They’re calling the situation a “waiting game,” meaning you’re stuck waiting—likely for parts or help. The episode is about that delay and how it affects people.
“Trail Hero X” is probably the name of an off-road event or trail activity. It doesn’t sound like a specific Jeep model—more like something people go do.
JC Whitney was a company that sold car parts and accessories, often by mail order. The hosts are mentioning it to explain how shipping times used to be.
Brand
Jeepers
“Jeepers” appears to be a Jeep community nickname or in-group reference used by the hosts. It’s not a car model, but it signals the Jeep-focused audience and culture around the discussion.
“Immediate availability” means the part is already in stock, so it can ship quickly. The host is saying online sellers have to be ready to send parts fast.
A roll bar is a metal safety frame inside the car. It’s there to protect you if the vehicle flips over, and it can also make the vehicle’s body stronger.
Company
JP magazine
They mention a magazine called “JP” that they read along with parts catalogs. It sounds like it helped them figure out what to buy and when.
The Chevrolet Suburban is a large SUV that can carry a lot of people and gear. Some versions have four-wheel drive, which helps the tires grip better on snow, dirt, or rough roads. It’s the kind of vehicle people mention when they want something big and capable.
Power steering helps you steer with less effort. Instead of your arms doing all the work, the car uses a system to assist turning.
Company
AG R
The speaker mentions a company (or brand) called “AGR” in the context of aftermarket work. The exact name is a bit unclear in the transcript, but it’s being discussed like a vendor.
Dana Spicer is a big parts company that makes drivetrain and axle components. The host mentions their aftermarket program to explain how axle parts get produced and supplied.
An aftermarket program means the company makes replacement or upgrade parts for cars, not just the original factory parts. The host is talking about how axle companies sell those parts to enthusiasts.
Company
Curry
The host mentions “Curry” as another company that makes axle-related parts. It’s brought up alongside other axle suppliers to illustrate how these parts are made and sourced.
Mickey Thompson is a well-known off-road motorsports and aftermarket brand, especially associated with tires and off-road performance products. The host uses it as an example of a larger manufacturer to contrast with smaller suppliers and explain production capacity.
They’re a company that sells Jeep parts. The host is saying the website may show parts as available even if the company doesn’t have them sitting in their warehouse right then.
Gear ratio is the gearing inside the axle that affects how the Jeep pulls and how it feels at highway speed. If you need the wrong ratio, the part may not fit or won’t work as intended.
Term
inventory on pledged inventory
It means the seller is saying they have the part set aside for you. But the host is warning that they might not actually have it ready in their warehouse, so it can take longer to arrive.
Extreme Terrain is a company that sells Jeep and off-road parts. The discussion is about whether they take customers’ money before the parts are ready to ship.
The host is talking about a situation where a store charges you for an item before it has it in stock. That usually means you may have to wait longer for the product to be made or delivered.
Rusty’s Off-Road is an off-road parts and accessories retailer. The host references it as an example of how a business owner approached product availability and customer expectations, especially around the time before COVID.
“Pre-COVID” just means before the pandemic. The host is using it to say this story happened before supply and shipping problems changed how parts businesses operate.
DV8 is a company that makes aftermarket off-road parts. The hosts are talking about how brands like DV8 can keep prices lower depending on where and how the materials are made.
Brand
Red Rock
Red Rock is a brand that makes aftermarket off-road gear. The hosts are saying brands like this can be cheaper and still widely available.
Tariffs are taxes on imported products. The hosts are saying those taxes can raise prices, but some off-road parts brands still manage to keep prices relatively steady.
“Rust Belt” is a nickname for parts of the U.S. where cars rust faster. Road salt and wet/cold weather help corrosion spread, especially on the underside and wheel areas.
Fender flares are add-on pieces around the wheel area. They help protect the car from dirt and debris kicked up by the tires, and they can make room for bigger tires.
The Morgan Plus Six is a sports car made by Morgan. It’s designed for driving enjoyment rather than everyday hauling. In the podcast context, it’s mentioned because getting one can take a while due to production timing.
Company
JCR
JCR is a company the hosts are talking about in the context of ordering Jeep-related parts. They say it’s known for taking a long time to deliver, but also for being very active online and in the community.
It means the company makes parts in small quantities instead of millions of units. With smaller production runs, you often have to wait longer and the parts may be harder to locate.
Import markets are places where products are sold after they’re shipped from another country. Shipping internationally can slow down when you can actually buy the parts.
Distribution is basically the supply chain for getting parts to stores and customers. If a company changes how it ships or sells, the parts can suddenly become harder to find.
Concept
Victory
“Victory” sounds like a named product line or plan the company created. Here, they’re saying it was designed to compete and to change how their products show up in the market.
Concept
modular market
A modular market refers to an aftermarket ecosystem where parts are designed to work together in interchangeable configurations. When the host says Victory was intended to compete with the modular market, they’re pointing to a demand for flexible, mix-and-match setups rather than one-off designs.
Concept
JK
JK is a Jeep Wrangler generation code. Lots of aftermarket parts are made to fit a specific Wrangler generation, so “end of the JK” means the parts ecosystem for that Wrangler era.
Rugged Ridge is a company that makes aftermarket parts and accessories for Jeep owners. The host is saying their products and image changed, and that affected how Jeep people viewed the brand.
In this context, “wings” means the side body panels (like fenders). The host is saying you could buy those panels separately, and some had storage/locking features.
Part
lock boxes
Lock boxes are small, lockable storage compartments. The host is saying that the locks and hinges on these parts ended up rusting and getting stuck.
It means how fast a company can launch a product after deciding to make it. Faster launches can reduce how long customers have to wait for new Jeep parts.
Quality control is how a company checks that what they make is good and works correctly. It’s meant to stop broken or poorly made parts from getting to customers.
Artec is a company that makes Jeep aftermarket parts. The hosts bring it up as an example of a parts maker that kept pushing forward even when things got slow or uncertain.
Rockhard makes aftermarket off-road parts for Jeeps, like bumpers. The discussion is about how long it can take to get one because of finishing steps like powder coating.
A freight pallet is how big or heavy items get shipped—on a pallet using freight shipping. That kind of shipping often takes longer than normal package delivery.
Powder coating is a durable paint-like finish that’s baked onto metal parts. If it has to be redone, it can add weeks to how long you wait for the part.
“Built fenders” refers to aftermarket fender panels made for off-road use, often with added strength and coverage compared with stock. The speaker says these fenders rusted out quickly, which is a key quality concern for Jeep owners in salty or wet climates.
Rock sliders are metal bars under the doors that help protect the Jeep when you hit rocks or uneven ground. The host says these “sliders” got dented, so they didn’t seem to do the job.
It’s a saying that means: spend a bit more one time to get something that lasts, instead of buying a cheaper version that fails quickly. The “cry once” part is the idea that the pain is upfront (cost/wait), not later (replacement).
Cedar Point is a theme park famous for intense rides. The hosts are using it as an example of how waiting in line can still feel like part of the experience.
A “corkscrew” is a roller-coaster track section that twists you upside down in a spiral shape. In this conversation, it’s being used as a comparison for how intense the ride feels.
“Iron Dragon” is the name of a particular roller coaster. They’re comparing it to another coaster to explain why someone might choose a shorter wait and a less intense ride.
FedEx is a shipping company that moves packages around the country. Here, they’re talking about a FedEx facility where deliveries were delayed, so items sat longer.
