The first custom off-road overlanding van produced by WimpTech, this served as the test platform for many of our projects. This is also the van that invented the JK Jeep Bumper Mod. Click Here to read the instruction.

SAVED from an early death, this Jeep's humble beginning was at Sgt. Jeep's parts and scrap yard in Rosamond, CA. 

Sgt. Jeep has been featured on Dirt Everyday and continues to be the go-to source for anything Jeep related. Click here to see the Sgt Jeep FB Page.

The WimpTech flagship, this Safari was the defacto standard in the Astrofarian universe. Overlanding, road trips, tow vehicle, it did it all. With a full custom Kitchen (I mean running water, fridge, AC power, THE WORKS), folding bench seat, and all the trimmings, this baby took ass and kicked names. Click here to open the build thread on astrosafari.com.

Remember the part where this is all GUESSWORK? Well, I guessed WRONG on this POS. Rust and severe issues meant the untimely demise of this project. After 2+ years of dickin' around, we finally pulled the handle and flushed this turd. Click here for the build thread on vcvc.org.

What happens when you cross govplanet.com with weapons-grade cannabis? THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE! That's right, won in auction for a piddley $2400, this 2001 F450, 7.3L based ambo came home to be converted into a long-distance drive vehicle. 

Drove from Virginia, to sunny SoCal and made it all the way... to Lake Havasu, AZ... soooo close. Seized vacuum pump turned the belt into flaming cheese and nearest O'Reilly is 30 miles away. Uber to the rescue! Made it home in time to move to Texas... wanna guess what happened on the drive out? Yuuup, again. Time for an electric vacuum pump and shorter belt.

When we realized it wasn't big enough, it got sold for a healthy $8300.

When we realized the Ambo just wasn't going to cut the mustard (only the cheese), we decided to go full geezer and get a 36' Diesel Pusher RV! This POS should have gone to a scrap yard in hind-sight, however it was updated, upgraded and then it broke again. More fixing, some idiot claiming to be a RV repairman screwed us for another $2500, even more fixing, rebuilding... plumbing... GODDAMMIT THATS IT.

At the end of the day, this turd needed some flushin, so we sold it for $18K. With the sheer amount of labor involved, we will never break even.

How many parts can you replace until your Jeep is no longer your Jeep and becomes something else? What makes it our Jeep, the seat we sit in? The steering wheel we hang on to? Join the thought experiment as we turn this wrecked Jeep into a slightly less wrecked one.

Actually, yes. It turned out great too. However it was meant to be a tow vehicle for the RV, and no more RV... so ummmbubbye Jeep.

YARD SALE!

YES, this once was a Jeep, or most of one. Which one? WHO KNOWS but we're gonna find out. This CJ2A/ CJ3A/ CJ3B/ MB38 came to us as a pile of parts from Dallas, TX and was being built ala WWII Air Force styles for a friend of the garage and all around amazing guy. Mr. Maxwell. Sadly, COVID got Mr. Maxwell Sep 2021 and we here at WimpTech will never be the same without him. 

When the move out of Texas was announced, this 'gift' was passed along to someone else. At last report... it sits in an automotive cocoon in someone's back yard getting rustier.

Episode 4: GOVPLANET STRIKES BACK!

You read correctly folks, some people never learn. In your defense however I was completely sober this time. 

Let me introduce you to a little thing I like to call RTFA (read the fucking ad) cause this little baby wasn't a sprinter van, it was a sprinter BOX TRUCK. That's right, full size delivery truck for Fritio-Lay in BEAUTIFUL Connecticut. The boss man at the yard was super cool when he heard I had to drive this thing home about 1700 miles and had his mechanic give it a once over. 

After 4 new tires, replacing the ENTIRE front brake system, shocks and a bunch of piddly crap, we sold it to a very deserving dad that wanted a big road van for his family. We were offered $12K, but he got it for $10K because that was every penny he could spend... pay it forward my friend.

Time to stop screwing around and make an investment in a good reliable truck!

This 2014 F150 FX2 was at the local Stealership and was the most expensive vehicle I've ever purchased at $25K... some may say that's sad, some people are losers what can I say.

