Here's the photo album with over 60 pics of the build: http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/g1/album282


Last week, I tackled the front Total Chaos A-arm gussets and the DMZ spring hangers with 10 leaf Deavers. Tonight I finished the frame plating, gussets on the tubular crossmember, and the engine cage. AK knocked out all of the plate work with the plasma table, some with the aid of my card board work.

Tomorrow I will cut in to the bed, knock the bed cage loose, reinstall the bed and do the final burn in on the bed cage. Then its final paint and reassembly. More pics to come with a couple other finishing surprises...

I'll try to post up some pics tomorrow of Matt's Tacoma. The DMZ spring hangers and 10 leaf 62" Deaver packs are installed. The bump pads are built and the cans are mounted. The majority of the bed cage is built. I still lack double shearing the upper shock mounts and plating the top of the cage. The lower shock mounts are mounted and dimple died. The rear driveshaft has been shortened and mocked up. The factory crossmember/spare tire carrier have been eliminated and replaced with 1.75 DOM.

Tomorrow I will finish and plate the bed cage, gusset the frame cossmember, mount the limiting straps and cut the bed up


Ted's assignment is to work on nothing but getting the 12V running this week, no excuses! We are also on to what is making the hum in Patrick's rear 44.

AK will be finishing up a very trick swing out/tire carrier and catologing parts for our e-commerce launch.

Wow. It's been forever and a day since I have updated the blog. Where to begin?

In the last few weeks, there was the Christmas party at Tony's. It was a blast with a band called Slab Trash... then a large group of Krawltex guys screwing around on the instruments. Thanks to everybody that came out! The BBQ was delicious and the washer pit was always entertaining.

As far as work goes, Ted converted a hack job of a quarter elliptical to coil springs in the rear of a 72 Early Bronco, is building a gauge cluster and wiring the 12V suburban, did a rear main on an 03 suburban with the 8.1L, started work on additional cage work to another Early Bronco, as well as some general fleet maintenance on a couple of Strand AC vans.

AK has been working on the Juggernaut, helping with sales, learning the CAD Torchmate software, and building a custom swing out bumper for the 12V suburban. It will hold a 37" tire, swivel in two pieces similar to the rear barn doors, with a shovel/hi-lift/3 jerry can mounts on the other side.

I have been in and out of the office setting up some promotions with a future Red Bull Event this summer in Houston, finishing up turbo/intake/intercooler/radiator work as well as the front bumper on the 12V, a leveling kit on a 3500 Chevy and a desert suspension for an 06 Tacoma. The Tacoma has received front 14" travel triple bypass King shocks as well as knuckle and a arm gussets on a long travel 3" over King coiled Total Chaos front suspension. On the rear, I am in the process of building a DMZ 17" long travel 62" spring conversion, plating the rear frame, and building a bed cage with 17" travel King triple bypass shocks and 4" King air bump stops. This Tacoma will soon be able to fly over the whoops and be a chase support/pre-runner for a class 7 Best in the Desert race team!

A collaborative Krawltex effort was made during the evenings to build a long arm suspension, 8.8 swap, sliders, seat mounts, and front bumper to shoe horn 37" MTR's on JB's Cherokee.

Check the photo gallery often for updated pics on all these builds.

Boy has this been a crazy week! First off, we would like to officially welcome Akamu Whatley as a new addition to the Krawltex team. He will be our main marketing and sales person, as well as plasma cutter technician and suspension designer.

Speaking of plasma cutting, Krawltex now has a Torchmate Plasma Table in our shop. We have the capabilities of doing custom metal bracketry, bead locks/wheel stiffeners, frame plates, gussets... whatever you can imagine on a 2D metal scale!

This week Ted has built the crossover heimed steering and wired the Black Magic fan in Ty's YJ, repaired a faulty ignition system in a Strand work truck, drawn a wiring plan out on Jake's 12V swap, and begun the reworking of Jeremy's rear 4 link on his 72 early Bronco.

Dave has continued the fab work on the 12V Suburban sliders as well as mapping the on board air system out, replaced worn ball joints in a Strand fleet van, regeared Marcus' YJ rear axle to 4.88's, and getting an old CJ5 running after sitting for two years!

AK and I are all over the place, talking with customers and working on expanding our resources. Stop by the shop and check out the new digs. As always, we are a phone call away to help you with your builds!

Happy Veteran's Day!!!

In honor of all the men and ladies that serve and have served in the armed forces, thank you! Krawltex offers a standing 10% discount to military, police, fire fighters, and EMT's.

Our next project is helping one of our own, Colby Mathes who was called back to the military. His LJ has been sitting on jack stands for nearly a year. Krawltex will be donating our free time to getting the 1 tons, stack case, and possibly a new cage in there for his return to Texas.

In case you haven't visited the forum, Krawltex has accomplished something rather unheard of in our industry.

Akamu Whatley rolled his Jeep at the Canyons/Crawling Chaos Event. Two days later, we got a new frame, tub, and hood from Ray Karrick of Jeep Masters. Together with a whole bunch of help from our friends, we built a Pro Mod buggy in 10 days with his existing drivetrain... 5.7L Hemi, Auto, Klune, NP205, 14" SAW Coilovers, Superduty axles with RCV front shafts, full hydro.

A very sleepy crew finished the buggy at 2AM Novemeber 7th, loaded it on the trailer after a few hot laps around the parking lot, drove to Spring, Texas, passed tech inspection at 8AM, and used the first high speed lap as our "shake down". Out of ten competitors at the Spring Creek Rock Race, we finished first in our class by almost three minutes! Bringing home a trophy after a 10 day build made it all worth it.

got the shocks, intake, and gaskets for Jake's 12V suburban swap. Pushing forward.

Marcus YJ has it's new tranny and resealed t-case back in it. Unfortunately, the ring and pinion are toast.

Parts should be in for Ty's YJ at the end of the week to build the steering. Tires are on order.

AK's buggy is coming along. Building a truck in 9 days at night really hurts! Here's the link to the photo gallery.

http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/g1/album230

got all of the steel for sliders and bumpers on the 12V suburban. intake and special gaskets are on the way. starter got here. a/c compressor is ordered. Dave finished the winch mount. Ted finished the fuel plumbing. we'll get the front bumper and rear pinion angle set tomorrow.

We are building a rock racer in 9 days for AK to compete in the Spring Creek event on November 7th. Today, we stripped the Juggernaut and prepped the new frame for all of the transplant. Tomorrow will begin with the front suspension, crossmembers, and drivetrain. Then it goes towards tubing.

Congrats to Ted, winer of the 2009 Fall Crawl Rock Race!

