“With more than 40 years of 4 wheel drive experience, and with thousands of suspension, driveline & axle modifications and rebuilds completed........ I still have my hands in the tool box today!”
We appreciate your interest in 4X4 Suspension & Gear. We operate out of 6800 square foot building in a small town named West Point 20 miles NW of Philadelphia. We have been at this present location since 1987, but we've been established in the 4X4 parts & service trade at several locations in this area for over 40 years. Prior to 2001 we operated under the name "4X4 Perfomance Specialties". We changed the name to better reflect the type of parts & services our reputation had really been built on since the 1970'
- Driveline; Ring & pinion, differential, transfer case and most all axle & driveline parts.
- Suspension; Lift & leveling kits, shocks, replacement springs, stabilizers, weight Control overloads, specific suspension components.
- Self recovery; Winches and mounting systems for recreational, commercial, EMS & FIRE.
These areas are the real heart & soul of 4 wheel drive, and what most of our efforts and experience were devoted to since the early days. Besides the thousands of 4 wheel drive vehicle owners we've had the privilege to deal with over the years, hundreds of auto service proffesionals have relied on our expert services. Especially with axle gear & driveline concerns. We have also been contracted to do vehicle improvements for dozens of local Fire Companies, EMS Ambulance Corps & Police departments. Even corporations such as Merck Pharmaceuticals, Radison Hotels, Haines & Kibblehouse & AAA Midatlantic Auto Club, just to name a few. Also government agencies such as FBI Motor Pool division, U S Dept. of Interior, PA DER & PA Game Commision.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Hello, my name is Linwood Booz, I am the founder and owner of 4X4 S&G. The roots of this business began in early 1972 when I purchased my first 4 wheel drive, a 1963 Chevy truck. This old rig had some hard miles on it, so I immediately had to learn how to repair this truck. In those days the only mechanic around with any 4x4 service knowledge was at a local dealership, at age 17 I couldn't afford those prices. Besides, I had already discovered the thrill of tinkering with tools on machinery and vehicles at an early age, as my father had plenty of these things in a family amusement business that allowed me to gain hands on experience. After graduating high school I moved up to a 1971 Blazer. Now with a full time job and the desire to improve this vehicle's performance and offroad abilities, I started by installing a lift suspension, dual shocks, larger tires & wheels, roll bar & cage, skid plates, axle trusses, grille guard, winch, lots of off road lights and a ton of useful accessories. Now I needed more power, so then came a performance engine & tranny swap, differential lockers, the addition of power steering and larger more aggressive tires. This all took most of 1973 & `74 to accomplish. Most of the parts I needed were found advertised in little known 4x4 magazines I searched out hidden in the back rows at local newsstands. Everything had to be sourced from the West coast. Back then, the process of acquiring parts & accessories could take weeks. I had already tried dealing with Speedshops and Autoparts Stores locally, but they were not willing to spend the time and effort to get the 4X4 parts I wanted. I suppose they didn't have a clue that 4 WHEEL DRIVE was about to become one of the biggest most enduring pastimes in
American automotive history!
All the offroad fun resulted in the constant repair of bent springs, twisted shafts, damaged gears & axles and worn out bearings & u-joints. They were good times! During these early years in my spare time, I was also doing upgrades and repairs on the 4x4's of local friends and people I had met through trail riding or competition events. In late 1975, I packed up the Blazer and embarked on a three week road trip to California to visit with some of the 4x4 companies that I had already been dealing with. I returned home three weeks later with the plan of starting my own 4x4 parts & accessory business. By late 1976 I managed to turn my passion into a
business. At that time there were only a handful of 4 wheel drive specialty shops in the Northeast states.
With more than 40 years of 4 wheel drive experience, and with thousands of suspension, driveline & axle modifications and rebuilds completed,........ I still have my hands in the tool box today!
Thankyou for your time,
Linwood Booz