Welcome to Talons Garage!

Ok got the cat trans skid up
Why does eveything have to be a PIA
Instructions say mount fins outward. thumbsup:
Loosen IFS skid and slide in
I tried sliding in hitting frame rails and crossmember..

So i decided ti just drop my front skid success!!
Well not so fast
Now the fins are hitting frame rail
So I decide to flip them so they point in instead of out!
There we go Fits perfect
Then i got my wrench suck on top of the DS crossmember
FML
Had to remove a shield to get it unstuck
Buttoned everything up..
If anyone needs help putting one in i think im an expert now!!!!!

 

I pre-assembled mine according to the instructions before mounting on my 2nd gen with no issues. Tight fit, but did not struggle to mount it up. No fitment issues with the frame. Maybe you have a 3rd gen?

 

Nope 2nd gen an 08 sport 4x4
Maybe my frames a little different.
I know that i have extra rivets where my sliders mounted up.

No way it was going up with fins pointing outward..
I needed a snug fit with my SOS skid..
It worked out, just not per instructions.

 

Got mine. Install was a breeze. I watched this video though. Sprayed the sides black so it won’t stand out . Great product. https://youtu.be/4jmIpr_-ZHQ

 

I figured I would jump in here with an update on how we are doing. The other day I was checking my Facebook memories. A post popped up about a surprise for my wife! She had gone out of town for the weekend to see her mother. While she was gone I found a cheap forklift on Facebook marketplace, quickly met up with the seller and bought it. I was still working out of my garage and was just starting to really need a forklift to unload metal from my trailer.

I got the forklift home, and immediately messaged my wife, “Hey, I have a surprise for you when you get home!!!!”

Needless to say, she was nowhere near as impressed as I was hoping she would be. Who would have imagined?




Wow, have things changed since last year! I figured it might be cool to stroll down memory lane, talk about where we have been in the past year, how we have grown, and where we hope to go. The photo above is the OG Talons’ Garage. Where this whole operation started, and where everything happened up until a few months ago.






Many of you have seen my “Contact Me” page. The picture of the CNC plasma on the page was what started Talons Garage. I started building that cnc plasma table in our one bedroom apartment in the Houston Medical Center, quickly outgrew it, and built a larger 5x12’ cnc plasma table.


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Talon2006 · Aug 1, 2022 at 12:25 PM

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Above is a photo of my original press brake. It was another Facebook marketplace find. This press brake was old, and not as powerful as I needed. Some of our early customers will remember the bend lines I had to put in the plates so this press brake would be able to bend it. This press brake was great for what I needed it for at the time. Granted, for every angle change, and every material I had to adjust it manually, and it took a lot of time to do so. It also did not have a back gauge. I couldn’t afford new tooling at the time, so I ended up making my own on the CNC mill. The photo below is my experiments in making custom lower dies to bend the plates on.




Sales started to pick up, and we started to become more popular. I soon met Gary Ramsey and decided to pull the trigger on a much larger, more powerful but entry level CNC press brake.



This press brake was a total game changer. It is a 2 axis CNC, I could make programs for all of my parts, and it literally changed my world. Soon after getting this press brake, I was able to redesign some of my skid plates, and design new front skid plates. Being able to have a machine that could automatically go from a 90 degree 2” long flange bend to a 30 degree 2” flange bend was amazing! The more I played with this press brake, the more I learned, and the better my products became. It was very soon after getting this press brake I released my front skid plates.


Over the next six months we got busier and busier. My wife and I ran the show for a long time, but eventually hired two of her cousins and one of their friends to help us out. I have been slowly teaching them more about fabrication techniques and they have been a huge help. I also have both of my neighbors’ kids doing a few things for me, and one other new employee helping my wife with shipping!

As Talons Garage grew, I realized I needed more space…. And the CNC plasma was not cutting it anymore….. Essentially it was time to man up, bite the bullet, and go big or go home. This was not an easy decision for my wife and I. This was a very large commitment for both of us. We both were still working our very safe jobs as Advanced Practice Nurses, but we both decided to go part time at our jobs. I called my friend Gary again and ordered a CNC laser and started searching for a true shop.

Here is the install video of the Laser when it arrived. Pretty good video, don’t mind my goofy self! You can see most of the tools I already talked about in here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ8n07KIp_k&t=19s&ab_channel=RamseyCustoms-turbocobra



This laser is another true game changer for us here at Talons Garage! The cuts are cleaner, the holes are perfect, accuracy is at a whole new level. I will be the first to admit, we have had a few issues in the past year. While our screw up rate was less than 1%, we did accidently send out a few plates that didn’t have holes cut properly or had some other small issue.

