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Welcome to Talons Garage!

Discussion in 'Talon's Garage' started by Talon2006, Feb 18, 2022.

  1. Mar 10, 2022 at 12:49 PM
    #31
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    That is what I thought you were referring too. I am not doing bracing like that, but using the main bracket to help reinforce the area.

    I am working on adjusting the main mount to be strong enough to jack the truck up on it. I have been using my F-150 as a test mule. Essentially with the main mount and the front/engine skid, the area around the bend for the front plate will be 1/2" thick.
     
    SlvrSlug[QUOTED] likes this.
  2. Mar 10, 2022 at 1:28 PM
    #32
    SlvrSlug

    SlvrSlug Slightly bent.

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    Keep us posted Shaun my order button finger is starting to itch.
     
    Talon2006[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  3. Mar 19, 2022 at 10:13 AM
    #33
    j4unner

    j4unner shootz brah..

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    talons garage: any plans for a gas tank cover skid in the future for sale..
     
  4. Mar 20, 2022 at 1:14 PM
    #34
    MF Hambone

    MF Hambone New Member

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    Level lift (3”front, 1.25” rear) billet collar purchased and installed by Jeff Westcott Designs. Billstien 5100’s.
    I purchased a catalytic guard/skid plate from Shaun approximately five months ago for my 2021 SR5 4WD which has a 3” level lift in the front and a 1.25” lift in the rear with 33” tires making it very easy to access the converter. I live in a nice area in Phoenix (Ahwatukee Foothill’s) but since a new freeway was built people now have easy access in and out of our neighborhood and cat theft has become a daily problem, mostly at grocery stores, restaurants etc. The thieves take about minute to remove them from what I’ve heard. They don’t want to spend to much time due to being caught so I think this is a great deterrent. Since I purchased the guard, I’ve parked in the far part of parking lots to prevent door dings and everything is intact. I’ll report back if I have any issues but so far so good in a neighborhood where Tundra’s and 4Runners are being hit daily.
     
  5. Mar 21, 2022 at 8:47 AM
    #35
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    I plan to offer a full skid plate package for all the trucks I sell cat plates for. So yes.
     
    j4unner[QUOTED], SlvrSlug and kmeeg like this.
  6. Mar 21, 2022 at 10:22 AM
    #36
    j4unner

    j4unner shootz brah..

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    ok souns good!

    can't wait, eta on my cat plate from TG should arrrive wednesday according to tracking..
     
    Talon2006[OP] likes this.
  7. Mar 27, 2022 at 4:30 PM
    #37
    Scooby2022

    Scooby2022 New Member

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    Just installed the cat cover on my new SR5. Installation was a breeze. My only concern is heat dissipation. But the vents to appear to be adequate.
     
    Talon2006[OP] and j4unner like this.
  8. Mar 27, 2022 at 5:51 PM
    #38
    fbingha

    fbingha New Member

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    I have the cat plate and an about to order the RCI skid. I don’t want to have to drop any more plates to change the oil filter. This is likely to be at least a couple more months before sale, right?
     
  9. Mar 27, 2022 at 9:30 PM
    #39
    j4unner

    j4unner shootz brah..

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    installed today..
    goofed up with the cat and oem skid but manage to fix it, rookie mistake..

    E438AC8D-20B4-4728-AB9F-DFE1BAFCEC42.jpg
     
    Talon2006[OP] likes this.
  10. Mar 28, 2022 at 8:19 AM
    #40
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    I would not say a couple more months, they are at the point I need to cut a few out and ship them out.
     
    SlvrSlug likes this.
  11. Apr 2, 2022 at 6:32 AM
    #41
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    Made a small adjustment to the front plate.

    I extended the front plate where the bottom bend is. How it was I didn't have enough meat to grab the DIE and bend all the way across. This made a small lip that probably would have been fine, but had a chance of grabbing if you were to back up with the plate resting on something. It is more pronounced on the pictures I posted above.

    upload_2022-4-2_8-29-19.jpg

    Here is the change I made to improve it. I

    upload_2022-4-2_8-32-40.jpg
     
  12. Apr 2, 2022 at 6:38 AM
    #42
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    So I wanted to respond to this with more detail, and this is a late reply but here we go.

    My reinforcement is not like this. I have a bracket, that goes under this plate that mounts it to the frame. Many vendors use round tubing welded to the plate to give the stand off for mounting. I created a entire bracket that spans a good portion of this vulnerable area.

    I feel the point most likely to take a hit on a front skid plate is the lower front bend. With my bracket, there is a1/2" of aluminum sandwiched together. This does not take into account the vertical


    upload_2022-4-2_8-37-2.jpg

    upload_2022-4-2_8-37-40.jpg
     
    SlvrSlug[QUOTED] likes this.
  13. May 11, 2022 at 1:20 PM
    #43
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    Sent out the first 4 runner front plate, and am bout to send out the second one. We will see how these do.

    We have kept busy in the shop. I am doing work on a transfer case skid as well.
     