It went everywhere, did everything and with the 5.o, it didn't have any Triton 3V issues and was super easy to work on. Eventually we got a brand new 33' trailer and this thing struggled to keep on the road. At the end of the day, we needed the next level up...

Because... I can

Saw this little beauty on Craigslist as a non-runner in Oklahoma with the dreaded 6.0L PowerSmoke Diesel motor. It was an absolute NIGHTMARE getting this one home on a U-Haul dolly, not my best idea (remember the precision guesswork?). Got it going but there were a few things, like overheating issue, bad FICM, clogged injectors, but worst was the transmission was junk!

Can we get it back on the road reliably and make a road exploring camper van? Only time will tell...

 Actually, no it can't.... its a turd. Time to flush it down to the next guy. We told him what he was getting in to, best of luck amigo!

Uncle Earle needs to get around town

Uncle Earle can't get around anymore and we can't afford the $80K for a new wheelchair van, so WimpTech to the rescue!

Picked this thing up from Craigslist for $3200. Good news is the wheelchair lift works perfectly! Bad news, we had a wicked misfire, years of grime and the 90's called... they want their interior back!

2 days of scrubbing, a tune up with plugs, wires and ignition module, completely rebuilt front-end, some light wiring... and we were off to the races! Had to drive through Wyoming in February to deliver it... baaaaad idea man!

RIP Big Earle (1943-2025)

Mentor, Mechanic... Magician. Thanks for everything Cupcake.

Uncle Earle can't drive him anymore

Many moons ago we were gifted this PRISTINE 97 Mark VIII from my Friend Joe (RIP Senor) before he passed. I thought, Uncle Earle would shit himself to get this... grab some TP we're headed to Idaho!

For about 10 years, he ripped this thing all over the mean streets of Boise, with that big shit-eating-grin that only 280HP can bring. Gooood tiiiiimes.

Sadly, it sat longer and longer until finally, it was time to get a handi-van. 

YES! THIS IS IT!

This 2015 F350 4x4 6.7L DIESEL BEAST is by far the most badass monster I have ever come across, let alone owned. 440HP, 860 lb-ft and loaded up Lariat edition. Even has AC seats for Wimp's sake!

It went everywhere, did everything and with the 6.7L rock solid Diesel, it rarely had any issue whatsoever (except you injector #7... I see you!)This thing pulled the trailer like it wasn't even there and continues to operate at near-flawless levels (I see you too DEF system).

ROADKILL THRASH BATTLE... ACTIVATE?

That's right folks, it's ON! Inspired by our friends at Roadkill back in the day, my best friend and I decided to buy crappy old RWD cars and go bombing through the desert in what could only be described as Automotive Battle Royale. 

We found this beauty in a salvage auction and brought it home (ain't she purrty, gotta love those Texas Sunsets). With some beating, hammering, cursing and some parts, this slammed together waaaay too nice to thrash like we originally wanted.

We entered her into the DuctTape Drags in Tucson, battle of the beaters! Let's see if we make it there....

NOPE! Trans went out shortly after gifting to WimpTech's AZ facility. They got 'er back up and running though.

"Ohh that looks nice..."

Soooo what have we learned today class???

NOT A DAMN THING!

Looking to expand my connections with car auctions, I decided to venture into the world of broker sponsored bidding to tap the otherwise unavailable 'license required' auctions... BIG mistake.

I glanced at the screen to see this Denali gooing.... goooooing almost gone when I saw it was only at $1200. Screw it, hit bid at $1250 and won! Enter the idiot broker "abetter.bid". These assclowns were as inept as they were greedy. By the time they got their stanky fingers into my honeypot, I walked away with a methed out pile of monkey shit for THREE GRAND. No way am I ever going to see a dime on this POS.

Off to my cousin it goes, he actually likes it... no accounting for taste. At $FREE.99, the price was right.

"Sure kiddo, i'll help..."

Van girl needs our help... TO THE BAT CAVE!

My new friend had this poor old thing collecting dust in her parking spot as was just DONE with it all... ever get there?

It came with about $10K in work receipts from our "friends" at Firestone Auto Care. PLEASE NOTE... these people are NOT our friends. They really took advantage of her, racking up every single little thing they could to make money off her, no wonder she was just done with it.

