From shy and reserved, to a skilled rebuild helper, the teen from Czech Republic learned to love the 4x4’s community.

On August 20, 2022 our wheeling family grew by one more when we decided to welcome another Foreign Exchange Student into our home for the school year. This shy, quiet young man, Matěj Mlynar, or Matt as we know him, had absolutely no idea what he was in for.

Learning to rock crawl in a highly modified Jeep was an added bonus when Matej Mlynar joined the Durand family.My husband, Jason and I, have a large blended family consisting of six children, his (2), mine (3) and a previous exchange student, while Matt was an only child. But that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Hooked on 4x4

Our family has always enjoyed getting out off-roading and wheeling. Jason has been a member of the RPM 4x4 community since 2005 and a member of the Wisconsin Hate Crew, Inc since 2018. He has always enjoyed the challenges of wheeling and comradery of the wheeling community.
Matt came to us with an interest in, and aptitude for computers and electronics. Little did he know how his horizons would be broadened. The first full day Matt was with us, we planned a Jeep ride. We cruised around the Blue Hills of Northern Wisconsin in our Jeep Wrangler, with no doors and no top, occasionally finding an opportunity to climb over a rock in the road. Although he thought it was odd and a little dangerous to not have a top or doors on, immediately, Matt was hooked!

Labor Day weekend is always spent with a trip to the Iron Range Off Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area in Gilbert, Minn. Matt had only been with us a few short weeks. The concepts of camping and wheeling were still very foreign to him. Especially since our CJ7 rock crawler is so very different from our Jeep. He was utterly convinced that we had traveled the three hours north just to kill him in the rock crawler. He was very apprehensive about riding any time the buggy was off-camber. But, after three days of enjoying the trails, he started to loosen up and enjoy himself. We took it easy on him since our CJ7 buggy was still in need of some reconstruction.

The next month we were back in Gilbert for Rock Rash in October. This time with our Wrangler. We didn’t compete in Rock Rash, but we very much enjoyed trail riding and cheering on our son, Austin, and nephew, Rylee, as they competed. Matt was surprised and impressed by how many people enjoy this sport and the unique mechanical modifications of each rock crawler.

Learning New Skills
The months of November through February were spent working on a small restoration project on our ‘08 Jeep Wrangler. This was torn down to build a new roll cage. This involved bending the tubing and welding it into place, both of which Matt was eager to learn about and help with. We pulled off the rock rails, fenders, and bumpers to be painted along with the new roll cage. We installed a new grill cover and went through the suspension in preparation for our trip to Moab, Utah in March.

In addition to preparing our own Jeep, we worked on three of the other Jeeps that were also making the trek to Moab with us. Matt became very comfortable around the shop, operating the welder, grinder, car hoist, air compressor, and tube bender.

Shop days and nights were a valuable learning experience for Matt while in Wisconsin as a Foreign Exchange student from the Czech Republic. Rebuilding the CJ7 rock crawler took nearly 3 months for the rebuild.In March, we spent spring break wheeling and taking in the breathtaking scenery of Moab. Matt had the opportunity to experience mountain scenery, waterfalls, arches, canyons, and petroglyphs. Since we were not in Moab during Easter Jeep Safari, it was easy to access any of the trails without much waiting or traffic. I don’t think that Matt ever really decided on a favorite trail while in Moab. But he experienced Pritchard Canyon, Poison Spider Mesa, Cliffhanger, Gold Bar Rim, Golden Crack, Hell’s Revenge, Rusty Nail, Moab Rim, and Behind the Rocks to name a few.

As soon as our trip to Moab came to an end, the rebuild on our CJ7 rock buggy began! For almost two months, every evening was spent in the shop where a complete teardown and rebuild happened. We swapped out the engine, installed new axles, designed and built a whole new four link suspension, stretched the frame, built a new interior, rewired, ran new brake lines, extended the roll cage; in short, completely rebuilt our rock crawler.

There were many times that Matt would ask what we were working on each night. He would often be concerned he would miss helping out with a project if he has schoolwork or track and field events. In our pursuit to rebuild parts, Matt was able to accompany our kids on a trip to the junkyard. A new concept for him. This is when he returned with a Jeep steering wheel as a souvenir.

Matt became a proficient grinder, often grinding off the remaining metal and/or welds or smoothing out new additions. Matt had the opportunity to bend tubing himself to create a new roll cage and frame. He installed all new brake lines. He helped brainstorm and troubleshoot where to place the muffler and exhaust. At this point, he had learned so much in the short time he had been with us that he was able to contribute to the build on a larger scale, and his help was invaluable. We were on a time crunch in order to complete the rock crawler by Spring Convention the weekend of May 5th at Frontenac Farms. We completed the entire rebuild in six weeks.

Gaining Confidence behind the wheel

Of course, now it was time to put the crawler to the test and see how we did. Gone was our nervous Matt, and in his place was someone eager for adventure and not afraid to attempt the hard climbs to prove the capability of the rig. Our first serious climb at Frontenac, we had some issues with power steering lines not being able to withstand the pressure. So we made some adjustments. There were some other minor adjustments to be made as well and, by the time of the Dresser Memorial event on the weekend of May 26, we were ready.

Matt was even ready to try his hand behind the wheel. Everything went so well, and Matt definitely enjoyed himself having the opportunity to drive the crawler. It was a proud moment for him to not only see, but also truly experience and enjoy the fruits of his labors.

Everyone knows when the off-road bug bites you, the itch doesn’t just go away. Matt was eager to learn more about how he could continue to be a part of the off-road community with MN4WDA. We are hoping that he can be considered the first international member of MN4WDA. What a wonderful opportunity to grow our sport and share with others what we all enjoy so much. We very much look forward to Matt coming back to the United States for visits, which will undoubtedly include some Jeep rides and off-road events!