The Point of No Return

A custom knuckle (aka upright or spindle) is clasped top and bottom by ESB control arms that cycle through 17 inches of clean suspension travel. The arms bolt into OEM mounts. The arms and knuckle cycle beneath Glassworks Unlimited 6.5-inch bulged fenders and a matching Tacoma Supercharger hood.

"I'd rather build something too strong and have it weigh a little more than build it too light and have it break," Mike told us. Evidence of this philosophy is found in the way the upper uniball's lower misalignment spacer indexes into a pocket machined into the custom ESB upright. A single high-grade bolt fastens both upper and lower control arms onto the spindle. As you might guess, it was pretty tough finding a high-grade bolt that was also the length that ESB needed for this application, but the effort paid off in a near nuke-proof part.

There's a lot of interchangeability in Toyota's truck lineup, and sometimes the older stuff is tougher than the new. ESB uses a spindle from a '79-'85 straight-axle 4x4 with a hub, rotor, and caliper from an '86-'95 IFS 4x4. For additional strength, the spindle bolts to the upright using F-911 bolts doused with red Loctite.

Of course, custom parts were an option, but this design means that replacement parts can be had at the local Toy dealer or chain store parts counter. The stainless steel plate TIG-welded onto the hub body adds both strength and looks.

Strategically-placed Bilstein bump stops control the final few inches when the truck finally succumbs to gravity.

Ten-inch-stroke Bilstein 9100 shocks damp and spring the Tacoma's front end. Even though our chosen photo location was strewn with square-edged rain ruts, the buttery-smooth Tacoma soaked up all the irregularities.

Most of the 'cage work tucks neatly behind the Fiberwerx bedsides, but we felt we couldn't do the truck justice without peeling away the 'glass to expose the well-crafted metallic truth.

A 14-inch Bilstein 9100 coilover works in tandem with a matching 16-inch bypass shock to control the ESB trailing arms.

Follow the dimple-died plate right to left and you'll see the custom 40-gallon aluminum fuel tank built by Mike Clark. Clark reused all the stock fittings, fuel pump, and hardware. Desert roads are long, and gas stations are scarce, so a 40-gallon capacity is just right for extended cruising over the rough and the remote.

Even the strongest tubes aren't realizing their full potential unless they're tied into the frame. We felt safe inside this truck.

The 3.4 V-6 is a good motor, but off-road speed was bolted on via a TRD Supercharger with a 7th injector kit. "I found a good deal on the supercharger, and I told my girlfriend, Kristen, about it. One day, she handed me a big fat check, and I asked 'What's this for?' Then I saw 'supercharger' written on the memo line. Everyone wanted to know if she had a sister, which she doesn't. Even Mike asked if she had a sister, and he already knew!"