SFJ 4x4 Studios appears to be the production/hosting studio behind the podcast. The “4x4” in the name signals an off-road focus, likely tied to Jeep and other four-wheel-drive builds.
Jeep is a car brand that’s especially famous for off-road vehicles. When people talk about “Jeep” in podcasts like this, they usually mean trail-capable 4x4s and the gear people add to them.
Four-wheel drive means power goes to all four wheels. That helps the Jeep grip better on dirt, mud, rocks, or snow so it can keep going when conditions are tough.
A drill press is a machine that holds a drill bit and drills holes straight and accurately. Here, they’re joking that they use it in a creative way—like a lathe—to work on parts.
A lathe is a tool shop machine that spins a part so a cutting tool can shape it. They’re saying they’re using a drill press in a similar way to do some shaping work.
A Jeep Gladiator is Jeep’s pickup truck. They’re saying they worked on the front undercarriage/axle area and replaced a seal so the truck is ready for a long drive.
The front axle is the main hardware that helps the front wheels connect to the rest of the drivetrain. If it’s being taken apart, it’s often because something inside needs repair or a seal is leaking.
A seal is a rubber or metal barrier that keeps fluids from leaking. If it’s replaced, it usually means the axle/differential was leaking and now it should stay properly lubricated.
Concept
5,000 mile trip
A 5,000-mile trip is a long drive where small problems can turn into big ones. Fixing things like a leaking seal beforehand is a smart way to avoid getting stuck far from home.
RTT usually means a roof-top tent—basically a tent that sits on top of the vehicle. It’s popular for road trips because you can sleep off the ground, but you have to set it up when you arrive.
“Pushing the envelope” means trying something bolder than usual to stand out. In cars, that can be exciting, but it can also make the vehicle harder to live with or more expensive.
Some cars are built to impress—people look at them and say “wow.” But those same features can make the car less convenient or more annoying to live with every day.
Concept
Daily-driver practicality vs show appeal
A car can be really impressive to look at, but that doesn’t always mean it’s a good car to use every day. Practical stuff like comfort and how easy it is to own can matter more than looks.
Term
Color-matched (painted) accessories
Color-matched parts are pieces on the vehicle painted to match the main body color. It looks cleaner, but if something gets damaged, you may need to repaint to keep the match.
“Stretch and wide tires” refers to fitting wider tires and/or stretching the tire sidewall to a different wheel width for a more aggressive stance. It can change ride quality, steering feel, and how easily the tire protects the wheel—so it’s not just cosmetic.
“Straight piped” means the exhaust is modified to be louder, usually by removing the muffler. Instead of a quiet, filtered sound, it lets the engine/exhaust noise come through much more. It can be fun, but it’s not great for comfort.
Term
rubber work truck package
They’re describing a work-focused interior setup, likely rubber flooring or protective surfaces. That kind of package is meant to be easy to clean and handle messes. The downside is it usually doesn’t insulate well, so the ride is louder and less comfortable.
They’re saying the cabin doesn’t have insulation. That usually means it’s louder inside and the temperature doesn’t stay comfortable as well. On a loud exhaust setup, it makes the whole experience harsher.
The Tesla Semi is a large electric truck used to move goods. Instead of using gasoline or diesel, it runs on electricity stored in batteries. It’s mentioned because it’s built to do real trucking work.
Term
cool crew cab semi
A “crew cab” means the truck has rear seats with full-size doors, allowing more passengers than a regular cab. Calling it a “semi” suggests a heavy-duty truck configuration used for hauling, where comfort features like radio and insulation may be minimal.
Insulation in a vehicle reduces noise and heat transfer, making the cabin quieter and more comfortable. “Little to no insulation” explains why the host could hear the exhaust and engine hum so clearly.
“Manual” means you shift gears yourself using a clutch and a stick. Some people like it because it feels more connected to driving, but it can be tiring in stop-and-go traffic.
“Half doors” are doors that are shorter or removable, so you get more open-air driving. They can be fun and give great visibility, but they may be less comfortable in bad weather.
“Tire noise” is the sound produced by tires as they roll over the road surface. Comparing a Jeep to a minivan, the host is pointing out that different tires, tread patterns, and cabin sealing can dramatically change perceived quietness.
“Flapping of the top” refers to wind noise or movement from a convertible-style or removable roof setup at speed. Vehicles with removable tops can be louder and more sensitive to wind, and the owner is contrasting that with the quieter ride of a minivan.
The hosts are talking about how different generations of Jeep owners can see the brand differently. If you start with newer, more refined Jeeps, older Jeeps may seem noisy or outdated—even if they’re part of the Jeep culture.
The Jeep Compass is a more modern, smaller Jeep crossover. The hosts are saying some people start with one of these and then later look at older Jeeps with different expectations.
The Jeep Renegade is a small Jeep crossover. The hosts are using it to show that some people join the Jeep brand through these newer models, which can make older Jeeps feel less exciting to them.
The Jeep YJ is a specific Wrangler-era Jeep. The idea is that Jeep redesigned it to be easier to live with—more comfortable and more reliable—so it could appeal to more people.
A “power band” is the range of engine RPM where it makes useful power and torque. When the host says the YJ had a “better power band,” they mean it was tuned or geared to feel stronger and more usable across the RPMs drivers actually use.
Coil springs are the parts in the suspension that help the Jeep ride smoothly over bumps. If the speaker doesn’t like them, they likely mean the ride feels too stiff or not to their taste.
Concept
20 years behind
This is about how people don’t always understand the latest Jeep stuff right away. The hosts are saying the community can be slow to catch up on how things work.
When people say the top “leaks,” they mean rain or water gets inside the vehicle. With soft tops, this usually happens at the seals or where parts meet, and it can often be improved with proper adjustment and maintenance.
They’re talking about a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s one of Jeep’s main SUV models, and they’re using it as the background for what they’re comparing to later.
A soft top vehicle uses fabric (or similar flexible material) instead of a hard roof. This changes weather sealing and cabin comfort—especially around wind, rain, and heat—so issues like leaks and heater performance become more noticeable.
Using a car wash as a test is a practical way to check for water intrusion—especially on soft-top vehicles. If water gets in during washing, it often points to seal wear, poor alignment, or drainage issues.
When you drive with the top and doors off, the car feels much more like being outside. That’s why it can get really hot in traffic, and why cooling systems don’t work as well as they do with everything closed.
Term
power doors
“Power doors” means the doors can be controlled electrically instead of by hand. Here, it’s being mentioned as a comfort/convenience feature that wasn’t common on earlier Jeeps.
This is about choosing what feels good day-to-day instead of just what looks or feels “cool.” The host is saying some Jeep generations make that tradeoff more obvious.
Some cars have a steering wheel that gets warm. It uses heat inside the wheel so your hands feel better in cold weather.
Concept
"Tons and forties"
“Tons and forties” sounds like Jeep slang for the big-tire look—think oversized tires that make a Jeep look tougher. People may chase the style even if they don’t do hardcore off-roading.
Term
35s and 37s
“35s” and “37s” are shorthand for bigger off-road tires. Bigger tires can help off-road, but they can also make the ride and driving feel different on the street.
A lift kit is what you install to raise a Jeep higher off the ground. It usually helps fit bigger tires, but it can also change how the steering and suspension feel, so it may require other adjustments.
Axles are the parts that connect the drivetrain to the wheels. Upgrading axles can make the Jeep tougher for off-road use, and sometimes it’s done by swapping in a complete axle assembly.
Daily driving means using the Jeep every day for normal errands and commuting. Even if it’s built for off-roading, you still want it to be comfortable and dependable on the road.
“Boggers” are mud/off-road tires with big, chunky tread. They’re great for traction in messy conditions, but they can be noisy and less comfortable on regular roads.
A trail rig is a Jeep that’s built mainly for off-road trails. It’s usually set up for clearance and traction, not for normal daily driving.
