P01: GVM. Gross Vehicle Mass. The most important number on your compliance
plate, and the one most owners don't actually know.

This week we're tackling the loaded rig through the engineer's-mindset lens
we set up in EP00. The lexicon of weights you need to know, what GVM
actually limits in engineering terms (not just legal), two big questions
from the Downs 4WD Club, and how to find out where your rig actually sits.

What's covered:

• The lexicon — Tare, Payload, GVM, ATM, GCM

• Why GVM is an engineering limit, not just a legal one

• How GVM and GCM relate, and the trap that catches people

• The rooftop tent question — static vs dynamic rack ratings

• The airbags question — why they're a band-aid, not a fix

• Where people get caught — accessory creep, the towing trap, tow ball download

• How to actually do the math at the weighbridge

Mentioned in this episode:
John Cadogan / Auto Expert on airbags — worth your time if you want to go deeper:
• Should you fit airbag suspension for towin...

Thanks to the Downs 4WD Club for having me out — properly engaged crowd, two
of the questions from that night anchor this episode.

Ask Willy — free intake, plain explanations:
https://totalengineeringmods.com/ask-willy

10% of every Engineering Engagement goes to Pankind Australia in memory of
William:
https://pankind.org.au

Next week: GVM upgrades. What they actually change, what gets certified,
when GVM alone is the answer, and when GCM needs to come with it.

This is EP00. A first-look at Built Right — a show about doing things properly when you build, modify, or own a vehicle.

I'm AJ. I run TEAMS — Total Engineering and Modification Solutions — out of Toowoomba. This episode is the long version of who I am, why this show exists, and what we're going to spend our time talking about. Some of it is engineering. A lot of it isn't.

There's a kid who took apart a remote control car to make a boat. Three boys at home. The bloke I lost in January. A trip around Australia that's been on the deferred pile for too long. Sixteen years in Army boots before I went near an engineering degree. And the work I get to do every day, putting my name on builds across South-East Queensland.

If you've ever planned a build, paid for one, or wondered if the one you've got is right — this is for you.

Free intake at totalengineeringmods.com/ask-willy.

Ten percent of every Engineering Engagement goes to Pankind Australia in memory of Willy.

• (00:00) - Cold Open — The Jet Hopper
• (01:37) - More Than Engineering
• (02:17) - Who Is AJ
• (03:46) - The Engineering Mindset
• (05:23) - Be Honest About the Use Case
• (07:28) - Three Problems, Three Solutions
• (08:38) - Why Forums Aren't Enough
• (10:18) - Talk First. Build Later.
• (11:44) - The Whole Spectrum
• (13:47) - The Experts You'll Hear From
• (15:07) - How I Got Here
• (17:01) - The Long Way Round
• (18:13) - What I Took From It
• (19:17) - How TEAMS Started
• (20:56) - Willy
• (23:32) - The Boys
• (25:02) - The Big Lap
• (26:02) - Why This Show Exists + Close