Few junkyard runs and a BCM later and its almost ready to rejoin the work force... but what about the rusty-ass exhaust?? Can fellow WimpTech founder Blockay save the day with his magic welding skills??? YES HE CAN AND DID!

At last check, Van Girl was happy with her blunder and saving up for the next big buy... let's hope its a Toyota.

"Man I really liked that other Mustang, think I'll get another!"

Yes, it was cool, but how can I make it harder on myself... hmmmm.. I KNOW A CONVERTIBLE! This 07 V6 Base Mustang didn't look too bad in the (you guessed it) COPART ad, but the driver door frame was seriously tweaked. Some tug straps and a big tree later and it was mehhhh close enough.

We quickly found out that not only was it smushed, somebody joy rode it through a field and messed it up good! Ughhhh damn rednecks.. (I'm jealous)

After a tune up, rad, condensor and various other goodies, I got her fixed up just in time to... FIRE SALE the thing! That's right a lucky neighbor got it for only $1K. We were moving, cost too much to move it, ran out of time... ever been there?

"What the hell are those things called??"

CoPart... is an addiction.

Went to CoPart to look at a Cherokee, went home with a Exped.. excur.. exploder... DAMMIT WHATS IT CALLED? Screw it.. Excalibur.  

Never did I ever consider owning one of these, but I need a winter beater in our new home in Idaho (What up Idabros!), and this thing is frickin LOADED! Heated seats and steering wheel?? Sure, i'll be that guy, not getting any younger GENX! I won it for $1500 but seller relisted. I won again at $3600... can I still get the first price please?

Oil change and a whole lotta cleaning and this 4x4 beauty was on the road, smooth AF and reliable! This has been my daily driver for well over a year and has been the main roadtrip vehicle ever since. GOOD job Ford, we'll overlook the silly sunroof drains and never-ending CAT code from hell.

"That's for the Courts to Decide??"

Remember the part where I went to look at a Cherokee??? Yeeeeah, did I mention CoPart is an addiction?? 2 door 4x4 with AC for $1400? COME WITH ME!

The side was smashed to hell but luckily subframe was fine. The interior was a giant ashtray filled with road gravel and despair. The vacuum at the car wash I take these poor things to could barely handle it without puking its robo-guts out.

Few trips to my local Jalopy Jungle and I scored a bunch of parts for dirt cheap, including the set of 5 pizza wheels with NEW rubber, grill shell and fender, even in RED! OK so there were 2 shades of red, come at me bruh! Too bad the suspension is shot.

Its an automatic, but still that old school/ crank window vibe. Maybe i'll get around to that 2" lift.... maybe not. 31" tires just sitting in the garage for the past year, no big whoop.

"Third time's a charm!"

OK, that's enough CoPart for a while.... let's see what RichieBros is up to.

Listed as not running, but if there's one universal constant, its the laziness of RB and they rag-tag bunch of assessors. I decided to bet on it being a dead battery and an assessor without a jump box... I was RIGHT!

New battery in, drove 50 miles to my buddy's place in LA, then leaked all over his driveway while I fixed and serviced it enough to make the 900 miles trip home.

After battling silly sensor issues and 2 trans services, and an alternator it was promoted to GOOD TO GO status (close enough) and I recently (a year later) drove it 1300 miles to the 9th Annual Burning Van Event!!! Good to reconnect with Fellow WimpTech Founder Brand X.

What's next? Well folks, this is officially... the WimpMobile, our next big build. 80/20 based camper buildout using all metal/ synthetic panels for maximum durability, recycled RV parts for minimal cost and we're going to prove you don't need $100K to have an awesome Sprinter based camper. YES, we are documenting the entire build with links, references and instructions just like the StormTrooper build. Stay tuned!

"Wait a minute, that shitbox isn't a shitbox!"

(Drives past CoPart...) I wonder whats new there, I'll stop in for a look.

Searched for a manual trans, this popped up so I looked at it. Torn bumper cover, no biggie. Runs like a swiss watch, trans, clutch, everything's here.... WAIT A MINUTE, this is a good little car! Max bid $400, Wimpy... OUTTY.

Hour later a text comes through.. you won for $400, come get your pile! Some cleaning, new O2 sensors and this baby was a solid driver with ice cold AC.

