The Lazer-Fit™ system begins in the design phase, where components are CAD designed right inside a 3D model of the specific vehicle for which the kit is being designed. “By using an accurate 3D model of the vehicle,” says Kevin Dill, Poison Spyder’s product engineer, “we’re able to ensure the components precisely fit the vehicle before burning through a couple hundred feet of tubing on the shop floor.” Production of Lazer-Fit™ components takes place in state-of-the-art facilities. High strength structural DOM tubing is cut and notched by a CNC laser. The laser also etches part numbers and assembly guides directly onto the surface of the tube. Laser notching provides an exact, clean cut that fits its intended joint with no further grinding or fitting. After notching and etching, tube pieces are bent on a CNC bender that indexes off of the laser-etched markings to yield perfectly notched and bent parts.

A Poison Spyder Lazer-Fit™ cage can be installed in less than half the time it takes to install competitors’ cage kits. The Lazer-Fit™ system removes all the guesswork, grinding, notching, fitting, and opportunities for mistakes. Each piece not only comes already bent and notched to fit perfectly, but the part identification and installation marks etched directly onto each part make assembly a quick, simple process. Where a notched tube joins another, the shape of the notched tube end is etched right onto the other part, and where needed, index marks on both pieces can be lined up for proper clocking, removing all guesswork. You literally just piece it together and weld it up! The Lazer-Fit™ system makes it possible for even novice gearheads to install. And the time saving translates into significant money savings for those who have the cage installed at a shop.

“We’re excited about the Lazer-Fit™ system,” says McRae, “Nobody else does this in our market, although I’m sure the imitators will follow. But the best part is that now people with minimal fab skills can assemble their own Poison Spyder Customs cage, and if they have to take it to a shop for assembly, the cost in shop hours will be only a fraction of what it once was.” The first product to feature the Lazer-Fit™ system is Poison Spyder’s Full Cage Kit for Jeep TJ, which is currently in production and available for purchase. Poison Spyder cages for other Jeep Models will soon follow, all with the revolutionary features of the Lazer-Fit system.

NOTE: If you have technical questions about any items prior to making your purchase, place your order anyhow then send an email to brent@poisonspyder.com with your question. We’ll answer all inquiries on Monday before processing orders, and if you decide at that time to opt out of the purchase you may do so. But you must get your order in, using our online ordering system, before Monday morning when we open the shop back up for business.

*Poison Spyder will cover shipping costs up to $100 for online orders placed by 8:00 AM Pacific time, Monday, November 30, 2009. The $100 limit is per customer, for all orders placed during that time.

Now go and enjoy your Turkey!! 

 The Access Army Rocker Knocker or Ricochet Rocker features the Access Army logo CNC laser-cut into the rugged 3/16” plate steel.  Access Army Rocker Knockers are available with or without tubular rock sliders.  Best of all, Poison Spyder Customs is donating 10% of the purchase price for each set to the Blue Ribbon Coalition, which fights the legal battles for public access.  “We’re passionate about this issue,” says Larry McRae, president of Poison Spyder Customs, “access to public lands is what our sport is based on.  We’re proud to be a part of the Access Army!”    

 The Access Army is guided by its Joint Chiefs of Staff, veteran land use advocate Del Albright, who brings a lifetime of experience fighting to maintain public access through such organizations as the Blue Ribbon Coalition and the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs.  The Access Army brings together access advocates from all walks of life, and from across the spectrum of land use organizations, enthusiast associations and clubs.  The Access Army seeks to exploit the power of the Internet, its online forums and enthusiast groups, and social networking sites to take the fight for access on the offensive with a proactive, targeted, aggressive campaign for public access to public lands.

To learn more about the Access Army, please visit their website at www.accessarmy.com.  More information on the Blue Ribbon Coalition may be found at www.sharetrails.org.  For more information about Poison Spyder Customs products, see www.poisonspyder.com.

 ABOUT POISON SPYDER CUSTOMS: Poison Spyder Customs has been at the forefront of off-road innovation since its inception.  From its Banning, California facilities Poison Spyder Customs designs, manufactures and markets a growing line of off-road accessories and performance modifications for Jeep® vehicles.  The majority of its sales are made through an extensive dealer network, and the company maintains a high visibility among off-road enthusiasts through heavy participation in off-road events, clubs and online enthusiast forums.

