Say what you will about my vehicles - you'll never mistake 'em for somebody else's.

Aside from the red Wrangler I just picked up and haven't really had a chance to mess with, you can always tell a Hazel vehicle - even if you're passing me on the opposite side of the highway. I don't like bellybutton vehicles. I always get a kick out of hearing stories of how somebody got inside a vehicle that looked just like theirs and didn't realize it wasn't until the key wouldn't fit in the ignition.

But the trick is  to make 'em unique without going to extremes. Don't have your Jeep Line-X'd in purple neon or weld an oil derik to the roof. My flattie is unique because of what it is. A doored-flattie with patina. Granted the wide axles, clear coated cage, and other things help set it aside. Then there's my M-715. Yeah, I copied our publisher, Jeff Nasi's '67 by putting seats and a cage in the bed, but where he's got a clean, nicely painted body, I left mine with the 40-year old military spray job and rust from the factory. There'll never be another Hatari CJ-6 with its 38-year old patina, custom cage, and cream colored wheels with retread tires. My Ramcharger was one in a million even if it's now a cube of scrap metal. Hell, even my '07.5 Megacab is unique with its polished Walker wheels with black fakelock rings, Dynatrac hubs, and Snug-Top shell.

Point is, don't just copy what your Jeep club members or your buddy does to his rig. I hate seeing a line of 5 Jeeps pass me on a trail and all have the same bumpers, rims, and even tires. You gotta be you, so follow your gut and dare to be a little different.