S3 Magazine // Issue 34

There are basically two types of rear end setups you can do with Baja. The first,
being more affordable & more common, is the axle-over-leaf spring rear. That’s
what this truck is running. The alternative option is the 4-link. It has a considerably
higher cost (10k), but it also allows way more travel, and the ride is amazing.
NEVRSLO’s next truck is being built with a 4-link right now, and a NEVERSLO
Formula D livery to match.
Going back to the axle-over-leaf spring setup for a minute, stock Tacomas come
with the rear axle mounted below the leaf springs, and the OEM leaf springs
themselves are much shorter & straighter. When you go to a long-travel conversion,
you upgrade to longer leaf springs, that when mounted, have much more
‘droop’. In other words, they have much more arch, like an upside-down rainbow.
This droop is what allows the
desired long travel. However, you have to visualize the travel in 2-parts: upward
AND downward travel - compression when going over a rock/obstacle, and expansion
when departing the obstacle & returning back to solid ground. So with the
long-travel leaf springs, you relocate the axle above the leaf springs, so that the
wheels can travel both upward & downward the same distance. 10-inches upward
travel and 10-inches downward travel gives you a total of 20-inches.
With the amount of travel this truck has, the leading front tire will actually lift off
the ground as you turn. It’s so much fun! This truck has the travel & reinforcements
to handle 5-7ft jumps without hang-ups.
NOTHING
People dig seeing a drift car on the streets, but people honestly don’t even know
how to react when you merge into traffic with this thing. They don’t know whether
they should call the police… or whether you ARE the police. Imagine for a minute
if you will, sitting at a red light waiting for it to change… and then seeing this truck
blast out of nowhere, jump the intersection, and then casually lean into the Quicky
Mart for a slurpy. It doesn’t make you less of a diehard ‘car’ guy to take fascination
in a truck like this. If anything - it makes you more of one.
FRIDAY, NOV. 6 • 3:00 PM–10:00 PM
LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER, GOLD LOT
500+ BOOTH AND FEATURE VEHICLES ON DISPLAY.
DRIFTING • CELEBRITIES • MUSIC • FOOD TRUCKS
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46 WWW.S3MAG.COM ISSUE 34 :: 2015