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Wyo-Tech Tacoma Desert Truck

6K views 35 replies 20 participants last post by  rocknbronco 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,
My name is Sean, and I am currently attending Wyo-Tech in Laramie Wyoming. I am from NV where there are trails everywhere and always thought desert racing to be fascinating.

I am in the Chassis Fabrication class right now. In this class we are able to build basically any project that is chassis or performance related.

My goal is to build a tacoma desert truck from the frame up. Metal to me is basically at stock price, and i will most likely use chromolly tubing.

My question to you guys is where do i begin? Would it be wiser to use a rectangle tubing or round tubing all the way around?

I have seen some tacomas run a trailing arm rear suspension, is that wise?

For the front suspension i think i am gonna run the Total Chaos Long Travel.

Any other help would be greatly appreciated, say someone had a rule book for me to reference off of would be great.
 
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#3 ·
the last tacoma that i saw was running trailing arms with coil overs. I am not sure what kind of linking he was running on top of the axle. I know limiting straps would be in the mix.

I am really unsure of what other kind of rear suspensions are ran in the desert racing world.

A rule book like the one for SCORE which is the main race association
 
#4 ·
search, read, learn, execute. there are thousands of threads out there for you to read and soak up information from. race-dezert.com or dezertrangers.com would prolly be yer best bet.

but by gawd, do a search for this kinda stuff before you go askin any questions.
 
#5 ·
well as for score. theres a few class you could be in so just go to there web and see like what kind of class you want to built. If you are planing on linking it, be ready to drop some few bucks for shocks and links and all the cage you have to do
 
#7 ·
The teachers at these larger tech schools are mainly people that can not hack it in the field for one reason or another. Your tipical instructor groups are: the old guys physically unable to do the job, they have good information but much of it is way out of date; the younger uber lazy guy that cannot hold a job; or the super anal guy that nobody wants to be around.

My experiance is that most instructors get the class started then F-in leave. Good use of 34000 right? Class sizes are really to large to effectively teach.
Basically a diploma factory. All you do is buy a name; unfortunate really.

I suggest if you are not serious about this project drop it chasis fabrication is very important to everyones safety.

You should buy a copy of "Doorslammers" It is about drag racing but it covers suspension theory really well.

Can you tig weld? If not maybe you would be better off with a 1082 or 2040. Chromo is not to be mig welded even though the chasis teachers say it is fine.

Personally I would build a moderate runner as my first project and not try for a trophy truck off the getgo. ( Notice my lack of proper desert terminology)

Offroad sports are a wonderful thing full of adventure and learning. Start at the ground with a sketch pad and build it one step at a time. Every suspension has its ups and downs. There is plenty of info out there. Go for it! Good luck!

B
Oh and round tube.
 
#9 ·
I'll probably get flammed for it but i'd try to stay away from chromo, more or less its pretty easy to mess up and filler for chromo. is expensive (curious though what kinda of prices are you paying for chromoly, and what size is it?). As far as what type of tubing to use other than chromoly, well i'd just use dom, and no thinner than 3/16 (.188) for anything, and if this is your first major build i would stick with mild steel till you get some experience with building some basic stuff out of chromoly, but then again i have no idea of what you're capable of welding, but please inlighten of your skills.

Actually you can use mig to weld chromoly, as long as you use the proper filler and settings, and depending on the alloy you may have to pre/post heat to avoid it cooling off to fast and becoming brittle, and try to avoid using the tack tack style of welding, as there are many issues that can arise that will eventually cause failure.
 
#12 ·
yeep, did you go through the diesel prgram at wyotech? if not where did you go?

i graduated from wyotech's laramie campus in sept of 05. The automotive teachers i had there were either wash-ups or knew their shit. a guy named ollie from europe was a great teacher. my chassis fab and street rod teachers were all very good and were on top of their game.

casaus19, consider how much time you will have to work on your project i had enough time for a sas on my toy. and i busted my hump for three months. and there is a shit load of comps and the instructors are anal on the weld sign offs. Also you'll have to get your 10 point project out of the way unless you incorporate that into your truck project. Just some helpful advice from a former student
 
#13 ·
Yeah I was there for a spell as well. School was not for me . Friend just graduated there in Oct . His Project was to 4 Link the rear of his 87 K20 GMC . In reality the time you have after the comp's and stuff is not a whole lot . Good luck build a complete truck in that time . He has been home 3 months and the 4 link is still not done . The school sucked IMHO , and was not worth any money . I had a few bad expirience's there , so I am biased but yeah .You won't finish a full frame etc on the time you have so good luck trying .
 
#16 ·
I think that in the future I would like to take some classes at the wizard fab school or something similar. It seems as if they can tailor the schooling for you and have competent fabricators that can help you out. They even have special classes for rock crawlers, rails, street rods, etc. I think that they should start a Jalopy course and show how to take 5 trucks and consolidate them into one capable rig.
 
