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View Full Version : Looking for the MallCrawlin special, what is it?



SteelCityOffRoad.com
04-02-2006, 01:04 PM
Well as many of you already know Matt (OverkillZJ) and I are opening up an offroad retail outlet. The business, Steel City Off Road, LLC (http://www.steelcityoffroad.com), is going to be geared to the offroading community. Matt and I are both active in the offroading community so we decided to take the sport we love as a hobby and make it in to a profitable business. So far it seems to be going in the right direction.


Where does MallCrawlin come in?

You may be asking yourself why I am posting this here? What does Steel City Off Road have to do with MallCrawlin.com? That is sort of simple to answer. You are part of the target group that we are looking for to be our customers. You are Jeep and offroading enthusiasts. You modify and accessorize your vehicles. We are going to be selling parts to modify and accessorize Jeeps and many other vehicles. So it is easy to see that the forum members here buy the type of items we sell so it is a good fit for us.


Wait a minute that almost seems a little one-sided, doesn't it?

Well, it really isn't. Yes, we are in the business to make some money. Nobody gets into business to lose money or to break even. It is meant to be profitable for us, but I wouldn't consider it totally one-sided.

We are committed to providing quality products at great prices. (Prices below what our competition sells at - If we can sell it cheaper than the next guy I intend to do just that!) We are also committed to our customers and the sport of offroading. We believe you should receive excellent customer service before, during, and after the sale. We are committed to that philosophy because it is how we will be able to retain customers and be successful in this business. There are few offroading-based retail outlets out there that have good prices, excellent customer service, and a great reputation. We have all heard the horror stories about the ones that have poor customer service, no product knowledge and bad business practices. We are looking to be part of the few places that excel in customer service! That is our commitment to you and to our business.


What does Steel City Off Road bring to the sport of offroading?

This is a question I recently received by email from a member of another offroading forum. I took a few minutes, talked things over with Matt, and we instantly agreed on a few things.

We promote the Tread Lightly! concepts to our customers (and members of various forums.) We are in the process of becoming affiliated with the Tread Lightly organization. It is a great organization and if you have not already you should check out the website www.TreadLightly.org (http://www.TreadLightly.org) .

We give back to the local guys too. We are sponsoring a local "Spring Training" event here in Pennsylvania where we will be taking quite a few wheelers, many of them new to the sport, out for their first real offroading experience. There is some classroom training, some field training on equipment and techniques, and then the rest of the weekend is will be spent wheeling and camping. We are providing a few of the trainers, some of the equipment, and the food for the event.

We give back to the offroading community in the form of prizes and donations as well. We are donating a complete PowerTank system to the GSW event. We are also looking to make some similar donations to a few other events, both local and national.

We are always looking for more ways to get active in the community, if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.


Okay, what is next for Steel City Off Road?

Well, we are adding a number of product lines at the moment. We are trying to pick-and-choose what product lines we carry. We don't want to carry a product that is not up to par. Nobody wants to end up buying a product that doesn't perform as it should. A poor product leads to nothing more than a headache for the customer, a headache for us, and it is a quick way for us to lose to much needed positive word of mouth. Nobody wants to promote junk!

We are in the process of building up our website, www.SteelCityOffRoad.com (http://www.SteelCityOffRoad.com) as well. Many of our products will be featured and available for sale there. Many of our manufacturers make us adhere to strict advertising guidelines when posting prices on the internet or in printed form, so always email us for the best price available! We try to maintain the lowest possible overhead and ultimately are able to sell for a minimal profit and pass the savings on to our customers.


So now we are at the point where I have a question for all of you. What product lines would you like to see? What would be a hot seller for the MallCrawlin crowd? What kind of deals are you all collectively looking for that we may be able to help provide?

Remember to keep us in mind for your offroading needs...

Feel free to email me at any time for quotes, comments, or suggestions.

Bill@SteelCityOffRoad.com

ELLLLLIOTTTTT
04-02-2006, 01:50 PM
I think I speak for the rest of us when I say we would gladly support fellow wheelers in the business. 4 wheel parts, DC4WD, and all of these other big names usually have decent deals but I would much rather support people I know personally. The only people I buy from are fellow wheelers and jeep enthusiasts (kevin, the people at BTF, kolak). A good start would be to be vendors for RE, JKS, etc. along with maybe getting some custom type products going like rock rails, bumpers, skids, etc. Good luck on your business endeavor.

ATL ZJ
04-02-2006, 02:56 PM
The stuff on my list to purchase in the coming month:

weld-on beadlock rings
waggy 44 yukons and superjoints
jd2 model 3 or protools 105 bender
floor plates/ cage flanges

Offer the lowest price on any of those, and you'll be getting my money.

And on a personal note, I like it when vendors prove what they stand for through their knowledge and customer service. This might be hard to do when you're new, but I believe it says a lot more to develop a reputation rather than just claim to adhere to a certain set of standards.

