Sep 07

1. Tell us your full name?
Lou Perez

2. Where and when were you born?
Dover AFB, Delaware 1957

3. Do you have any brother�s or sister�s?
Two sisters ages 46 and 48

4. Are you married or single?
Married

5. Any kids?
Daughters Melissa (29) and Lindsey (24) plus Stepson Kyle and Stepdaughters Megan and Caity

6. Where do you live now?
Las Vegas, NV

7. Where do you work?
Plumbing Contractor

8. What do you do there?
Operations Manager

9. Do you have a Nickname that you like to go by?
RedWolf

10. If so, how did you get this Nickname?
Native American Name

11. How many years have you been into the sport of off roading?
Let�s see� started with dirt bikes and dune buggies in the early 70�s and 4 wheelers in the late 1980�s.

12. Who, or what first got you interested in the sport?
In Vegas in the early days, if you weren�t old enough to gamble the only thing to do was go play in the dirt.

13. Are you involved in any off-road club�s? If so, what is the name of your club?
Yes, Madzuks 4X4 Club of Las Vegas, NV. We are an unstructured club (no dues or elected officials) mainly friends who like to build and wrench on the Zooks and wheel every chance we get.

14. What kinds of 4x4's do you own?
I�m down to the Sammi now, before the Sammi I owned a 4x4 Willy�s Wagon, a CJ-5, a YJ Wrangler and assorted 4X4 trucks.

15. Tell us about your Suzuki.
When I purchased her the only thing worth any money on her was the drivetrain (new engine, carb and clutch) the rest of her was bent, broken or missing. I spent a month restoring her to stock (new paint inside and out, new seats, door panels, windshield, drivers door, roll bar, targa band, hood, soft top) before I could even start the build. I installed nice big comfy racing seats (I�m 6�4� tall and 270 lbs) repositioned the seats for more legroom, rhino lined the tub, installed one of Myron�s (Zor Products) front winch bumpers, built my own rear roll cage, rock sliders, light bar and currently working on tube doors. Me and my buddies installed the RRO 6� SPOA and I am getting ready to purchase my T-Case gears, Rear Locker and Winch.

16. How long have you had it?
I�ve had her since October 2006.

17. Does it have a Nickname?
My wife calls her �The other Woman� and my friends call her a �Trail Ho� cause she�s so pretty!

18. How often do you get to wheel?
In Vegas you can wheel every weekend until summer, that�s when you work on your projects until the temp drops below 100 degrees in late September.

19. What's the best modification you made to your rig so far?
I like them all so far however, the on board air and the Temp, Volt and Oil gauges installed in the A/C ducts are my favorites.

20. What's the worst?
Two inch Mall Cruiser Shackles. Yes they provided enough lift to put tires on it however, it was like 4 wheeling with a snow plow attachment!

21. Bolt on Mods, or make it yourself?
In my Jeep days it was bolt on but now I�m having a great time building my own stuff!

22. What�s your level of mechanical skills?
Depends, I�m not afraid to tackle anything and I have a good collection of tools from hand tools to air tools to Welders, benders and notchers. However, I�d rather fabricate than repair.

23. How do you like your trails, Scenic drive, I like a little challenge, or show me the pain!?
I�m not into carnage especially since my rig is also my DD however, I love Hill Climbs, technical wheeling and I do like to take in the ride along the way.

24. What�s the scariest moment you�ve ever had off-roading?
Sliding sideways down a mountain top near Bryce Canyon Utah (I was teaching my daughters boyfriend to wheel and he got cocky in his Jeep) , we ended up leaving the Jeep on the mountain top overnight. When we asked the Rangers (who drove Jeeps) for help� they asked us how we got up there and then told us they couldn�t help! It took about 3 hours and several ropes, come alongs and winches to get it down safely!

25. What was the funniest?
According to my buddies� listening to me beg them to figure out a way to get me the rest of the way up a long loose hill the first time I had to back down my rig by myself. I kinda remember being willing to try anything to avoid having to back down this really steep really long hill. Needless to say, I can back down in my sleep now but the first time scared the heck out of me!

26. What have you learned from the sport that you can apply to your everyday life?
Obstacles will only stop you if your not creative or persistent enough to figure out away over them.

