Shop Talk With Demello Offroad: Navigating the Rough Trails of Small Off-Road Business

Jason Demello of Demello Offroad in Riverside, California is pretty much a household name in the Toyota off-road community. Today, the Demello brand offers bulletproof armor for Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, select Lexus GX models AND the brand new Ford Bronco. Bumpers and sliders are Jason’s game when it comes to fabrication, and as far as suspension and installation goes, his team can handle it all at their SoCal location. From overlanding to rock crawling and everything else in between just happens to fall right inside of Demello Offroad’s all-encompassing wheelhouse.

Has it always been THIS good for Jason Demello though? Nope. Not even close. As what seems to be the story for most successful small businesses, trials and tribulations are prerequisite in order to make it on over to the sunny side of the street. Sure, there are always day-to-day operational obstacles to wrangle with but surviving just to face the problems of an established, profit-turning business is a struggle and right of passage on its own.

We had the opportunity and pleasure to chat it up with Jason, as he filled us in on his personal experience through the long days and longer nights associated with starting a passion-fueled business and keeping Demello Offroad afloat for so many years. You may have known bits and pieces of his story, but we were able to get down to the very bottom of where Demello Offroad all started and where its headed.

State Of Speed: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Jason. First off, tell us about your experience during the first phase of starting Demello Offroad. 

Jason Demello: I started in my apartment garage in South Orange County but within two weeks, management served me a notice that there were multiple complaints about the noise I was making. Hindsight looking back, it was silly to think that would last. Those garages were meant for storage in a fairly new and rather high-end complex, and I was plugging in my 110 welder into the same outlet as the garage door opener. I learned where the breaker reset was real quick.

During that time I was working a full time job doing shipping and receiving for a small genetics start up company, and after hours I had to resort to bouncing around from the garages of friends and family who would let me work on my project. I cut all the material and bent the tube with my Harbor Freight bender, and frankly, those first three sets of sliders I made by hand were pretty bad—SO bad that someone on the TTORA (Toyota Tacoma Off Road Association) forum called me out for having piss poor welds and called me ‘amateur hours’, which I guess I was.

SoS: That’s harsh. How did you take that criticism? 

JD: It stung but that guy was right. I made the choice to then make the best, be the best and take criticism as a way to grow instead of allowing it to push me back. I also made weld quality my top goal, so I practiced day and night to get better. Often after work on a Friday night, I’d sit in 2+ hours of traffic going to San Bernardino where one of my first business partners (Frank) lived. He had a small garage at his house where we could work. I’d camp out there all weekend working non-stop from morning into the night building sliders and bed bars. Good friends like David Hale and Dan Lilo also helped make things possible by agreeing to work for lunch, dinner or whatever else I could offer for their time.

SoS: Teamwork does make the dream work, huh? What platform truck did you start out building for and what year was this all happening? 

JD: It was mostly Tacoma based back then in 1998-2000 even though these trucks were still relatively new in the off-road world. Most of the guys and companies focused on older Toyota trucks and considered the Tacoma a Camry with big tires.

SoS: So nothing for Chevy, Ford or Dodge trucks back then? 

JD: In those early years we experimented with S-10s, Nissans, Fords, and basically anything we were requested to make but I’ve always been a Toyota guy. I’ve always been familiar with them and if I don’t know something about a Toyota off the top of my head, I can usually find the answer real quick.

SoS: How long did you spend working in other people’s garages?  

JD: We got out first shop in 2002-2003-ish. I ‘clocked in’ there after work every day since it was now just down the street from my full time job. I even had one or two employees at the time cutting material all day or spray-painting sliders for me until I went full time in October of ’03 just after my son was born in June of that year. It was an exciting and tough time that’s for sure.

SoS: That is a big commitment going full time. What were some notable hurdles you ran into and what advice could you give to someone looking to turn away from 9-5 life to start their own shop: 

JD: Wow, there are so many hurdles! I don’t think small business is for everyone and I really wouldn’t recommend it for most people. You really need an advantage to get ahead and stay on top. You need family money, a house to pull money out of, a dad with knowledge, a dedicated shop space, tools—ANYTHING that gives you an advantage. I didn’t have any of those things. All I had going for me was being too dumb to know when to give up.

I once heard Will Smith say in an interview something about running on a treadmill. He’s so competitive, that if you were to challenge him to see who could run farther and longer, he may die trying to beat you. That’s how I felt about building stuff. I don’t know how to stop. I I know I’m not the best, and I make mistakes but was so lucky to be blessed with the ability to blindly go forward when working on something. 

