Jeeps & Off-Road

It’s 9am and already a hot Sunday morning in July here in Corona, California. Summertime means sweltering heat, no school, and much-needed vacations. The desire was strong to pack our gear, head out and get dirty alongside the smell of gasoline. Wrangling our Jeeps and Off-Road vehicles for our monthly Cars & CaFe together was the next best thing. Birria tacos, courtesy of La Pikosita, is always better when surrounded by trucks, Jeeps, and even a dune-buggy or two.

A few like-minded vendors joined aFe POWER and Sway-A-Way. The Fab School was first in line, the unrivaled trade school that boasts hands-on education in fabrication, welding, and off-road recovery. We spoke to Victor, who gave us a rundown on how its program sets its students up for solid career futures by teaching hands-on skill sets and transforming vehicles into custom-built beasts. Recent graduate, Austin Gladden of Gladden Motorworks, built this badass Ford Ranger. We met Austin a few years ago at Off-Road Expo when he won aFe Sway-A-Way shocks, and we like to stay updated on his latest stunts.

Long-time friend and aFe ambassador, Mike Duvall of Duvall Offroad Designs, brought his hefty Jeep Rubicon 392, equipped with its V8 American Muscle HEMI engine. Right now, this 392 is fairly stock, but he’s eagerly waiting for us to release an intake kit and shocks. He lives for the desert and trusts our grit. Don’t worry, Mike, it won’t be much longer.

DV8 Off-Road captures the spirit of all terrains with rugged bumpers, sliders, and exterior off-road protection. They gave center stage to their well-equipped Jeep Gladiator. DV8 representative Neyo reports they’re currently developing products for the Bronco. Nice– we are too. Got chips? You may want to hit up Premier Armor if you’re looking for extra protection for your on or off-road vehicle. Many of our precious company cars are wrapped with Premier transparent protection film, shielding everything from freeway debris to rocky desert scuffs.

If you didn’t make it– don’t sweat– until Sunday, August 21st, 2022. This month’s Cars & CaFe will showcase JDM, sport compacts, and our Takeda, USA brand. Because of the heat, we’re starting a bit earlier (8am-10am), but don’t worry; we’ll have Starbucks coffee and donuts to kickstart your Sunday morning. As always, all makes and models are welcome.