Aqualu is shutting down. (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter 1MOA
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JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
From what I’m told he was talking about retirement the last several years … and I guess nows the time
Can I ask what makes you think this was a joke? It sure didn't come across that way to me.
Pura Vida
What an absolute noob
It was an obvious parody of the average mud user. Middle aged mostly grumpy white guy
Speaking as a grumpy middle aged white guy, let's just be happy that Mr Aqualu actually gets to retire! I'll never get to retire! I'll have to work until I drop dead because there WON'T BE RETIREMENT when I'm old! Ggrrrr!! 
Relax all, go drink a barley pop and wrench on your 40! (It's called a 40 dammit!!! Not an "FJ"! ****!)
And back on topic, I'm sad to hear Aqualu is closing.
Relax all, go drink a barley pop and wrench on your 40! (It's called a 40 dammit!!! Not an "FJ"! ****!)
And back on topic, I'm sad to hear Aqualu is closing.
Can't help that I am white but I will work on the fickle mid life loser part of me...no I won't!! I do have some Aqualu half doors and a tailgate just waiting on the right rig. Seems like good quality stuff!!
Pura Vida
What an absolute noob
this man obviously hasn’t heard of spray tanning
Sure I have long before you were thought of, older white guys just prefer the natural look! Vanity is for the weak, insecure with identity issues. Again Aqualu has always had good name in mud. Hate to see a decent vendor go by the wayside won't be the last! The owner deserves to get to retire after what he has accomplished.
This thread seems to be missing some things. He may retire and want to sell inventory already made , but who is to say there may be plans to also sell the business and tooling. The decision is up to the owner and in my eyes he has created a lucrative business that kept improving over the years. So, glad to see retiring is for happiness but perhaps the business could find a new beginning with a new owner.
This would be ideal for sure for the cruiser nation. Someone with existing abilities already in place to simply add to an existing production line would be ideal and the most financially sensible solution. A start up would be difficult in these times and I wouldn't wish that upon anyone who wishes to try. The costs to start such a venture would be difficult to sustain but possibly with some diversification into other models anything is possible such as the jeep he advertises. Based on prices Barrett Jackson gets for all years of vehicles maybe there is a market for things along his line of production but I would guess he has looked into this.
It would be interesting to look at his books to see how the Land cruiser world has done with his product.
@Pura Vida , you obvious have a love for this and seem to be quite intelligent. Hopefully the stars line up in the future and you can pursue the dream of doing something like this.
It would be interesting to look at his books to see how the Land cruiser world has done with his product.
@Pura Vida , you obvious have a love for this and seem to be quite intelligent. Hopefully the stars line up in the future and you can pursue the dream of doing something like this.
suzuguru
SILVER Star
I'm not trying to be a dick here. I'm just not sure what the hell has happened to people. We can't joke publicly on a forum without fear of a backlash. From all sides of the spectrum. No one can read nuance anymore or find humor in it. It has to be all black or white. I get it to a point; my comment here will never go away. Better not say anything offensive.
Anyway, I'll share my thought process. I read that comment and had a chuckle because I assumed that @OGBeno is a middle aged white guy with a cruiser problem. He was owning up to it and self burning. He wasn't calling everyone on this thread a loser white guy that instead of getting their kids braces, they bought a disc conversion kit.
Me as a self proclaimed white guy, got a chuckle out of this. I might have a skewed perspective though. I look and am mostly "Caucasian". But my father was mostly Native American. I always had long hair growing up because we don't cut our hair. I don't look like a movie star Indian though. My tribe would call me honky, cracker, dumb white oppressor, etc. When my "white" friends found out or saw my dad they'd call be spear chucker, wagon burner, etc. It was not exactly fun. Some of my friends who were black were frequently called the n-word. When you are using a slur to hurt someone, that's racism and I do not condone.
Stuff like RDJ being in blackface for Tropic Thunder. Funny. Nuanced. Not racist. I hope I got my point across.