It’s also worth noting that I had no shortage of good friends over the years that helped promote and build the business with me—I couldn’t have done it without them.

SoS: Sorry to focus on the bad times, but can you recall one specific issue that really knocked you back on your ass? You know, “the things that didn’t kill us, made us stronger” type of scenario?

JD: 2008 in general may have been the toughest notable problem. We were just hitting our production stride. The FJC had come out and we bought a new one in the hopes that we could make enough money off it to make the monthly payment. That vehicle blew up and we got slammed with orders. We moved into a bigger shop, hired more employees, took on more expenses and suddenly it was all cut off like the world had stopped turning overnight!

We had to make some tough choices, lay off important people at the shop and really had to evaluate what our shop space was going to be used for. I realized that I wasted a lot of time on my dream rock crawler and race truck projects I was never going to finish. I also didn’t need the lathe that still had no power running to it. I allowed myself one project at a time and sold everything else off. 

I also subbed out stuff instead of trying to bring it all in-house, which is a common mistake I see a lot of shops do. It’s tempting in the short term. It makes sense—even in the long term but the problem is doing it at the right time. I’ve seen really large companies in this industry go from 300 in-house employees to reducing to just a fraction of that in one day. We’ve hit many roadblocks, but this was the biggest eye opener for me.

SoS: So you’d say that 2008 was harder to deal with than the impact of COVID? 

JD: Yes and no. It was a great to have a surge in business during these last two years but it threw everything else out of whack. It permanently raised the prices of so much stuff in our industry. Customers think that we are making a killing because our prices keep going up but honestly looking around the room and seeing what everyone’s charging for similar products, we are all most likely losing money or at lease making less than we were before it all started.

SoS: So taking this into consideration, what would you consider is now Demello Offroad’s bread and butter items/services? 

JD: Bumpers for sure. We are trying to focus on installations because over our 20 years in business, we’ve seen a shift. In the beginning, we often offered free install because honestly people would do it themselves but now people want cheap and fast but they don’t want to get their hands dirty. Unfortunately we are seeing people buy cheaper products made overseas or offered by big box stores. I’ve seen this coming for a while, and I hope I am wrong but because of this we have been currently pushing installations a lot more and just carrying more products.

SoS: Well, folks are going to need a shop to install that eBay lift kit that didn’t come with proper instructions, right? What trends in the current marketplace do you particularly like/dislike and what would you like to see more/less of in the future?

DM: The trend of pushing Toyota towards being a follower and not a leader worries me. If you cut me, I will bleed Toyota but when I saw the new Bronco coming out, I ordered one over two years ago. I swear they took every complaint from a Toyota FJC and Toyota 4Runner owner over the last 20 years and built them exactly what they wanted—minus the reliability and symbol on the hood. We got our Bronco and honestly it’s a home run. I’m just jealous that Ford did this and not Toyota because I don’t see Toyota coming out with a real frame SUV with a removable top, front and rear lockers sitting on 35s, and with tons of power to spare. I mean the new 4Runner is nice but it still falls short of the Bronco in my opinion BUT reliability has its place too. I wonder how long that will play a factor though with warranties extending way out and people trending towards more features and caring less about reliability. I’m just curious where this will lead.

SoS: Ford did not play around with the Bronco release, that’s for sure. Well, are there any new products we can expect to see from Demello Offroad in the near future? 

JD: Oh yeah, rear 4Runner bumpers for ’03-current, rear GX bumpers, and finally a Tacoma rear bumper. Oh, and of course Bronco parts, which I am personally working on at home and on the weekends so I don’t cut into the production of new Toyota parts.

SoS: We’ll keep out eyes open for all of that freshness! Well, thanks for chatting with us for a minute Jason. Is there anything that we didn’t cover or something you’d like to add? 

JD: I’d just like you for the opportunity to tell my story. I’m not a large business owner with a huge bank account or big ego that needs stroking. I’m just another guy who likes to go off-roading. While you may go into an office everyday or we may have completely different types of jobs, we are still the same. So please, if you see me on the trails come say hi. I started doing this because I love everything off-road. I love the outdoors. I love meeting new people who enjoy the same as me. 

SoS: Thanks for keeping it real, Jason.

To stay up to date on product releases and news updates from Demello Offroad check in online at demello-offroad.com or give them a follow on Instagram @demellooffroad. If you prefer a live phone conversation, give them a ring at 866.333.6525 or if all else fails drop by at 12785 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA 92503. Either way, they’ll be glad to hear from you. 