Progress on the 12V Suburban is ongoing. Dave finished assembling the interior and has almost finished hand building the 3" exhaust. Ted has finished the 14B install, worked on mounting the new gas tank and plumbing, as well as gutted the rear a/c system. I boxed the frame at the steering box, removed the stock cross member, and am in the middle of final gusseting.

We hope to have it running before Jake leaves for Katmandu in a week.

we have our welding permit and are 100% up and running. let us know what your needs are and we will do every ting we can to exceed your expectations!

work on the 12V diesel swap in Jake's Suburban have recommenced. The 200 amp Kenworth alternator is mounted, the t-case is in, Ted is working on the 14 bolt installation... detroit, bearings, and brakes. Dave is working on linkages, pedals, and steering column.

Our new phone number is 512-996-9669 and will be live tomorrow afternoon. If you try as at the old number, it should give you the correct one.

We are in the new shop at 500 Brushy Creek, Suite 400 in Cedar Park!!!

I am working on the phone line change, so bear with us. If you can't get us at our normal number PLEASE email me at cam@krawltex.com

Last weekend we took the 5099 out to Bronte, Texas for the Sweetwater 200 race. The course was a beautiful, 28 mile stretch of twisties, high berms, gravel, mesa table tops, sweepers, and flat outs. The car was running incredible out there. On the first lap at a moderate pace, Dave and I passed one trophy truck, 3 class 8's and a class 12. Unfortunately, the lower suspension took a dump and we destroyed both lower trailering arms at the same time. We can't wait to get back out there!

The shop is coming along. We have quite a bit moved over to the new location. As soon as we get the go ahead from the fire marshal, it will probably take only a few pick up loads to get every thing in its new home.

Yesterday, Ted and Dave knocked out the gears on Kenneth's EB. We'll finish Patrick's Rubison and fix a leaking housing on a CJ5 today.

We are moving ahead. Looks like we will not be taking the red car out this weekend because of the rain. with a bare metal chasis (for weld inspection), there is no point to destroy the car before Parker. Instead, we will drive the white class 5 prerunner out at the course in the Sportsman class.

Yesterday was pretty productive. Ted got the rear D44 axle swap done and Dave just finished inboarding the front leaf springs to hang the newer Scout II axle under the Scout 800. Ted also figured out the bearing situation in the rear 44 of Patrick's Rubicon and has started shimming a fresh set of bearings.

Ted is also mounting a 4.3L in a CJ5, building custom motor mounts. Dave is rebuilding a rear trackbar mount that ripped off a lifted H2.

Other projects for the week are a clutch in a 240Z, front and rear gears in an 77 EB, and finishing some details on Patrick's Rubicon.

Krawltex Goodbye South Austin/Cam's 30th B-day Party

As I sit here on my computer, I really am amazed at the success of our company in just a little over three years... There was Glenn and my humble beginnings in a 1000 square foot hole in the wall. I don't know how we got our first fab job (a trussed M20 housing)! The first Krawltex club meeting drinking beer around a crowded lift, my first Baja 500 as a chase driver for Hooters Desert Racing Team, Krawltex wheeling club sponsoring the O'reilly's 4wd Jamboree in Fredricksburg and then Houston the next year, Cardosa's class 5 and the creation of Bombshell Racing, the Fall Classic 2008 at Long Ranch, Christmas Parties at Tony's, my first Baja 1000, spectating King of the Hammers, Katemcy Rocks and all the other runs, the vast number of projects we have been honored to put our name on, but most importantly... this whole crazy ride, making the friends that have given us the great support, leading to our new larger facility.

We just passed the building inspection Friday morning and are moving half the equipment this weekend. We race the class 5 next weekend in Sweetwater. This will be the first race where I transition from navigator to driver. After a little bit of work inside the shop, Krawltex expects to be live at the new location around October 18th. At least, this is our goal.

While we will soon say goodbye to South Austin, the adventure will only continue to grow in North Austin. I have a few surprises for Krawltex coming very shortly. But we can't leave our original stomping grounds without having one last hoo-rah! My 30th birthday is October 15th. On Friday, October 16th we will have a "goodbye South Austin/Cam's Birthday" at Don's Depot off 5th Street. Come one, come all. Party starts at 8PM and goes till we call you a cab. There's a $3 cover because Don and his band are performing. Unfortunately, it is a 21 and up only bar. We would like to have a tentative head count so we know how much of an area to reserve. We will try to provide some form of snack food.

Again, I want to thank everyone that has made our company such a huge success and become a great friend on a business and personal level.

Lots of things going on at the rock shop. We recently hired Zuki Dave (formerly of jeep Masters). He started working at Krawltex yesterday. With many years of hot rod building as well as Jeep repair, Zuki also knows a thing or two about building Samurais!

The new shop is coming along and we hope to move in around my birthday, October 15th. We passed the water inspection and await the building inspector and fire marshal approval for our certificate of occupancy. We are all very excited to move in to the new, larger facility off 500 Brushy Creek in Cedar Park.

This past weekend we got a couple chores accomplished at the new shop. Davin and Tony came up to help Ted and I construct some work benches. We also ran over 200 feet of 1" ID 450 PSI pvc air lines through the shop. we will have 9 points for compressed air with 3 seperate welding plug circuits!

More parts are trickling in for Jake's 12V swap. We did get the NV4500 installed. The 241 t-case, shifters, pedals, and cross member still need to be routed. Ted has been working on a Honda cylinder head and camshaft replacement as well as diagnosing the factory defect ARB in Patrick's Rubicon. Zuki did a steering box frame repair and bolt on brace on Tony's 82 Chevy K10. He also readjusted an e-brake set up on Chris' 8.8 disc converted Mazda Navajo.

Today, Ted will finish up this Honda and take a look at Jane's eclipse AC system. If there's time left, will do some work on the 12V suburban. Zuki is building a swing out tire carrier for Patrick's Rubicon. I will be doing a front bumper addition to the other Patrick's 84 4Runner.

Shirts are in. There are small to double XL sizes.

We are still gathering parts for Jake's 12V swap. Just got the fan bracket in. Ordered the late model exhaust manifold yesterday to move the turbo and down pipe in a better location. Got a lead on the correct intake manifold to clear the brake booster and should know later today. But the motor is sitting in the freshly painted engine bay right now.

Ted is continuing to shake down the whirring noises in Patrick's Rubicon. Today we will start on Kenneth's Early Bronco cage and hopefully be done tomorrow.

We will work on Patrick's swing out tomorrow, focussing on a Scout cut and turn and the 12V on Friday.

