Behind the Builders: Nicholas Ashby of Rockstar Garage

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Behind the Builders

Welcome to a new TREAD editorial series titled Behind the Builders, where we will cover fabricators and craftsmen all across the United States. We are here to celebrate the biggest, baddest, and most creative builders and mechanics across the country and bring their hidden gem creations to the spotlight!

Kicking us off for the very first Behind the Builders installment is Southern California native Nicholas Ashby. Haven’t heard of Nic? Well, let me tell you about some of his accomplishments that have taken the internet by storm! Starting off, he owns and operates Rockstar Performance Garage in Temecula, California, and is pushing out crazy builds like GRDLOC, ROKBUGY, and GRDLOC Alter Ego, along with tons of rad builds for most of the off-road companies currently out on the trails.

But this isn’t how Nic started. His beginning was modest. Nic was raised on a horse ranch out of Southern Utah and was considered a rebel at a young age. He released himself to the United States military, working his way up the ranks and eventually earning the rank of sergeant by age 25. The military and National Guard taught Nic how to be a different type of rebel and put him on track to start his life’s work as an automotive mechanic. Traveling to multiple states and to hundreds of shows, Nic found himself driving through big cities with the tuner of the National Guard one week, then battling fires overseas in support missions the next.

Circling back to the Proving Grounds hosted by Through this lifestyle that Nic chose, he was soon able to build one of his favorite projects to this day. The National Guard inspired his Infiniti G-35 named Fallen Heroes to remember those who were lost in battle serving this amazing country. This wasn’t just a build for Nic; this endeavor had much more meaning to it. For families everywhere, this car was built to memorialize the country’s fallen heroes and bring closure and possibly even inspire many others that found Nic’s story to be touching. The car even inspired some to pick up tools and build tribute vehicles themselves to remember the loved ones they left overseas. This Infiniti saw many magazine features and made appearances at shows nationwide. Nic would like to have emphasized that this build was not funded by the National Guard or by American tax dollars—all costs came out of Nic’s pockets, as well as through the support of brand collaborations to bring this magnificent ride to life.

I jumped back into the Expo just before the gates opened. As soon Speaking about the G-35 only covers the beginning of Nic’s building career. He didn’t start with all the big tires and motors and other off-road stuff. He started in the car industry, and aside from his Fallen Heroes project, Nic also put together a full carbon fiber Camaro that was featured at SEMA and other noteworthy events.

Throughout our interview, we asked Nic a few more questions about his history and his day-to-day routine. Nic is a full-time dad, and he even has a 9-month-old baby. We’d like to congratulate Nic on his newborn and wish him and his family well! Besides taking care of daddy duties, Nic is a leader, builder, and businessman. He leads the Rockstar Garage crew that stays busy building some of the raddest rigs out there. Nic is also growing his business agenda with brands across the off-road industry, which has really helped bring Rockstar Performance Garage to what it is today. He is the backbone of this company, and who knows what it would be without Nic’s dedication and heartfelt passion?

When asked about what was the most difficult part about learning how to build these vehicles, Nic’s response was, “How to deal with people.” In this industry, that is very true. When you have a set vision and someone wants to change your image or your dream for their gain, it can be difficult. When parts don’t follow through and break, wait times on parts can delay a build in its entirety, and it can all become extremely tiring.

Nic’s favorite thing to create on his projects is a working suspension with proper geometry and shock angles to perform maximum articulation, body roll, and anti-squat when at those hard off-camber angles. Nic is very detailed in all his builds, especially when it comes to the level of engineering that goes into each one. If you ever see Nic’s rigs on trails or at shows, look around and take notice of small details and things that make the difference all around.

Nic has inspired many, and in our opinion, he has made a drastic change in the off-road world and the Jeep industry with the GRDLOC build that he finished over a decade ago. This Jeep presented big tires before it was a thing, and those big tires and the suspension system were made to be functional, not just parked to sit pretty on the SEMA floor. This rig was put to the test and wheeled some of the craziest trails in America from the east to the west coast. GRDLOC presented a movement in the Jeep industry and started a race for large companies to catch up. A build like this was ahead of its time and, to this day, is still probably one of the most recognized Jeeps across America.

Through these builds, Nic is always looking forward to his Great American Crawl events that are planned all over the United States. These events bring out a ton of off-road enthusiasts to spectate, wheel, and experience all the wild builds at work. They also provide an ideal meeting place for enthusiasts to hang out with many other like-minded individuals. Setting himself apart from other builders, Nic is a genius by being able to connect business and create a marketing path that brings these projects and manufacturers together while creating some of the most capable off-road vehicles known to man. Nic is a man of many talents and is always on the move with something going on. We thank Nic for sitting down and making time for us to talk about his upbringing in this industry. We will be seeing much more from this builder and Rockstar Performance Garage in the future, but until then, tread on!