Temu is a shopping website that sells a lot of inexpensive items. The host is using it as an example of how you can buy car parts online and have them shipped to your house.
They’re talking about rock sliders made by Rock Slide Engineering. These are side bars that protect the Jeep’s lower body when you’re off-roading over rocks.
These are side steps that can swing down for easier getting in and out. They’re often built into off-road protection bars so you get both convenience and protection.
Power steps are motorized side steps that pop out when you want to get in or out of the vehicle. They’re convenient, but because they have moving parts and electronics, they can be more prone to wear over time than simpler steps.
The “slider function” is the part that moves the step in and out. If it loses durability, it means the moving parts that slide can wear out or start sticking.
A track bar is a suspension part that helps keep the axle from shifting side-to-side. If it’s hard to find or not the right one, the Jeep can feel unstable or “off” when driving.
The Ford Model T is a very old car from the early days of automobiles. People still work on it today, often restoring it or building projects, which is why parts like a gas tank come up. It’s basically a classic car that needs the right components to run properly.
Term
replacement grill
A “replacement grill” is the front grille you replace when it gets damaged. You need the right one for your Jeep so it fits correctly.
A reproduction grill is a non-factory grille made to resemble the original. It might look similar, but it may not be the exact same quality or fit as the real factory part.
The serpentine belt is a single belt that runs around the engine to spin several important accessories. If it breaks, you can lose power steering and charging (and sometimes the A/C) pretty fast.
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
Hey, we are live
Hey, we are live
So, if you missed the beginning of the episode, go to YouTube
and you can watch the beginning of the episode
but in the meanwhile, we're gonna make you wait
and continue on with the episode
We are going to be talking about the waiting game
hence why Jeffrey said we're gonna make you continue to wait
and this was just like all the parts logistics in the world right now
That's absolutely correct
And customer service
That too!
Sweet
And keep on waiting
Keep on waiting, we're gonna put you on hold
So we are talking about the waiting game
and the world that we're living in
and I'm gonna talk a little bit about the fact that we have become
I mean, I think that
Joe says you're here, we were always here, Joe
We were, Joe, you were side-checking me
and I was like, we're here
I swear, we're here
We started right on time
We are here, we are here
We started on time
For folks who are joining us on the Book of Faces
We started on time
and something
something malfunctioned on the back end
Now we lost all of our YouTube watchers
That makes me big sad
But hopefully they'll find us
Hopefully they'll find us and get back
A couple of the YouTube watchers were from Facebook
Going over to YouTube
True that, true that
So we are talking about the fact that
Largely we have become this
I shouldn't say we have become
I think it's human nature
We are in the pursuit of immediate gratification
Which is obviously why
25 years ago I bought 35s and wheels for my Jeep
Despite it not actually being lifted
I did that
And
Because I wanted that immediate gratification
Of knowing my end goal
And I kind of literally put the cart
Before the horse
I bought the wheels and tires before the lift
So
I think it's human nature
What I think has
Has become more exemplified
Is our ability
To access immediate gratification
Via the interwebs
And then
Cheap slash affordable
Product available
Even back then when you wanted immediate gratification
You had to still wait
Because you had to
Drive the procure
The wheels and tires
Or you had to wait for the shipping guy
To show up with them
We had a completely different shipping logistics
You really weren't getting wheels and tires
You would get off the phone
And say hey I just ordered this
And now I will see it in
Two to three weeks
Possibly
And at that time
You may or may not recall
It was kind of sketched to ship tires through
It was like
Will they accept them or will they not
Correct and I remember most tire logistics
Were on pallets
You had to freight it
And we didn't have in my opinion
As much residential freight delivery
With liftgate trucks
So then
You had to hook up with a commercial entity
So there was people
And I remember as I got into
The, you know, into selling parts
And having to freight things
People using their local feed mills
And their buddy worked at a factory
And able to access the dock
At certain hours
You had to do that type of stuff
To
You might get yourself via Greyhound
Absolutely
I want to know
And that's a true story
Folks, you may or may not recall
Greyhound bus
As
As an attempt to
Make a little bit more money
Because they weren't filling out all the seats
They actually offered for a brief period of time
A
Overweight
Shipping process
Yeah, it was super cheap
And I shipped seats like that
And a bunch of other big ungainly stuff
And the idea
Was that
People were no longer
Traveling via Greyhound
Like they once had
And so you have that
Basement storage
Which was originally
You know, kind of built in for
Oversized luggage and, you know
Stuff that you didn't carry on
Well, now people were, you know, accessing
First of all, they weren't filling out Greyhound buses
And B
You know, they weren't going on
Three or four day trips
And so you could
Ship a package via Greyhound
And they would shove it in the basement
And it would go port to port
Of the Greyhound stations
But if I recall, you actually had to pick up
And drop off at the Greyhound
You did
Of course, you know, in that regard
That always had its own challenges
As far as, you know
Access to a Greyhound, you weren't
Just going to your UPS hub
And UPS wasn't coming to your house
But more so
There was another company that did that as well
I can't remember now
Fastenall did it as well
They were trying to get into the logistics market
And I will
100% when you tune into
Something that's more
Jeffrey and I haven't done an American hustle
In a hot minute, but
Around the concept of that
That type of
Podcast
You know, our
Theoretical concepts, bigger ideas
And whatnot, I oftentimes
Challenge people in personal conversation
To say, what does Jeff Bezos sell?
And Jeff Bezos doesn't technically
Sell anything, right?
What he had created
Was access to logistics
And
That actually is rather fitting in this
Specific conversation because
What he did was he allowed us
To
Tap into that desire for immediate
Gratification
And then to
Access the logistics from
Port to pickup of sorts, right?
So he took care of that with Prime
Specifically
And what a number of people may or may
Not remember was that
In part, his foundational
Service was actually in
Used college textbooks
And I actually
Back in the early 2000s
Was on Amazon selling
Used books, thought it was
A pretty good little side hustle
Because they were
You know, making a
Process that was rather cumbersome
Previously far more accessible
And eBay was selling parts
And pieces and so on and so forth
Whereas Amazon was looking at streamlined logistics
And so part of the waiting
Game is that
Over the course of 20 or 30 years
Our
Ability to go from the
Mail order catalog
Experience
We could go back further when you used to
Write out a letter, put your check
In it, send it off
To wherever, Sears
Someone would get
Your letter, open it, cash your
Check, box up
Your crap, and then send
It to you and you'd just be like
So show up someday
It's gonna show up someday
You didn't really call them, you just
You literally would like
Fill out a form in the bottom of a magazine
Or a piece of paper
It's like ordering from Wish today
You just know that someday it might show up
You're wishing
Does anybody actually order
From Wish anymore?