New T-shirts arrive WED, September 23rd!!!

small through XXXL is $15 each for pick up at the shop

I'm not sure why it takes till Thursday before there's a small enough break to update the blog... We have been focussing on Jake's 12V swap for most of the week. Chris cleaned the motor, painted it red, and did the Killer Dowl Pin mod. I POR15'd a bunch of motor brackets and SKY u-bolt plates, painted the oil pan, motor plate and engine bay, and swapped the grade 8 u-bolts on to the front axle. Ted cleaned up the 14 bolt FF and POR 15'ed the housing. We'll wait to swap that when we get it running (still have the detroit and brakes to do). He also worked on a peach of a 93 Ford Probe, as well as knocked out the body lift on Kenneth's 1977 EB.

Today we'll put the flywheel and clutch together on the 12V and mock it in to place. I want to start planning the engine truss because the TN diesel crossmember will not work with the ORD highsteer. On friday, I'd like to start working on the early Bronco family cage.

Jake's 12V suburban progress

here's some pics of the stock drivetrain removed. the crossmember from TN diesel will interfere with the ORD highsteer so we will fab one up. Chris POR'd the frame and did the KDP mod on the 12V. Tomorrow the gaskets come in for the timing cover and oil pan so we can replace the rear main. Clean, paint and mock up...

Ted is working on refurbing the 14 bolt FF. we'e ordering brakes, POR'ing the housing, and dropping a Detroit in it.

OLD TBI 350
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_001.jpg[/img]

Before power washing
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_003.jpg[/img]

Post power wash
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_004.jpg[/img]

clean timing cover
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_007.jpg[/img]

KDP Mod... pretty clean internals
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_006.jpg[/img]

before KPD mod
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_008.jpg[/img]

after kpd mod
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_012.jpg[/img]

POR 15 engine bay
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_010.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album261/9_10_09_011.jpg[/img]

We had a pretty good time at the Trees Ranch Labor Day Run. Chris got 4th in the rock race. Ted broke in his new 36" Iroks. I figured out the electric ghost in the XJ before spitting out the rear driveshaft. It was a very relaxing wheeling trip and the weather was pretty nice. It got a little challenging with the drizzle.

Today, Ted and Chris are concentrating on removing the stock suburban drivetrain so the 12V can be transplanted. I ordered all of the gauges today and am on my way to the paint supply shop to pick up some more POR15. The rest of the week, we will focus on this project and a cut and turn D44 in a Scout 800.

Next week we begin on an EB cage, 2" body lift and regear... but it may get finished at the new shop. So much is up in limbo about moving, getting out of the lease a month early, and whether or not the electricians will have our wiring done on October 1st. We are very hesitant to take on any more long term projects until that transition is made. We already have a 4.8L YJ, a 6.0L buggy, an Avalanche enginering buggy, a 2500 HD solid axle swap and a few other projects on the books when space and time permits.

Yesterday, the Jeepspeed finally returned to it's owner and is going under the knife, prepping for the October race in Sweetwater, Texas.

Fluids are drained and disassembly has started on the stock burban drivetrain.

Ted has been working on a Chevy 1500's ignition system and looking over a Cavalier for maintenance. I got all the prep work done for my XJ's maiden voyage at Trees Ranch this weekend.

Kevin Shelly just pulled up with his YJ, so it's back to the grind.

Friday we worked on John's Jeepspeed. Chris finished the rear bump stops and I bent some tubing for the front bumper. Today, Chris did the prep work for mounting the 32 gallon fuel cell and I tied part of the bump stops to the cage. He also replaced a steering column in a YJ.

Ted did a lift on an FJ cruiser. We stayed late and got the 3" rough country installed on my budget XJ. Tomorrow he will do a clutch on a TJ and look at an AC system on a Sidekick.

We're trying to clear as much work as possible before we go to Trees Ranch this weekend for Labor Day.

Some more goodies... the NV4500 parts!

Chevy NV4500 with Dodge input shaft
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album258/jake_006.jpg[/img]

Diesel swap care package
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album258/jake_019.jpg[/img]

slave cylinder, master, and stainless clutch line
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album258/jake_021.jpg[/img]

pedal assembly
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album258/jake_022.jpg[/img]

bell housing, adapter plate, clutch fork
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album258/jake_023.jpg[/img]

14mm turbo housing, shifter, 12V crossmember
[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album258/jake_024.jpg[/img]

Jake's 12V suburban progress...

We've made some headway, but I have been slacking on the pics. Got a ton of parts today and the motor will be pulled on monday. hope to have the drivetrain sitting in the burban by the end of next week. The suspension is mostly done, with the front D60, ORD highsteer, PSC box, 4" tuff country springs, stainless brakelines, ORD shackle hangers and greasable bushings, and a rear shackle flip...

Boyce D60 w/4.10's and an ARB

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/august_20_012.jpg[/img]

POR 15 the frame

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/august_21_008.jpg[/img]

PSC 2wd ported box

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/august_21_012.jpg[/img]

ORD cross over high steer kit

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/august_21_013.jpg[/img]

4" Tuff Country springs

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/jake_011.jpg[/img]

ORD greasable shackles and poly bushings

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/jake_012.jpg[/img]

mounted steering box

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/jake_013.jpg[/img]

warn premiums

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/jake_015.jpg[/img]

Boyce D60, 4.10's, ARB

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/jake_016.jpg[/img]

crossover steering

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/jake_017.jpg[/img]

SKY u-bolts and spring plate kit

[img]http://www.krawltex.com/newtex/albums/album256/jake_020.jpg[/img]

Austin is such a small community that everybody runs in to each other eventually. I met Dave Carpetyon some time about a year ago. He is probably the youngest premier driver in American rally racing and is a local 21 year old driver; a very laid back guy.

There was a rally in Paris, Texas and his usual co-driver couldn't make it. I sat in for Rob and after a crash course and no sort of in car practice, we ended up winning both races in the open (highest) class in a Japnese only, imported Lancer Evo.

While he is young, Dave is no novice to rally racing. Last year he won Pike's Peak and the Snow Drift challenge in his tired Evo. This year he got a new car... and won Pike's Peak Rally for a consecutive year in the open class. The man has serious talent!

Which brings me to his next milestone. His company, Rally Ready Motorsports is moving to a larger shop off of Ben White. He will be sharing a portion of a 15000 square foot warehouse with another company. This gives Dave the space he needs to build and maintain more rally cars.

The new shop will also be the head quarters of Rally Ready Driving School. Their team is building a full rally training course with a skid pad and several miles of track in San Marcos. Details are still in the works, but it looks like classes will start as early as October. In the beginning, it will be a two day weekend class... run what you brung. There will be classroom and field instruction, driving and braking techniques, and an intro to stage notes.

