Many of us have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with shoddy work in the past. Whether it's because we had little funds, little knowledge, or we just didn't know any better, most of us have been taken for a ride by a "shop" or even a "friend" trying to build our rides.
But with a little research and patience, knowing who to call the first time around might seem fairly expensive at first, but in the long run it will probably save you time AND money! Max Fish, owner of Bio Kustumz and one of our highly knowledgeable tech editors gave us a call about a Tacoma that he had in the works. The project was quickly dubbed "Resurrection" as it had went through a couple rounds of sub-par work before it was brought to Bio to be resuscitated back to life. The Tacoma showed up to Bio on "three casters, frame missing from the cab back, and hacked hydros up front," so let's just say that Max and Steve had their work cut out for them to bring this Tacoma back to life and get it back on the road in a much safer and way cooler condition than before. The build took several months, so we have a few parts to cover here in the mag, and with this story we will start with the killer Bio Kustomz back-half. Follow along as Bio fixes the unfixable and stay tuned for a few follow-up stories on Project Resurrection. For more information, contact the company listed in the source box.
1.The way the "Mad Scientist"...
1.The way the "Mad Scientist" starts all of his projects is a series of sketches on the concrete and on templates, taking measurements for instant center and cycling the suspension before a part is even cut. This process is fairly complicated and should definitely be left to the experts.
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3. This Tacoma came to Bio...
3. This Tacoma came to Bio Kustumz with a missing rear frame and hacked up suspension from front to back.
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5. Every piece, tab, bracket,...
5. Every piece, tab, bracket, and bar has a template and is cut by hand in-house to ensure that everything fits together the way it's supposed to.
6. The rear lower link bars...
6. The rear lower link bars are drawn up, cut out, and then pieced together. They incorporate the 'bag and shock on the bar to really help dial in a great ride with the final product.
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8. Meanwhile, what's left...
8. Meanwhile, what's left of the factory frame and rear suspension is cut away straight to make room for the new Bio Kustumz back-half.
9. Another neat trick Max...
9. Another neat trick Max uses to get those cool uniform rounded edges on his parts is to drill out the corner of each section that gets cut out.
10. Here's a look at the outside...
10. Here's a look at the outside plate on the side of the link bars before it's welded on.
11. Although it is fairly...
11. Although it is fairly time consuming, Max prefers to TIG weld most of his stuff as it is stronger, more uniform, and even a little "pertyer."
12. With the 'bag sitting...
12. With the 'bag sitting on the link bar, Max built gusset plates to match, bent them, and then tacked them in place before finishing off the rest of the bars.