27. What other outdoor activities do you enjoy?
Camping and Fishing however, I always make sure to go places where I can do all three!

28. If you could sit down and talk to anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?
The Founding Fathers of this Country because I�m sure they never meant for the American Government to turn out this way especially when it come to the closure of PUBLIC LANDS!

29. Books on tape, or sit down and read?
Four Wheel drive Magazines only.

30. DVD at home or Theater?
Home Theater of Course.

31. What is on your MP3, or in your CD player right now?
My own mix� Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Styx, Eagles� you know �Old School�.

32. Radio, CD�s or "Trail Music" when your wheeling?
CD players don�t hold up in Wheelers. I bought a new unit that plays SD Mem Cards, Flash Drives and has a hook up for MP3 players. I only listen to music on the scenic drives though, the rest of the time I listen to the CB and my Rig.

33. When you're not off-roading, or working, how do you like to spend your time?
In my garage with my tools!

34. If I gave you a free ticket to visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Austrailia, I would love to wheel the �Outback� mate!

35. What did you want to be most as a kid?
Self Employed� lol

36. If you could learn to speak any language that you do not already know, what would it be?
Actually� I�d like to learn Sign language.

37. What is your best time of the day, morning, noon, or night?
I still like to burn the candle at both ends.

38. What�s your most embarrassing moment (so far)?
It involved Everclear and it�s still too embarrassing to talk about!

39. Have you ever met anyone famous, and if so, who?
I live in Vegas, you meet famous people at the bank!

40. Tell me a little known fact about yourself.
I have an artistic side that I inherited from my mother. I�ve played guitar since I was 7, I also play the drums and piano, I draw and oil paint as well. My rig is also a reflection of my artistic side.

41. If you could give any piece of advice to a future off-roader, what would it be?
Start with a stock rig and build it as your skill level increases. There�s nothing more dangerous than a newbie operating a vehicle that is built way beyond his skill level!

Thank you Lou, and you are now off the Hot Seat!