Hopefully, I will be in one of his preliminary test classes. Eventually, Rally Ready will offer race prepped vehicles to rent for the class. After talking with Dave a bit about it last night, his preference is a stock front wheel drive beater to teach people the basic skills of this kind of driving... acuras, hondas, vw jettas and gti's. This can be a very fun low budget "beater" kind of racing if you don't go high tech on an all wheel drive turbo car. Honestly, any car can be rallied. A lot of people race escorts, festivas, old bmw's and other $1000 vehicles. I'm looking at it as training for desert racing. With the Texas desert racing scene starting to take shape, there may be the same opportunities for hosting rallys on these properties and start a Texas rally circuit...

We are making some progress on the suburban. The steering box, old suspension, and shackle hangers have been removed. The frame brace has been welded. Most of the frame has been POR15. Today we will work on mounting the 2wd PSC box for the crossover steering and hopefully get the D60 from Boyce swapped in.

We will also see what's up with Mike's CJ5 and try to figure out why he keeps blowing up u-joints.

This has been a tough week with Chris out due to illness. but, we have fixed my old Prerunner's rough running, Chris' squeaky clutch and worn bearing housing, and finished Michael's TJ transformation (4.88's, ox lockers, 4.5" rubicon express, sye with cv drive shaft, 35" KM2's on black Alloys, an Rockhard tire carrier).

Krawltex on the move to North Austin!

It's official... got the signed lease back today! Krawltex will be moving to North Austin between the end of October and the end of November. The new shop is a 3500 square foot facility built in 2006 and has never had occupants. The location is 500 Brushy Creek, Suite 4 in Cedar Park. We are the building next to the Fastenal. This is two exits north of 620, off the 183 toll road. Look for more updates here and on the blog.

We get the keys on October 1st. If they have all the eletrical built out, we will start to outfit the shop with our shelving, work benches, and air lines. There WILL be a grand opening celebration... although I can not promise strippers or carnies.With more space, we will be able to take care of our customers and patrons much more efficiently... especially in the custom fab area.

Once settled, I will be building a hot rod classic truck or a tube buggy. More than likely we will be redoing Chris' buggy. Ted will probably be building a J20 to serve as a daily driver and tow rig. And there are other additions and suprises in the works.

Sweetwater Texas Desert Race October 10th

Of course, we will be attending and racing our bombshell racing class 5 unlimited. Last week we dialed in the dual carbs. After a fire suppression system and tube work, we will be ready.

Sweetwater is close to San Angelo. for those of you that have wanted to go to a high speed desert race, it doesn't get much closer to Austin than this. As of now, at least 20 people are entered with 4-5 Trophy trucks committed. 4 or 5 Jeepspeeds. Not sure how many buggies.

The property is pretty damn big, I've seen the topographic map. They have carved a 30 mile loop on this game ranch with tons of table tops, sweepers, tight turns. We'll be riding the rim of a fairly tall mesa in one part of the course with quite a huge drop off on one side of it. Should be good times. I will post more info as it comes.

pre-runnning on friday from 10AM till mid afternoon. Then they will open the rest of the game ranch and you can cruise the whole property and see all the weird exotic animals they have thee. BBQ dinner. Racing all Saturday for 200 miles.

Eric is working on a 3" body lift on the black YJ.

Ted is almost done regearing the rear axle on Michael's TJ with 4.88's and OX lockers front and rear.

Chris is almsot done with the 4.5" rubicon super flex kit. Then it's on to reworking the upper tube bars in John's Jeepspeed. They are bgine raised to provide the SCORE regulation 3" of clearance over the top of the driver's helmet.

Tomorrow we will get to cleaning and painting the 12C for Jake's Suburban and get it back in the shop... POR 15 the frame, replace the rear bushings with greasable poly pieces, and maybe start on the front suspension if the leaf springs ever shop up from ORD!

Today we started on the transformation of Michael's TJ. Chris knocked out the tire carrier install yesterday and completed the 231 slip yoke eliminator kit. He also started dismantling the rear suspension. Ted has begun installation of the front OX locker.

Yesterday, Ted finished testing the electrical and enigne mechanics of Aaron's YJ and found a faulty coil. The fuel system, computer, and timing chain were all ruled out.

Eric did a water pump on a Grand Cherokee today while I worked on a YJ's steering.

This week is comprised of a 4.5" Rubicon Express lift kit on Michael's TJ with 4.88 gears and ox lockers front and rear. We will do a 3" body lift on Kevin's YJ along with some other maintenace items. The Jeepspeed will have a few head bars redone in the front cage and the 12V will be repainted, while we wait for the crossmember and transmission components. We will attack the front suspension when the front D60 and leaf springs show up. And assuming the wiring harness shows up this week for Tori's FJ40, we will begin on that project.

It's been a hard week with Chris in and out, and a broken foot. We got James' YJ cage done. It's painted, installed, seats and harnesses are in.

Last friday, ted and I pulled the cummins out of the donor truck for Jake's 12V Suburban project.

Chris was able to finish the seat cage in John's Boyd's Jeepspeed and it looks very pro.

Eric has replaced struts, tie rod ends, ball joints, and a front diff in John Lloyd's 02 Tundra. The 4" Tuff Country suspension made things a bit more difficult.

Ted replaced a starter, battey, flywheel and epaired the wiring in Scott's FJ60 with a Chevy 350. On tuesday, Ted did a leveling kit on tommy's 09 tundra. He is also in the process of regearing a Scout 44 with an ARB.

Tomorrow Eric will work on an XJ brake system and driveshaft. Ted will work on Aaron's YJ stalling issue, a vaccum problem in my old F150, and possibly tune a water injection system on a TJ.

If Chris can make it in, we'll start on the Suburban's rear shackle flip.

yj cage painted and sitting in Jeep.

Aaron's YJ runs again.

Cummins is pulled.


Tomorrow... finish rear frame tie ins on YJ cage and bolt interior back together

swap flywheel in FJ40

mount seats in Jeepspeed

Look at ranch YJ towards making street legal

It's already thursday? Guess I've been slacking on the blog. Chris broke a toe the other day, so I finished the YJ cage. It's being painted right now. After we reinstall it with the seats, harnesses, and put the top hardware back together, all that will be left is to finish the rear frame tie-ins. Hopefully, Chris will be back tomorrow.

Ted and Eric knocked out the 5.13 re-gear on Patrick's Rubicon. The rear also got a 35 spline axle upgrade with an ARB to avoid the inevitable Rubicon rear locker failure.

We finally got the forrect cap and rotor for Tori's FJ40. Thanks to the guys at Wimberly 4wd. I cant tell you how many wrong caps were sent back to the local parts store.

Scott's FJ60 got to the shop on a tow strap. We warrantied the alternator, but looks like it also needs a flywheel. We'll be pulling that one part tomorrow, more than likely.

