Building a rock buggy isn’t for the meek. It’s also not for someone who is struggling deeply to make ends meet.

Important things to consider:

You’re going to be in for $20k + in a toy. You can probably get $10k out of it if you part it out later.

You will have significant fabrication and problem solving opportunities. The road is only partially marked. If you

If you’re like me, it will save you a ton of psychiatric bills as only garage therapy can do

Your wife will stare at you with blank eyes and start rocking back and forth and her head may spin around as you talk endlessly about your fabrication/installation/whatever issue of the day

Your children will realize that their inheritance is flowing through your fingers and into 4x4_parts_are_us and you local parts, steel and hardware store

I’ve built a rig before (a.k.a. “Bob” to those that know me). My current rig is a ’93 Jeep Wrangler on steroids. It’s the result of about 5 years of evolution and 5 years of destructive fury. I’ve saved every scrap of paper used for that build.

Here is what the book of Bob looks like:

Yes, I have a 5 inch thick binder with every receipt, web tech article, tool manual, part number, and steel order slip I used on my YJ from when I started it’s build to it’s current state. Before I let anyone else start into a build I make them sit down with me and I go through it page by page so they can see the insanity before they sign up.

Here’s me and Bob on a recent trip to a trail known as, I kid you not, Carnage Canyon near Buena Vista, CO (a.k.a. Byoonie if you’re local).

A full on buggy build is a whole new chapter. That little book won’t hold it all.

All that being said, are you still thinking “YES!”?