DCHZJ
04-02-2006, 03:40 PM
I saw Matt yesterday when i picked up the NP231. I liked the business ideas you guys have. Suff that work and works right. Not stuff that kinda works and kinda fits.....like some Sliders that i can think of.
I saw some of the stuff he is building for his buggy and i know you guys will take the same approch to the gear you sell/ make...built to last.
Good luck and you have a customer here for as long as i can breath.

DJJordache
04-03-2006, 11:35 PM
I think I speak for the rest of us when I say we would gladly support fellow wheelers in the business. 4 wheel parts, DC4WD, and all of these other big names usually have decent deals but I would much rather support people I know personally. The only people I buy from are fellow wheelers and jeep enthusiasts (kevin, the people at BTF, kolak). A good start would be to be vendors for RE, JKS, etc. along with maybe getting some custom type products going like rock rails, bumpers, skids, etc. Good luck on your business endeavor.
EXACTLY! I'd rather give my business to someone who actually knows ZJ's and has great customer service like Kevin, Kolak, and Redrock4x4 and soon you guys:D
few idears:
how about a crossover steering system kit that has all the various parts together already, preferably one that is parallel with the track bar.
Maybe 8.8 axle ZJ bracket kit
hpd30 truss tying the brackets together for strength
8.8 truss kit to maybe make the swap to triangulation easier
lower control arm plates to weld onto/around the stock mounts to beef them up some
steering box outer brace plate to help prevent the box rippin out of the unibody
frame rail "sleeves" maybe tied together with a crossmember/skid but more so to beef up the area for the longarm mounts
I'm outta ideas for now my brain is fried from school! I hate advanced business calculus!

Rubber Chuck
04-06-2006, 04:57 AM
I am very impressed w/ how you guys have been presenting your business thus far. I would gladly be a customer of your as well.
I have never bought anything from Kevin's website.....but I do like how it's laid out. I hear Kolak is a Grand Cherokee Guru....but I wouldn't know...last I checked he doesn't have a website.....not taking anything away from him....I just like to see what I am buying.
Things I am looking for in the near future...
Skid Plates (oil pan and gas tank)
I will be wanting to put a different rear in the back of my ZJ...unsure of 8.8 or a 44....but like mentioned above....a bracket set would be cool.
Beefier steering components
Diff covers


Good Luck w/ the business

96ZJ
04-10-2006, 10:29 AM
Winch

Good looking rear bumper with tow points. Similar to a trail ready but without the fugly tail light guards.

Piece together everything you need for swaps and sell it as one kit for one price. Say i want to throw on a 9" rear it gets to be a PITA trying to locate everything I need for the swap. If you could offer a bracket kit, spring plates, truss, brakes, 5 on 4.5 shafts all in one I would definately buy from you.

Also say I want to swap in an ATLAS you could offer me everything I need except driveshafts and I would buy that package from you.

Grand specific performance parts would be good too. When I swapped out my trans I was going to install a shift improver kit but couldnt sort through the crap everywhere to find the one I needed so I said screw it.

Its really the little things that could make you the best grand site out there.

jjunk
04-29-2006, 09:50 AM
I would suggest anything you have on your zj's plus
anti sway bar
spring perches
7 inch or bigger springs
if possible another way to sell clayton long arms
on board air or tanks
over the knuckle steering for dana 30 or conversions
performance items such as real exhaust systems
headers
intakes
throttle bodies

Also be prompt and doing it right away on shipping

OverkillZJ
04-29-2006, 10:04 AM
In my case, I think you mean "had" on the ZJ, since the custom ZJ buggy parts don't have any demand except for maybe Kraqa and I, haha.

We're actually looking at reselling products such as Clayton and KevinsOffroad, - I'd much rather be able to resell the products of guys like them who have helped me IMMENSELY over the years getting me the right parts in time, than I would want to compete with them.

We'll be looking into springs, perches, etc. In the near future we don't want to become a fabrication shop due to massive space constraints (You've seen the pics of the buggy tent / my little garage) but we're looking at acquiring some working space in the future.

Having gone through 3 builds on my ZJ, I came to the conclusion that more time was spent dealing with vendors and searching for good prices / solutions that were in stock and ready to shop, than I spent actually working on the buggy. We're just starting up now, but eventually we're going to be a go-to for whatever you need, and what we can't get will be able to source to you.

Speaking of buggies, I've got one to go build!

Kraqa
04-29-2006, 12:47 PM
Build that ZJ Buggy White Bo-waah.

SteelCityOffRoad.com
05-07-2006, 09:56 AM
I have a few things up my sleeve for the week ahead. I am putting together a few specials that I think you MallCrawlin folks might be interested in. Keep an eye on the Vendors Forum here for upcoming information.