As we speak, Ted is diagnosing Aaron's YJ. It hasn't died on us after a 20 minute test drive, but we're going through electrical diagnostics right now.

After Eric is done painting the cage, it's on to cummins removal.

Chris and Eric knocked out this sport bar on James' clean half cab EB.

Cory's 4Runner is finally done. He'll be driving it to New Mexico for storage while he is deployed in Korea in a few days. Be safe, and thank you for your service!

So far, this has been a very productive week! Ted is doing some finsihing touches on Cory's 4runner, but she does run and drive under her own power with the 3.4L and 5spd conversion. Joe's Firebird is also finally gone, with working a/c and zero overheating problems.

Chris knocked out the 8.8 swap in Dallas' TJ, as well as a leveling kit on an 08 FJ cruiser, and reworking the rear coil suspension on JJ's Scout.

Eric has started forward progress on Tori and Will's FJ40 project. He is also working on mounting/modifying the gen-right sliders that will complement the cae work on James' YJ.

The remainder of the week will be spent regearing Patrick's Rubicon, setting up Jason's Currie D44, Building a sport bar for an EB, diagonosing the brakes and steering on another EB, looking over the front axle/suspension of a Tundra, and working on mounting seats in the Jeepspeed.

More exciting news, we just got the deposit on the 12V Cummins swap in to an 89 3/4 ton Suburban. Check the forum for pics and a full build thread.

It's been a long week! We have been pushing forward to get Cory's 3.4L and 5spd conversion done so he can drive it before being deployed again. Pretty confident we will have it done tomorrow.

Chris knocked out the YJ cage in James' Jeep. Once the suspension seats and harnesses arrive, we can build the seat cage, pul it out for final welding and paint, and get it back to Houston.

Eric has proven to be a great match with the company. Today he finished a Camburg suspension on Thomas' 02 F150. The kit is comprised of eibach coils, heimed steering knuckles and chromoly arms with Bilstein shocks. The rear suspension also has bilstein shocks and flexy Deaver springs. On the 285's it looks pretty killer. Check out the photo gallery in the next few days for pics.

Tomorrow, Ted and I will finish Cory's 4runner. Chris and Eric will work on Dallas' 8.8 swap and SYE transfer case conversion. We will also put Tori and William's FJ40 landcruiser in a bay and get it on the road to street drivable again.

First off, I'd like to apologize for any communications we might have missed yesterday. I run the office now and the guys knock out the work. Monday, I was in Granbury for the funeral of one of my dearest friend's mother. I will get back to every body by the end of the day in the order messages were left.

The guys got a ton done while I was gone.

Leah's Isuzu alternator problems and valve cover leak are taken care of.

My father's oldsmobile now has working a/c.

James' YJ cage is done mostly done. She just needs the seat cage, front and rear harness bars, finishing welds, and paint.

Cory's 4Runner lacks very little. Pedals, shifters, and most of the wiring are done. Still need to finish the wiring, install the intake and hoses, plumb the clutch hydraulics, modify the exhaust that was built around the automatic tranny, cut the hole in the hood for intake clearance, and fire that bitch up.

We will be focusing on the 4runner, YJ cage, and firebird wiring today.

The rest of the week will be dedicated to a Camburg 2wd F150 kit, Dallas' 8.8 TJ swap, the Jeepspeed rear air bumps and seat cage. We will also squeeze in a trackbar for a coil sprung Scout and some steering work on an EB. As time permits, we will be going through an FJ40 that has sat in a field for two years, trying to get it back towards road worthy status.

What a busy week!

Today was pretty productive. Eric got all of the mounting plates built for the YJ cage. Chris got a few of the bars in place. The rest of the cage should go pretty quickly tomorrow.

Ted is whipping away on cory's 4runner. The complete drivetrain is mounted and together. After the pedals and shifters go in, we'll make the clutch lines, bleed the slave, and move on to the wiring.

I knocked out some brakes on a Grand Cherokee. tomorrow we will continues with the YJ cage and 4Runner. If there is time on Friday, we'll do the seat cage in the Jeepspeed and wiring on the Trans AM.

Next week will be a Rubicon ARB and regear, a 8.8 TJ swap, a Scout traction bar, an WJ40 rewire and maybe a few others.

Chris finished the Jeepspeed rear shocks. We will be focussing on the seat cage in the next parts of this build.

Right now we are looking at James' YJ cage. It will probably model closely to the poison spyder trail cage design, but not have the cheesy plate steel brackets on the dash. It will also have the front seats tied in to the cage and a removable rear harness bar.

Ted and Eric have Cory's 5spd and clutch in place. We are tracking down the correct bellhousing bolts before the t-case goes up. Tonight we'll get the pedal assembly and shifter off of one of Patrick's parts yotas. Once the bellhousing is secure and the t-case is installed with the modified adapter plate, we can check for issues with crossmember mounting and rear driveshaft length. The clutch master cylinder should be here in a day or two.

I finally got my diesel back on the road. Turns out the injector I bought was faulty. I will wait for my refund before I publically blast the company.

Tomorrow we'll continue on Cory's truck and the YJ cage. We will also have an 8.8 swap at the end of the week in Dallas' TJ. Next week we will continue to work on the Jeepspeed, pull Tori's FJ40 in and look at some wiring, regear Patrick's Rubicon, build a track bar for a coil sprung Scout, and maybe start on removal of the 12V to be swapped in Mark's Suburban.

Ted and Eric knocked out most of Aaron's Rubicon upgrades... Savvy offroad aluminum raised gas tank skid, Clayton oil pan and t-case skid/crossmember, 3/4" poly spacers, 1" motor mounts. We are waiting on inner axle seals for the front from the dealer so we can get this truck off the lift and I can work on my truck!

Hopefully Ted can finish the e-brake system on Henry's yota while we wait.

Chris and I are coming up with design pics for James' YJ cage. He should have the Jeepspeed rear shocks done soon. I'll probably work on the website photo gallery a bit.

I'm closer on the diesel. going to try a couple procedures tomorrow and hopefully I will have my truck back. The guys and some friends have been helping me out with that.

Ted has been mentoring Eric and helping me out around the shop today. Eric is doing great. He prepped the Clayton skids with paint, installed the trail gear sliders and Daystar 1" motor mounts on the Rubicon.

Chris figured out a game plan on mounting the rear bypass shocks in John's Jeepspeed today, despite some cage work that will get removed. Tomorrow he'll work on that. If there is time left, we will start stripping the interior of James' YJ and designing his family style roll cage... 6 point, spreaders, grab handles, seat cage, harness bars front and rear.