Concept
wrong impression
They’re saying it’s easy to get the wrong idea that buying the parts is the same as getting the right outcome. With Jeep builds, the details—fitment and setup—are what make it work well.
A bolt-in axle is an axle replacement that’s meant to install without major fabrication. But you still need to confirm it matches your Jeep’s brakes, wheel fitment, and drivetrain setup so it doesn’t cause vibration or handling issues.
The “length of modification” is basically how many extra changes you end up needing after the first big upgrade. A lift or axle change can affect other parts, so you may need more work than you expected to make it drive right.
It just means you should set up the Jeep for what you’ll really do with it. If you build it for one purpose but drive it for another, you can get problems like rubbing or a worse driving experience.
Tire rub means the tire hits something inside the wheel area when you turn or move the suspension. It usually shows up after lifting, changing wheel/tire sizes, or adding bigger tires.
Control arms are part of the suspension that keeps the wheels positioned correctly. If you scrape or hit them while driving over obstacles, you can bend them and then the car won’t handle as well.
Concept
static vs real-world usability
A car can look awesome in a photo, but that doesn’t mean it’s practical to live with. Real usability includes things like how often you’ll scrape parts, how tires wear, and whether it’s comfortable and reliable day to day.
Bigger and more aggressive tires usually wear out faster. Many off-road owners keep two sets of tires: tougher ones for trails and smoother ones for everyday driving to save money and reduce wear.
A tire carrier is the mount that holds your spare tire on the outside of the vehicle. If it’s not designed and installed well, it can rattle, rub, or even stress the mounting area over time.
“Eight lug” means the wheel attaches with eight bolts/studs instead of fewer. That changes what wheels and spare-tire parts will fit, so you can’t just swap components without checking compatibility.
The license plate bracket is the part that holds your license plate in place. When a Jeep is modified, the bracket may not fit right anymore, so you might need a custom solution so the plate sits correctly and doesn’t interfere with other parts.
Your center of gravity is basically where the car feels “balanced.” Keeping it low helps the Jeep feel more stable and less tippy, even when you add lift and bigger tires.
“37s” and “38s” are huge off-road tires. They look cool and help off-road, but they can rub on the body and usually require suspension setup to fit correctly.
Bump stops are like safety cushions for the suspension. They keep the suspension from compressing too far, which helps stop big tires from rubbing the fender when you hit bumps or go off-road.
Steering geometry is the “math” of how your wheels are aimed and how they move. When you lift a Jeep or change tire sizes, that math can get off, which can make steering less precise or cause faster tire wear.
Concept
cool factor / street cred
They’re talking about how a Jeep build can become a status symbol. When you invest in big tires and upgrades, people notice—and that can also lead to extra spending over time.
“Embracing the suck” means you’re basically saying, “Yeah, this is uncomfortable and messy, and I’m okay with that.” In off-roading, people see that as part of the fun and the toughness.
Term
rigid mount C
“Rigid mount” typically refers to a body or component mounted with minimal isolation, which can increase vibration and harshness compared to softer mounts. In off-road contexts, it can also imply a setup that’s meant to be more durable under stress, but it may feel rough on-road.
“No windshield” means the Jeep is driven without the front glass. It feels more open and can be cooler, but you get less protection from bugs, wind, and flying debris.
They’re discussing how car review sites and reports rank cars by things like maintenance cost and fuel economy. The point is that those numbers don’t always explain why someone would still choose a Jeep.
Concept
Trade-offs between fuel economy and reliability vs off-road lifestyle
They’re saying that picking a Jeep for the lifestyle/off-roading can come with downsides like worse gas mileage and potentially less reliability than a typical everyday car. It’s about choosing what you value most.
Concept
wheel in your flannel in your willies flat fender
They’re talking about a Jeep culture vibe: dressing a certain way and driving a classic-looking Jeep for off-roading. The point is that the “cool” is tied to the whole scene, not just the car.
Concept
flatties and whatnot
“Flatties” is slang for Jeeps with flat-fender styling, usually tied to the classic Willys-era look. People use it to talk about a specific kind of classic Jeep vibe.
Topic
willies reunion
They’re referencing a Jeep community get-together focused on Willys-style Jeeps. The discussion uses it as an example of how the group decides what’s “cool.”
A “wheeling hotspot” refers to a local off-road area where enthusiasts go for trail driving (often with obstacles like mud, rocks, and ruts). These spots become destinations for events and meetups, which is why they’re towing and driving the Jeep to the location.
A “monsoon” here is used to describe intense, heavy rainfall conditions. For driving, that kind of downpour increases the risk of hydroplaning and reduces visibility and traction.
Hydroplaning is when your tires can’t grip the road because there’s too much water. The car can feel like it’s sliding, and steering may not respond the way you expect.
Concept
make a good deal and let it go on its way
They’re talking about selling the vehicle. The goal is to get a fair price and pass it to someone who will actually use it.
“Coast to coast” just means a very long road trip across the country. The point is that the vehicle needs to be comfortable for hours and hours of driving.
The Dodge Journey is a crossover SUV meant for everyday family use. It’s the kind of vehicle people consider for practical transportation. In the podcast, it’s mentioned in a comparison about whether a choice really lives up to expectations over time.
Concept
enduring journey
They’re contrasting the trip itself with just caring about where you end up. It’s basically saying the drive matters too, not only the destination.
It’s the mindset that someone else’s life looks better than yours. You might want a different truck or lifestyle because it seems more comfortable, but you don’t see all the downsides.
Rolling down the window is a simple way to get air into the cabin. They’re basically saying it’s not as comfortable as having A/C.
Concept
race industry
The “race industry” refers to the broader ecosystem around motorsports—teams, trailers, logistics, and the lifestyle that comes with racing. The speaker uses it to frame their perspective on comfort and “cool,” contrasting everyday driving with the high-budget world of racing.
A race trailer is a specialized enclosed trailer used to transport equipment, tools, and sometimes living space for motorsports events. In the transcript, it’s used to illustrate the “million dollar” level of resources and comfort associated with professional racing.
Term
cold brew
Cold brew is just a type of coffee served cold. They mention it to paint a picture of comfort and luxury, not anything technical about cars.
Term
rusted out square body
“Square body” is a common nickname for certain GM truck generations with boxy styling, and “rusted out” highlights the reality of corrosion on older vehicles. In the context of this story, it emphasizes how improvised setups and worn-out equipment are part of grassroots racing.
A wheel coming off is a serious mechanical failure, usually tied to a loose hub/bearing, failing wheel studs, or improper mounting. The hosts use it as a vivid example of how chaotic and dangerous race weekends can be, especially with older or improvised equipment.
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 on they all go out
Phil Bruce Shenanigans
We are really professional with Jeeps
This is I Speak Jeep
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 on they all go out
Phil Bruce Shenanigans
We are really professional with Jeeps
This is I Speak Jeep
Good morning, afternoon, evening, wherever
however you are joining us
This is the I Speak Jeep podcast
Presented by SFJ4x4.com
My name is Neil with Simpson Family Jeeps SFJ 4x4
And I'm joined in Grandma's couch studio
By the maddest mad scientist Scott Brown
Yes, yes sir
Jeff, the Italian stallion, the producer
Is not with us this morning
I found that out about like, I don't know
Five minutes ago
Welcome to our lives
Apparently you and he had a side conversation
I was more impactful for him than me, I guess
He was still going to
Basically he was like, I need to reach out to Neil
I was like, well then you should do that
Yeah, well here we are
And as fortunately in the comments
Bill McWilliam was saying, yes you're live
Because quite frankly
I actually have no idea
Whether or not we were live
Or what we were doing
And we'll talk to each other ourselves anyway
Yeah, that's fine
We were talking about building
Building buildings, so
Nathan jumping back in the comments
Guess who's back, apologies for missing last week
I was wrapping up work on the gladiator
After tearing apart the front axle
Replacing the seal
Now she's ready for our 5,000 mile trip
Next week
Got the RTT on
And my custom water set up
Nevada here we come
Man, that is awesome
I guess we'll excuse them this time
Yeah, this one time
But next time we gotta have a formal request then
Yeah, I was gonna say
We need to have some acknowledgement
You know, maybe a two weeks notice or so, right?