It all stopped coming across
It all got held up in the port and destroyed
Real quick in the comments
Jerry said he bought a wiener mobile
Pedal car via greyhound
Back in the day, it was actually a hilarious
Experience, that sounds hilarious
That is awesome
What a great, what a great
Campfire story that is
Everybody's sitting around
And then you come out with
I bought a wiener mobile
Pedal car that showed up
On a greyhound
That's one of those, no that didn't
Happened
I believe it happened
Genie said
No Nate today because he's out having fun at
Trail Hero X
Nate was on here, he was
He was trying to be on here
On the first rendition
On the first rendition, he was harassing us
And he has already messaged through
That our vinyl stickers
Are not sticking
Satisfactorily in the
Blazing heat out there
Gee, I wonder why
Yeah, right
A jog of Jeepers
Pointed out JC Whitney took four to six
Weeks delivery back in the day
And that was fast
And I want to note that
Before JC Whitney was a thing
And a lot of people referenced JC Whitney
It was actually Wachewskies
Before that
Or Wachewskies
Or something, a pronunciation
And then you eventually JC Whitney
Buys out the Wachewskies
Catalog series
And so we can
Go back this whole process
Speedway was that way too
They've just matured with
The time
And I have all the appreciation
For those companies who have made the transitions
And that's not exactly what this
Intended
Conversation is
We should, actually I would love to
You'll hear me talk all about
Four Wheel Drive hardware all over again
There was a lot of early episodes
I'm happy to
Grab my backpack
And my shovel and start to dig again
I'll just dig all that up again, that's all good
But really
I wanted to lock in and talk about
How this conversation
Of the waiting game pertains to
Today's
Modern logistics
From
Manufacturer quality
Specifically
Small batch
Or USA made product line
To
Giant, basically
Container loads, we've all seen
The freighter ships coming across
The ocean, we've seen the trains
Going from point A to point B
With the connex containers on them
Those are all full
Of
Stuff, import goods
And honestly, Amazon
For example, makes it hard because
You have
All the things on there, you can have
A small mom and pop place
Selling something on there
With their logistics, and then you can have
A
Big conglomerate that has a shipping container
Full of it with different logistics
And because we were
Once and still are sort of
Promised next day to
Two-day delivery, we expect
Both to do that
And I mean, I think that
The one thing that Amazon does
Do, and I've learned
Via proxy, first of all
Again, I was on there selling
Many moons ago
And then two, I've watched
A number of
Good, what I would call small batch
Manufacturers, as he designed
Works being one of them
And their
Trials and tribulations with
Amazon, let alone
A couple other manufacturers that
I am cognizant of
That are USA manufacturers
Selling both on
Amazon and direct to customer
On their websites and
In catalog sales
With your larger e-commerce
Retailers like Quadratech
And what I recognize
With Amazon is that they still hold
You at stringent
Requirements of
Immediate availability, so
Unlike yesteryear
Where you would put that
Check in the mail and mail it off to
Jimbob's Jeep parts
And Jimbob might take
Three weeks to ship your part
Just because he's off screwing around
Now Jimbob
If he wants to sell on Amazon
The tradeoff is you're going to be
Put in front of a billion people
Your product is now advertised
And is optimized
As far as search algorithms are concerned
In front of billions of people
But
You have to jump through
X, Y, and Z hoop to deliver said product
In the time frame that we
Expected
As a corporation
From Amazon's perspective down to
The independent seller
And you can, as I understand
Take your product
As he was doing shift linkage
For example
And he would
Store it, he would pay to warehouse it
Within Amazon's facilities
For an additional cut
On behalf of Amazon
I get you extra brownie points because now
It shows up
Extributed by
Amazon
And I would let
As he speaks for himself, he's not here
To contend that, but he's
Led a very public life
Utilizing his social media platforms
To talk about the ups and downs
Of his processes
Because then the problem is, once he started to do that
And just like anything
Any good, worthwhile product
It will
Get copied by
Import markets
I'm going to jump over to the comments real quick
Because Daddy Jeep said he had bought a roll bar
From JC Whitney back in the day
A plastic one even, it must have been for that pedal car
From Jerry Hoover
I think faux roll bar
Was supposed to be in there somewhere
Yeah, I don't know
What plastic roll bar would you be using?
I'm really, because here's the thing
I need folks to know
That I used to live and breathe
By receiving the JC Whitney catalog
In the JP magazine
I remember them showing up in the mail
And I would be a back one four-wheel parts
Was a legitimate company, what's that?
You were a vested
I was, and I had markers and I was
You know, drawing arrows
And I had
He was drawing arrows, he was drawing hearts
It was hearts, and then I had like
No, notebook paper
And this will surprise, if you're close to me
It will not surprise anybody, but I would like
List the product, the product number and the price
And I would track it
From
From catalog to catalog to verify
When, it was a good time to buy stuff
Also, it was like
A daydream of mine, because of course
I was going to own
Like a crew cab, dually
Four by four, pick them up truck
Plus a suburban, plus a Jeep
And so I was, you know, daydream
Bench-top building, all of those
Via the JC Whitney catalogs
So I was in there pretty regularly
So I want to know what plastic was
Where our body Chevy is what he put
I bet you
It was the one that was angled
It was the angled, like the triangle
Type looking roll bar
That's kind of a fair
You just had to hold up your KCs
That's right, that's all I had to actually do
It's not actually a roll bar then
I also get a kick out of the
Jim Bob is like trail forged
I'm aware of that
And if they're going to take
A good jillion years, like notch
Customs and then sort of fold
AGR, power steering systems
I'm here for it
Let's put their business out there
And tell people not to buy from them
But that's not me being jaded
That could be a whole other podcast
Griffin radiators
Who has wronged
Who has wronged me
As far as
Presenting themselves as a legitimate business
And now
And now we're going to put them on blast
That might need to be like a four part episode
Start with FedEx
Anyways, anyways
Picnic table
If you don't know
I want you to be in
On the inside joke, if we're going to talk about the inside joke
We ordered
From a good quality manufacturer
A good USA manufacturer
God, I'm trying to remember who the heck it was
They were somewhere
West Coast
And it had to come freight
And so
Somewhere along the line
Of it traveling from California
To here
It morphed
From a bumper or from a suspension system
Into picnic tables
And so FedEx delivered us
A pallet load of picnic tables
Around the COVID times
It was 21
We were like, no, we didn't order picnic tables
We should have just took those suckers
We should have, but we refused the picnic tables
Upon delivery
So we got charge for that delivery
Charge for
We're about four years
I fought that one
That was a good one
I remember taking the calls like four years later
And I'm like, you don't understand
We got picnic tables
And we're a garage shop
We didn't order picnic tables
We ordered parts for jeeps
We should have kept those
At least on our picnic table
Talking to them about it
But that's a perfect example
But
The idea that
Because data set exists
On the internet
We, as consumers
Believe that product
To exist
I wish I had a dollar for every phone call
And I don't feel a lot of phone calls
Sure
Of people calling, hey
I was just wondering if you'd like
Have this one of three
Part on the shelf somewhere
That has been available for like 20 years
Right
For this obscure old vehicle
It doesn't exist, homie
And the product
Might have data that exists
And is floating around the internet
But, you know
To the credit of that caller
At least they're trying to find it
They're calling different sources, I understand that
Versus just being mad that they can't find it anywhere
Yeah
And so that is a thing
And we have had
Random parts like that before
Actually, we do have one sitting here
We don't know why
And that is absolutely true
But the
Efficiency of that
Becoming customer
Or consumer available
That's selling by accident
Right
And so as an example
That I'm wanting to kind of
Specifically share
Is there is a number of products
That are
What I would call small batch
Manufactured
And the problem is people look in
At companies
And I'm going to use good USA companies
Like Iron Rock Off-Road
I'll talk about Dana Spicer
In their aftermarket program
But likewise Curry as an example
And
Curry and Dana
Are making
You know, specifically
Axles and Axle-related products
Well
The challenge is that
The process to
Make said product
And I'll throw Mickey Thompson in on the conversation as well
Because I can
Those aren't small manufacturers
And they're not
And we think
Of them being these large prolific
Machines
That should be able to satisfy
A transaction
Or sale
At a moment's notice
Because we perceive them as
This illustrious company
This
Monster of a company if you will
That they should be able to fill my order
I see the data
I know that the company is this big trusted entity
Northridge says
That this product should exist
And so therefore when I swipe my card
It should the product should show up
What they don't know is that like for Dana example
They make 10
Of this Axle and this gear ratio
And then they move on to the next
Gear ratio and make another 10
And it just
Goes through the market as a roll
And I would be surprised if it's actually even 10
I was gonna say but there's also the fact that
Companies like Northridge
Will put the inventory on there
For pledged inventory
They don't necessarily have that in their warehouse
They just know that they have an order in
And three weeks
They make 10 Axles
So they're gonna try to sell those 10
Before they're even made
And I've certainly seen this
Argument happen at the
Quadratec level or at the extreme terrain level
Where they are not putting inventory
And
They're just taking people's money
And then they're
Sitting on it, they're playing customer service
And Rusty's off-road was one of
I know
That one's really chapter
Rusty's off-road and I'm not
Exactly certain what Rusty is doing these days
But back in the day
Pre-COVID, a year or two pre-COVID
I had a personal conversation
With Rusty
And he said
It was important to him at that time
That if he had the
Product, if it was on his website
Then he had to have one on the shelf
And for many years
Of me working with him
Again, all this conversation
Kind of came, it was
Prior to COVID
It was really important to him that if it was
Listen on the website, then he had one on the shelf
Ready to ship to customer
And that was his commitment to the community
As a whole
And I'm sure that was because of him dealing with
The early days of logistics and getting burned
Absolutely
And I think that
And I'm not sure
What has happened in the last
Three to five years
Because I do know that
Everybody
Certainly domestic markets experienced
Delays
In product availability and challenges
Huge delays
Huge delays
Rusty had the best
COVID
Cold music
Explaining his situation
And the problem
And this is a good segue
In conversation is the material
That
The bar is high for
Iron Rock, for Dana, for Curry, for Mickey Thompson
And they're not
Willing to
What's that? And JKS?