Ted will be working on Henry's 4runner if thedamn brake cables show up. He will also tackle the front D44 seals in Aaron's Rubicon while Eric does motor, tranny, and gas tank skids with some 3/4" coil spacers in the mix too.

The rest of the week will be finishing up the vehicles we have a the shop, working on the rollcage, and we will drag Cory's 4runner back in. Ted and Eric will work on the wiring and mounting the 5spd/chain drive t-case. I think we have everything we need except the master cylinder and pedal assembly to complete that swap, assumng we don't need any driveshaft work. But that's unlikely.

The weekend was good. Chris and I finished up a couple things on the race car so we could run it on saturday. She pulls really well with the new dual carb set up. The tranny is geared perfect for the new motor and the shifter glides like butter. 5099 is a completely different animal now. All she needs are a few tweaks here and there, a jet kit and some brake maintenance. She should be good for some more practice time and finally back to racing!

Yesterday, Ted was moving out of his house. Chris and I worked on the 12V suburban bid and did research about what it's going to take.

We also swapped an injector on my F350. Hopefully, we'll get all the air purged out later today.

This will be a good day. Ted will work on Henry's e-brake system and Joe's Trans Am. Chris has the rear shocks to mount on te Jeepspeed. Eric will start working with us today and get familiar with the shop. I'm going to the tax office and try to finish my Ford

this bumper is kicking my ass. back to the drawing board for some reengineering.

Ted did a Tundra leveling kit and worked on Henry's e-brake.

Chris finished the Jeepspeed engine cage.

Tomorrow, I'll figure out what to do with this Landcruiser. Ted will finish the e-brake and start on the 5spd conversion on Cory's 4Runner. Chris will work on the rear shock mounts in the Jeepspeed.

We also have to prep 5099 so we can test it out saturday. Next week we will continue with Cory's 4runner. Build a cage for James' YJ. Start planning this 12V swap in the 2500 Suburban. And will look at rewiring an FJ40 with a V8 and nitrous.

It was 103 degrees today. I bet it was 120 in the shop.

Just updated the photo gallery. There are pics of the rear Carli desert suspension on Tori's Megacab, shots of the ongoing Jeepspeed project, and the rear bumper I just finished on Laura's FJ62 Landcruiser.

Today the Cruiser wasmy project. Ted worked on a Volvo AC system, put Cory's T-case together, and did a bit of work scrounging e-brake parts for Henry's 4Runner. Chris knocked out a tranny and t-case swap on John Lloyd's Tundra.

This heat is whooping us all. Tomorrow will be a leveling kit on a Tundra, finishing the engine cage on John's Jeepspeed Cherokee, finishing Henry's e-brake system, checking the AC on Jane's Firebird, and possibly pulling Cory's 4runner back in the shop for the 5spd swap. We got the clutch today and may need to build a new crossmember for the 4runner. Either way, it needs to be back in for wiring.

Another Monday...

Ted just got back from the junkyard with Cory's t-case. He'll be swapping in a 23 spline input shaft and going over it before the t-case is mounted to the Marlin adapter plate... when it gets here.He also snaked an adjuster piece to make Henry's El Dorado e-brake calipers work.

Chris is working on the shock mounts, bump pads for the Radflo air bumps, and engine cage on the Jeepspeed truck.

After I get off this damned computer, I'll be building a custom rear bumper for Laura's FJ62.


Tomorrow I will be finishing up the sides of the Landcruiser bumper. Ted will be working on Henry's e-brake system and sleeving Ryna's FJ80 lower control arms with 3/16" wall DOM. Chris will be swapping a transmission in John's 03 Tundra.

Today I continued working on the shop truck.

Ted did valve cover gaskets on an isuzu trooper

Chris did wheel bearings and seals on a Scout

Chris got Eli's monster Jeep done and out the door. He is currently doing some lights and steps on a TJ, as well as a ton of front end fab work on John's Jeepspeed project. Yesterday the upper coil mounts andbump cans were mounted and braces. He also knocked out the lower shock mounts on the axle and in the process of finishing the upper bracketry.

Ted has done maintenance on Leah's Isuzu Trooper and buttoning up some work on Henry's 4runner. Today he is working on William and Tori's Megacab, installing a high performance torque convertor and instake plenum.

I've been trying to catch up on paperwork and customer quotes. Also, I sold the Prerunner and picked up an 02 regular cab F350 XL 4x4 and am doing a bunch of maintenance on 7.3L before it gets modded.

It's been another slammed week. Ted worked on installing Camburg upper a-arms on Henry's 4runner this past monday, as well as few other maintenance issues. Chris finished Eli's YJ.

Yesterday, Ted was sick. Chris knocked out a 3" Bilstein/Toytec lift on Ron's Prerunner Taco.

Today, Ted is still sick but working on Laura's FJ62 AC system. Chris is at the doctor office with back issues.

So needless to say, I'm swamped answering the phones and trying to pick up the slack anywhere possible. I don't see making an appearance at KAtemcy in my future for this weekend. RIP K-rocks!

This has been an extremely long week and I apologize for not reporting on our projects. We got slammed on Friday and the parking lot is full of projects. Pics will be coming very soon, possibly tonight.

Monday consisted of Chris working on Eli's YJ. Focus was on getting the rear pinion angle better with a motor mount lift, removing the old spring perches and rotating the pinion up. This Jeep is on 11" of suspension lift and 40" tires. Ted worked on John's Tundra with Chris, diagnosing a blown intermediate housing that stripped the splines on the transmission output and the t-case input.

Tuesday, Ted and I got here at 8AM and worked till 1AM wednesday morning on a Carli 3.0 desert suspension on Tori and William's 2006 diesel Megacab. This kit is the most intense bolt on suspension worthy of running class 8 stock in any of the racing sanctioning bodies. A full write up with pics will be in the tech section of the forum. We got everything on the truck so they could drive home... front chromo heimed arms, progressive coils, billet aluminum shock towers, 3" King shocks and air bumps, bilstein stabalizers, 08 crossover steering, heimed swaybar links, rear Deaver springs, a long travel air bag suspension, 3" king reservoir shocks, air bumps with a heimed crossmember.

Wednesday needless to say, we were pretty cooked. Ted charged Henry's 4runner AC while Chris began designing an aluminum floor cover to protect the shock cradle that goes through the rear floor from our previous triangulated 4 link set up. Chris moved on to hand making track bar brackets for Eli's Jeep. Ted set up Jason Hall's front D60 with a detroit and 4.56's in a stretched early Bronco. I caught up on paperwork and phone calls.

Today, Ted and Chris knocked out the chromo ball joint upgrade on Tori and William's Megacab. There were a few things that we didn't have time to do on Tuesday... airing up the air bumps, adding the second Bilstein steering stabalizer, the front D60 diff guard, limiting straps and front air bump pads, and upper shock engine cage.