Billy Joe, good morning, Bill
Good morning, glad you're back, Nate
Bill, yes you're live
Jugga Jeepers, good morning
Jeanie, good morning
We are here, we hear you anyway
And then
Keister Overlanding
What's up
So, good morning, good morning to everyone
I'm sporting some sunglasses
In studio this morning
And you'll have to stay to the end
To find out why
Correct, of course they are
In fact, my wife's sunglasses
Because we're past 40
And we just don't give a crap
Yeah, right, I mean
I kinda look a little bit like Elton John
In my opinion
Other than rhinestones
I think they are very flattering
Thank you, thank you
I can appreciate that
So, oh goodness, yes
And if you are interested
To know about what went down
This past weekend
You'll wanna hang in there
With us through the outro credits
And we'll do a little weekend update
With that said, today we're going to be
Discussing the cost of cool
Yes
And I think this is one
That I'm particularly excited about
It's one that you and I have lived
In a capacity
A couple times
A couple times
I'm not particularly cured from it
No
Right now I'm going through a chapter
In my life where I'm like
Okay, now I don't know
I guess maybe we'll talk about it
On air, right?
Absolutely
You know, we came up with this topic
What was your take on it?
Well, we were talking about
You know, what makes your Jeep cool
And how do you make it cool
And then what are the gravity
Of living with some of your choices
You have made to be cool
100%
So
And I get asked with enough regularity
About tons and forties on your Jeep
Absolutely
Right?
And I think that that is the one
That probably is the most obvious
You know, kind of
One that our audience
That our primary listening audience
Can relate to
Right?
Because we think about
Our Jeep community as a whole
And that little piece
Stands out to people
That and
And let me add to this
Driving a 76 to 86 CJ
That too
That I think are the two
Kind of like little pinnacle
Aspects of Jeep coolness
Well, and part of the problem is
When you're cool
You have to be innovative
You have to be pushing the envelope
You have to get people's attention
And if history teaches us anything
You know, you go back in history of vehicles
The wow factor vehicles
Are they actually
Easy to live with every day?
Correct
And that's, there's a reason why
The bell curve of society
This shoes is not to
Go to the full extent all in
Because I don't want to reveal too much
We'll say like big trucks, you know
They go in, they could bedazzle everything
Everything's color matched
Stretch and wide tires
And all that kind of stuff
Well, now you have to
I don't know, haul cattle
Sure
To a ranch three plus hours away
How does that cool get you there?
Sure
Are you happy with your cool
Once you've arrived?
And I think that there is
Maybe a little bit of a disconnect
Because people look in at the cool
And the other thesis that I would say
I guess maybe third
If I was to rank my cool factors
For the Jeep community
Tons and forties is probably
A numero uno by today's social standards
It's becoming more ish mainstream
It is more feasible than ever before
But that big rubber Jeep
Has always been an aspect
The next piece is going to be
Owning, driving 76 to 86
And then third on my is
Some type of flatty
And an experience
Owning, wheeling, driving a flatty
The actual experience of driving it
Versus what people perceive it as
Absolutely
Absolutely
You don't know what you don't know
So you know it
And so I think that
And obviously I have been
Pretty publicly vocal about
My willingness to do things
That the average bear
I don't even know
I lack the filter to understand
To deal with the suck
I endure the suck better
Than the average bear
And I'm not even conscientious
About it until people bring
Up certain aspects of it
As I have mentioned prior
In a podcast as many moons ago
I drove when I first got my international
It did not have a radio in it
And it's straight piped
And it has a rubber work truck package
Flooring so it's not insulated
Or anything like that
And it's an international
It's just a more workish truck
Yeah, Joe when he chimes in
Typically he'll message me
About my international manure spreader
Right, because it's made by
International, my combine of sorts
And I drove it to the Outer Banks
Hauling three jeeps with no radio
Because I just
Were excited to be there
I was just excited to drive the truck
And it was a cool crew cab semi
And it was doing the work
And I liked listening to the exhaust
And the engine hum
And it's only in retrospect
That I recognize that other people
Would not think that that was as
I had no air conditioning
And I had no radio
Yep
Has little to no insulation
Yep
Rowan gears on a manual
I was literally talking to a lady
This weekend
She was picking up her Jeep
And she said, you know
And her Jeep is ailing a little bit
She's having to think about
Reinvesting or letting the Jeep
Go into greener pressures
And she said, you know
A lot of people don't understand
You know, I have half doors
I'm a manual
It doesn't get good gas mileage
It doesn't, you know, leap tall buildings
Sure
But it's my Jeep
And she drove a minivan
Up to get the vehicle
Oh boy
And she's like, you know, it's quiet
You can hear the radio
There's no tire noise
There's no flapping of the top
Yes
Relatively comfortable
And she's like, I guess I'm just
Weird, did I prefer
The flapping, the noise, you know
The hum, that kind of stuff
I was like, no, it's fine
But that is a little bit of the suck
That people, I think the JK
Kind of took some of that suck out of it
Sure
And so now we have a generational
Disconnect of owners
And partly of this
Is the coolness, like you're saying
The 76, 86
Or even a TJ
People with a newer Jeep
They'll get a JL
That's their first experience
Or even yet
They'll get a Compass or a Renegade
And now they're part of the brand
And they're like, oh, you know
It might be quaint
To get an older Jeep
Yes, it's nostalgic
It's romantic
It's older, you know
So it's cheaper
And that kind of stuff
And I can invest in it
And they have no idea about the flap
The hum, the rattle
The clang, the bang
The bad mileage, that kind of stuff
That we all kind of take for granted
Sure
Of the ones in the know
And kind of expand upon that
I think that to be very direct
As humans were oftentimes in pursuit
Either intentionally or accidentally
In pursuit of comfort, right?
Especially as we age
Potentially
I think that there is
In a sense
I also think there's a cultural issue
And I don't know if it's just age
But it can be culturally
And I don't want to make it generational
But that culturally there is
Something sold to us that we
Air quotes deserve to be comfortable
Right?
And so
Because it sells, in my opinion
So this is kind of a big spaghetti
Interconnected component here
But if we go back and we look at
Why the YJ was what the YJ is
It was intended to improve upon
Everything that that iconic
76, 86 CJ lacked
It was wider, flatter springs
Little lower, better power band
More reliability
Better heater, better wipers
Exactly, right?
Had some head air conditioning
Their intention was to broaden the market
And attract a market demographic
That previously was not buying jeeps
To the Jeep Wrangler platform
And what did the hardcore Jeepers
Immediately say?