JKS, Rusty's, they're not
Willing to lower their standards
Just to meet supply
Or meet demand
By tarnishing their supply
And arguably
There are times where we will see things
With them
Where they're trying to push stuff out the door
And their failures
Are still even different than the import product
Failures, in my opinion
But you could have a bumper manufacturer, DV8
That
Is in the Asian markets
And they'll use
Kind of anybody's
Metal
That they can use
Whatever the cheapest bidder is
Potentially
And I don't know specifically about
DV8's situation as far as the cheapest bidder
On the metal itself
But factually
The Red Rock
Or the Barricade, or the DV8
We've certainly seen those products
Be affordable
And available
Without much
Deviation in product
Price point
Via the tariffs
And the this, and the that's
That product just seems to still flow
Through our market somehow
And yet
We see it possibly rust out
Within 6 months, or 10 months
If you are
In the Rust Belt areas
I'm certain that if you are consuming that product
And you're in the Southwest
And it only ever lives in your garage
Or
It stands a chance
It stands a chance, right?
Out there the powder coat just dies by the sun
And then it still rusts away
That's why I said it stands a chance
The challenges the average consumer
Might not be aware of those
Idiosyncrasies
In the process of consumption
You know what I mean? In the process of picking the right part
For their vehicle
They just go, hey I know this product exists
I like the look of it
It fits within my price point
I pull the trigger and it shows up
I feel happy, right?
Whereas I recently
Was corresponding with
One of our good customers in California
He was looking at some fender flares
For his wife's
Jeep
And I think
I turned him on to Road Armor
Road Armor out of Texas
Kind of
Fabfors-ish
Fabfors is far more known
In the Jeep community
Road Armor had its ups and downs
They're definitely a big truck manufacturer
They have
Ten to have a month, month and a half
Two month lead times
At one point in time
We sold a bumper of theirs
Again, COVID times
Took six plus months
And that was no delay on our part
From the moment
That the customer placed the order with us
To us, you know, placing the order
With Road Armor
They were just on a six month lead time
Now
One of the companies that was
In my opinion, infamous
Infamous means that you're kind of negatively known
For something
Would be JCR
So even prior to
The COVID times
JCR had
Exorbit lead times
Now the other thing that JCR was doing
Is they had
A wildly successful
And ultra-silly
Social media
They had to make pizza shirts
They were making fun shirts
They were doing lots of public outreach
I can appreciate their commitment
To the community as a whole
But one of the things
That they did
Was they withdrew themselves
From the entirety
Of the distribution network
And
This is important
To note
Because they did this
Because they weren't going to change their lifestyle
They had a captured audience
People who were going to their page
To land on their page
People who enjoyed their social media presence
People who in their geography
Appreciated their product
And they
No longer wanted the headache
Of their product
Being available
Across the worldwide web
And by proxy
The distribution networks
The quads, the extremes, the north ridges
Whoever's
And they are
JCR
Intended or
Is
A small batch manufacturer
They're not making their bumpers
Via crappy press machines
Over in import markets
And then stuffing them into a container
And shipping them across the pond
So they changed
Their distribution to make
Their product harder to find
But they did that intentionally
Right?
Even the thing anymore? JCR?
Absolutely
Absolutely
So they're big in the Toyota market
They've actually shifted their approach
They created Victory
Which Victory was intended
To compete with
The modular market
That was really popular at the end of the JK
Again, talking about
That immediate consumption
I credit
I credit Rugged Ridge
Which is an import
Manufacturer
And they saturated the market
They rebranded themselves with the JK
Because you and I remember
Onyx ADA and Rugged Ridge being crap
And then all of a sudden
I remember one day vividly
Around 2015
2016
And I remember seeing a Jeep
Just like super proud to have the window banner
And had the stickers and said
Rugged Ridge on it
And I thought to myself, holy cow
Like they have rebranded themselves
JK owners think this is a cool brand
And what they did
In that same timeframe
Was they created what I call the modular market
And
This helped change
The waiting game
Because if you recall
Now more things could ship more efficiently
Things were flat packed
And you had to assemble them
They were kind of like Jeep parts via Ikea
And you could buy bumpers
And you would buy just a stubby
And then you could buy wings
That had little lock boxes on them
And of course
We had a customer who did that
That bought via the mail order process
And I used that word tongue in cheek
Because he obviously did it via the internet
But
Immediately those locks, the hinges
Everything seized, rusted, shut
Within, you know, 18 months
Here in our area
This was like, I said, 15, 16-ish
And yet
They created the modular market
So that by the time that the JL
Rolled around
We saw a bunch
Of manufacturers
Even small batch, a high line off road
Was a god rest their soul
Even a high line off road
Was attempting to the modular market
With the JL bumper series
Because they were trying to pursue
The fact that they could have a bunch of smaller parts
Prepped
And ready for the consumer
To
Acquire their product
Accessorize, you want a bull bar
You can bolt it on, right?
