Been absent for a minute...
Frankly, few (new wheelers) people care about the tech any longer. They're not trying to build or make anything themselves; they want to buy it, bolt it, and go. I even see this in my kids- I'll expand more on them in the next paragraph... Most of us, dare I say old timers, have absorbed most of what we need- to our ability level. As much as I have always enjoyed forums, the like button killed interaction. That button has turned more into a 'seen' button than any type of appreciation, and I'm guilty of it too. Something I've always held high on my list, is interaction via a typed response. Even now on IG and FB, if someone types a response to my post- read- is affected or cares enough, takes the time to physically type something, I do the same in return to show appreciation for their time and/or input. Maybe it's just where my skillset has grown or just I'm just old and hard headed; I don't search for tech in forums any longer, it's not there. I go to the source, via direct message or a phone call. It's damn faster than the search. I've become acquaintances via internet friends or actually meeting with enough people now, I don't mind making the call. The tech I'm interested in isn't typically shared anyway with the growth of our sport in the racing arena. It also contributed to the death of tech in forums. I love NC4x4, but it's tech is near gone, relative to new, higher end input.
Back to my kids: mainly Carter who is 14 now. Some of you might remember that he has been my wheeling kid since he was 5. He has become a poster child of the instant gratification nation. We recently got back from a trip to Minnesota/ Wisconsin. On the trip I stopped to shop the comanche to someone whose been eyeing it a few years, not telling Carter my intentions. He realized what was happening and finally showed legitimate concern. Given, he applies zero input to the wheeling life, aside from jumping in the passenger seat. Never helps in the shop, never preps for a trip, never packs the cooler- hell doesn't even know how to release the ratchet strap on the lid, never secures the rock crawler to the trailer, or packs his own clothes... absolutely nothing. At the ultra 4 race at AOP last summer, I cut a tire pulling Ken Carter back to camp during his practice laps, Ken's (10ish iirc) son jumped on changing my spare while Carter stared at the sky with his thumb up his ass. In Minnesota, a family we paired up with had a 10 yr old with his own buggy, who could actually drive; made Carter look like a toddler, with his knowledge and ability. Carter puts in zero effort, but now he wants the comanche... go figure. Maybe I haven't been the best step dad because I'm not going to force them to spend time in the shop, but when I was a child and my father had a Harley shop, you couldn't tell where I ended and dad's ass began.
Soooooo, trying to be a better father than his dead beat sperm donor, I canceled the trade deal. Told Carter, I'm taking all the drive/ powertrain, shocks, bumps, wheels and tires, basically expensive hard parts to build me a new buggy; and he can have the chassis. He would have to buy the parts - many of which I have from my recycling ventures; axles, motors, wheels, used tires, e.t.c. In this deal, I explained I would not do the work for him, aside from instruction of tools and processes. He would buy consumables, materials and parts. It'll be a 1.5 year ordeal minimum. It was of great discussion on our trip. I intentionally bashed as many panels on the truck at possible... and succeeded in trashing every single one but the doors and tailgate. With every crunch, he cringed and complained. My reply; you will learn how to do repairs and modifications- you're not acquiring a perfect rig for you to destroy until boredom. You must invest your time and brain power to have a stake in it. So far, (only two weeks now), he has shown a great deal of enthusiasm and interest. He got my copper stripped in record time for him, has been practicing his Google-fu, we drug the super duty axles out of the weeds, and he's starting the de-junking of the factory brackets tomorrow. We'll see how this plays out. He has expressed concern on how he will buy the big ticket items, and I told him if his interest stays high and he shows me that he is invested, I'll help him on holidays with such pieces as partial gifts. Time will tell.
Anyways, I got off subject.
The following generations aren't interested in building something, they don't need tech. With poor credit even, they can go get a sxs loaded to the max, a tow rig, and a trailer: to do almost the same stuff we're doing with our crawlers that were mapped out with years of forum tech and absorption. My current and future customers are mostly capable of building their rigs, but they're of age, familial and careers that don't afford them the time any longer. They're established, and can afford to pay someone they trust to build their rig now.
I'll continue to post, and keep my shop thread, and probably a build thread on the new buggy. Likely less voluntary explanation than in the past, but if a question is asked I will expand. If you only want to see pretty pictures, y'all can come 'like' them on IG/FB [emoji1787].
As per forum history, this thread sucks without pics...
Matt
Cutlerfab
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