I don't like it
I don't like it, it's not a real Jeep
And they went to, you know
Then the TJ
100% rinse, wash, repeat
Did the exact same thing
I don't like coil springs
And so, you know, funny enough
You had brought up
So people go back to the TJ
And it's quaint or romantic or whatever
At one time the TJ was the equivalent
Of the JLJT
Absolutely
It had all the bells and whistles
It had entirely too many things
That people felt were unnecessary
I am for some reason Jeep stuff too
We're always like 20 years behind
Mind it, you know
How your Jeep is equipped
Or even the public's understanding
Of how the process works
So when I got the Jeep
That would become Chuck Norris
You know, in my head
All I ever heard was
The heaters sucked
The tops leak on you
Sure, well right
Because you came over
From the Cherokee Grand Cherokee world
Correct
This is my first experience
With a soft top vehicle
And all my dad had told me
My entire life
Which was he was growing up with
Flatties and early CJs
And that kind of stuff
Which all accurate statements
For those
Sure
And I remember literally
Going through a car wash
I'm not getting wet
And the heaters
Actually pretty good
And I remember
I did play around with top down stuff
I didn't stay with it
But I did play around with it
I remember it was hot
Sitting in a traffic light
Baking in my black black black Jeep
And I'm like, I'm really hot
So I turn on the air conditioning
With the top off
And the doors off
And it cooled me down
And I was like, this is okay
This is tolerable
Yes
This is not what my dad talked about
Somebody card
That was cushy
That was
It was
And by then the JK comes around
And we start throwing out
Oh, it's a minivan
It's got power doors
It's power locks
We had never had that before
Yes
Let alone the Uconnect stereo system
Was improving
You make a phone call over your Jeep
Right
You know, the hard top was a better design
Than I've ever before
So I think that we are sold
This bill of sale societally
That we deserve comfort
Right
That we are in this pursuit
That somehow in our pursuit of betterment
Also equates to comfort
Now, without getting too far off
The beaten path
And getting into some American hustle conversations
When that podcast is up and running
You know, I think that naturally
A lot of people, good, bad, or otherwise
Do pursue comfort over cool factor
And I would say the JK and the JL
It's made it a bigger divide
Between the cool factor and the norm
Because the Jeep's just so good out of the box
Yes
So you have kind of an almost opposer feeling
For some in the demographic
That, oh, they're in a jail, they're opposer
Because they're just so cush
Correct
They're steering wheels warm
How dare they
Oh, man, I love that heated steering wheel
God, it's my favorite
And so ultimately, I think that if we talk
About the tons and forties conversation
That, and Geog Jeepers says
Tons and forties are cool if you use them
I think there's a vast majority of people
Who just like the pictures
They like the look of it, you know, as well
And with that said
I think that that has a little bit of bearing
From back in the day
When it was really hard to put
35s and 37s on a video
I was literally just thinking
Like back in the day
When you had tons and forties
Or even over 35s
Correct
You were a fabricator
You were a craftsman
You had major destiny in your garage
And now we're to a point where you can
Set a credit card on fire
Order the axles they bolt in
Order the lift kit relatively bolts in
Fenders, all that
The world is your oyster
And you can have a tons and forties or more
And relatively daily drive it
Where back in the day
I remember, you know, you would have
35s per boggers
Sure
And that was a trail rig
Right
You didn't go to the corner store
Right
Let alone to be like
Oh, I'm gonna drive that to work
Or I'm gonna drive it three plus hours away
Where now 35s is just
Not even a blip on the radio
No, 35s is a standard
At 37s arguably are a standard size
I would say if they're not
They're just about there
Sure
And forties and the tons
Are becoming more obtainable
With that said, you're still giving up
I was gonna say
I think that the challenge is
It looks more attainable
And therefore people
Maybe inappropriately get kind of
And conjure up the wrong impression about that
Because while you can boot up the computer
And you can order your forties
You can order a bolt-in axle
You can order an air quotes
Bolt-in lift kit
That doesn't mean that you can make it work well
And because the length of modification
That was required to do that
Is you're just touching more products
Are you getting the right recipe?
Correct
So then you have the cost of being cool
Can be even more costly in that situation
That's literally one of the things we do
We're basically good chefs
And we have a good recipe
That works well with each other
And works well with the intended use of the vehicle
And we can kind of take the sting of the cool away
A little bit on how we set up jeeps here in-house
Sure
But at the same time, if you get so far
You just have to deal with some of the choices you've made
I agree entirely
Because we have these kind of...
I guess for me it's twofold
One is the average individual who's in the pursuit of cool
Right?
And then we have that individual once they are in the ownership of cool
Right?
And so in the pursuit of cool, like you were saying
Do all these parts and pieces play together?
Am I actually going to be able to turn in a parking lot
Or are the tires going to rub in the fender wells?
Are they going to...
As I enter a bank up an apron into the drive-thru
Am I going to hit the control arms and so on and so forth?
That's one aspect of actual usability or functionality
Of having the vehicle
Anything can look cool sitting stationary in a picture
Static
And we as a society I think are easily fooled by that
I mean granted, we love looking at pictures
I mean Instagram is just full of pictures
Reels and other shorts are just a seven second
Anything is cool for seven seconds
Right?
So then when we actually have customers who like tons and turbos
He daily drives a tonned out 40, you know, 39
He has two sets of tires
Yup
Because he goes through tires so frequently
Because the bigger the tire, the more propensity for wear that just exists
And he has aggressive tires for wheeling and less aggressive tires
For daily driving
And they're eight lug now
So he has tire carriers had the change
We had to do some R&D and stuff for simple things like a license plate bracket
100%
And a lot of people don't think about the license plate bracket piece
Yeah, absolutely
And arguably we want to be able to comfortably and confidently fit whatever size tire you're going up to
And that could even be a 37 or a 38 that's on a low center of gravity build
But we now have to fine tune the bump stops
You don't want to, you know, constantly, you know, have no up travel and the tire eat the fender flare
Now we need to have some, you know, some degree of lift increase
But we don't want to decrease our low center of gravity or our steering geometry
Yup
And I think that, you know, and the other piece with tons and turbos is
I mean, he buys a new set of tires every couple of years
And that is a expense
Yeah
But he does it because he loves the cool factor of having his Swiss Army knife jeep
Well, and in the impact he makes when he shows up
Because he uses it for work and that kind of stuff
And he shows up in this monster of a jeep that is personalized exactly the way he wants it to be
Right
And immediately he has street cred
Sure
Because it's like, man, you got the stereo, you got the wheels and tires, you got the axles, you got the lift kit
And you do what with it? That's your only vehicle
Right
And I was literally thinking like every time we kind of become something cool becomes more mainstream
We have to, the outliers have to get further
They become more and more fringe
More and more out there
So now we literally have groups of stockish flat fenders that go out and wheel them
And because, and then where they're flannel and they have an ax and Paul Dockman
I do love what they do
And might come along and that kind of stuff
And they're really embracing the suck of the flat fender
If you're not getting whiplash and your spine isn't broken, are you really wheeling?
Right, with your rigid mount C
And I have this picture of me wheeling the 48 and my daughter was young
It's on the social pages and it's a really cool looking picture
And she was like, she looked at that picture
She was like, and this is when she was younger
She's like, is that you daddy?
And I was like, yeah, that's me
She was like, what happened? You were so cool
And I was like, that's so funny
She saw me looking like a cool guy
You know what I mean? The jacket, the topless
I had no windshield because I wanted to endure the suck
Yeah
And I think that we have society is filled with these cowboy type characters
Especially Western civilization
Absolutely
And we all want to live out that capacity
And I think what's interesting is the Jeep community as a whole
And sometimes we lose sight of this as a community
Simply owning a Jeep is different
Your fringe
It is fringe
Yes
It is fringe
Simply owning a Jeep is slightly more fringe than owning a really highly practical Toyota Camry
or Subaru, something or other
Yep
Right? That's so funny because
And you see the reflected on a lot of consumer reports and that kind of stuff
You know, they're always coming up in those lists
Yeah
Of like most maintenance or most this or worse gas mileage or that kind of stuff
And it's like the consumer reports people can't understand
Why anybody would want to drive a Jeep?
Somebody drive one
And that's exactly right
We're the fringe of the fringe and we lose sight of it sometimes to be like
Certainly when that individual who's driving their flatty with no windshield and wheeling it
Is like, well, you know, it's JL owners
I gotta be honest, JL owners still is just not it
They're giving up fuel economy
Yes
They're giving up the reliability of this 300,000 mile Toyota
I just had a brain wave
The cool of the cool is how integrated into the new normal are you
If all you ever do is go out and wheel in your flannel in your willies flat fender
Then you're now the new normal
Mm-hmm
And you are cool to someone out here
Right
But in your centric environment
Yes
You may not actually be cool
Anymore
And now you have someone in the group that is the lead cool
Yes
Because he's done something yet more fringe
And you're following behind him
Yes
And you as a pack for someone off in left field in their JL is like, wow, he's really cool
But you actually aren't cool in your group
In your group
Which if we get into specifically the flatties and whatnot
Which is why two years ago at the willies reunion
Yep
The battle cry was drive them Jeeps
Yes
And that was because the cool kids were showing up
But they were trailing their willies in
To these national events
So they jumped into their F-150 with the nice leather interior
And they had a small trailer and they trailed their flatty in
And they would park at the hotel and then they would drive that flatty around their local wheeling hotspot
And they called themselves to task
Because they were like, who's actually cool enough to drive to the event
As their willies being their one and only primary driver
It's always like a monsoon every time they do that too
Oh my gosh
And I've driven my flatty in those said monsoons and whatnot
I've done all of that
I've hydroplained it
The steering sucks in the rain
You're getting beat in the face with the water
It's not conducive, right?