Tomorrow we will be doing rear brakes on Ian's 77 Cherokee Chief, finshing up a trackbar crossmember, brakes, and shocks on Eli's YJ, warranty work on Andrew's XJ that we installed a Clayton longarm, and making a plan of action for some tube work on John's Jeepspeed XJ project. Lots to do...

Krawltex Motorsports Birthday

Thanks you to all of our loyal customers and friends. Today marks three years since Glenn, Nate and I opened the shop. A lot has changed since our humble beginnings in a 1000 square foot rat hole. We could not have even dreamed of our current success with out all of you!

Today Chris will finish Eli's rear axle.

Ted is working on a 77 Cherokee Chief rear axle. Then it's on to regearing the front D60 on Jason Hall's stretched EB.

Tomorrow we start on a Dodge megacab and its transformation to long travel status with a Carli desert race suspension. This kit comes with chromoly steering, suspension arms, coils, 3" King air shocks, deavers, an adjustable rear air bag set up along with a whole bunch of goodies.

Other projects for this week are tube work on John Boyd's Jeepspeed race car, hopefully the start to Cory's 5spd conversion in his 4runner, the AC and rear shock floor of Henry's 4runner, and maybe a few more surprises here and there.

Got my 8.8 today and have almost scrounged all the parts for the disc brakes to function properly. Hopefully this 1330 D60 yoke will work on the Ford axle or I'll have to get another d-shaft flange.

Chris continued to work on Eli's monster YJ and diagnosed John's broken Tundra t-case.

Ted is working on Billy's yota AC and finished Aaron's TJ body lift and skids.

Tomorrow I'll be in and out of the office. The guys will have a Tundra t-case to swap along with diagnosing the front axle, a 4Runner starter, a Bronco frontend to shake down, and finshing brakes/traction bar and motor mount lift on El's YJ.

Today Chris is finishing up a trackbar mount on a YJ rolling under 40's and about a foot of lift.

Ted is researching a 5spd swap in Cory's 4runner to elliviate the wiring issues associated with the auto/3.0 wiring harness.

I've been dealing with paperwork and more paperwork.

On a side note, the Bronco 2 how has a 5" rear wheelbase extension from swapping the offset rear leaves around. My 8.8 explorer axle shows up tomorrow and I'll lengthen my driveshaft then. Picking up a front TJ D30 and some C5 leather seats from AK next week! Hopefully I can get the front end linked up and ready by the next K-rocks run...

Katemcy Rocks Memorial Weekend

Boy was it rough getting to last weekend. Ted helped me finish the SAS on Davin's Tacoma. Chris finished up the traction bar, steering, suspension tweaks and linkage on Jeff's 1 ton Jimmy. I pushed ahead on my Bronco 2.

Friday evening/saturday mornin... After cutting the rear glass, hatch and roof off the truck, it was apparent the sheet metal over my head was not going to give any sort of protection. So off it went. During that removal, the windshield cracked so it was tossed. Jeff gave me the rollbar out of his Jimmy. I cut that down and narrowed her to fit. As I began to notch the halo bar, the tubing notcher gave up the ghost. Dropping in the a pilars and finishing it off took till 3AM. Then I drove back to the shop because I forgot to bolt the harness belts in.

Ted swapped a clutch in his 2500 Chevy so we could leave at 9AM and get there before lunch.

Day 1 for the Bronco 2... failing brake system, blew the belts off the truck, flat tire, drove back to camp without power steering

Day 2... failing brake system, blown rear driveshaft, grenaded front hub, flat tire

project mayhem... the 4 day build for Katemcy

I picked up a street legal 84 Bronco 2 for $550 tonight. 6 cylinder, 5spd, 4 wheel drive with a failing brake caliper. Ted and I began stripping it. Some of the interior is gone. It got too late to do much.I'll be building this with mostly used parts lying around the shop and trying to get this turd wheelable for under $1000.

She needs some mad fender trimming to clear some used 33's. I've got various coil springs to give it a couple of inches in the front. Rear may or may not get lifted. Probably throw some extra leaves in or a block. If I find a cheap D30 with 373 gears, it will get a SAS. That may damn near kill me, though.

Depending on how much time is left, the top will be chopped to look like a fullsize without the fiberglass shell or get a simple roll bar and loose the sheet metal to the windshield. Not sure how it will get painted. Currently it is a hodge podge of flat black, dark blue, and peeling tan paints.

pics tomorrow

Today was another hot one. I worked a little on Eli's Jeep... measured for front shocks and driveshafts, got a rear brake line.

Ted fixed a CJ5 driveshaft and did some harness work.

I built an exhaust for Henry's 4runner. He came over and worked on some of the injection system.

Davin's truck is getting closer. Ted reamed the new pitman arm and built the draglink. I have the front axle out again... finished the shackles and prepping for final castor adjustments before bolting it back up, bleeding the brakes, hooking the steering up and mounting shocks and shock hoops. Should be done by Friday.

Today was your typical monday... paperwork and dealing with nonsense. This monday was a phone line problem.

Ted continued on the 3.4 wiring and took a look at his new 2500 Chevy tow rig.

Chris knocked out the brake system on Eli's ginormous YJ.

I mounted the rear springs and dealt with the highsteer on Davin's Taco.

Tomorrow we each work on the same projects

Yesterday I finished most of the welding on Davin's Taco. The frontend is sitting on the D44. Have a few odds and ends to tie up before moving on to the steering. Here's some pics.

Ted is continuing with the 4runner wiring. Looks like we are going to move the battery box to the driver's side for air box installation. We also need to get the hood cut to clear the intake and find an appropriate hood scoop.

Chris has motor mounts on the K5 mostly done and wil continue working on that project today.

We were at the track product testing a new vehicle that most offroad enthusiasts will love. Krawltex Motorsports will soon to be the Austin/Waco distributer for Trophy Karts! Keep checking back for the latest news about the miniature full bodied trophy truck go-carts and the evolving race circuit that will be coming this fall.

Finally got Davin's D44 hung in the Tacoma. We decided against frenching the shackle mounts inside the frame rails. Instead we used ruff stuff's frame outriggers and wayback shackle hangers. I built some shackles that are 4" eye to eye. With the bottom and third from the bottom leaves removed from the rancho 4404 waggy springs, the shackle angle is perfect. Ride height should be around 6" over stock once the springs settle. Tomorrow I'll finish welding the front Sky mfg crossmember, the shackles, and outriggers. If there is time left over, on to building shock hoops.

