Exclusive Interview

How did you get into the off-road scene?

1983. I was 15 years old. My cousin was building a buggy in the garage next to my house. In between skateboarding and BMXing, I’d find myself in his garage helping him build his 1600 buggy. The first offroad race I attended was the Parker 400 in ‘84. I remember camping next to Ivan’s team when they had two pretty stock trucks they were racing. Watching them test near our camp was amazing; their driving skills were incredible.

And getting into the industry?

In high school we started fabricating tubular bumpers. We would take a piece of metal and five guys up to the volleyball courts at school where there was hole in the wall. We would set the tubing into the hole, bend it until it would start to kink, and then reset it. I started my first fab shop in 1994. The landlord gave me the boot after a couple years when he came in and saw me using a cutting torch. He thought I was going to burn his building down. So I called up my friend Jake and told him what was up. Jake offered to give me some space in his shop to do my own thing, but I decided that it would be best to work for him. In doing so I didn’t have to deal with any business aspects, and I could focus more on improving my skills. I worked for Prep By Jake for 5-6 years. Jake’s skills were so detailed and above and beyond the technology back then. Working for Jake helped to hone my craft and attention to detail. In 2001 I started Giant Metal Fabrication. My initial goal was to start out as a fab shop, and turn it into a line of parts. I focused mainly on Rangers for a couple years solid, and used this time as a development test bed, figuring out all aspects necessary for the line of parts I would later develop. It has been fun to create parts that perform at such a high level and are affordable. When I first got into the scene in the 80’s there was nothing even close to a bolt-on suspension kit available to us. It is enjoyable being able to offer offroad products that were not even imaginable in my early years of offroading.

Giant has supported a few grass roots 1450 teams recently. Why is that important to you?

In my early day, I was involved with a lot teams that poured 100’s of 1,000’s of dollars into their race efforts. These teams were so professional with their vehicles and their racing programs, and they set the bar so high that it was hard for some of us to relate to, and the standards were nearly impossible for most of us to reach. Being involved with the prerunner class really allows people to get out to the desert and race with a vehicle that they built for fun, within an affordable budget (for most). That’s why the class has grown to the numbers it has: there’s NO restrictions, low pressure, low entry fees, and tons of fun. It’s as inviting as it can get! 1450 racers are the majority of the target market for our parts. When we first started marketing our line of parts we called them “bolt-on race truck” parts. That’s why we like to run it, and support the guys that are in it. A huge part of our racing program is pit support: equipment, parts, welders, chase crews, communications, etc. By helping in all of these aspects, we feel that we’ve earned a big logo on the side of their race vehicles, rather than just offering money for contingency. But, it’s not just me that offers support to our race team, we have a dedicated group of people that are at every race helping out in any ways they can. There’s way too many to list, but you know who you are. Thanks for all your support. Each and every one of you is a valuable part of our team.

With the proliferation of the internet, it has become a powerful marketing tool for businesses in the off-road industry.  That said, shops are often publicly questioned on forums, this site included.  How do you deal with this and what would you say to “internet fabricators”?

The internet is a great communication tool. In our industry it’s a great media source and offers tons of information on trucks and events that are happening. Our website allows us to reach a larger spectrum of people, many of whom we would have never been able to reach otherwise. I personally think that accountability is lacking in our industry. Being publicly questioned on forums keeps companies and people honest. The companies that put out good work and have a good customer service ethic have nothing to be worried about. We have a few guys that frequent the forums, and are able to answer questions about our parts when they arise. The forums are a great place for people to network, regardless of where they are at on their own projects. The “internet fabricator” type person seems like a more by-the-books person that’s into technical information. There are a lot of ways that things have to be done, and through the forums people are able to get answers to their questions, and ideas for their projects. I think that the important thing that gets lost with being so into every little detail is just getting underneath your truck and doing it! I think that it is important to mention that everything you read on the internet is not always true. Things get more and more exaggerated as stories get passed down through 5 people. And, people do not always have experience with the questions that they are answering. The forums do offer a ton of information! But if you have a specific question about a specific manufacturer’s part, it is always best to go directly to the source and get credible information.

Your 64” Ranger leaf spring setup is pretty trick - what has the response been like?

The sales of the 64’’ spring kit have been awesome. Putting a spring with a large arc under the axle performs really well. The cost and the easy installation gets guys out to the desert in a weekend. Rich and Cameron Reeves run it on their ranger for the Superstition and Code Series and they’ve been placing awesome this year, which goes to show how well it works. All-Set Racing is as well and has turned out awesome performances against the larger travel linked trucks in the MDR series.

What do you think innovation means to the sport?

In the past offroading was such a high end sport that only top notch fabricators could make vehicles that could go fast and hold together. And, only people with a ton of money were able to afford the vehicles and maintenance. Innovation, particularly bolt on suspension kits, allow almost anyone that is interested a chance to go play in the desert with a truck that can handle, for an affordable price. Right now a consumer can have their pick of at least 10 different suspension kits available in the industry today. Garage fabricators have a chance to build a race truck, or toy with some basic tools, a chop saw, tubing bender and welder. Innovation in shock technology has been a huge part in the growing success of the industry. In the past the shock diameter and shaft size were so small that they limited how a fabricator could build a vehicle. Now, shocks have multiple sizes and options. The innovation in strength and performance in shocks allows fabricators to focus on other aspects of a build, particularly the suspension components. And, high performance shocks are both affordable, and available. Shock technology has been a major factor in the innovation of suspension kits.

Want to take a stab at what we can expect in 10 years in terms of new design and technology?

I’m sure shocks may get better and bushings will improve, stuff like that. But as far as parts go, I believe that simple will always be better. I’ve seen people try really, really cool concepts over 20 years; some have worked, but most fail. Too many moving components provide a chance for too many moving components to fail. In my opinion, simple and big will always be the way to go. This is not to say that I am completely close minded about technology in our sport. It’s just the fact that taking a vehicle and beating it over rough terrain all day will be stronger and last longer if it is big and simple.

Name your 5 most important design considerations when building a race vehicle.

All of the following aspects are a priority when building a race vehicle. In no specific order: Strength - Wheel Travel - Safety - Comfort/Cock pit setup - Purpose

What is it about Baja that keeps you coming back?

The adventures and stories you come home with after every trip. For instance, last year on the GIANT Baja Mini Tour, we were gassing up to start our second day on the trails. My friend Danny found a table top jump next to the highway so we started hitting it while we were waiting for the others to finish up. We didn’t realize that we were dusting out a federal police station directly across the highway. Needless to say, we had a little run in with the federales. You come home from a trip in Baja and tell your buddies these stories about how scary and gnarly it was, and then it dawns on you that you can’t wait to go back.

Any new projects in the works from Giant?

Our main focus has been tightening up the line of parts that we have now. We’re really happy with how solidly everything has progressed. We’ve been laying back on coming out with new stuff, but have a few ideas in mind. When we see a demand for a certain product we do consider adding it to our line up of parts. I like to come out with a part and then market it. I don’t like to market things that have not been developed.

Will we see you racing again in the future?

Maybe here and there. We’ve really grown into supporting a race team. This way we are able to spread the load to where they maintain and prep the vehicles, and we bring a bonus to each of their teams by helping with parts, repairs, upgrades, and support. We are way more valuable to the individual racers within our larger team since we are able to spread our support into various aspects of their racing efforts. If we can offset some of the racing costs for the guys on our team to help them continue being out there with parts, support, food, radios, chase crews, and EZ up shade, all this effort that we put into it is not a job for us, it our passion, friends, fun times, camaraderie, our lifestyle, it’s what we live for.

Giant Motorsports San Clemente, Ca