• Wehrli Custom Fabrication (WCFab) is an Illinois-based truck and powersports accessories manufacturer and custom metal fabrication facility.
• The company’s products—intake kits, traction bars, engine mounts, etc.—immediately impacted the truck market and put WCFab on a fast track for expansion every four years.
• Its product line is proudly made in the USA and spans the gamut of enthusiast platforms: GM Duramax, Ford Powerstroke, and Ram Cummins diesel trucks.
• Wehrli expanded into a 112,000-square-foot facility in 2022, which provides ample space to grow into and hosts the company’s entire operations, including the robust manufacturing and powder coating teams.

Life is a collection of stored things and what we ultimately do with them. While many of us have filled up on binging Netflix, shopping for car parts, and doom scrolling on social media, Jason Wehrli, the founder of Wehrli Custom Fabrication (WCFab), built up a store of motorsport knowledge. Inside a two-truck garage at his parents’ house, he and his brothers would tinker, fix, and modify the full gamut of adrenaline-fueled go-fast machinery: dirt bikes, ATVs, snowmobiles, and the like. This collection of toys eventually required a big truck to haul them around. Eventually, that “leave nothing alone” mentality bled into the diesel world. Almost immediately, people began to notice what WCFab was doing, and before long, he moved the operation out of his parents’ garage and into its first full-fledged shop. Four years later, the square footage quadrupled, and then again four years after.

Jason’s passion for improving upon a recipe was undeniable, but I think putting his name on the business helped supercharge his ambitions (and subsequent success). Over time, the WCFab logo became a rightful badge of honor, a name synonymous with quality, craftsmanship, and the performance to match.

A BREAKTHROUGH

WCFab’s second big move in 2018 was transformative and further cemented the company’s commitment to its customers. “We moved into a facility where we added CNC mills and lathes. By making components in-house, we can control the quality and make it easier for the end user to install parts,” added Natalia Bird, WC Fab’s digital content developer. “At the same time, we expanded our powder-coating operations, which helped increase the number of orders we can have in progress at once.” The new footprint allowed WCFab to expand beyond its operational capacity; its formal entry into the SxS space was part of it, which echoed some of Wehrli’s foundational passions.

NEXT STEP FORWARD

While much of the industry was dialing back, WCFab made yet another move forward—this time, into a massive, state-of-the-art 112,000 square foot facility. All the bottlenecks that persisted at WCFab’s previous locations were engineered out of the new space with headroom to spare at each station. “Moving into this space, three times larger than our last shop, gives us many more opportunities and room for growth,” said Wehrli. Indeed, for WCFab, more was more. Its powder coating capacity tripled, more CNC machines and lifts were sourced, an alignment rack was fitted, and the production line expanded to include laser cutting and a CNC press brake.

“Today, Wehrli Custom Fabrication & Powder Coating employs over 50 including my three brothers: Ryan, Mitch, and Chad along with my wife, Brittany,” Wehrli continued. Every member of WCFab’s rapidly expanding workforce is just as hard-working and passionate as its founding members. Every employee is capable of delivering the highest quality products, service, and technical advice to its customers.

CORE VALUES

The latest expansion hasn’t diluted any of WCFab’s original mission: to craft high-performance diesel upgrades and custom metal fabrication solutions for Duramax, Powerstroke, and Cummins-powered rigs, as well as several Powersports applications. Like GiroDisc, WCFab’s commitment means that every component born in its facility is proudly made in the USA, as it’s been from its inception.

Keen eyes will notice a GMC 3500 Denali in the foreground of these photos. It’s a key part of WCFab’s fleet; the modified 3500 serves multiple purposes: a hauler to and from events, a testbed for the R&D of new components, and a show truck for the company’s beautiful components and powder coating work. Its core commitment to high-quality manufacturing is largely why WCFab is confident to outfit a truck like this with its full catalog—they know everything will work as it should.

MORE THAN POWER

“Working as it should” isn’t a given when you’re playing with big power. Although making more horsepower is undeniably fun, WCFab’s catalog is a balanced attack of performance add-ons and supporting cast mates. The latter, which includes products like traction bars and heavy-duty engine mounts, helps support higher horsepower ambitions and prevent catastrophic failure of inadequate OEM equipment. It’s another testament to WCFab’s comprehensive engineering approach; the brand aims to eliminate bottlenecks from its lofty performance goals as much as it has eliminated them from its manufacturing process.

I haven’t said enough about WCFab’s 14-year ascent. From a small, two-car garage to this massive six-figure footprint, its progress was rapid. I attribute a lot of it to the foundation that Wehrli set for his company—the values, the approach, the focus—because it allowed WCFab to make all the right moves when Wehrli decided it was ready. 14 years on, it feels like every new component that WCFab engineers is built with passion and the same honesty that compelled Wehrli to start this business in the first place. I admire that a lot. It’s difficult to expect employees to treat the business as their own, but spending time at WCFab, it certainly feels like everyone treats the Wehrli name like an extension of theirs. I left understanding that WCFab is more than a company that manufactures parts, it’s a stronghold for the love that drew us into the aftermarket industry in the first place. And I’m earnestly excited to see what WCFab has in store for us over the next 14 years. All I know is that it’s going to be big.

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