ESAB names official spokesperson, announces sponsorship of streaming off-road show

ESAB has announced that it has named off-road and vehicle fabrication expert Ian Johnson an official spokesperson for its welding and cutting products. Coinciding with this announcement, ESAB will sponsor Johnson’s new off-road show, Big Tire Garage, debuting on Amazon in late August and available for streaming from services such as YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Facebook.

“ESAB’s core audience has responded incredibly well to Ian’s background as a technical instructor, his off-road experience, and real-deal fabrication skills,” said Steven Molenda, director of global marketing communications and marketing strategies, ESAB Welding & Cutting Products. “Ian has provided hundreds of hands-on demonstrations at the SEMA and FABTECH® shows for the last three years. No matter what the project, Ian can break it down to the essential steps like few can. He is truly a ‘how-to’ welding, cutting and off-roading guru.”

Big Tire Garage will feature off-road heavy fabrication projects, from start to finish. “A new show will air each week until the build is done—no jumping around,” said Johnson. “Viewers can watch the shows anytime, anywhere.” The first build, starring a 1987 Jeep Comanche, evolved on social media. “I expressed an interest in a Comanche, and a guy responded saying he had one in Alabama,” says Johnson. “So, I went down and bought it. It’s probably the only rust-free Jeep Comanche I’ve ever seen. It was perfect.”

The Comanche will be built as a custom hard-core crawler with 37-in. tires, a supercharged V6 engine, 4-to-1 transfer case, four-link suspension rear, three-link front suspension, custom paint job and 3 in. cut from the top. By using alternative delivery methods such as YouTube and Facebook, Johnson is able to add live links featuring specific how-to information and parts of the show so that viewers can click directly to areas of interest.