There comes a time in a truck builder's life when the most vital of decisions must be made. Should one submit to the forces of gravitational pull and introduce the truck's frame to the pavement, or is higher ground tops? For some, this quandary will lead to an extensive list of pros and cons. For others, the choice will be dependant on how close the trusty credit card's balance is to officially becoming red flagged. Bobby Martins from Sadistic Iron Werks found himself in the latter category, once he saw the $1,200 price tag for each of the shocks he would need to lift his "budget" '95 Toyota into pre-runner status. Suddenly, joining the minitrucker battle against towering speed bumps and gaping dips in the street didn't seem so bad.
Bobby had decided to keep his project rather mild-a clean and simple daily driver would suffice. Now, we have all told ourselves that, but it usually doesn't take long before we start chatting with the UPS delivery guy on a first-name basis. The parts keep rolling in, bank account funds become scarce, and the damn credit card representatives won't stop calling. (Seriously, don't those credit rep drones ever get the hint?) Bobby quickly caught the bug and became familiar with the situation-quite well-during the two years he spent replacing every original bolt, line, and bushing on the Toyota.
Suspension was the first major call of duty that Bobby answered. The approach he took in order to successfully bring his truck down to ground level required much more skill, patience, and aggravation than any average drop. The floor was channeled for a body-drop, but instead of altering the frame, new control arm mounts were fabricated. The steering travel was even tampered with a bit in order to keep the factory hood attached to the truck. It sounds rather labor intensive, right? Ha! This was only Phase One.