We're seeing a trend in California toward lifted, bulge-fendered minis. These trucks would be the equivalent of the 'bagged draggers you're used to seeing. When completed, this type of truck is not only a mode of transportation, but also a big toy you can play with. If you think hitting switches and draggin' is fun, just think how killer it would be to launch your truck Dukes of Hazard-style.
We set out to build one of these to test the market, and for no other reason than to say we did it. The truck we started with is an '01 Tacoma S-Runner fit with TRD headers, after-cat exhaust, and supercharger. Needless to say, the truck has embarrassed more than one musclecar on the street. Since the truck has plenty of power to drive larger tires, we weren't worried about it becoming too slow when lifted.
There is an assortment of bolt-on lifts available for five-lug Tacos, but we wanted a fully fabricated setup and the fabbed look that goes with this type of build. To accomplish this, we hooked up with Camburg Suspension for long-travel upper and lower control arms. All the arms are made with 1-1/2-inch 0.120-wall tubing. The lowers have been boxed in for strength and feature a CNC-machined billet ball-joint mount.
To hold the weight of the truck up and keep the tires under control, we picked up a set of Eibach springs and Sway-A-Way Race Runner 2.5x6-inch travel shocks. The coilovers control the bounce by forcing fluid through a series of stainless-alloy spring washers. By changing the thickness of the washers, the compression rebound dampening in the shock can be adjusted to meet the needed conditions. All Race Runner shocks come with external reservoirs and are completely rebuildable.
That's where the off-the-shelf parts stopped, and the talents of custom fabricator Marc Jones took over. Marc fabbed everything else needed for the setup and tuned the suspension once it was all installed. For more information, please use the information listed in the source box.
1.To get cracking on the mods,...
1.To get cracking on the mods, Marc completely tore down the front suspension. The only parts that will be reused are the spindles, brakes, and cross-shafts out of the upper arms.
2.To remove the cross-shafts...
2.To remove the cross-shafts from the Taco's upper arm, Marc drove one of the bushings out with an air hammer.
3.Once the factory bushing...
3.Once the factory bushing was out, the 'shaft had enough clearance to come out without being damaged. If you don't have an air hammer, try using a torch to melt the rubber.
4.Here are the Sway-A-Way...
4.Here are the Sway-A-Way coilover shocks and Eibach springs. This setup will keep the Taco' under control and give us the ability to tune the rebound and compression to suit the condition of the road.
5.This is what you get from...
5.This is what you get from Camburg: all the arms and urethane bushings. The arms come in a raw state because all the mounts for the coilover's bumpstop and limit straps must be fabricated and welded on.
6.One thing that happens when...
6.One thing that happens when converting to this setup is track width increases 4 inches per side (wider is better), so a set of Hanneman fiberglass fenders was used. These fenders are bulged 4 inches outward and come in a smooth gel-coat finish. We'll cover installation, prep, and paint in a future issue.
7.This is the Taco's spring...
7.This is the Taco's spring bucket and bumpstop area. Most of it will be cut off with a plasma cutter.
8.Here, Marc had already cut...
8.Here, Marc had already cut the unwanted material off the frame and started mocking up the new support plate. The two holes are for mounting the cross-shaft. Since we're still going to use them, this plate is employed to strengthen the area and give us a flat surface to work off.
9.Once the support plate was...
9.Once the support plate was ready, Marc welded the factory tower to the frame on the backside. He then capped it off with the new plate.
10.This is the support for...
10.This is the support for the coilover. Marc designed it to wrap around the top of the tower, run the length of the support plate, and curve under the frame to be welded to the lower crossmember. Wrapping the mount in this manner will provide plenty of strength for what we need.
11.The support is measured...
11.The support is measured and lined up before being tacked into place. Marc already installed the upper and lower arms, so he bolted the spindle on and set up the other tabs.
12.The pad for the bumpstop...
12.The pad for the bumpstop was tacked on, along with the mount for the coilover and limit strap. Everything was then disassembled and fully welded.
13.Once the parts were welded,...
13.Once the parts were welded, they were taken to Central Powder Coating in Brea, California, for the final gunmetal-gray finish.
14.The Camburg arms came with...
14.The Camburg arms came with urethane bushings that were greased up before installation.