You want wings or you don't want wings
You can bolt them on or off
And that then
Was an attempt to
Create greater speed to market
Which then limited the waiting game
Whereas
We've seen a number of companies
I think
That actually created the race to the bottom
For a lot of companies
They kind of got away from what made them
Uniquely them, JCR
Was taking a lot of heat
Because it's important to know
JCR only wanted to work four days a week
This is an important part of the story
So then they would go out camping
Partying and doing other types of fun
Off-road shenanigans Thursday, Friday
Saturday, Sunday
And they worked their butts off
You know, Monday through
Thursday, I think
But people saw them out
Goofing off and not filling
Their orders, not making their parts
Their wait times got longer and longer
And so JCR said
We're not going to jump into the distribution game
We're going to actually pull ourselves
Back because the race to the bottom
That's how they cut themselves off
From racing to the bottom of their quality control
Whereas
Highline off-road, they ended up going
You know, they closed down
I don't want to say they did not go bankrupt
They just went belly up
We've seen a number of manufacturers
You know, close
Realign or whatever
With that said, manufacturers like
Artec and Rockhard
I think those are the ones I want to exemplify
They doubled down and they said
You know what, I'm not even going to worry about
Trying to put product, iron rock
I'm not even going to worry about putting product
In distribution networks
I'm just going to what makes
You know, I'm just going to do what makes
Us, uniquely us
You're going to get a Rockhard bumper
And it's going to show up on a freight pallet
And you're going to wait
Three to five weeks to get it
And that's if they don't realize
That they have to redo the powder coat
Well, that is an unfortunate part of their conversation
At least they're willing to
But they are willing to
And Artec
They are unwilling
At least in conversation that I've had with them
To lower their bar
Or standard on
Their metal acquisition process
Aluminium, whether you're
Fully aware or not, aluminum
Is a product that is
Not great
In domestic markets
This is one that
The process of creating aluminum
Product
Requires
Import
Processes
We rely
On stuff outside the US
To make aluminum products inside the US
And when we
Introduce geopolitical
Hiccups in the road
Making aluminum products
Suffers
So we may have our own aluminum
We can't actually make it well
Because we don't have all the ingredients
Per se to do the job
And so like
Artec and a couple other manufacturers are like
Nope, I'm not even going to try and
Push a product to market
If I can't do it to our
Degree to our level
So what ends up happening is
As a consumer, we're then faced with this conversation
Of
Do I turn
To Amazon
Or some just
Random internet page
To hope and pray that I get this part
Or I buy a bumper
Via Prime that tells me I'm going to have it
Immediately in three days
Or am I
Making a concerted purchase
That
I know that's going to take a month
Two months for me to get the product
Let me go to the comments then
I got OP and Quigley saying
Got a set of snotty built fenders
That are rusted out in less than a year
And a set of go rhino sliders
That are all dented in because they aren't really sliders
Powder coat is trash too
I didn't buy once cry once
My mistake
And that fits perfectly with what you were just saying
You're going to pay more
You're going to wait longer
But you'll have a better quality product
Buy once cry once
And that is such a challenging
Concept because that then
Because we live in a world of
Instagradification
Correct and I think that that's human nature though
So how do we balance
That gratification
With
Waiting
And I know that one of the things that we
Specifically try to do
And when we
When we are a well
Oiled machine, which if you didn't know
That's not where
That's not the chapter SFJ is in right now
And I'm just going to own it
We're surviving
We are doing well
And we thank everyone for their patience
In this transitionary process
But Jeffrey has gone on to greater pursuits
Savage has gone on
To his own greater pursuits
You know, and so there are some
There are some hiccups
There's not as much coal getting shoveled
Into the boilers
At this process
But when we are doing things
As they were designed to do
We have a back and forth
So that when you're opening your emails
You're getting some updates
When you're going to your picture albums
You're seeing some pictures of your products
You're arriving, your Jeep is showing up
It's on the lift
There's an attempt on our end
Despite the fact that there is a waiting game
With us because of
How we do things
We're trying to
Give you
Some satisfaction
In the overall process
Versus back in the day with Wachewskis
Where I wrote out a form
And I checked some boxes and I circled some things
And I put a check in there and I mailed it
And then you just
I was going to go with Scott's reference
Of Senate by horse and wagon by whatever
That's true, we haven't brought up those
I knew we had to get the horses somehow
A pony express
And really myself
I have no problem waiting for
A quality part
That's because you're like 88 years old
But here's the thing
I had a point, hold on a second
Go ahead
When it's uniquely that process
So say
For example
JCR was making a specific bumper
Their way
I'll wait for that
What I get bugged by
Is when I go on and I can see
Maybe they're just assembling
Product
Into one package
And then sending me that package
And I start to see the chinks in the armor
So I know that well actually this
Comes from over here and this comes over here
And I can go over here and go like
Well this is like
$800
This unique part of it is $5
And it's actually available over here
And I can have that faster
Than I can have this over here
But I'm paying them to assemble it
Paying for the convenience
That's where I start to
Not being as understanding as possible
But what I was going to
And I like that we
Try to show transparency
And go like hey
Actually the $5 part did show up
And it's on the shelf and it's waiting for you
But we're waiting on this other part
So
We're showing the
Behind the curtain kind of thing
We're trying to bridge the waiting game
Versus have that curtain drawn
On the consumer
And I don't want you to lose your thought
But just kind of as an extension
On there
I think that
We live in a society where
People want to know
They want to see inside
And certainly within Jeep community
They want the tracking number
They want to open up the curtain
And watch
They might not necessarily be able to make all those things
But they're like hey I'm interested
In what's happening behind the curtain
I'd like to watch
And that actually goes into what I was trying to bring up
You know five minutes ago
The waiting game is
Based on
The person that's waiting
How fun can they have in the waiting line
If you go stand in a line at a DMV
And somebody's dancing and listening to music
And they're having a good old time
They don't mind the little extra weight to get to the counter
Versus the guy that's just sitting there like
What the fuck
This is going to take forever
They're having a bad day
So with social media
And segregation
Some of the things that I see people doing
That have to wait for those parts
As they're churching it up on social media
They're marketing their own self
Their vehicle, whatever they're doing
Making it a fun experience for that waiting period
Cultivated waiting
Cultivated waiting
We're going to come out with a checklist
To cultivate your waiting game
I think that's a great example
Because it makes me think of
Specifically a near and dear place
For certainly Greg and I
Cedar Point
And Cedar Point is known
For having some of the most
Adrenaline
Pumping
Extreme
Ride attraction
Wait in line for 3 hours for a 30 second ride
But you're going to wait in line
Right? Now there's a couple ways
A, you can choose
You can choose to pay more
To fast-track things
You can choose
To stay on one of their in-house resorts
So you get an hour or two earlier or later
Potentially
There's ways to work within their system
You can get food while you're waiting
But you have to be very, very involved
You can't be
A disconnected consumer
Right? You can't just be like
Well, I put my card in
And now I, you know
If you're doing that, you're waiting the 4 hours
Likewise, if you show up
And let's say the park opens normal time
At 9 or 10 am
And you go to the first ride
Everybody just goes the first ride
Everybody like this pattern of human behavior
They actually move the same rides
That herd mentality actually goes
And they stand in the same line
And they move from front to back of the park
My wife and I years and years ago
The gates open, we ran to the back of the park
And worked our way backwards
Because the line was smaller at the back of the park
100%
I got more rides in for the day
100%
Now, that was part of that experience
Now, Cedar Point's no dummy though
They're good at taking your money
And trying to make it as enjoyable
As possible
In the lines where you're waiting for hours
For your 30 second, you know, thrill
They've got misters, they've got speakers
They even had DJs
On some of their longest
Big running, you know, longest wait times
Because they're cultivating the waiting
Correct
And if you go
Hey, at the end
This is a value added experience
This is worth it for me to sit in this line
For the top thrill dragster
Versus
The corkscrew
You know, the corkscrew or the iron dragon
Which if you're not familiar
Those were more of like entry level roller coasters
Pretty, they'll throw you around a little bit
But entry level
If somebody told you you had to wait for 3 hours
In the iron dragon, you just
You wouldn't go
So it's kind of like to me
It's pulling the trigger on the iron dragon
It fits within my budget
And it'll be here in the time that I'm
My budget is my time
You know what, it's only a 10 minute wait
That's my budget, I'll go in there
Do the 10 minute wait for the iron dragon
Versus a 4 hour wait for the dragster
Correct
And you get a longer ride out of it
By this much
100%
So I think that it's important to call in contention
Now, the last
For me, the last part of this conversation
Daddy Jeep, wait isn't this a Jeep show
It is, didn't you know there's Jeep coasters now
The last
Piece of this equation
And it's a Jeep show, this is just a general
Logistics
What is happening
With shipping
In 2026
Right?
