothing too too crazy, but just an investment in each other with the whole family
present. And that was just fantastic. So, you know, kind of congratulations to them and their
and their golden anniversary. Other than that, I did get to stretch the legs on my wife's diesel
pick them up truck. She's very proud of her pickup truck now. And we stretch the legs and drove all
over Western Pennsylvania yesterday dropping my son off at summer camp, getting great miles per
gallon, rub that one in, you know, continue to rub that one in your face as the
fuel gauge just didn't move. It was super fun, you know, and explore a lot of back roads and
freshwater lakes and stuff like that, which is very centering for me as well. So in and around
some other small pet projects and automotive pursuits. It was a darn good weekend. And I'm
happy to share, you know, some of those highlights with you guys. Go ahead now back to you. So this
weekend, I did get quite a bit done on the Model T project. Leading up to the weekend, I did go
ahead and rust convert a bunch of panels on the the car. You'll see the driver's door is now
mostly black. This does not work well on bare new steel. That's why the bottom of the door is not
yet the plan is is once all the rust has been converted, is this going to have a black epoxy
primer put on top of it? So for right now, it's going to be a patchwork quilt.
And I'm not going to sandblast the body because I don't want to remove
any more material than I need to and also just delaying the process and and cost. So the whole
idea of this project is to try to not invest as heavily as I did in the 36 and kind of figure out
ways around lowering that investment. The other thing we did is I don't remember if I talked
about before or not, but I did pick up a new flathead for it. I got lucky and it has actually
been rebuilt at some point and they use some good parts in it. Not just some point, you found date
stamps on bearings. I did two of 65. So it was pretty cool to find that and the bearings look
great. There's no scratches in them. No down the copper. So I'm pretty confident as long as the
block holds water through a temperature cycle. I think I knocked it out of the park. So I did
buy a gasket kit went through and, you know, regasked the oil pump, regasked the timing cover,
oil pan, that kind of stuff, new seals on the crank, got the those things on got the
harmonic balancer slash crank pulley on started fitting up heads and stuff figured out I was 20
nuts short. So I had to order those once they arrive on the flathead. Yep. Oh boy. I'm doing
to ahead and torque down the heads. In preparation of that I did pull the mock up motors what I've
been calling it now the dirty nasty 59 a flathead that was in it out got the transmission out this
assemble that for those that don't know it had a mock up side shift transmission in it.
And I'm going to a top shift using all the guts from the side shift. So I had to tear that down
see what parts I need to rebuild the transmission and swap cases. I already have a case painted and
cleaned and ready to go. So we'll be progressing in that while the motor is out I'm going to be
boxing in the frame and looking at some brake lines and changing some pedal bushings and that
kind of stuff. So the goal is that basically when the motor and transmission go back in there and
for keeps as long as it holds water as long as it works and we'll be moving forward as
expeditiously as I can to get it running so I can at least make a victory lap up and down the road
or around the property. Yeah. So we'll see what happens. Very cool. Jeffrey I think good to report
from the weekend. I mean my weekend is pretty much absorbed with the brewery stuff but since
we talked about Aquanet in the comments I figured I'd share a story that recently came up
and conversation about spud guns and Aquanet. Okay. It's about 20 years or so ago now so I think
it's safe to legally talk about this. Pass the statute's limitations. So the Aquanet was literally
a very explosive hairspray. Sure. That came out in the 80s and 90s. Both figuratively and literally.
Yes. That was some big hair age. All right. It was. So we would do family pig roast in
ERPA across from where the casino is now. This is before the casino was there. Sure. It used to be
a red barn out in the field and what we would do is we took this PVC constructed spud gun,
you jam a potato down one side, open up the other end, spray it full of Aquanet, close it up really
fast, hit the grill igniter and watch the spud go and we would shoot across Route 97 at this red barn
that was dilapidated in the middle of a field. Sure. Trying to see if we could hit the barn.
So that was my experience with Aquanet and how good of a product that was because it was
the most explosive of all the propellants we tried. I wonder if you could start an old diesel
off of Aquanet. I bet you could. Right. I bet you could. And the funny thing is, I know Aquanet
was up till recently still for sale, but I bet you're the chemical form. I know it has. Yeah.
Yeah. How funny. But that the, you know, back in the 90s, you could absolutely,
there wasn't very much more propellants that were aerosol that would work for that.
Yeah. Oh, fantastic. Last piece, Tony is asking, what's your go to
rust converter? Do you know what product you're using?
I can't remember the name of it off top of my head, but I will try to show that on Instagram
on my next update. Excellent. All right, folks, we really appreciate you joining us,
hanging out with us through today's program. We encourage you to do it again next week.
Same bat time, same bat channel. We've got Jeeps to do. I said I was going to really try for
Tuesday lives last week. We didn't do it. Genie tried to hold me accountable. I still didn't
manage to do it. We're going to do something, folks. I promise. We're going to get this going
again. Be nice to us up until after the fourth because we got a little bit of stuff going on.
A couple things. I don't mind the reminders. I really, really don't. That's not
but we do have a couple of things. Now that I'm in charge of the fourth in its entirety,
I don't even know what I'm going to do with myself. Until next time, keep on.
About this episode
The crew at I Speak Jeep kicks off with a chaotic live-stream moment (camera “going rogue,” producer missing, then a quick fix) before settling into a bigger theme: why automotive conspiracy theories spread and how to separate myth from reality. They tease a future run of Jeep-specific conspiracies, starting with general automotive ones, and invite listeners to submit their own. The hosts also share local Jeep-parade updates for Coney, Ohio, plus a bit of Pittsburgh “yinz” banter and community planning for the weekend.
Join the team for discussions of conspiracies in the auto world, both proven and unproven (at least not yet). Some are real conspiracy theories and others may just be Neil's own insights.
Thanks for listening, give us a review and check us out on YouTube -SFJ4x4 and visit our website to grab some great gear or products for your Jeep, SFJ4x4.com. Don't forget, you can email [email protected] for special content requests, blind react videos, suggestions, special guests, or general questions. Check out our Patreon patreon.com/ISpeakJeep
