The pulse of American Rock Rods has been led by it's proprietor, Clifton Slay. A notable member in a small fraternity that have pushed rock crawling to it's modern evolution. American Rock Rods comes from this heritage and experience forged from the transition of the early 1990's when moderate trail riding began transforming to higher levels of technical driving, vehicle enhancements and a prevailing hard core approach to the off road experience. ARR continues this forward trend in the 2000's and beyond by instituting new innovation to the current dual sport buggy, UTV side by side and competition influenced lifestyle.

Clifton's own evolvement has taken him from Baja bug building as a teenager, to life as a Special forces soldier until his mid twenties. Leaving the Army with a parachute jumping injury he began to work part time at a local off road shop in Colorado called Wilderness off road. Clifton was then recruited to become the unique project specialist for 4 Wheel parts in Denver. At the same time being a tech writer for both 4X4 power and JP magazine. He moved forward becoming known as an accomplished trail guide and partnering with Steve Rumore to expand Avalanche engineering. In 2003 Clifton went solo to create Poison Spyder customs. Late 2008 in an attempt to slow down his life, and back to the roots of what he enjoyed in the off road community, he sold Poison Spyder customs. Clifton retained his chassis designs and the Spyderlock bead lock brand as the foundation of American Rock Rods.

Clifton and crew continue a hardcore tradition with the creation of progressive off road machines and components to supply the modern off highway enthusiast and fuel new advancements in rock crawling, desert sport and rock racing technology.