Well it's broken, fuel prices are higher
Than ever
So things are going to sit
People are not going to ship as much
Prices are going to go up on shipping
Because they've got to satisfy
The cost of moving the goods
We specifically ran
Into an issue
Three weeks ago
Two, three weeks ago
I guess it was a little longer than that
Where we had an order
Air quotes go missing
It sat for
I don't know what seven days
In a town 30 minutes
East of us
Because they just didn't have
Drivers
It was a FedEx hub
That
Used to employ
13
Drivers
And when I eventually got to talk to the individual
It was right before we had gone on air
On one Monday, he said
Hey, there's five of us
We're doing the best we can with what we've got
More product sits longer
Because we actually can't get it out
And so it just sits in the crosstalk
If you didn't see that episode, Neil was a little bit
Fired up, just a little
Small bout for the whole episode
Wasn't actually FedEx, it was a
Off-shoot of FedEx
Oh, yeah
No, no, no, no, UPS
It's UPS is old
You know what, let me take it back FedEx picnic tables
Um, no
This was actually
UPS and their
Freight division because
As part of the logistics, FedEx Freight
FedEx Freight folks
Is its own entity
It is now no longer umbrella controlled
With anything else
FedEx related
No, no, no, no, I'm saying
He's right on FedEx right now
They're both FedEx Freight
Is still called FedEx Freight
It's called FedEx Freight
And it is its own standalone company
FedEx
Which used to have FedEx Ground
And FedEx Express
Are now merging
Within the next six months
To what I believe they're calling FedEx
Home Delivery
Or just FedEx Home
Which means they're eliminating
Drivers
And routes and crosstalks
That are currently serving
Your neighborhood
Express one way
Express specifically is being eliminated
And now the expectation
Is that FedEx
Ground
Which has become home
But that same truck, those same
Hubs will now be supporting
The route deliveries
In your local neighborhoods
Now UPS Ground
Has been doing the same service
This is not
Unusual
And what they have is that UPS Ground
When you do next day air
In non-peak
Seasons
Next day air is, at least in our area
Is guaranteed arrival by 1030
So they go to
The next day air areas
First delivering specifically
Next day air
That means that if
The person next to you paid for
Next day air and you paid for ground
They're going to come to your neighbor's
House and deliver by 1030 AM
You might not see that same
Truck, that same driver until three or
Four in the afternoon
That's just because of how it lays
Out in the ground delivery
Your delivery was there sort of
It was literally right next to you
And now it is gone
Now UPS
They sold off their
Freight delivery
Which they became that company that I got all
Fired up hot and bothered about
Somebody in the comments will remind me who it was
I don't know, we'll say it and I'll be like
Damn, I don't like them
But the big thing that UPS has done recently
I don't understand this
To save my life
They have closed all of their middle
Operations satellite cross-docs
With the belief
That more are on the way
Across the country coast to coast
They have laid off people
They have closed cross-docs
And they have flat out shut down
Operations
In localized areas
Again putting more workload
On the same amount of drivers
That they had so on and so forth
The waiting game
All of this has to be said
Now Amazon is like
Don't even get me started on USPS
That's not even applicable
Joe's in the comments going out about FedEx
Being all independent contractors
Which is also true
It's basically a franchise
FedEx home now
Because FedEx Express
I think was like corporate
I don't think that FedEx Express
Was the same
Different colors of the FedEx
Remember you would see
The green and then was orange
I want to say
That's not familiar to me
But regardless I think FedEx Express
Was this corporately owned piece
And then the ground
Was the independent contractor
Franchises as you're saying
And now this home
I'm not sure how that substructure
Will work with home
I'm guessing it will be as well
Saves FedEx a ton of money
Once again
Amazon is attempting to revolutionize
Logistics
And this does not bode well
For small batch quality
Manufacturing
Do you see what I'm saying?
So I'm tying this all in folks
To the fact that you're still going to be able to go on
And buy some alphabet soup
Bumper
And have it at your house
And you're going to have a tracking number
Basically from the time that it leaves China
Across the connex container
Landing in Los Angeles and to your house
It might as well be the Temu of bumpers
Which of course you can buy bumpers
And axles on Temu
I've yet to do it but I can see them
I'm interested
Well you know Jeff
Q1 2026
Did not go how I thought it was going to go
So I have an axe of grind on that
Because they say that things are
Available and they say
They're going to give you all this great stuff
Temu?
And then they don't
Why did you get
I got bit by Temu
My son got scammed by Temu as well
I'm slowly getting my products
Okay
It's supposed to maybe show up today
But that's about the 15th time
I said it was going to show up
Interesting. But did you get to spin the free wheel?
I did spin the free wheel
And that's why I bought the four dollar product
Because I thought I was going to be able to get
A discount on another product
And then they took it away
Then you need to do all the points and play the games
And you never actually get anything
Jeannie brought up a good point
She's glad she's not at the post office now
Because they had to deliver it from all those places
Including DHL and didn't get paid to deliver them
DHL is another good example of one
That was a home delivery service
And it used to be
Like they were chasing FedEx
And UPS
Hard. And then one day they were like
Nah, we'll just go to
We'll go commercial international delivery only
And it was such a weird
Just hard stop
Hard stop. So I guess
You know, my only
Resounding piece
Is to encourage
Individuals
To buy once, cry once
To
Plan out that
Acquisition that is going to
Create value in your life
And understand that the
30 second ride on top field dragster
Is going to be worth it
But in the meantime
Cultivate that
Waiting game
Make it enjoyable
Figure out how you can post about things
And keep it positive
In the process
And keep it a degree of transparency
And be involved in it
Because yes, that easy click of a button
Buy now, have it in
Two, three days, feels good
As an immediate dopamine release
It is arguably the same
As watching a reel or a
Short. It's this
I asked my kid over the weekend
You know, just trying to
You know, trying to make
Sense of the world we're living in
And everybody does it, right?
Everybody, whether it's on the
Facebooks and you're watching the reels
Or you're watching the Instagram reels
Or you're watching shorts on YouTube
Or whatever, you'll sit there and you'll thumb
Through half a dozen
A dozen at a time before you
Transition to the next thing. And we all do it at some point in our day
And I asked my son, I said
Tell me something you watched yesterday
Tell me something out of the reels
Out of the shorts that you watched
Did you learn anything? Did you
Engage in anything?