#18 ·
Like my dad told me when I talked to him about these schools,"you can teach someone how to weld and how to measure and cut and how to use all the tools but they still won't be a fabricator. It is having the imagination and the ability and the drive to use all that you have learned to make something that works." I hear too many "kids" thinking they could go to one of these schools and come out a "fabricator." I just laugh. I have worked over 5 years in fab shops doing suspension, chassis, engine, body and everything else truck and car related. I now am working at a short run machine shop that specializes in prototype work and going to school for my mechanical engineering degree. Maybe after the 5 years of school and working at the machine shop I will think about calling myself a "Fabricator." LOL
 
#21 ·
Hey guys,

There was some constructive info giving in your replies. I have taken that into consideration.

I have all of my first phase comps done in 4 days, which is impressive for chassis fab. also i think i am goin to tone down my goals for this class,

A new thought being reinforcing the wrecked 95 tacoma i have with rear frame work as well as cage, and front support.

For those raggin on Wyo-Tech, i feel for you and i don't. I agree that some of the teachers are washed up, but others are truly there to help you and give you as much knowledge as possible.

The teacher quality in the past few years has diminished greatly due to Corinthian Colleges buying the name. They are a money hungry corporation who is in it just for the name of the school.

Though the resources available to us students surpasses most any shop, or other school out there right now.

I am on a full ride scholarship so it isn't a loss of 34000 to me.

As far as welding skills since that was one of the questions asked, i am confident with good penetration on butt, corner, fillet, and thick to thin on both MIG and TIG. I have done quite a bit of welding on my own for various projects but with the helps of my instructors i have been able to refine my skills and decifer what was wrong as well as what i was doing right.
 
#22 ·
Well I am glad to hear you are getting something out of that shithole . As far as Teacher's My friends would go to party's with teacher's . Hell my roomate went to a party got drunk , and High with his auto teacher , and got lost . He got so fucked up he could not tell us where he was the next day . We had to drive around town to find him. All I know is many teacher's are the same as that guy , I have friend's that know them for real .
 
#23 ·
i say round tube.
now to the rest of the thread......are the instructors that bad? if so i am really disappointed. it is hard to establish an opinion from a couple posts but it is usually, "you get out of it what you put in." i have had students that miss a lot of school and are lazy when they are here. they seem to be the ones that complain the most and learn the least. if these schools have instructor problems, i hope they address them soon.
matt
 
#24 ·
It was my go I had to pay for it , and Everything . What happend while I was there sucked , and I wish It would not have happened, but it did . Some Instructor's were cool but other's were , as I said . I miss the scenery , and other things but the instructors ,aside from the managment class were all loser's.
 
#26 ·
I just graduated from the chassis and street rod class last december, it seemed to me the determining factor of what you can accomplish is your attitude. I built a full ladder frame with a tailing arm rear suspension for a street truck in about 6 days with 1 other person. The use of the tools and equipment wyotech has is a great advantage, but you should spend alot of time designing your chassis and suspension.Alot of people in the class thought highly of their skills and knowledge but couldn't turn out quality work. There are alot of fabrication tips and tricks you can learn from the instructors but you have to pick their brains often. You get out what you put in to the class, that's the best way to get your money's worth. JMO The town totally sucks ass though, I'm glad I'm gone.
 
#27 ·
After going to WYO-Tech for a year i found out that the classes have to many people in them and the school (Corinthian Collage) does not give a rats ass about the students, just the money they can con them out of. Chassis Fab is an ok class, once again to manny students not enough teachers and tools. but if you can get your comps done in good time you might have enough shop time to start you Taco.

Good luck
 
#28 ·
I graduated with a diesel degree from Pennsylvania College of Technology, and I definitely had no complaints. But, I am a tech at a shop now that happens to be 2 minutes (really, 2 minutes) up the road from UTI's exton, pa campus. Some of the kids that have come from there are complete and total retards, some of the teachers aren't much better, we had a kid that was a year into UTI's automotive program and he didn't know where the master cylinder was in our K3500 shop truck... I will say we finally got a decent kid in our shop that doesn't take 35 hours to swap out a rear in an ambulance, but he doesn't have many positive things to say about his overpriced education either...

-Will
(yeah, I'm the prick that is keepin this off topic)
 
#29 ·
i graduated there in oct 06. im the kid that projunkracing was talking about. you have to work your ass off and bug the shit out of your teachers to get shit done. my class was short a teacher so it took everyone forever to get signoffs done and thats why i was not able to finish the 4-link on my truck. and for the teachers alot of them know their shit thats for sure. but some of them dont know their shit. you just have to pray that you get good teachers thats all. and if you get the fun teachers you will know cause they will show up to your house and party with you. what teachers do you have for the chassis fab class anyways. oh and about the metal price. dont let them fool you. really you are paying the same price that you will pay anywhere else. this is because they charge you the material x 1.5 for round and square tubing and the flat stock is material x 2. and that extra is for consumables. but good luck with the project man
 
#30 ·
Im just finishing up out here in PA. Some of the kids that come through here are complete dumbasses and it only ends up screwing the rest of the class. I would have had more time to finish my truck if we didnt spend an hour each day looking for lost tools. I have my complaints about the school but it was worth it to me. Im in trim and upholstery now and I think its the best class in the school. The teachers I have care alot about us learning and wont except anything that is not perfect.
 
