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.
13. Moving on to the front...
13. Moving on to the front crossmember, after measuring the needed space, Steve cut out the plates that he drew up.
14. Tubing is inserted and...
14. Tubing is inserted and welded to give the crossmember some added strength and support for the link bars.
15. With the supports in place...
15. With the supports in place the crossmember top and bottom plates could be tacked and formed into place.
16. After the crossmember...
16. After the crossmember was dialed, Max was able to mark all of the link bar tabs and weld them up.
17. And there you have it,...
17. And there you have it, the Bio crossmember in all its glory.
18. Once the stock frame was...
18. Once the stock frame was cleaned up and ready to mate with the crossmember, it was tacked in place, triple-checked, and then fully welded.
19. In true Bio form the new...
19. In true Bio form the new back-half also doubles as the air tank and frees up plenty of room for the rest of the suspension components.
20. The back-half is mocked...
20. The back-half is mocked up and checked and then gussets are welded front and back to ensure the rigidity and structural integrity of the new frame.
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22. After the back-half is...
22. After the back-half is up and running the rear suspension can really take shape. The lower four-link bars are truly a work of art and can be appreciated by any form of custom automotive enthusiast.
23. The lower link bars were...
23. The lower link bars were bolted in place so the upper 'bag mounts and link bars could be mocked up and measured.
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25. The upper 'bag mounts...
25. The upper 'bag mounts were cut and welded in place and a crossmember was built to help strengthen the frame and welded above the bag mounts. The upper link bars were also measured and bent to finish off the rear suspension.
26. To add a little more "wow"...
26. To add a little more "wow" factor and help really dial in the ride, adjustable King reservoir shocks are the weapon of choice for this killer Bio Kustumz back-half. Check out the next couple issues as we go over the front-end rebuild and some of the body mods.
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