Drove it 1000 miles to WimpTech's AZ field office and gave it to my niece. She is teaching both her teenage daughters how to drive manual while bombing through the desert! Gooood tiiiiimes. How many more cars can I transfer down there??? DAY AINT OVER YET!

"Hey bro, help me sell my shitbox???"

Let the SoCal vacation begin. (Sister calls) hey my (idiot) BF bought this retired cop car that we need to sell, but its a shitbox that doesn't run well.

Somebody spent way too long at the Auto Swap Meet down in TJ, they threw every piece of bubble-gummer POS garbage they could find at it, none of it actually installed correctly either.

Hour later, one filled trash can and a few tears later we finally unearthed the original car. POS cold air intake... ummmbubbye. Stock airbox reinstalled... hey whaddaya know, it runs right again!

A week of more tinkering, fixing, cleaning, clay-baring and an insane amount of wax and it looked like a real car again! What a cool vacation... ahhhhhhh :-)

"Bye Uncle Albie, thanks for the memories and the truck"

Its not all sunshine and unicorns folks, people die.

Uncle Al sure was the sunshine in the room though, one of the most positive supportive people you'll ever meet. When his time came, he simply said "Its OK bud, I had a really good run!" FFS that's the human gold-standard right there.

Under the exceptional people at Tucson VA, his final days were full of the best care anyone could wish for, thanks Everyone at the VA who let me honor walk him down to the basement, oorah.

This 03 Tundra has over 310k miles and was M I N T ! I don't really need a truck and there's no way I could keep it up like Albie did....Wait a minute, I know someone who will love and respect this truck like Albie did... COUSIN STACEY TO THE RESCUE!

We're happy to report a happy ending to this story. "Allie" the Tundra has a beautiful new home in Eastern WA and is fed love and kind words daily... enjoy cuz, you deserve it!

"End of Year Blowout, everything must GO!"

CoPart strikes again... addiction is a serious problem people.

I didn't even get out of bed for this one, right before New Years. 4x4 V8 F150... mehhh, max bid $1500, what the hell. We won at $1500, nailed the bid again! Seller countered at $2500... then 2300.... 2250! I sat back and watched the sales manager at some unknown car lot try desperately to squeeze every single penny out of this thing before he had to pay year end taxes on the thing. How about $2K... silence, then at 4:50PM... YOU WIN at $1500! Patience, and the silent treatment, both excellent negotiation skills Idahomies.

A TON of cleaning, mold abatement and its clean?? NOPE! eventually... the interior had to come out, it STUNK like grandma's special nightstand drawer in there. Initially slated for transfer to Wimptech's AZ Field Office, a new plan had arisen. Due to an influx of jalopies at the AZFO, no more room there! Time for plan B... which actually kinda felt like Plan A when all was said-n-done.

Here comes Dawson, one cool hard working kid. He helped me out when we moved here then again on projects I'm too old to do myself. When I got reacquainted with his story I realized... here's a good kid that got a shit deal bud. No parents or family to fall back on or to learn from... the hell if he'll let that stop him. This kid is my goddamn hero.... here's a truck, start your painting business.. give 'em hell kiddo. Don't worry, you'll get a chance to pay it forward like I just did.

"THAT... looks like cheap fun!"

We picked up this 05 V6 stick-shift Mustang at.... you guessed it, CoPart! for a measly $725 bucks. Nonrunner, but low miles at 136K... we'll take a chance because the rest is super legit!

While looking for a new fender at the Jalopy Jungle, I noticed a Red Mustang with a perfect fender and thought... haaaa! That'll make it look like General Mayhem from Rodakill..... OOOOOOooo buddy do I have a stupid idea! I'm going to make it, a Roadkill Tribute car!

It's just a V6, no where NEAR the iconic General, so its only like what... a Corporal? Not quite buck Private, but long way to go amigo. Few tribute stickers, a fuel system troubleshoot and (hopefully) we'll be cruising the mean streets and meeting other fans. Let's hope they all don't suck as bad as me.

Click HERE to learn about our Roadkill tribute.

In case you're wondering, it's pronounced with air quotes like "Maaaay-hemmm". At only 210 HP, yeeeeahhh its an honorary title.