#31 ·
As far as teachers, i have Brian Stienbach, Darryl ???(don't know his last name just never asked or really thought to much about it), and Joe Shalkowski.

These guys really know there shit. Brian worked for NASA doing precision TIG work. His welds are unbelievable, smooth perfect heating and cooling, just unbelievable. He also has owned and worked in several shops where he built custom cars for clients. The list of cars and stories that he has could fill three months worth of class easily.

Joe has raced in the NHRA since 84. He ran in the super comp class running a v-8 rail. Now he is in the same class running a 4 cyl that is pushing close to 450 horse. (details as to his setup if you want to really know pm me.) He to also worked for a company building precision equipment.

Darryl spent 15 years as a engine builder for a shop. He has picked up much of his welding skills from brian and the other instructors and doing tons of homework getting better at it till he was able to comfortably teach us students.

I am very please with the three instructors i have and their knowledge. They are very helpfull and more than willing to give a demo for any kind of weld or tubing fit you are having trouble wit. The amount of hands on knowledge that i have gotten from these three is unsurpassed.
 
#33 ·
i had brian and joe as my teachers also. and i will agree with what was said above. i didn't have daryl for a teacher but he built a tube buggy that is 4-linked front a rear and he helped me out with my truck even though i wasn't his student. like i said before it depends on the teachers you have and if you actually want to learn something from them
 
#34 ·
I graduated Wyo. in july last year... I had a good street rod and chassis fab lead instructor was pretty good but a lot of the instructors, more so in the core classes(auto) didnt know shit. I did build my tube chassis from the ground up in a little over 2 weeks but I was the first one done with my comps. It was my design and all TIG welded. I was pretty much on my own the whole way so If you dont work fast and know what you are doing it will leave the shop unfinished, like most projects there do. Good luck

Nick
 
#35 ·
Sean,If you plan on building a quality truck,your going to need to do alot of research.you need to consider budget,time,material's,and also your skill's.If you take your time and do your homework you won't end up doing thing's over twice or three times etc.Which cost's lot's of money.Research Race-Dezert,Desert Ranger's,Desert rides,Giant,Camburg,Total Chaos,etc. for build info.Checkout the rulebook's at SCORE,BEST IN THE DESERT,MDR,Jeepspeed,etc.For class info.There are a lot variation's in classes of minitruck's from 7sx basically stock with shock''s and safety equipment.To the new class in Best in the Dez Mini Unlimited.An unlimited truck is going to cost anywhere from $60,000 to well over $100,000.MDR has a good class with the 1400 truck's you could build a competitive one for 20 to25 G + Truck. When we got started we built my buddy's VW that he bought while he was in College.It was basically stock with fiberglass hood and fender's,bigger tires and engine cage.Over a period of 10 year's we probably built and rebuilt that thing 10 times.(The only part left from the original car was the windshield frame).We had no Idea what we were getting into.After modify the beam and rear suspension,we realized that to go to the bigger races we would be considered a CL.5 Unlimited because of the width and arm's.That's when we went to a couple big races and Oh SHit !!!! These guy's in our class had $15,000 dollar trannys $15,000 motor's $10,000 in shox's.Enough spare part's to build an extra car.Sent their motor and tranny's off to the builder every couple races.(We had to rebuild our motor and tranny's ourself.Tranny after every race)So what I'm trying to tell ya is take your time go to the races check out the classes talk to the driver's... investigate.After all of our trial's and tribulation's we were racing in a class that never had more than 5 car's in it.(Which is'nt much fun if you want to have people to race and like competition).Anyway after about 7year's the car was finally competitive and it cost about four times as much as it would have if we'd of done it right the first time.(We did'nt have anybody to help us out in fact we had the only Real Desert racecar in the state.We only had pictures in magazines to use as refrences.)and a SCORE rulebook.(OMG how are we going to afford that much chromoly,and were going to need a different welder).Budget was also a factor though and we built it as finances would allow.So if you think I'm trying to discourage you I'm not,but when you mentioned whether to use square tubing or round,I was thinking WHOA somebody need's to talk to this guy.BTW Round tubing.Would I do it again HELL Yes.We went to alot of races,won some races and had some of the GREATEST experieces of my life.And that old car finally got a photo shoot in Hot VW's magazine in 2003.In 2000 I got invited to race with a team in the Pro-TRuck class,we went to the Baja 2000 and won it 1st Place in the most prestigious race in the history of baja............. If I was you I'd try to build a couple cool prerunner/race bumper's,maybe a bedcage while in school and worry about school for now.And educate yourself about desert racing and truck's.and then get out make some money,fire up the welder and start kicking some ASS !!! If you need more advice,just PM I'll try to help you out.:D
 
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