Lifting Your Rig 101: What to Consider

When the manufacturer sets out to design and produce the latest model four-wheel drive (4wd) vehicle, they are required to balance many factors from vehicle weight to carbon footprint. These constraints force them to choose components that meet the desired platform goals but typically leave little room before modifications exceed the strength of the factory components. With an estimated +300 billion dollars being spent in the light truck and SUV aftermarket in 2022, its safe to say there are plenty customers looking to upgrade their 4wd vehicles and one of the first modifications most owners make to a 4wd after purchase is to add some type of suspension lift and larger tires.

For many, this is done merely for looks. For those who intend to use their newly purchased 4wd to take them on remote off-highway adventures or to tackle technical trails, a lift kit and larger tires is only the first step. What is soon discovered is that the additional tire size and weight create more stress on the suspension and drive axles. While most lift kit manufacturers take these additional factors into consideration during the development of the replacement suspension components, upgrading the drive axles for strength and performance is left up to the consumer to determine what and when.

For most the first step is to replace the factory ring and pinion (gear set) with one that provides a lower drive ratio. How low of a drive ratio you choose to install is determined by how you intend to use your 4wd. At minimum you want to install a gear set that lowers your gearing enough to match the final drive ratio your vehicle came equipped with from the factory. Matching the factory final drive ratio will return the performance lost by installing larger tires, yet in most cases it isn’t enough to noticeably improve the vehicles off-road capability. To do that we need to increase the torque being delivered to the tires as well as increase (lower) the vehicles crawl ratio. The simplest way to do that is to install an even lower ratio gear set. How low of a gear ratio you choose can often be limited to the type and model axles your vehicle is equipped with, but for most applications gears in the 4.56:1 or 4.88:1 (higher the number the lower the gear ratio) are the most common for vehicles with tires up to 37” diameter.

…additional tire size and weight create more stress on the suspension and drive axles...

Before you spend your money on replacing the axle gears, there is another upgrade to take into consideration that can be installed at the same time as your new axle gears. With few exceptions, the drive axles in your 4wd vehicle are equipped with an open differential. The differential is a component that consists of a carrier housing, that is driven by the ring gear, containing a set of gears known as spider gears which in turn drive the axle shafts. When traveling in a straight line the tires are turning at the same speed and equal power is transferred to both drive axles. However, when you turn, the outside tire has to travel a further distance than the inside. To accomplish this the spider gears inside the carrier, allow the outside tire to turn faster than the inside tire. While this design is great for most driving situations, it doesn’t lend itself to low traction situations because it allows the power to be transferred to the tire with the least amount of resistance. To increase a vehicle’s off-road prowess, replacing the factory differential with a mechanical traction control device, more commonly known as a locker can be extremely beneficial.

There are multiple options to choose from when it comes to lockers. The cheapest and most basic is the drop in or “lunch box” locker. The lunch box locker simply replaces the factory spider gears with specially machined interlocking components that engage (lock) when power is applied and disengage (unlock) when coasting. The design allows equal torque to be applied to the axles anytime the vehicle is under power. They are however only as strong as the factory cast iron carrier and are known to create erratic handling characteristics on pavement. Due to these characteristics, most people choose to only run them in the front axle which is typically disengaged when driving on the pavement. The next level up is the full case mechanical locker. More commonly referred to as the Detroit locker. These lockers replace the factory carrier and spider gears with a complete unit made from much stronger materials. The overall design functions similar to a lunch box locker and can lead to handling issues if used on the street. Most people choose to limit the installation of Detroit’s to vehicles that see very little road use. The most expensive option is the selectable locker. Available in electric, air, or cable actuation, selectable lockers give the owner the best of both on and off-road traction and handling. Similar to a Detroit, a selectable locker completely replaces the factory carrier. Once installed, they operate very similar to a factory open differential until the owner “engages” the locker. Once engaged, a geared collar slides into place and locks the differential creating equal traction to both wheels. Once the added traction is no longer needed, the driver can simply turn off or disengage the locker. Selectable lockers are most often installed in the rear, and are actually becoming more and more common as factory installed options on many current 4wd vehicles, but they work equally as well in the front axle.

Nissan 370Z: A Nissan Unlike Any Other

The Nissan 370Z car is one of those models that’s been loved for longer than I’ve been alive. It represents a company that responds to progress and continuously manufactures a car that transcends expectations. Ask any enthusiast and they’ll tell you a million reasons you should buy a Nissan Z. The car at hand is a 370z wearing Milestar tires, whose owner, Joe Velazquez, was kind enough to have a chat with me about his build.