To his credit, he was
Actually able to recall
One of the things he watched
But if he watched something for 30 minutes
45 minutes
That's one
Two and a half minute session
We are living in that as far as
Our pursuit of immediate gratification
Our acquisition
Of crappy bumpers and sliders
And lights and so on and so forth
And I understand
I'm not saying that you can't
I've got nylite lights
On my lawnmower and I love them
Don't get me wrong, I bought those on Amazon
They work really well for my intended purpose
There's a time and place for certain things
My expectations, my bar
Was in
Similar alignment with my expectations
Yep
I get that
But
Recognizing trying to
Find that balancing act between
The product that I want and that will benefit me
And my expectations
But also
Appropriately playing the waiting game
And if your expectations are to replace it
Every other year then go for it
Gosh, there was something that I said
Oh my
There is a product and I'll think
Of it when we're off air
And the leading product in the industry
And I
Don't quote me on this
The leading product in the industry is like
2500 bucks
And
A comparable step down
Product
Is like 400 bucks
And it's going to rust out
Don't quote me but I think
It's steps, quite literally
Rock slide engineering
And their
Their drop down steps
Versus a fixed
Kind of
Step that you can buy from Rough Country
Or one of the
E-commerce pieces
And I do recommend the Rough Country
Over a no name alphabet soup
Amazon version
Just so we're all on the same page
Because at least you can call them and they'll get a human on the end
And they'll commiserate with you
They might tell you to pound salt at the end of the day
But you are going to be able to talk to a human
In a business and that is valuable
But anyways
At 2500 bucks or $3000
For the rock slide engineering fully
Kitted out
Or a fixed step for
400 bucks
Even if you destroy that fixed step
Even if it rusts out
You can put like 5 sets on
For the same cost as the RSEs
Now depending on your expectations
I was going to say but then you lose the convenience
Of the power steps
You lose the durability of it
The actual slider function out
So there's a lot of
Given takes on that
I was going to say if that's your expectation
And you know that that's
By all means
And that's fine it's when the person doesn't understand
The difference between the two
And they think they're getting
They're a good product
But they're not
Which is almost another conversation
Absolutely
Because how often
We get people being like well this
Expert told me and I mean
No discredit to this individual
But this will segue us for a
Future talking point
I had an individual call the shop the other day
And we're really good at right hand drives
Right and I mean
I say that in the sense that right hand drive
For the vast majority of the world
Is
It's like kryptonite the superman
Correct
They're like I don't know what to do
The vast majority of the US
And I say that
Of the US and I say that
A lot of these
Jim Bob garages
Will not know that it's kryptonite
They're like well it's just a regular jeep
And I'm going to do this thing anyways
Does that make sense? Yes
That's my contention is
They don't know that it's actually kryptonite
And they're like I'm just going to
Rub I'm going to make a gem out of this kryptonite
And wear it because they don't know
What they don't know but yet
TJ Wranglers and XJ's
And now JK's we have
More than a plethora
Of experience and I've helped people
Build out lift kits for TJ Wrangler
Right hand drives for years
Now using a number of different manufacturers
Number of different resources
And that's like a BC line product
Not everybody's aware of so this individual
Calls me because
Somewhere off on the corner of the internet
Somebody has recommended our services to him
But he is already
Consulted with a company in Australia
And when he gets on the phone
With me he tells me despite the fact
That he's calling me because on a thread
They told us they told him
That we were the experts he called me
That this company in Australia
Had told them X, Y and Z sold him
These parts and this part that he actually
Needs which I have knowledge
Of doesn't exist
And I literally
Ended up saying to him I said
Why are you calling me
Like what is your goal here
I can get you this part
Well the folks who sold me
The track bar they said it doesn't exist
Oh okay
But it does
Do you know what I mean
And eventually I just sent
Him on to that manufacturer
Which is a small batch manufacturer
And think about how hard right hand drive
Is to acquire
You know this manufacturer is not going to have
A hundred of these track bars
And track bar pockets sitting around
They might have three
And you might have to wait for the next round
Of things to come around
And I guess so that conversation about
Being sold a bill of goods
Is that primer
For the next round of
This kind of conversation I suppose
But I
Digress
I think we've
Done enough waiting game for today
I think the horse is beaten
I could beat it a little bit more
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With folks and chit chat
Almost every Monday morning at 10
19 a.m. Additionally
A number of people have recently reached out with
Topics
And I genuinely
Approach appreciate that
And we will be getting to those
Sooner than later
Additionally we are
About a month
Away a little more
From Bantam Jeep
Heritage festival
And so it's
Show season is upon us right
I encourage people despite some of the
Challenges with
Fuel and cost of
Groceries and all that kind of stuff
That ideally we can prioritize
Getting out there and enjoying each other's
Company at a number of these events and shows this
Summer and kind of
You know staying true
To what makes this Jeep community so awesome
I think with
That said we've got a ton of Jeeps to
To attend to today
And we will be talking about Bantam here
In the very near future getting people excited about
That and then subsequently some other
Great shows coming up this summer
But not today next time
Until then Jeep on
Jeep on
I still like my
No
So
I have to complain about
The weatherman first
And foremost that I was promised
Like
No rain it was like two percent
I woke up
And it was not the case it was something like
Seventy percent I don't know how we go from two percent
And then you know a night
Sleep and now it's seventy percent
The lake
I was personally
Affelected affected
Wow
What for you
And so
Those that don't know we
I took off work on Saturday to go to
The Camfield spot meet
In Camfield Ohio it's something I've been going to
For years
With family and friends
And
It was snowing
At my windshield as I was driving there
To the point I was like
I don't know if I want to keep going
If I'm just going to stand in the snow
And
I'm not feeling this in May
So
Got there and I was actually pleasantly
Surprised we had a lot of die
Hards
Wandering around bundled up
A few were even in shorts
I still continue
To not understand
That concept
But we were
Was able to wander around and the cool part is
Is that
It kind of ties in a little bit
What we were talking about today
The people that were there with products
For sale
Were there to sell the product
They weren't there to
Put a high price on it and haul it
To fourteen SWAT meets this summer
They just wanted to be done with it
They wanted to sell their products
They were there to clean out their garage
To move on this products
That they don't have a use for
And therefore you were able to bargain
How many truckloads you come back with
I didn't overdo it
You have to hesitate there
I went with a goal
To get a gas tank
For the Model T project
And I did get a gas tank
And
As always
Parts are cheap there
But you have to wander
All the aisles looking for them
And I was able to get a replacement grill
For my wounded
JT grill
And how much did you spend on that
I have to guess
On Marketplace right now
For a JL JT grill
Take off
You're talking between
$100 and $200
I was going to say $100 and a half on regular
So how much did I pay? $35
Less
$15
Less
10
$10
It was so funny
It's normal hot rod
Swat meat stuff
They happen to have a JL
Sahara
They happen to put a Timu grill in it
Can't match
He had Harley parts
And other things
And he had this grill and he had $20 on it
And they were literally almost stepping on it
To sell these Harley parts
So I was like
See you
Sahara grill will work on a Rubicon
Got to do some parts changing
But the base thing, what's wounded on my truck
Will work
And I had gotten one before
That I thought was an OE grill
Was actually a reproduction grill
And I'm weird
And I want the OE stuff
So my wife was like
They were
Busy
So I wandered away
Where my wife was at
And I was like, hey, give me $10
I don't want to ask for change for this deal
So I went up and I was like
I finally broke them up
I was like, hey
That grill you're literally trampling on
Can I look at that?
