If you are an overlander or offroader, or even just aspire to be one of the above, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of OK4WD of Stewartsville, New Jersey. This formidable shop sits in verdant farm country, but also within two hours of both New York City and Philadelphia; it’s become the premier four-wheel drive outfitter on the East Coast, and arguably in the nation.
Jim Oostdyk, the shop’s founder and guiding force, has been instrumental in shaping the technical culture of American overlanding, bringing in top-end gear from four-wheel-fanatical places like Australia and South Africa. His massive shop and showroom work like a creative prompt to people who want to explore the hinterlands. If you can think it up, the crew here can likely build it.
This was not always the case—Oostdyk started with a two-bay garage and a gas station. The journey from then til now is as interesting as any backcountry route.
Jim Oostdyk surveys the trails of his native New Jersey. (Photo Credit: Lila Barth)
| Shop: OK4WD | Location: Stewartsville, New Jersey | Founded: 1979 | Specialty: Off-Road Gear |
Q: You grew up on a farm in rural New Jersey. Did that environment help draw you to off-road driving?
A: I started the business as a gas station and repair shop, two weeks out of high school in 1979. I ran out of cash within a month and had to sell my car—a ’66 Mustang. I bought an old Jeep. And four weeks later, I rolled it. As I was fixing it up, I lifted it, put on another body, and dropped in a different motor. Customers at the gas station would see that and say, “Hey, I got an old Jeep. Can you do that to mine?” Things just took off from there.
Q: How long did that take for the gas station to turn into a full-blown 4×4 shop?
A: Within a year, we were cranking. Ford came out with an F-150 with an independent front suspension. Our UPS driver bought one in about the fall of 1980. We lifted it for him, and he took it to the Jersey Shore for Memorial Day. All weekend, people were stopping him, and he handed out a bunch of our cards. People lined up after that, asking us to lift their trucks and put big tires on them.
Q: The whole concept and culture of “overlanding” has transformed since then, especially in recent years. How has that evolution looked from your vantage point?
A: We were kind of into overlanding before anyone called it overlanding. And we always wanted to make 4x4s that fit the customer’s lifestyle. Now that the idea of overlanding has become more popular, that really fits well into our wheelhouse. When things started to head in that direction, I spent a lot of time traveling and finding really good products from South Africa and Europe. We’d bring them back to the U.S. and tweak them for our marketplace.
Q: How did you start your international search for overlanding gear?
A: I started traveling because I didn’t want my kids to be brats. I took them to do charity mission work in places like Mexico, Peru, Haiti and Africa. Every time, I would find that a 4×4 was a total necessity. I would see things on vehicles in other countries that we didn’t have here—like camping gear, air lockers and extra spare tires. I realized that the rest of the world does four-wheel drives differently.
We’d go places to build orphanages or do construction work mainly. They’d have a Jeep or a Toyota pickup that was broken down, and my son and I would fix them. You learn all these things, and then you see the components that make their vehicles stronger. It made our business more innovative. I was finding stuff that we just didn’t see here in the States.
OK4WD employee Jeremy Dittmar, on duty (Photo Credit: Lila Barth)
Q: What do you think spurred Americans to become more interested in off-road travel and exploration?
A: What really got it going here was gear coming from Australia. With the help of a customer, we actually installed the first ARB Air Locker in the US. That guy went on to start ARB USA., and we became one of the first, if not the first, ARB dealers in the country. Overland Journal came out, which then led to a show.
Q: Where do you draw inspiration for your builds?
A: Inspiration comes from seeing people get outside. We’ve had couples who met and got married because of events or trails we’ve told them about. We’ve seen a lot of friendships being built, too. The community is just so inspirational in all aspects. The camping aspect of it, too, is just so good. When you camp, it’s good for your soul. The inspiration really comes from giving people a piece of equipment that makes their lives more enjoyable.
Q: Do customers ever show you something you haven’t seen before—something that surprises you?
A: We’ll build a camper out, and then a customer will finish the interior and bring it back in. We’ll ask if we can incorporate some of their ideas into our work. And that’s the beauty of campers. It’s kind of like a blank slate. It’s amazing to see what people come up with.
Q: Are there any dream builds, or maybe even dream trips, that you want to do?
A: My life’s not going to be long enough for me to get everywhere I want to go, but I’m very, very blessed with where I’ve been able to go. For vehicles, we have a new Ineos Grenadier, which kind of blows my mind. We cut the roof off and put an AluCab pop-top on it. I think it’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in many years—if not my whole career.
The first OK4WD catalog from 1985 with photos of the original gas station. location. (Photo Credit: Lila Barth)
Head for the Hills
- The OK4WD website provides plenty of project-documentation eye candy for the would-be adventurer. A 2021 Ram 3500 Tradesman transformed via the installation of an OEV Alpine flat-bed camper, kitted out with Maxtrax recovery boards, an Alu-Cab shadow awning and a robust suite of rugged vehicular upgrades
- The shop puts a strong focus on the most basic and essential component of off-road exploration: tires. Its selection of BFGoodrich, Nitto and Michelin models runs deep, and the technician team specializes in vehicle fit, install and maintenance support.
- The shop’s build-out of a 2024 Ineos Grenadier does full justice to the new cult-favorite exploration vehicle. The team implemented the Alu-Cab Silenus rooftop tent conversion, specially designed for the Grenadier.
This article originally appeared in Wildsam magazine. For more Wildsam content, sign up for our newsletter.
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