		On the Hot Seat with Brent May So you think that Las Vegas is all about the strip and CSI? Well, not if Lou Perez has any say over it! What happens in Vegas may not always stay in Vegas as this month's Hot Seat will show.
		1. Tell us your full name? Lou Perez 2. Where and when were you born? Dover AFB, Delaware 1957 3. Do you have any brother�s or sister�s? Two sisters ages 46 and 48 4. Are you married or single? Married 5. Any kids? Daughters Melissa (29) and Lindsey (24) plus Stepson Kyle and Stepdaughters Megan and Caity 6. Where do you live now? Las Vegas, NV 7. Where do you work? Plumbing Contractor 8. What do you do there? Operations Manager 9. Do you have a Nickname that you like to go by? RedWolf 10. If so, how did you get this Nickname? Native American Name 11. How many years have you been into the sport of off roading? Let�s see� started with dirt bikes and dune buggies in the early 70�s and 4 wheelers in the late 1980�s. 12. Who, or what first got you interested in the sport? In Vegas in the early days, if you weren�t old enough to gamble the only thing to do was go play in the dirt. 13. Are you involved in any off-road club�s? If so, what is the name of your club? Yes, Madzuks 4X4 Club of Las Vegas, NV. We are an unstructured club (no dues or elected officials) mainly friends who like to build and wrench on the Zooks and wheel every chance we get. 14. What kinds of 4x4's do you own? I�m down to the Sammi now, before the Sammi I owned a 4x4 Willy�s Wagon, a CJ-5, a YJ Wrangler and assorted 4X4 trucks. 15. Tell us about your Suzuki. When I purchased her the only thing worth any money on her was the drivetrain (new engine, carb and clutch) the rest of her was bent, broken or missing. I spent a month restoring her to stock (new paint inside and out, new seats, door panels, windshield, drivers door, roll bar, targa band, hood, soft top) before I could even start the build. I installed nice big comfy racing seats (I�m 6�4� tall and 270 lbs) repositioned the seats for more legroom, rhino lined the tub, installed one of Myron�s (Zor Products) front winch bumpers, built my own rear roll cage, rock sliders, light bar and currently working on tube doors. Me and my buddies installed the RRO 6� SPOA and I am getting ready to purchase my T-Case gears, Rear Locker and Winch. 16. How long have you had it? I�ve had her since October 2006. 17. Does it have a Nickname? My wife calls her �The other Woman� and my friends call her a �Trail Ho� cause she�s so pretty! 18. How often do you get to wheel? In Vegas you can wheel every weekend until summer, that�s when you work on your projects until the temp drops below 100 degrees in late September. 19. What's the best modification you made to your rig so far? I like them all so far however, the on board air and the Temp, Volt and Oil gauges installed in the A/C ducts are my favorites. 20. What's the worst? Two inch Mall Cruiser Shackles. Yes they provided enough lift to put tires on it however, it was like 4 wheeling with a snow plow attachment! 21. Bolt on Mods, or make it yourself? In my Jeep days it was bolt on but now I�m having a great time building my own stuff! 22. What�s your level of mechanical skills? Depends, I�m not afraid to tackle anything and I have a good collection of tools from hand tools to air tools to Welders, benders and notchers. However, I�d rather fabricate than repair. 23. How do you like your trails, Scenic drive, I like a little challenge, or show me the pain!? I�m not into carnage especially since my rig is also my DD however, I love Hill Climbs, technical wheeling and I do like to take in the ride along the way. 24. What�s the scariest moment you�ve ever had off-roading? Sliding sideways down a mountain top near Bryce Canyon Utah (I was teaching my daughters boyfriend to wheel and he got cocky in his Jeep) , we ended up leaving the Jeep on the mountain top overnight. When we asked the Rangers (who drove Jeeps) for help� they asked us how we got up there and then told us they couldn�t help! It took about 3 hours and several ropes, come alongs and winches to get it down safely! 25. What was the funniest? According to my buddies� listening to me beg them to figure out a way to get me the rest of the way up a long loose hill the first time I had to back down my rig by myself. I kinda remember being willing to try anything to avoid having to back down this really steep really long hill. Needless to say, I can back down in my sleep now but the first time scared the heck out of me! 26. What have you learned from the sport that you can apply to your everyday life? Obstacles will only stop you if your not creative or persistent enough to figure out away over them. 27. What other outdoor activities do you enjoy? Camping and Fishing however, I always make sure to go places where I can do all three! 28. If you could sit down and talk to anyone, past or present, who would it be and why? The Founding Fathers of this Country because I�m sure they never meant for the American Government to turn out this way especially when it come to the closure of PUBLIC LANDS! 29. Books on tape, or sit down and read? Four Wheel drive Magazines only. 30. DVD at home or Theater? Home Theater of Course. 31. What is on your MP3, or in your CD player right now? My own mix� Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Styx, Eagles� you know �Old School�. 32. Radio, CD�s or "Trail Music" when your wheeling? CD players don�t hold up in Wheelers. I bought a new unit that plays SD Mem Cards, Flash Drives and has a hook up for MP3 players. I only listen to music on the scenic drives though, the rest of the time I listen to the CB and my Rig. 33. When you're not off-roading, or working, how do you like to spend your time? In my garage with my tools! 34. If I gave you a free ticket to visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Austrailia, I would love to wheel the �Outback� mate! 35. What did you want to be most as a kid? Self Employed� lol 36. If you could learn to speak any language that you do not already know, what would it be? Actually� I�d like to learn Sign language. 37. What is your best time of the day, morning, noon, or night? I still like to burn the candle at both ends. 38. What�s your most embarrassing moment (so far)? It involved Everclear and it�s still too embarrassing to talk about! 39. Have you ever met anyone famous, and if so, who? I live in Vegas, you meet famous people at the bank! 40. Tell me a little known fact about yourself. I have an artistic side that I inherited from my mother. I�ve played guitar since I was 7, I also play the drums and piano, I draw and oil paint as well. My rig is also a reflection of my artistic side. 41. If you could give any piece of advice to a future off-roader, what would it be? Start with a stock rig and build it as your skill level increases. There�s nothing more dangerous than a newbie operating a vehicle that is built way beyond his skill level! Thank you Lou, and you are now off the Hot Seat!