    ElectroBoy, Boonie and SlvrSlug like this.
  14. May 12, 2022 at 8:54 AM
    #44
    Boonie

    Boonie New Member

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    I ordered one yesterday. I took the cat plate that I ordered from you folks to the shop on Tuesday. He said he should have it done by Friday. I guess I will wait to pick it up until I get the skid plate from you folks so I can drop off the new plate. It's about an hour drive. I will post pics when I get the plates installed.
     
    Talon2006[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  15. May 27, 2022 at 8:50 PM
    #45
    ikejay

    ikejay New Member

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    Talons Garage Skids
    Sub'd:popcorn:
     
    Talon2006[OP] likes this.
  16. Jun 6, 2022 at 10:03 PM
    #46
    Boonie

    Boonie New Member

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    Update. I got the plates today. I am taking them to have them sprayed with Linex Wednesday along with a bumper for my Tundra. They said it would take about 3 or 4 days to get the plates and bumper done. I will be installing the plates some time next week hopefully. I will include pics of the install with the update.
     
    Talon2006[OP] likes this.
  17. Aug 20, 2022 at 8:43 AM
    #47
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    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?

    [​IMG]


    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.


    [​IMG]



    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.

    [​IMG]
    1659374707602.png

    Talon2006 · Aug 1, 2022 at 12:25 PM

    " style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; color: rgb(203, 203, 203); font-family: "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgb(54, 57, 63); cursor: pointer;">[​IMG]


    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    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.

    [​IMG]


    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.

    [​IMG]

    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.
     
    hitech, tramdown, ElectroBoy and 2 others like this.
  18. Nov 8, 2022 at 4:13 PM
    #48
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    Anyone at Fabtech? The talons garage couple is here and looking at some new equipment for next year! Hoping to find a nice edge rounder before the new year.
     
  19. Nov 8, 2022 at 5:29 PM
    #49
    hitech

    hitech New Member

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    KO2s and a bunch of crap from Amazon
    That video was awesome. I bought your cat shield and I love it, great job and congrats on your business. Keep up the good work!
     
    Talon2006[OP] likes this.
  20. Nov 8, 2022 at 6:29 PM
    #50
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    I am glad you liked the video! Thanks for the order!
     
  21. Dec 14, 2022 at 8:57 AM
    #51
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    My wife made a way back Wednesday post that I wanted to share here. It was the support of several of you that helped us grow, and stop scratching my wife’s floor and walls! It’s also cool be reminded how much nicer our plates are now, vs when I was still cutting them on a cnc plasma, and using a hand sander to finish them.

    Also, feel free to check out our Facebook page! 6FF6377D-2F69-4CC0-BE2B-F6F879ED6523.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2022
    beedee likes this.
  22. Dec 30, 2022 at 2:22 PM
    #52
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    Happy new years everyone! My wife just personally loaded up and dropped off the last couple of packages for 2022 to FedEx to be shipped.

    We didn’t want anyone to wait an extra day to get their package!
     
  23. Jan 24, 2023 at 3:43 PM
    #53
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    5DE7AAF9-C757-4E8E-88BA-551C3EEFE8BF.jpg

    little one on the left is getting replaced with big boy on the right!
     
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  24. Jan 24, 2023 at 3:49 PM
    #54
    beedee

    beedee Member

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    Great news, love seeing your business grow.
     
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  25. Jan 24, 2023 at 3:56 PM
    #55
    j4unner

    j4unner shootz brah..

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    congrats! still happy with my purchase and the peace of mind it gives me.. cheers!
     
  26. Jan 24, 2023 at 4:26 PM
    #56
    FN2187

    FN2187 Stormtrooper

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    Nice looking press brakes! The little guy on the left still looks a lot better than either of the two we had when was working in manufacturing!
     
  27. Jan 24, 2023 at 6:34 PM
    #57
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    i am very tempted to take the time to haul our first press brake up to the shop for some social media photos! It’s a 12 ton di arco from the 70’s. We are very blessed and lucky to get to the position we are in, and I just hope and pray we can continue to grow and have a great customer base!
     
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  28. Feb 8, 2023 at 11:12 AM
    #58
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    Many of you may of noticed we are out of stock on a lot of stuff. Had a catastrophic failure of the laser last week and have spent many long nights getting it up and running again.


    Well after a long long week, we are back up and running, and will have stuff back in stock soon!!!


    [​IMG]




    A huge shout out to Gary @ Ramsey Laser press brake. This man with with me several nights as late as 2 am working on the laser and getting it back up and running. Super glad to have bought from him. I have posted the laser install video before here, but figured I would repost it for you guys. Go blow up his channel with some likes and views.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ8n07KIp_k&ab_channel=RamseyLaserPressBrake
     
  29. Feb 14, 2023 at 4:33 PM
    #59
    Talon2006

    Talon2006 [OP] New Member

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    About a year ago when this first started I surprised my wife with a forklift as a present when she was out of town. She wasn’t super impressed.

    This year I surprised her with a larger powder coat oven and booth for V day! She was super happy this time! My how the times have changed!

    928F0C0C-E68C-434E-9EA0-5DBAB4FBA0EE.jpg
     
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  30. Feb 14, 2023 at 5:33 PM
    #60
    SlvrSlug

    SlvrSlug Slightly bent.

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    That my friend is a nice oven.
     
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