Oh yeah, sure, I'll look at it
Everything looks fine
He's like, oh, it's fine, I just put that other grill on there
I was like, I know
That's like
Take $10 for it
And kind of like
Fine, I don't want to take it home
That's right
The art of the negotiation
Of the swap meet
Same thing with the gas tank
It's a name brand gas tank
It was literally brand new in the box
The box had died
From the rainstorm
A previous day, this is a three day swap meet
I'm on the middle day
And he said
$100, I know it's a $300 gas tank
I was like, take $75
And the worst part is
My son was with me and he's like
You're going to use that in the tea, dad?
Shush
Don't show him my cards
So I was able to get that good deal
Very much appreciated
It helped my project along
I was able to get a pair of door handles in a free bucket
Love free buckets
A free bucket
Amy was able to get some
Enamel wear
Pots and pans, so she was happy about that
I had a car swap meet
What?
What the crap?
I was actually surprised
There was a lot of people there
A lot of people wandering around
I thought this was an indoor swap meet
No
This is the spring outdoor swap meet
In the snow
And they will have
Three swap meets a year
They'll have one in the summer where you go to get baked on
And then in the fall and the spring
It's just touch and go
Where was this?
Canfield, Ohio
I thought this was Jefferson
No
Jefferson has long
Departed us
That's all done
Yep, no more
Now I understand the Canfield
Canfield, was this
Is there a name?
A couple guys?
It's the
Not Dave and Buster's
There's a group that puts it on
They're an event company
That has taken over this show
They've done it for a bunch of years at this point
Another great session would be
Our swap meets
Viable
Yes
And what are the lasting ones?
What are and where are
Because York
PA Allbreeds was a massive
Swap meet inspired
Show
Carl has swallowed up
All those small shows
Same thing with Canfield
It's the main hub
In this demographic
But it's a small show compared to Carl
And some of the other ones
Absolutely
That's one of the reasons I wanted to go
Is I want to keep these kind of things
Alive and around
Not everyone can afford to go
And pay $350
For a gas tank
Sure
I'll take the slightly waterlogged one
From the track
But you'll have to watch on my
Instagrams
You'll see me putting a gas tank in
The cars here soon
Making it work for my use
I can't believe you found it, congratulations
I'm so happy
It was literally what I wanted
And there it was
I was literally
Yes, folks
Yes
I like my backup plan
What was that word?
Serpentine belt
So I was
Talking up Amy
My wife to
Like, no, if we don't find it here
Maybe we can just continue on the summit
Maybe they'll have one of the scratch and dent
And if that doesn't work out then I'm just going to buy a gas tank
Because I really want
Did you go to the summit scratch and dent?
I did not
We checked all the boxes
We were very cold, very damp
We decided we just
We accomplished what we wanted to
Set out to accomplish
Everyone had peaked fun including my kid
So it was time to go back home
And actually we
At home picked up my daughter from Grandma's house
And we went to Roll King
Which opened up at Sabre
And you will
Have to go there because you will enjoy that
I am thrilled
I honestly
Was
I was so busy this weekend with personal pursuits
And then obviously work here
The grand opening is still coming up
This is the soft opening which I don't understand
It's super confusing
You got to get your
You got to cut your teeth a little bit before you
We did a soft opening for the restaurant too
But you told people that
Yes
They
If you look it up just says grand opening is the 8th
So I thought they weren't open till the 8th
And then I had people going there
And they're like hey you really got to go check the store out
I'm like I know
I'm excited
But I have to wait till the 8th
And they're like no they're open
That's not my problem
So anyway it's really cool
You'll enjoy it
It's got all the cool little builder parts
And stuff on the shelf
That makes me happy
My air system that I put in my garage
They literally have it on the shelf
And don't have to go to Amazon for that anymore
So I was excited for that
Roll King is pretty cool
I had spring recital
All weekend
So in between
Racing back and forth with that
Both my kids are involved
In some way or another
Working here
Constantly
And then building at the homestead
Pretty par for the course stuff for me
Actually I didn't have anything all that
Illustrious
If you will
Keeping the ship afloat
At the moment
My weekend is different from you guys
Now obviously with the restaurant
So my weekends are Monday Tuesdays
So last week Monday
I was able to get some siding repair
I wondered how the siding
That was super easy
Just needed to re-tack it on
Had that done in a couple minutes
Do you have another ladder here?
I have two ladders here
That's what I thought
I was like
I think we have all of Jeffrey's ladders here
We have two ladders here
I've got another 28 foot at home
And I've got another ladder
At the restaurant
I'm going to have as much trauma with ladders
He has a lot of ladders
I do
I do a lot of projects
Anyways
Tuesday
We had to put a dog down
So we dealt with that
We buried the dog
So I had to dig a grave on Monday
And bury on Tuesday
And then we took the kids to
Erie just to do something different
We ended up
I had a laptop that needed to be repaired
So took it to Best Buy and then we went over to Cheddar's
And we got dinner at Cheddar's
Which was really good
Very shocked
Because I ordered their Sam Adams beer
And
They didn't have regular Sam Adams
They had their seasonal beer
From Christmas
I'm like
Almost May
What are we doing?
It was so good
It was aged
Yeah
So that was
No, we had a good time
The kids were a good distraction for them
And then I found out
That Cheddar's doesn't accept gift cards
Even though they say they accept gift cards
Because we had a gift card
I was like, cool, we'll use that to pay for it
They tried manually entering it
They tried every way they could
And I'm like, it is literally showing
Valid and active right here
And they're like, yep, we see that
They will not let it take
I'm like, okay, that's fine
Use this card instead
Rack up more debt
I ate at Cheddar's for the first time
A couple weekends ago
And I really enjoyed it
It's phenomenal and it's affordable
It is
And all of the above
And I did a little deep dive
On the business because of course I can't just enjoy a meal
And move on with life
I got to understand the business a little bit
And it was named by
A fifth grade class back in the 60s or 70s
They did
A naming
How the communities used to come together and be like
Name this mascot
Or we need an idea for
Blah, blah, blah
And a fifth grade class is accredited with naming it
Cheddar's
That's awesome
It is super cute
And a testament to them
As a company continuing to exist
50 years later
It's funny because I also
When I went to Role Camp it was not familiar
I had to go into a deep dive on that
Company as well
That's another fun one
I've done that dive on that too
Alright folks, well we have
To deep dive into Jeeps
And we are staying busy with some
Awesome projects happening here now
Check out our live
Coming up in the next day or two
We typically like it to be on Tuesday
But Wednesday Tuesday updates are okay as well
Until next time, jeep on
Jeep on
About this episode
The hosts trace Jeep parts buying from old JC Whitney catalogs and slow mail-order waits to today’s instant-gratification expectations shaped by Amazon and modern logistics. They contrast small-batch manufacturing, limited inventory, and distribution choices with the pressure to ship fast, then weigh price against quality in aftermarket parts. The conversation also includes right-hand-drive Jeep expertise, a few cautionary tales about parts that don’t fit or exist, and a personal weekend at the Canfield swap meet with bargain hunting and weather complaints.
"Cultivate your waiting experience". In this episode Neil, Scott, and Jeff tackle the uncomfortable topic of logistics. Why is waiting worth it? or should you just go with the cheap amazon equivalent? Tune in to find out their thoughts.
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