Sarah Bernson (SB): My first question can feel a little generic but I find it can help get the storyline started, so…How’d you get into cars?

Joe Velazquez (JV): I would have to say that I have always been intrigued by cars. I grew up loving lowriders and muscle cars as it was common in my community. Up until the first Fast and Furious movie released when I was in high school. I then became infatuated with the import scene with limitless possibilities in customization.

…But the craziest memory is when I drove down to Arizona for a car show and my car wouldn’t start the morning of the show.…

SB: I think the natural intrigue we find is starting to burn out in the newest generation so I love to hear people say they’ve naturally been into cars for as long as they can remember. The import scene is super vast and certainly one of my favorite communities as well. There are loads of different cars under the import umbrella though. What made you ultimately gravitate towards Nissan 370Zs?

JV: After I got out of the military and moved back to SoCal, I started hanging out with other car guys and several of them also had Z’s. I really liked the body shape of the Z when compared to anything else in the scene. It really sets itself apart from everything else that was easily achievable. The body shape appears to be already widebody and the width of the wheels can be insane.

SB: Friends can be the best (or the worst) influence on us when it comes to car purchases. You get to get up close and personal with their car and so often you catch whatever car-virus they’ve got. Why’d you go with the Nissan 370z out of all the Zs?

JV: I actually went to a dealership to look at cars and I was undecided on what I really wanted before I showed up. After looking at several cars, I was dead set on my current red Nissan 370z. It just stood out when compared to a Genesis 3.0T or Evo MR. 

…I grew up loving lowriders and muscle cars as it was common in my community. Up until the first Fast and Furious movie released when I was in high school.…

SB: Sometimes the right car just hits differently. Like the Genesis and Evo are cool cars but I totally get what you mean. When you got the car did you have a vision for what it would become? What was your goal for the car?

JV: My goal was (and still is) to collect as many unobtainable parts for my car as possible. The more rare, the better. The harder to find, the better. Eventually I want to track my car for fun.

SB: Z cars are fairly abundant so looking for rare parts is totally a good way to separate yourself from the pack a bit. I’ve heard Z’s are a great platform for the track! What are your future plans for the car?

JV: I plan to find rare LMGT wheels and a NISMO mid logo steering wheel. The car itself is mostly complete with how I want it to look.

SB: Hell ya! Wheels make such a huge difference! It totally looks complete as it is though. Super sick! What would you say is your favorite design element and/or performance element of the car?

JV: I would have to say the handling of the car. I was hesitant about getting air suspension because I have been inside cars with terrible air setups. They sometimes bounce around too much and I felt like it might be more of a hassle when talking to others who had them. My air suspension setup is mixed with the full SPL components to make this car handle like a champ in the canyons.

SB: SoCal is known for incredible canyon roads and cruises. Of course, having the right setup is key for performance and safety. Do you have any particularly interesting memories with your Nissan Z?

JV: It’s a little hard to say what my favorite memory is. But the craziest memory is when I drove down to Arizona for a car show and my car wouldn’t start the morning of the show. I had to spend the entire event wondering why my car wouldn’t start. Luckily, a friend was with me. We had to push it up the U-Haul trailer the next day. It wasn’t easy since we needed a chain pulley to help us crank it up and the help of some friends and neighbors.

SB: Ugh! That sorta thing is the worst. I suppose that comes with the car territory though. I always like to ask people if there is anything else they want to tell me about their car, otherwise I feel like I’m manhandling the conversation a bit too much. So, am I missing anything?

JV: I would like to thank my friends at Garbage Dream for always supporting me, Concept 3 Performance for always taking care of my car, and my Nissan mechanic specialists @Zona_Z34 and @VQ_power. I would also like to take the time and thank @kuruzuauto for always keeping my car clean and detailing my car before every major car show.

Something that is entirely apparent throughout our interview is the way Joe not only connected with his Nissan 370Z , but how the car brought him into a rich community. He was inspired by his friends who had Zs, and later when things went rough, his friends were there to help. This story is a common one among car enthusiasts. All of our origin stories are unique of course, but I might go out on a limb here and say that we are all in this for the community almost as much as the cars. The cars are the medium that holds us all together and it’s really something beautiful.

Hodson’s Dodge DW300 Is an Art Masterpiece!

Over the last several years, the father and son team of Derrick and Riley Hodson of Las Vegas’ Hodson Motors have become synonymous with creating functional works of art from formerly ignored and often abused classic workhorse truck foundations. Combining body parts from light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks and blending them in such a way that is easily overlooked as stock by the casual observer, the team have developed a formula that has proven hard to beat. Their latest is a 1968 Dodge W300 Crew Cab that has taken their build style and pushed it to a whole new level.