Ted continued working on the wiring harness on Cory's 3.4L swap. We expect to have her running by the end of the week if all goes well.

Hopefully Chris will be back tomorrow and put a dent in the K5.

Thank you from Krawltex

Last week, Ted and Kenneth finished a long arm upgrade to a previously short armed TJ. Jonas came all the way from the interior of Mexico just to have us do the work! He stayed at a hotel room for two days while we finished the Clayton suspension. It was very flattering and one of the biggest compliments we could ever get. Since the shop was founded in June 2006, we've had customers from Corpus, Houston, San Antonio, Waco, Tyler, Killeen, Dallas and probably a few other towns completely out of most people's way. A lot of these cities already have existing four wheel drive shops there or near by. With our severly small advertising budget, I attribute the majority of our success directly to our great customers and friends. Thank you all for patroning our shop, repping our name brand and being part of our family.


Cameron Chin
Krawltex Motorsports Owner

Friday went pretty well. Chris did a levleing kit on a Tacoma and an 09 Chevy 1/2 ton. Next week he'll start back on the 1 ton K5.

Kenneth and Ted finished the Clayton Longarm upgrade on Jonas' 98 TJ. It went together very well, like all of Clayton's products. We were flattered that Jonas drove his Jeep all the way from the interior of Mexico and rented a hotel room for a couple days while we built his truck. Very cool guy.

The parts for Davin's Tacoma finally made it to hang the front suspension. I'll start on that tomorrow. The guys had the welder tied up with the Longarm build.

Monday Ted will get back on the 4Runner 3.4L harness

Yesterday was a wash, waiting on parts. Ted worked on a POS grand prix. I spent the day doing paper work.

Today Ted and Kenneth are building a Clayton Longarm on a 98 TJ. Chris is rebuilding some Fox coilovers and fabbing some barrel bushing motor mounts for a 1 ton K5 to clear the new headers. If Davin's stuff shows up today, I'll be hanging the front 44 on his Tacoma finally

Al's is DONE!!!

Here's some flex shots of the new suspension

Things are going well on this wet monday. Kenneth and Ted mocked up the D44 under Davin's Taco. The parts should be here in a day or two to hang the front suspension. The steering shaft and firewall plate are in. And the Waggy spring have a couple less leaves for more flex and a better ride height.

Ted also knocked out a leaking AC system on Billy's Yota.

Chris finished all the fab work on Al's Buggy. The rear coilovers are now set at the correct suspension arch with tube work to the cage and some fenderwell clearancing. Tomorrow the front axle will be centered, ride height adjusted and all the suspension bolts will get a final torquing.

We busted ass on Al's Buggy last Friday. All of the tube work on the front hood line and rockers are complete. We spent hours on removing the previous rear suspension work, but the coil spring buckets have been nothing but problems. Chris is hammering on those. Once they are gone, we can cut the tub and mount the coilovers.

Kenneth is working on Davin's Tacoma. The plate on the firewall is proving to be difficult with a dust seal that goes over the new steering shaft. Once he knocks that out, we'll get him on swapping center dump headers on Jeff's 1 Ton Jimmy.

Ted is battling an AC system on Billy's 85 Yota. Then it's back on Davin's Tacoma to finish the t-case mount and work on pulling a few leaves from the 4" Waggy springs. If there is time left... back on Cory's 3.4L wiring harness.

I'm catching up on paper work and planing the week's schedule. Hopefully, I'll be back in the shop by two o'clock.

The 3 link is done on Al's buggy! All the welding is complete and the parts are painted awaiting final installation tomorrow. After we put it all back together, charge the coil overs, set ride height, bleed the brakes and plumb the full hydro... it's on to some tube work and remounting the rear coilovers. Mr Hughes should be tearing it up this weekend.

On Davin's Tacoma, the rear gears are done and Ted has the steering shaft/firewall mod mostly complete. The crossmember is bolted to the t-case but the frame mounts need to be welded in. We'll take care of that tomorrow and mount the front spring hanger. Can't wait to get our shackle mounts in.

Boy what a day! Ted and I became firefighters! Somehow the yard/fence of a house across the street went up in flames. The bamboo was engulfed at least 4 or 5 feet high in flames and was quickly spreading. We went through three industrial fire extinguishers to put it out. I think AFD was disappointed when they rolled up, only to drag a small hose out and hit the smoldering areas.

As far as actual work goes, Ted set up the rear gears in Davin's Tacoma. I got the steering box, driver's side frame stiffener and front crossmember in. We'll finish the rear axle, mount the spring hanger, and work on the t-case suspensded crossmember.

Chris got the coilovers on Al's buggy mounted. Tomorrow we'll finish all the welding and disassemble for paint. He also got a full brake job on a Grand Cherokee in.

So the team will work on these projects and get a 3" JK lift in there as well.

The carbs came in today for the race car with some sweet orange air cleaners and 6" tall K&N filters. Maybe we'll get it all together and run the car a little bit this weekend.

Usually I hate Mondays... planning the week out, getting parts ordered, calling customers and distributers back. But at least we got our new uniforms today. Something about your name on a shirt that makes a guy feel professional...

On Davin's Tacoma SAS Project, we're on track for mounting the ifs steering box tomorrow. I finished smoothing down the frame on the passenger side and welding in the frame stiffener. Ted's hacking away at the driver's side frame rail right now. After we pull the radiator and weld the crossmember and hangers, should be no time before we hang the springs and axle. The stuff from Ruff Stuff better show up soon. Ted got the D44 assembled hub to hub, minus the steering.

On Al's 3 Link CJ buggy, Chris got all the links and trackbar mocked up, as well as mounted the link bracketry. We flexed it out and have the coilover hoops bent up. Tomorrow we'll get those hung, fully weld and paint everything. Should have it all reassembled so we can start on remounting the rear coil overs and finishing up some tube work.

Davin's Tacoma D44 SAS

We started this project on Friday. Winch bumper and front suspension is torched. Should have the frame cleaned by the end of monday so the frame stiffeners and steering can be installed before hanging the front axle/suspension. we are using sky's hanger kit with leaf springs and high steer arms, ruff stuff bracketry and shackle mounts, and we'll build the shock hoops, steering, and shackles. It will also get a t-case mounted crossmember so the driveshaft will have proper clearance, custom brake and steering lines, steering shaft, Yota IFS box, 4.56 gears, a lock right, Yukon 4340 shafts and Warn premiums Here's some pics of Ted and Kenneth disassembling the IFS

Progress on Al's Buggy

We're getting a lot closer. On Friday, Chris built both ends of the track bar mounts. I finished the steering shaft and the upper link bracket. On monday we will build all the link arms, cycle the suspension, notch the driver's side frame and figure out where to mount the coilovers.