That's not a good experience
And I've recently, yet again, I'm really trying to commit to this
And make a good deal and let it go on its way
I'm trying, I'm really trying hard folks
I'm trying to send my international to the next good owner
Right?
I inspired him
You did, Scott inspired me
Just, I've had the truck for five years
We put the frozen song on, we're letting everything go
Let it go, let it go
Honestly, but you know, think about it
I'm actually selling it so that I could get into a more posh comfy vehicle
But that's in part because I want to be able to more comfortably
Get into my rig and run coast to coast in north to south
I want my destination to be what I appreciate
And not exactly the enduring journey
And this is always the grass is greener concept
You literally have somebody in a posh truck comfortable
And he's looking at the guy at international that's sweating
And he can't hear because the truck's drowning him to death
That kind of stuff
He's like, man, that's a real trucker right there
That's right
And the other guy in the international is looking like, man, I wish I had air conditioning right now
And I could like roll down the window over there because somebody needed to say something
Yes
So it's all relative, it's always, you're always wanting to go where you're not
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
And you know, I try to keep him in perspective as something that I was exposed to years ago
And it was about the race industry, that was what stood out to me
Absolutely
The guy in the million dollar race trailer that, you know, just
He's got his cold brew in his hand out of the fridge
Air conditioning in the trailer
And he, man, that was a rough race season
Now what am I looking at?
Yeah, this sucked, I'm unhappy with this
The track wasn't good, that's the third
Yeah, and then you got the guy with the rusted out square body
With the used garden trailer that's sort of working for a car hauler with the truck
The wheel just fell off the race car and him and his buddies pushed it on
And they got like lukewarm drinks and they're all just destroyed
They all need cleaned up and they're like, man, this was awesome
This was the best day of my life
And you know, I try to keep that in mind, right?
When we talk about the cost of cool
Because those guys are looking in at that million dollar race team
And you're like, oh, they made it, right?
Yeah
Whereas that million dollar race team, he might not actually feel so warm and fuzzy about his
Yeah
And he might have lost sight of how good it felt to once be that guy with the cob together race car running around the dirt track
Absolutely
And in risk of kind of giving an idea of what the American hustle is
We're actually, we're talking about this before the podcast is both of those people can have a good experience
They just have to look at the world with a half full cup, not a half empty cup
Correct
And those people can have both be cool and both be happy where they're at in life
Right
They just have to accept
Accept that this is part of their experience, a part of their moment
Whereas tons and turbos come back to him
He does, he accepts that the cost of his cool factor is he's going to have to buy tires with more regularity
His maintenance costs are going to be greater than the average bear who just has a stock vehicle driving point A to point B
All the way from, hey, it takes more effort for me to get up in my vehicle to, hey, now I need to upgrade my maintenance
To, I have my fuel costs, my fuel mileage is not what it would be if I was on stock tires
It's not bad, our JLs, JTs have never been better with fuel economy and big tires
If you would have told 16 year old Neil that I could travel from coast to coast on 37s and still get 15 to 18 miles per gallon
Absolutely
I would have lost my nugget because I would be so amazed
And that's a good example too, because just because the reason why 18 miles a gallon doesn't seem that great now
Is because people don't remember how to get 5 miles a gallon
They don't remember life with 3 speed manual all gear transfer case just sucking all the power
And you're happy to break 9
And 10 was double digits, we're like wow
And what you're bringing up is that iconic 76 to 86
With a V8
With a V8
Yeah
If you look at hashtag not a restoration, that's what you just described
We have a fire breathing V8
Sounds good
With a 3 speed manual
Yep
And all gear driven, there's no chains anywhere
And it sounds good, it's got a rumble to it
Yep
But
Double digits are a good day
If with a stiff wind at your back
And that's with fuel injection, only 33s, trying to be mindful, everything's been touched and restored
But let's even just talk about AMC gasket technology
Oh
The cost of cool in this Jeep is the fact that you're never going to have the valve covers not weep
A little bit
And that is, that's an all call to if there's a gasket manufacturer out there who wants to step up to the plate and satisfy our industry
But as a just a dollars and cents, there's not right
Time has marched on and the volume of V8 AMC engines out there needing regasketed is minimal in comparison to the rest
They all need regasketed
Well they all do
But the requirement of being better is not there
It's not, and this is the conversation of capitalism as a driving force, we will produce what people will sell
So the YJ was better than the CJ, the TJ was better than the YJ, the JK was better than the TJ
And the JLJT is way better than the JK
Yep
And ultimately that's because every time they redesign and they sell that vehicle, more people buy it, more people get into it
It's capitalism at its best because people are in pursuit of that product
The gas getting technology, they're just simply not, they're not going to put a bunch of R&D money and time and energy into making that product
And that's a perfect example of you, you get a certain customer that gets an older vehicle because it's cool
And they have no idea about the valve cover conversation
Sure
And they just expect a magic gasket to
And now my valve cover will never leak again, I have touched it once
Where I remember, you know, even with small blocks and stuff like that
That was like a every year and a half, two year thing
Oh, my gasket's leaking again
Yep
I gotta go do the valve covers again
Where now we're spoiled, we get 100,000, 150,000 miles out of a 3.6 and the valve covers don't leak
And now we're all hung up over, well, I had a rocker arm fail
But how many miles did you go?
It's 100% relative because, I mean, my dad and I used to, when we started driving
And there's still plenty of guys and gals out there who are like, I'm trading my car in at 50,000
Yeah
Right? That's a mentality that's stuck when engines only lasted 100,000 miles
If you were lucky
You had an 81, 82 CJ at 30K, the plastic valve cover cracked in half
Yes
And it started just, not just puking, like pouring oil off the side of the motor
Right
And you just accepted that
And now, in that situation, the OE didn't even have an answer
And I think you had to go to the aftermarket to make an aluminum valve cover
That just, if we're honest, leaked less
It wasn't like free
Right
And now we're over here, you know, we accepted that as the normal
And now we're like, my 135,000 miles, 36 needs motor work
Yes
We've got 100,000 miles more
And there's people that can push the envelope, they just don't know
And they will drive it till all four cams have stuff, problems
And they mean it's not supposed to make that noise
Nope
And they have been reliably daily driving this, expecting that 18 miles of the gallon
Expecting AC to work
Sure
All that kind of stuff
It is, again, it's all about perspective
Yes, and I think that that's, you know, kind of funny
Because it is a challenge that I think we see with the vintage cool or wow factor
Is that individuals look in at that and they go, hey, you know, we had
When I was graduating high school, that's what the cool guys were driving
They were driving that late 70s renegade, you know, CJ7
And now that I'm in a position in life where I can afford that
And so you look in at it with a whole bunch of other factors not considered
Yes
But the internet has made it that I can look at Jeeps from coast to coast
Right
And now that very accessible, so now a Jeep is very accessible to me
And if I've made enough money, I can buy said vehicle, right?
Yep
There's a whole bunch of other unintended factors, like can my spouse get in and out of the vehicle reliably
And will they want to travel with me?
Yes
And to circle back to my own self deprecating experience
With my international, I like my family to go places
And I suppose I never really thought of how many times I was going to be running between the Carolinas and Florida
Or most recently out to Las Vegas
You don't know, you don't know, do you know it?
