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.
15.The upper and lower ball...
15.The upper and lower ball joints were bolted up just like factory, but with new Grade-8 hardware.
16.The cross-shafts went in...
16.The cross-shafts went in easily once we used the new bushings.
17.The factory bolts and washers...
17.The factory bolts and washers hold the 'shafts in place.
18.The lower arm was inse...
18.The lower arm was inserted.
19.It was then followed by...
19.It was then followed by the upper arm.
20.The coilovers were fed...
20.The coilovers were fed into the arms and bolted on.
21.The limit straps will keep...
21.The limit straps will keep the suspension up when the tires leave the ground, saving our rack and keeping the ball joint from going into a bind.
22.The factory spindle assembly...
22.The factory spindle assembly bolted on as if it was on a stock set of arms.
23.Marc welded a few bitchin'...
23.Marc welded a few bitchin' mounts onto the frame to attach the reservoirs. You can mount the reservoirs just about anywhere as long as nothing hits them, such as the rim and tire.
24.Marc had Ron Bright from...
24.Marc had Ron Bright from Bright Engineering make these killer tie-rod-end extensions out of stainless steel. This keeps high-wear parts, such as the tie-rod ends and steering rack, replaceable without the need of a custom shop.
25.These ends are part of...
25.These ends are part of the original brake lines that have been modified by Mesa Hose.
26.The brake line was run...
26.The brake line was run down the back of the arm in these little tabs Marc welded on. This will keep them from being crushed in the event that we hit a bush or road cone.
27.Here you can see the finished...
27.Here you can see the finished product from the back. Having a few key components made for us will save a lot of headache down the road. If we wear a tie-rod end out or somehow kill one of our brake lines, they're easily replaced with over-the-counter parts.
28.This is the front view....
28.This is the front view. As you can see, it looks totally cool with that fabricated race look. The suspension cycles just shy of 10 inches, which we could get more out of if we change out the rack or modify the tie-rod ends.
29.The last step in the process...
29.The last step in the process was to mount up the new Hankook tires. The rubber has an outside dimension of 31 inches and great road characteristics. Although the tires will provide good off-road traction, this truck will spend most of its time on the street. They were mounted on the factory 16-inch S-Runner wheels.
Extending the Brake lines
Thanks goes out to Mesa Hose for the brake lines. The crew took our factory hoses, cut off the steel ends, and converted them into a threaded fitting to accept standard steel-braided line. If you're looking for something custom, the company can make any hose from brakes to power steering.