Back to cruiser talk!
suzuguru
SILVER Star
OGBeno's humor can be pretty dry, but I thought it was fairly obvious it was a joke. I'm a middle age white guy with a cruiser problem, and I got a chuckle out of it. I think people are just hyper-sensitive these days because there are so many double-standards. I personally don't mind if people call me names or make jokes about me, including race, skin color, religion, etc... I just hope I can do the same to them. In dude's defense, it can be really hard to know someone's tone in a setting like this. The best policy is to just stay quiet until you get it figured out. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been guilty of not doing that myself.
A lot of us know him personally so we know it's joke. There's validity to it. I've been building Land Cruiser parts for big vendors since 1990 and before that for
individual owners. In the 80s and 90s, my customer base went from poor students all the way up to the well off. Running FJ40s could be bought for $1000.00
or less. In the last 15 years the prices have gone up so much my only clients are financially established, and yes, mostly middle aged white men that have the
means to finally build that truck they couldn't afford out of high school. I'm past what would be considered middle aged so I didn't miss that place in my
life. I bought a 40 brand new , 6 months out of high school. It was 6200.00 out the door. I just paid a paint shop 7500.00 to paint one.
Now many of these middle aged white men will drop huge amounts of money in their resto so they have the right to be picky and fickle. There's nothing racist about
it. It's just the truth. No more racist than saying 74% of NBA players are black. They're just way better at it than us white guys. Especially middle aged white guys
Or anyone for that matter...pretty sure we could find the capital to keep this going if possible...
Redgrrr
I have a problem with 40s
It’s OK guys I just finished reading my sensitivity training book. I’ll correct my behavior in the future. 
I still have my 40 I bought when I was 15 years old and it was 2500 bucks. I’m a middle-aged, white guy who hasn’t gone through a midlife crisis yet.
Swap out another topic and insert the word black guy, Hispanic guy, Indian guy, and this would be a whole different story about a joke.
I still have my 40 I bought when I was 15 years old and it was 2500 bucks. I’m a middle-aged, white guy who hasn’t gone through a midlife crisis yet.
Swap out another topic and insert the word black guy, Hispanic guy, Indian guy, and this would be a whole different story about a joke.
Redgrrr
I have a problem with 40s
I also love dry humor and pointing out double standards
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
I just thought he was projecting
Don’t let him fool ya though … he past the middle age thing he he he
Now we are the grumpy old guys we used to complain about lol
Btw there are several cruiser businesses with owners up there in age and can foresee an end of an era
Sad to think about
An era of working with your hands or building tangible items is on it's way to dead in this country. I own a cabinet shop. I started it when I was 23 years old, and with about $10k in cash.
I'm 42 years old.
I'm also the youngest person in the shop.
When I punched in this morning, (Wednesday morning), I already had 29.6 hours in this week. I haven't encountered many kids that are willing to flat out GRIND to make it happen. And that's what it takes. Will. Perseverance. Determination.
The thing about manufacturing industries is the incredible cost of entry. I've got 8000 sq/ft, and about $1.2 invested. I don't think I could do what I did twenty years ago today. Same age, same circumstances, but today. Automation has made so many processes in my industry so good, and so cheap, that there just isn't enough hours in the day to work for free with minimal equipment to compete with established companies doing the same scope of work.
A buddy of mine works for a good sized fabrication shop. They make a lot of parts for some bigger companies that you've all heard of. Last year, they dumped a few million into a couple of sheet lasers. They are ballistic fast at cutting. A 21 year old with a dream just doesn't have the resources.
That doesn't mean it can't be done. But you gotta be smart, lucky, and willing to work your tail off. You gotta be all three.
If I were to guess, the owner of Aqualu is a serious car guy. When his business reached a certain point, he had the capital to risk branching off into something he enjoyed. If I were to also guess, the bodies are not what keeps the lights on. It's fun for him though. But, that is 100% speculation.
It's a good time to pull the pin. The last three years have been very hard on the small business owners.
Sincerely,
Middle Aged Token White Guy
Ding ding!