100%
And while my son and I had a perfectly great kind of rugged American road trip experience
The Las Vegas and back
I cannot in good conscience invite anybody else along on that
On that ride
And I am so fortunate and it fits my personality type to have subjected us to that
Yeah
But most recently when I was coming back from Charleston
My wife was like, I forgot how much I hate this
In fact, when we ran to Florida previously, her and our friend
I bought them noise canceling headphones so that they could just ride in the truck and stomach the trip
And she knows what she's getting into
Because when you were dating, she would hold the transfer case in gear
With her foot
100%
In the flat fender
So it isn't that she
Oh, she held a blanket when we drove topless down to the Carolinas in a YJ
She held a blanket as a windjammer for us
She's been there in the trenches
She's been there in the trenches
But as you get older, you just like things to be a little nicer
Well, and if you're going to...
And in her, she would be like, well, it's different if it was 12, 14 hours in the truck
And that is fair
It's constantly rumbling in your ears
And I just
I agree with that
I remember, you know, getting it...
It's a little bit off topic
But my gremlin with the AMC V8
We would drive that four hours to Columbus
And when you got there, you really couldn't hear
Yeah
Because of the drone of the V8 a whole time
Yes
With the windows down and the wind beating you
You're literally like half death
You're like, what?
What?
And I think, again, just calling the spade a spade
That is why that Toyota Camry owner looks in at the Jeep owner who's topless
Yes
Because even if you are cruising around in your bone stock JL
And you've hit the highway and you're running topless doorless
And I love topless doorless highway speed
I'm looking at the road right there
From the Camry owner, you're pretty cool
You are pretty cool because they can't or wouldn't do that themselves
Yeah
And there is some...
There's something inside us as...
Certainly as Americans
You know, United States, cowboy derived
Pioneers
People who, you know, ancestrally got on a ship
With kind of no understanding
And four months later showed up on some remote land
And they were gonna break ground with their own two hands
There's something that we...
That we do still kind of, you know, appeal to that
Right
And here's a good question that led you
If you're ultimately cool
The person looking in that you thinking you're cool
Might wonder if what you're doing is illegal
What?
A guy in that Camry or that lady in that Camry
Looking at you with no doors, no top of her
Yes
Is looking at you going, that's pretty cool
But is that even legal?
Yeah, are you allowed to be doing that?
You are so cool
I have questions
Yeah, and sometimes they superimpose that
I mean, think about the high lift jack on the front
They think that's a firearm, the doors are off
They're calling contention to that
There's a whole bunch of things
Because you're kind of outside the realm of the comfort
Right, of that immediate comfort
And I guess a little bit of my own...
I am cut from this cloth
I had this experience here
In our hometown of Kania
Coming up through school
There was this folklore about these guys
When they graduated
And interestingly enough
I end up befriending one of...
So these guys in the 60s or 70s
Graduate high school
As I'm coming up through school
I become friends with their kid
But when this guy graduated high school
He had a rigid tail triumph
With two or three other characters
And with arguably no planning or no knowledge
They just jumped on their rigid tail bikes
Which for our listeners, if you don't know
That means there's no suspension, there's no springs
You're breaking your back
They jumped on the highway
And they drove to California
Basically on a win
And we grew up socially
Being aware of this story
Those are the bad some things
Oh yeah, that dude was a bad mamma jamma
And yet, at his later in life
He was the most mild tempered
Pants were buttoned up nicely
Had the polo button-up shirt
Super soft-spoken
And actually that's a good lead
And something I was just thinking about
I remember being a snob
And driving my hot rod
Three, four hours
And seeing the guy pull in
With his nice truck in his trailer
And it's enclosed
And he fires up his car
And backs it out
And everything's pristine and clean
And everything's cool
And he's reflected
And I'm sweating
He needs a sweat on the brow
I've got to figure out the feel
You know, the car might have been making a noise
Gotta figure that out
And I look to him as a poser
Yes
And if I'm honest now at this point
If I'm going to take my hot rod
Four hours with what I currently own
And put it on a trailer
Hi, my gladiator
Yes
I'm going to turn the AC on
I'm going to drive down there
I'm going to park the rig
I'm going to jump in the thing
So I'm going to have full fuel
Oil will be good
I'm going to be in good accord
Drive around
Enjoy the car in that moment
Where I'm at the car me or whatever
And then when I'm tired
I'm going to put it back on the trailer
I'm getting air-conditioned, comfortable
Heated steering wheel wheel
And drive home
Right
So it's all about perspective
And before you throw stones
Think about where you're going to be
Yeah, casting those stones in glass houses
You know
And there's something to be said
About both experiences, right?
And the one experience
Allows you to appreciate the next
Earning the stripes
You've done the
You've been the
Undergrad
Or the freshman
You've put in the effort and the time
Well, now the suck
You get a little less suck
Because you've done this
On your duty
Right
And I think that for me
I have never
Now obviously most people know
I'm a frustrated trucker at heart
So I enjoy the towing experience
As much as I do
The wheeling or the vehicle
And we both of us do
Above average towing
Compared to some people
Sure
And with that said
I have always
From the very beginning
I was not deterred
By that mentality
Of well, you have to drive it
To the trailhead
And then wheel it and drive it home
I found it as
Kind of more of an opportunity
I could resurrect something
Half-beaten broken
From the 40s through the 60s
And I could go wheel it on the trails
When other people are like
Well, I've got to drive it here
And I didn't have to do that
So the cool factor
It changes
Yeah
Right?
And for whatever that is
You then take that guy
Or gal who has a really well-built TJ
And they're looking at me
Wheeling some piece of vintage
Half-put-together piece of vintage iron
Oh, that's really cool
That they're doing that
You're looking at him
Like he drove it here
He's on the drive at home
That's cool
Yes, absolutely
Yes, you know
And really what it comes down to is
You should be well-rounded cool
You should experience all of it
Sure
So you have a good well-rounded experience
Toe it there one time in your life
Drive it there another time in your life
I think the only thing that we need to discuss
In these remaining few minutes about this
Is when we see the cool factor
And maybe we're a little disconnected
From the realities of our decisions
And I guess to bring up something that you
Started with a conversation a little bit ago
If I have this tow rig
With the lights and the stance and stretch
Tires and so on and so forth
Well, I'm gonna relate that to the Jeep community
Because one of the challenges I see
Is the rotor lights, the wheel lights
Yes
And rock lights specifically
And I think, you know, those things look cool
And I recently said to Greg
Because he was less enthusiastic about the wheel lights
And I said, the challenge is
I actually think they look really cool
I like wheel lights
But they're not practical
Within our community
And climate
And climate
And that's rock lights and wheel lights
100%
And the thing is that rock lights
Specifically got their start in the southwest
Not in the rust belt
And they're functionally using this light
To night wheel so that you can see
An obstacle appropriately illuminated
So that you can pick your line
So we took the catalyst of
Hardcore rock crawlers
And they needed a technology
And we added lights under there
And the problem is that an individual
Who wants to use their Jeep in a 365 day capacity
And you're using rock lights up under your vehicle
Or wheel lights
That no longer makes sense
Because in the rust belt
Or the constant subjection to schmutz
Yes
In the environment
Renders though the shelf life
Or the duty life of those components
Basically
Seasonal
Seasonal
And without that said
It's okay
If you go into it knowing
You have to change your tires every two years
When it's a problem
When you buy the rock light
You think it's a forever purchase
Correct
I'm never gonna have to touch this again
Well that's just not fair
I spent a lot of money on this
I know you did
But we can't help the fact that
When they brine the roads
Everything is subjected to that
And you got two years out of it
Versus six months out of the cheapy set
They still have a lifespan
And the challenge is the cognitive disconnect
When we take a multi-billion dollar company
Like Stellantis
And the millions of dollars
That they put into research and development