This laser is going to dramatically change that, if not virtually eliminate it. Not only is it going to improve our current products, but it is dramatically improving our ability to make new and better products. We have a lot of things planned for next year, and have a few more surprises coming, but that will be the topic for another post.

My wife and I are continuously investing heavily back into Talons Garage and are working hard to get to the next level. This laser was a HUGE part in that, and I am happy to say - Welcome to the NEW Talons Garage. What would you like to see from us? Drop a comment below.

 

You are truly "Blessed" and hard work pays. Hey, next thing you know you are making off road bumpers.

 

Thanks for the video and FB memory update.

I've had my Talon CAT plate for over a year now and appreciate the protection and overall satisfaction.

Maybe I could swap out the winglets I have for the ones with a cut-around for the plastic bit on the frame?

 

@not_his

I've got a 4X4 TRD Sport.

 

Talk about fast service ! I ordered my 3rd gen 4x4 cat shield from Talons Garage last Sunday afternoon, the shipment went out Monday, it arrived at my house in North Georgia Wednesday ! I finally had some time off and installed it today by myself in about two beers and two hours, taking my time. Perfect fit and alignment, mounted perfectly ! Very happy with it.

I pre-assembled mine as some other had, and I think that made it easier to install and didn't make it awkward at all.

 

Pre-assembled?

Man, has the Talon CAT plate changed. lol

 

Just ordered a cat shield with the security hardware. Thanks!

 

Nice product

 

I received the cat protector in only 3 days. Read the on-line instructions, watched the YouTube. I could have been done in under 15 minutes, but two bolts would not fit. This is on the cross-brace, driver’s side. I tried several different security bolts and several of the supplied bolts without success. I tried 4 of the original bolts - no problem. So, I ended up using them. I figure the other security bolts will discourage a would-be felon. I’m liking this product so far.

 

I am glad you worked through this! I need to do a big revamp on the install manual, and add on that they may need to be installed facing in.

 

I am really trying to figure out what could of happened. Did any of the bolts looked messed up?

When you tried to get the driver side bolts in was the rest of the plate tight? Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

 

I shot you a PM. Typically the wings are made with each plate so we don't get many extras. I have had request to sell the wings separate which I have politely had to decline due to the logistics of it. I am not sure how many would be interested in ordering the newer wings to change out with their old ones, but I might consider a one time batch of them. No promises though!

 

So, many have asked about the 4 Cylinder rear cat box, here is the story behind it. I am mainly typing this out for entertainment, and curiosity purposes. TLDR, I hated the first design I made.

I had a truck dropped off to make the first design. It was from a rather large company who didn't really need it at the time, so it was mutually beneficial. I worked on this design for about a month, built several and still hated it! I just could not get what I wanted, and kind of got stuck in a designer’s block. I had a product that would work, and the very few I sent out went well in tials.. but I still hated it. I didn't like the fit and finish or how it went together. It was complicated to make and I figured trying to make several was doing to be a disaster.


This was in what I call the dark ages of Talons Garage. I was still laying on my back, under a truck with a tape measure drawling CAD file in the open to come up with new designs. It worked well, and a lot of my products turned out well, but man it was rough. The biggest drawback was I had to design each piece, cut it out and put it in place before I could design the next piece of a assembly.


For example, on the front plate, the main bracket had to be modeled, cut out and installed before I could make the other two plates. Otherwise, the stack of tolerances would be too large, and I knew the other two plates would not be close to fitting on the first go around.


Needless to say, yeah, I made one, yeah it worked, I even made a batch of 10 that a local mechanic installed on some fleet of trucks. I still did not feel good about bringing it to market.


If you read the large post I made about two months ago, you will see we recently purchased a 3d scanner. This thing has been a TOTAL game changer for design and R&D.


Last week one of the small shops I made a small trail run of the rear cat boxes called me wanting some more. I told him I would come over and scan the truck he has on his lift. I came home with the scans, made 3-5 different revisions, and BOOM I had something I liked. I cut it out the next morning and installed it. It was 99% a perfect fit. Without the scanner it would have taken me DAYS to do what took me a few hours.


The brings us up to now. It is finally making progress. The next revision is getting cut out now and I am going to be taking it over tomorrow, or maybe this weekend to try it out. We still have a few steps to take before we release it. At this time I am only sure of fitment on the 3rd gen 2wd access cab, but as we make progress we will try it on others.

 

@Talon2006 ...Just wanted to say I ordered your catalytic converter shield for my 2017 Limited Tundra 4x4 (transmission and transfer case) and should be arriving today I'm so stocked!! pics to come.

 

I ordered the same one as you. Install was pretty smooth.

 

I am glad install went good for both of you!!!