We seem to have an unquenchable thirst for the latest and greatest hard parts in our 4wd industry. We all want that set of killer axles, transfer case, engine, tires or newest widget that will make our rig ‘bombproof’ on the trail while with our buddies. We don’t want to be the one everyone waits on while we fix our junk on the trail, right? Read the rest of this entry »

If you are reading this magazine, then rest assured you share an addiction with all the other readers of this fine magazine and other magazines like it. Say to yourself; “My name is________ and I am a tool junkie.” Once you have come face to face with your inner demons…life in the garage or shop and at home will be much easier! Most of our family members do not understand our secret desire to accumulate a large assortment of tools or equipment and may view it as a sort of sickness or mental disorder. They look at us in amusement as we proudly show off our newest acquisition the same way a woman shows off her first born child or her new diamond engagement ring. The lucky ones among us get to show off their treasures…the not so lucky have to smuggle their wares into their house to avoid the 20 questions that surely will ensue from their spouse. “Do you need that? Read the rest of this entry »

We get a considerable amount of emails from readers on what they would like to see in our magazine, and one of the prevailing subjects of interest is driveline. Tim (our illustrious Editor-In-Chief) has been on my case (read: ‘Busting My Ba$$s’!) to start writing some tech articles on front and rear axle building and construction. At my shop Mad4wd, we manufacture a considerable amount of custom, one-off axles for customers. We realize that they can get spendy, and not everyone has the ‘Bling’ to throw down on one of our new assemblies. If you have the tools (or access to them), some buddies, and are willing to undertake the project, it can be done in your home garage at a reduced cost. The aftermarket industry has really stepped up to the plate in the last few years to offer driveline parts to make both your and my job a little easier with acquiring parts that you would normally be scouring junk yards to find. Read the rest of this entry »

For the average shop, a need often arises for a quick method of bending custom brackets for all the various small custom jobs that 4wd fabrication shops seem to be getting into. OK, so we decided we needed one, but what exactly did we need? We proceeded to sit down and get a general idea of what type of bending capacities that we required in the shop on a day to day basis. Next, we looked at what was commercially available to us. What we discovered from our extensive research was equipment that we felt was overkill for our current needs and our budget. After looking at what was available, we felt comfortable that we could design and construct something fairly inexpensively that would suit us just fine to start out with. Smaller Fab shops and home builders usually have one of two reasons for building their own tooling. The first one being they are unable to justify the initial expense, or they plainly cannot afford a dedicated large press brake. We, of course, fell into that second category! Read the rest of this entry »