That is decades in response
To federal regulations
If we were to go back in our way back time machine
80 years
The federal government wasn't heavily involved
In automotive
And people died in vehicles constantly
Because auto manufacturers
First of all
You could just start an auto manufacturing business tomorrow
It could be Brown and Simpson
Cars
And we could build seven cars
And call ourselves an auto manufacturer
And if all seven of them burnt down
Were killed or the purchaser
The owner of that vehicle within the first month
Meh
So what, we moved on
That's what the auto industry was the Wild West
Now that's not the case
The auto manufacturing industry is a
Mega monster
That is decades in response to
Federal regulatory expectations
And consumer market and capitalism
Refining that processes
So the rock lights that you bought on Amazon
For 50 bucks
Are simply not going to hold up
To the 50,000 dollar Jeep
That you're driving
Absolutely
And you need any more effort to believe that
Just go back and look at warranty lengths
On an 80s vehicle
Versus what they are now
Sure
I mean
Three months, 36,000 miles
Was a good warranty
That was one of the best warranties
Back then
That was, you know
All too often
That's where you got the tail light warrant
The concept of the tail light warranty
Absolutely
And now
And third party warranty companies aside
And that's just a crock of crap
As far as I'm concerned
But
Now
There's a lot of businesses that are
Reputably willing to stand behind
Their product and workmanship
One, it creates consumer confidence
So we have to
That's capitalism at its best
But two
The products are refined enough
To allow us to be in that position
Perfect example is the 36
They had some problems in 12
And they're like, okay
We need to buy our confidence
So 14, 15, 16s
We're going to give you a 100,000 mile
Drive train warranty
Yes
We're going to double down
On the warranty
So that you can be confident
That you're not going to have issues
And now
I think that
I think you will take care of it
Correct
Now, I think that Chrysler
Ultimately then creates that
As an option
Because they saw where it benefited
Their customer base
But financially
They said, hey
We actually don't have to do this
People aren't taking us up on it
It's not
And so they did that
They regained their consumer market
And then
They pulled back some
And then they pulled back some
And that's a natural ebb and flow
Of free market work
And I don't think people realize
The power they have when they buy
Sure
They just don't realize that
Well, if you don't like what they're doing
Then just don't buy it
Correct
I mean
They will not produce something
That does not sell
And that's a whole other
That's almost American Hustle
Podcast content there
Because of that
I love the power of buying
You know what I mean
And somehow we think
We're almost entitled
Or required to purchase
And I think that that's one of
Maybe the final points
Of the cost of cool
So many people are in pursuit
Of that comfort zone
They think that they have to buy
That's why Leesy now is so
Absolutely
So prevalent
And you know
There are challenges with driving
An older model vehicle
Constant maintenance
Constant upkeep
You know, a part availability
And the Jeep community once again
We're fortunate
Try owning a Hudson or a Studebaker
There's going to be far less
Manufacturers
And a far higher cost of replacement parts
Within the Jeep community
Our cost of cool is
Relative to our own experience
As we've kind of shared
Throughout today's topic
I definitely think this is a fun one
And one that I think that is worth
Unpacking maybe further
In a subset of this in the future
If you have thoughts about this
There was lots of comments
Lots of comments in the
In the thread today
Via the Facebooks and the YouTube
So hopefully you guys found
Something of impact there
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And if you're interested in knowing
Why I've kind of got the Ray Charles
Sunglass conversation going on today
Not for our listeners at home
Don't exactly know or see that
But we did mention it
Or hearing about Scott's weekend
Experiences
A number of you
I do want to note that a number
Of you wished me happy birthday
Or a belated birthday in the comments
And I thank you very much for that
Yesterday the 19th was
In fact my birthday had a great day
Just hanging out
Putting this flannel on
And riding around with the windshield down
That's right
That's actually kind of true in the process
Definitely a lot of good
A lot of good commentary in the comments
And Joe
I'll touch on his things
Where did you steal your sunglasses?
These were absolutely my wife's sunglasses
Which I'm just totally
Rocking for the best of things
And then Rob Morgan
Says MLS Swap the World
He is his cost of cool right now
Is L.S. Swapping
Is L.S. Swapping via the Amazon
I can't wait to see how well this comes out
He's definitely getting better
Gas kick technology with that
Yes
Until next time, Jeepon
Jeepon
Oh I actually have to
Click things
Nope, didn't do it
I don't remember
I forgot that I was
I forgot I was in the producer chair today
Yeah you did
I'll pretend that we transition
Sometimes
Sometimes the crap show I think
Benefits are listening nice
And you know he's injured so it's allowed
I don't even remember
I don't even remember where I was
Supposed to go
With
It doesn't matter
I forgot to click that part
In preparation today
Oh my gosh
That's too funny
So
I
Without
Without being too
Too cart
I took a tree limb to the eyeball
This weekend
A tree decided to dock him
Down a peg or so
Yeah if it wasn't already going
You know just a banger
For me
I
I don't know why
I explicitly felt the need
To grind myself into the dirt
From my birthday this weekend
But you enjoy for some reason
I do
I do
The only thing I didn't get to do this weekend
That I would have liked to
Would have been like a marathon session
In the gym until I puked
Until I couldn't feel my arms or legs or something
I don't know why I
Exists to enjoy
Or to find appreciation
In the meat grinder
But I do
And so I made sure
Now with that said
I also take a lot of solace in the fact
That I was planting trees
And I was
Outside
I was outside
I was grounded to the earth
I was in the dirt
I was that kind of stuff
Now I also enjoy that
I was destroying these prickly sumac things
Of course they fought back
And that's one of the
The wily branches
That took me out
In my very expensive eyes
As my wife likes to remind me
I was literally thinking about that
As you were telling me
I was like
While I'm half blind
Especially without my glasses
They have saved my bacon
So many
You know it's so funny
That you bring it up
Because
You know I really thought to myself
That I have 100%
I had this like
PTSD-esque experience
Where I recognized that in previous experiences
The glasses would have got
Mashed on my face
Yes
And the
I would have been okay
But the discomfort
Of the nose pads
And the ear
Absolutely
And I would have been frustrated
And then the glasses knocked off
And I would have had this
Thought process like
Oh
There's my expensive glasses
Getting damaged in X, Y, and Z
But my eye would not have taken
The branch directly into the eye socket
Correct
Right
I had so bad where the lens
Had gone up and like
Cut my face
Yes
Yes, that's exactly my thought process
Now
I was in over the weekend
Doing
Doing some tires
For an impromptu customer
And while I was
Wire wheeling their wheels
Because of you know
Oxidation and corrosion
I of course have
A lengthy supply
Of eye protection here at the shop
Yep
And often times
You know I'm hollering
About eye protection
Ear protection for you
And the guys
You know as well
And so I was wearing
My appropriate PPE
In the process of working here
At the shop but
Yeah
As
Realize you need it for a tree
Yeah
Yeah
You know
And honestly what it came down to
Was I had worked myself
Into the dirt all weekend
And this was the end of the day
Sunday
And this is such a classic
Human experience
Getting tired
I'm getting tired
And I just needed to
Unload these branches
From the trailer
I had you know
Was clearing property
From the front of my
From the front of my homestead
To you know
And then hauling it back
To the burn pile
And I went to toss it
Off the trailer
Well I had equally
Not spent time
Cutting this branch down
Because I was muscling it
And you know how like
The bulbous branches
All these kind of like
You know
I had the trunk-esque portion
Down here
And so I tossed the
Trunk-esque portion
Well it bounced off those other
Branches and it came back
And one of the twigs
That was you know
Kind of protruding back
Towards me
There's a fire right to the end
Yeah
Just came right back
And I watched it happen
Like fire in the sky
Needling my eye
Similar to the surgery
That I had
Yeah
A couple of years ago
So definitely unfortunate
But I got to play with
My cost of cool
And at my house
And I've got the tractors
Like we've talked about
Our tractors in the past
I'm not
I'm totally going to live
In this moment
And I often times
Don't take a lot of time
To step back
And look at kind of
Where we're at
And what we've done
But I looked at all
My black and red toys
My tractors