Instead of starting from scratch on this project, the Hodson’s started with a partially finished project that the former owner had already invested a considerable amount of time and effort into, creating a solid drivetrain as the foundation to build off of. Starting with a rare 1968 Dodge W200 ¾ ton Crew Cab truck, the former owner installed an early Superduty Dana 60/ Sterling 10.5 axle combo slung on the same era Superduty leaf spring suspension, utilizing custom mounts front and rear. Under the hood he installed a tried and true 5.9L 12 valve Cummins mated to an NV4500 and a divorced NP205 transfer case. It was at this point that Riley purchased the project.

The Birth of An Industry: ’46 Jeep Willys

Mike’s One-of-a-Kind Bosozoku Van

Mike’s van is one of those vehicles that literally everyone has an opinion on. Not just car enthusiasts because it’s fairly uncommon to see a RHD vehicle in the states, more uncommon to see a Hiace and obviously a one time event to see Boso-style Van like this one.

Mike imported it basically as-is from Japan so it fits in with the “vanning” style over there a lot more than some of the vans that were built over here to mimic the Japanese machines. This one is as real as they come.

Bosozoku style is loud, colorful, and strange. It translates to “running-out-of-control” and originated in the ‘50s when gangs of young people would drive around recklessly with bikes and cars that were flashy and strange enough to draw everyone’s attention as they did it. They wanted to be seen defying the laws and their vehicle was a huge help.

This subsect is known as ‘vanning’, and while some vans clearly pull from the visuals of Bosozoku, they’re a super niche sector that doesn’t even fully conform to Boso criteria. Some of the vans have been used by Bosozoku gangs for transporting bikes on longer rides, particular to meets and shows. Even though they are closely related to Bosozoku they are still viewed to be part of vanning as a primary definition.

…It translates to “running-out-of-control” and originated in the ‘50s when gangs of young people would drive around recklessly with bikes and cars that were flashy and strange enough to draw everyone’s attention…

Something that seems to separate Japanese car culture from others is that they are more collectivist and it shows in the way they build vehicles. America lands a 91 on the individualism scale, being unique matters greatly here, demonstrating who you are matters here and we use every outlet from pet, to shoe, to car to tell the people around us who we are and how we differ. We want to seem and feel special. Japanese culture has similar style sectors but you seem to see more strict rules played out throughout the modification process in order to maintain group cohesion.

When I approach a story I usually ask myself what does this car say about its owner or how is it unique, what is the covert meaning? When I asked myself the same question of this van it was clear that it wasn’t designed to say a lot about its owner but it was designed to compliment and contribute to the vanning culture at large.

The primary purpose of these builds, it seems to me, is a sense of culture and group cohesion. On their own they seem outrageous and unique but when a group gets together, a true spectacle is made.

…it wasn’t designed to say a lot about its owner but it was designed to compliment and contribute to the vanning culture at large…

Seeing Mike’s van over here is super out of place and that makes it perfect for American individualism. Vanning builds community in Japan and shows uniqueness in the states, it just goes to show how car cultures evolve and change and grow as they cross borders.

I think I’m not the only one who would love to see a Japanese-style close-knit Vanning club put down roots on this side of the ocean, but for now Mike’s will have to fly solo.

JDM Classics take the Spotlight at State of Speed Los Angeles

March’s State of Speed Los Angeles event was presented by Milestar Tires and was in collaboration with Sonkei Blue Social & OCJM, so it was a special one to say the least. The chosen theme was Japanese Classics, which usually make a pretty big appearance at the meets, but this time around the organizers wanted to specifically highlight that collector community. 

While the cars were the centerpiece, hanging out with friends while sipping Commodity Coffee and eating vegan donuts was, as always, equally important. 

…hanging out with friends while sipping Commodity Coffee and eating vegan donuts was, as always, equally important…

The cars that were spotlighted needed to be 20 years or older. Some incredible examples made the early morning trek out which can be seen in the gallery below.  

The Hot Wheels race track (which has made appearances before) was brought back out for the event and was a total hit with kids (big and small). By 7:30 a.m the whole lot was filled up and the event stayed full and energized until the very end. While Japanese classics were the main attractions, great examples of American muscle, exotics, and everything in between came out.

State of Speed continues to attract consistently high quality vehicles and an ultra- enthusiastic crowd. They plan to continue to host themed events and collaborations for the remainder of the year. Their next spotlight is expected to be BMW v. Mercedes and won’t be one to miss.