When it comes to Toyotas, Bobby Martins of Sadistic Iron Werks is somewhat of a fanatic. In fact, he's spent the last 10 years as a Toyota mechanic and eventually opened his own custom fabrication shop, which heavily specializes in laying out Toyotas. So, yeah, when it comes to Toyotas, Bobby is pretty much THE MAN! When he first got wind of the new-body-style Tacoma he knew he had to be the first person to cut one up. He ordered one up, and with the dealer's paper plates still on the truck he began to build his wife, Sarah Martins, one of the coolest drivers around. If you remember seeing the pics from the midsize special, Bobby did things a little different and had the Tacoma completely 'bagged and body-dropped for the Forbidden Fantasy show.
Well, it's time to let the cat out of the bag and show you, our loyal readers, exactly what it takes to lay out one of these bad boys. So if a new truck is in your future, don't be scared to buy one of the more challenging midsize trucks and cut it up, because with a little planning and know-how these trucks can be layed out with the best of them. Follow along and check out the source box for more information.
Start by unplugging the ABS...
Start by unplugging the ABS plugs and tucking them away in a safe spot.
Begin the tear-down process...
Begin the tear-down process by removing all of the stock suspension.
Unbolt the spindle and break...
Unbolt the spindle and break the upper ball joint loose to give you access to remove the factory strut assembly.
Once all the stock suspension...
Once all the stock suspension is out of the way, the bumpstop mounts can be cut away.
Next, the stock control arm...
Next, the stock control arm mounts are measured and marked, and then the coil bucket and mounts can be cut off to make room for the new Sadistic Iron Werks setup.
Bobby decided it would be...
Bobby decided it would be best to build new upper control arms using uniballs to get enough lift to clear the Dub 22-inch wheels. First, he measured the stock upper arms' width for the mounting points.
Once the measurements were...
Once the measurements were taken, he mapped out a box for the new mounting points.
With all the pieces accurately...
With all the pieces accurately tacked and checked, the new arms can now be fully TIG-welded.
Using the stock arm measurements,...
Using the stock arm measurements, the new arm mounts are checked and welded in.
With all the protrusions out...
With all the protrusions out of the way, now the frame can be cleaned up and smoothed out to prepare for the Z-frame.
Bobby measured for the Z-frame...
Bobby measured for the Z-frame and decided on a 1-1/2-inch Z.
Mark two lines indicating...
Mark two lines indicating a 1.5-inch gap. That way, after the cut is made they can be lined up.
Ensuring both sides of the...
Ensuring both sides of the frame are properly supported, it's time for the fun stuff:cutting!
This up-close shot shows the...
This up-close shot shows the lines matching at 1-1/2 inches.
After both sides are measured...
After both sides are measured again and tacked into place, they can be welded up.
To give some added strength...
To give some added strength and clean up the looks of the Z, Bobby cut out templates to cap the frame with.
Here's a good look at the...
Here's a good look at the finished product. The perfect way to raise up the front crossmembers to lay the truck flat on the ground.
The same thing has to be done...
The same thing has to be done to the front frame horns, but since Bobby is also body-dropping Sarah's Taco he dropped the front 4 more inches for the body drop.
So, with the frame Z'd it's...
So, with the frame Z'd it's time to get back to the suspension.
Next, the spindle is bolted...
Next, the spindle is bolted back together and the suspension is jacked all the way up to find where to mount the bag.
Bobby wanted to do something...
Bobby wanted to do something a little different, so he decided to mount the bags off of the upper control arm. To give the arms enough strength to bear the load he built a cage for the upper mount.
After all the supports are...
After all the supports are made, the bag is bolted in place to test before the system is completely welded in.
A brand new Tacoma tucking...
A brand new Tacoma tucking some 22s. Damn, that's a pretty sight!