My lawnmower
Little go-kart thingies
Or you know
Little mini bike thingies
And I
Even my push mode
Got a good job
Of color coordinating
Of color coordinating
In a frugal manner
You know what I mean
And I was like
Okay that was
That was fun
Yeah
That's awesome
So absolutely that
And then
Been
Divesting
My other junk
Right
And this
And as I shared
Those who are
In our listening audience
And in our social circles
May or may not
Be fully conscientious
That Scott made a huge
Move in his life
For us as auto enthusiasts
And hoarders
And hoarders
Scott had his
Childhood truck
Which in hindsight
We can look at the cost of cool
And be like
It didn't make a lot of sense
Correct
For where we're at
For those that don't know
It was you know
How my parents met
My dad sold it to my mom
It was just supposed to be a flip
Back then
She was driving
She was literally just driving
This was back in the day
When we just put vehicles
Out front of our house
To sell them
And she drove by
Saw the truck
I could use that truck
I might need that truck in life
And you know
Four years later
Here I was
Here's little Scott Brown
And I grew up with that truck
Around the property
And playing in it
Getting yelled at
For being in the bed
When I wasn't supposed to
Sure
You know
All that kind of fun stuff
And thinking it was super cool
Back then
Yep
To it junior high
Becoming my first vehicle
And then realizing the cost of cool
Because I couldn't drive at the school
I couldn't use it
Wasn't allowed to haul anything
With probably my parents
Which I did anyway
But they just didn't know about it
Your first vehicle
Ends up being an S10 in the process
Driver is an S10
Driver, right
You own this vehicle
Cost of cool
It didn't make sense anymore
I'm not doing so hot
I don't want to invest
$15,000, $20,000
Into the paint job
I would rather
And if you did invest
$15,000, $20,000 into a paint job
You don't want to park it outside
Right
And you know
There's other priorities in life
Yes
And I had to have a come
The Jesus moment
And be like
You know what I really enjoy
In my life right now
Is the 36
And kind of being that old school
Hot rod enthusiast
And building the T from nothing
Learning how to stretch the metal
How to fix it
How to put it back together
How to make the structure of the car back
That's what I am impassioned about
So I don't see me getting to the truck
And rather than be that guy
I hated as a young car person
Of well you know
You got this vehicle
It's cool
I want it
I want to give it a better life
And you refuse to sell it
I'm not doing it
As much as my kids hate it
And I kind of hate it a little bit
I'm going to find a better steward
For that vehicle
If you love it enough
Then let it go
And this is literally
Comes back a little bit to the cost of cool
Your cool factor is now in these early forwards
Yes
That's your cool factor
And the cost of that is
This whole
This truck that has a lot of emotional attention
And this
We can update
This isn't exactly supposed to be
For the continuation of the podcast topic
But I was inspired by you
So you've recently sold it
That's the quick take away
It's going to Texas
And that's the quick take away
And so that's
I've recently been inspired by you
So I've been divesting
Things that I have picked up
Over the years
I mean that's one of the best things
About our friendship
Is we both try to assist things
In positive methods
We look at our lives together
And we're like hey
What about this
Or hey what about that
Because we think different
So it kind of gives us a better
Way to experience life
In a full circle
And just because it's gone
Doesn't mean the memories are gone
And do these things bring you joy
What do you enjoy right now
And we want to enjoy and experience
Lots of things
You can't do that
Keeping all the cards
Correct
We're not independently wealthy
We can't collect them all
We have to let things go
To continue to experience that
And there's still cars
I want to experience and enjoy
And build professionally
And not professionally
So because of that
You have to enjoy it
While you are drawn to it
And then move on
For sure
So what did you do this weekend?
We actually went
And I always like to surprise him
About this stuff
We went to a cacao ceremony
So cacao is natural chocolate
Yes
And it is
I got to be honest with you
I thought you told me it was a cacao ceremony
At first
And I think that we're going to have listeners
Who are like
Man
That's fine too
Okay
Cacao
So it is the old school chocolate
That Aztecs and those
Absolutely
Used to drink
It is very bitter
For those who don't know
But it is
All the things hot chocolate is not
Yes
Hot chocolate is amazing
How manufactured and refined
And removed
Our modern day hot chocolate is
Compared to
Yes
So it was a very awesome experience
We got to learn
We got to experience it
Can't say enough good things
Again, I like to expand and learn
And kind of do the deep dive
I knew a little bit about it
Sure
So long ago
I couldn't even remember
Exactly why
If it was in school or what
Yes
But it was really cool
And we got to go and do that
And we got to kind of just do it
Me and my wife together
And then we had to go
It was an eerie
So then we had to go to Wegmans
And try to find cacao
Because now she wants to experience it more
And try to
The kids have to try it
And something else I haven't told you
Is I have broken my wife
She is in her six weeks of Lego
I had decided we were going to do a Lego
Build off for the family
Again
For some reason my wife was not allowed
To do this
As a child
Right
But she really, really is enjoying it
So
At this point our table is just covered
In Legos
We've been raiding our son's Lego
Board
For pieces
I've been building little hot rods
And trucks and stuff
She's building little houses and stuff
It's a lot of fun
We'll see where it goes
It's the simple pleasures
Right
Especially in a little bit of a
Tremultuous world we live in
It's these simple things
Where we can re-center ourselves
And it's not costing
A whole lot of anything
It's not harming anybody
It's actually amazing how cheap it is
And what was really funny
Don't say Legos and cheap
I guarantee there's a whole bunch of people
Generatially within our spectrum
We'll be like, yeah, that is not true
Compared to car parts
I don't agree
No, that's not true
Dollar for dollar
I think somebody out there needs to
Fact check us
But dollar for dollar
I think Legos are probably
Still more expensive
Any which way
It was really funny
Thursday there's a company
That came to our mall
And the mall is just dying
But this is a new store
And they resell Legos
And they literally have these giant
Benz
They dump the Legos into them
And you can paw through them
And find the pieces you want
You fill up a bucket
And it's 20 bucks
Sure
So Thursday we were there
Digging me and her
Looking for pieces
And when we arrived
There was an older guy
Ten years our senior
So he's pawing through
Filling his bucket
And grandma and papa
Come in while we're all digging
They gotta be like 78 years old
Okay, pushing 80
And grandma brings out a list
We're looking for this blue arch
In this thing
And they start digging
And I thought this is kind of cool
That is super cool
And this is something I have to admit
First I went in the store
The kids were excited
They were digging through that
I was like oh I can
I remember that piece
When I was a kid
And I remember that
And there were some adults digging
And I was like it's kind of weird
And I was in full circles
Like well whatever
That's so fun
Oh my goodness
Alright
Well I certainly appreciate sharing
With you all
The cost of cool
Billy Joe says
She loves the big Lego builds
The bigger builds are definitely a challenge
And you are never too old for Legos
And it definitely
Lots of good
Lots of good conversation
Out there
And we definitely appreciate people
Being part of this
This morning's experience
Until next week
Jeep on
Jeep on
Oh I have to end us again
Bye
About this episode
The “Cost of Cool” debate turns into a deep look at why Jeep coolness is expensive—financially and practically. Hosts Neil Simpson and Scott Brown break down how “wow factor” (tons/forties, flat fenders, doorless/topless looks, rock/wheel lights) often clashes with daily usability: tire wear, maintenance, comfort, noise, and even legality perceptions from non-Jeep drivers. They also compare generations of Wrangler “comfort upgrades,” discuss capitalism’s role in incremental improvements, and share personal stories—from towing and wheeling to Scott’s near-eye injury and selling his childhood truck.
Being cool behind the wheel comes with a cost—and Jeep owners know it better than anyone. In this episode, we dig into the hidden price of turning heads on the trail and the street. From lifted suspensions and oversized tires to constant upgrades and unexpected repairs, driving a built Jeep isn’t just a vibe—it’s a commitment. Sure, a stock setup might be easier on your wallet and your weekends, but where’s the fun in that? We’re breaking down the real sacrifices that come with ditching stock and chasing that custom look, and why, for many, it’s still worth every penny.
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