Won’t metal flares just fold up the JK sheet metal when a load is applied?

Well some might, but ours don’t!  Attached are photos of the Poison Spyder YJ parked on the Poison Spyder JK’s Crusher Flares.   Before anyone says, “The Crusher Flare is sandwiched between the tires,”  let me assure you the YJ drove up the JK tire to get to where it’s at in the pictures.  I’m not recommending that anyone try this, but if you had any doubts about the strength and the method of attachment of our Crusher Flares this should put your mind at ease.

For further information about these super strong Crusher Flares, please visit our JK Front Crusher Flare web page.

Larry McRae, President – Poison Spyder Customs

The Rico Steps and gussets are laser cut from 3/16 plate steel. The steps are brake-formed to provide extra strength and reverse-dimpled for foot traction. The kit of course requires welding and should be installed by a competent welder. The parts are simply welded to the side of the stock rocker rail as shown.

The Rico Step protrudes about 5″ from the side of the jeep body to the outside edge of the rub rail.  Poison Spyder offers a “we-weld-it” service for those of you who would rather send in your stock rockers and have us install the rico steps. You will need to re-paint or re-powdercoat the rockers when you get them back. This service costs $75 plus shipping. Call Poison Spyder at (951) 849-5911 to arrange for this service.

NOTE: For hard trail use, we recommend installing a set of Poison Spyder JK Body Armor at the same time as the Rico Step. This will help protect your Jeep’s lower body panels in the event that a rock may want to push up on the rocker rail, which with the increased leverage of the Rico Step may cause the rocker rail to make contact with the body sheetmetal.

Ricochet Rockers look as good as they work. They extend 5” from the outside edge of the vehicle, keeping body sheet metal a safe distance from trail obstacles. The four bends of the tubular slider rail, along with the laser cut plate step with dimpled holes, give Ricochet Rockers a hard core appearance unmatched by any other rocker panel protection on the market. Ricochet Rockers are available for Jeep CJ-7, TJ, YJ and LJ (Unlimited). They integrate perfectly with Poison Spyder’s Crusher Corners and Tube Fenders to surround your entire Jeep in hard core body armor.

For more information about Poison Spyder Customs products, dealer opportunities, or any general inquiries please see www.poisonspyder.com or call (951) 849- 5911. Or by email, contact Brent for retail sales at brent@poisonspyder.com or Larry for dealer inquiries at larry@poisonspyder.com.

ABOUT POISON SPYDER CUSTOMS: Poison Spyder Customs has been at the forefront of off-road innovation since its inception. From its Banning, California facilities Poison Spyder Customs designs, manufactures and markets a growing line of off-road accessories and performance modifications for Jeep® vehicles. The majority of its sales are made through an extensive dealer network, and the company maintains a high visibility among off-road enthusiasts through heavy participation in off-road events, clubs and online enthusiast forums.

When we acquired Poison Spyder, the crown jewels were of course the legendary product line.  But as you’ve read in previous blogs, we are mostly working just from drawings, and have had to set up production for every part.  While many of these parts had already been designed, we still are taking every step in the quality control process, including test-fitting first articles of each new part as it comes into production.  In many instances we’ve found ways to make the part even better, or to make slight changes in the design to streamline the manufacturing process or perhaps add a new element of Poison Spyder flair to the part.  And of course, while working toward resurrecting the product line we’re also working on designing new products and updating old ones.  R&D has been a huge part of this endeavor, and it always will be!

In a way, Jeeps are like people, every one unique, every one reflecting the tastes, trials and tribulations of its respective owner.  Not only are there many different models of our favorite vehicle from throughout the years, but they’ve all been modified to some extent (we like to think that Poison Spyder has played an important part in that over the years!).  So in order to design, modify and test parts for the Jeep aftermarket, you have to have access to quite a variety of vehicles.  We’re lucky in that regard.  Through our employees and friends from a lifetime of four-wheeling, including our buddies in the Inland Empire 4 Wheelers and throughout Southern California, we seem to have quite a pool of R&D vehicles to draw from.

Just today we looked around the shop and were surprised when we counted that we currently have SIX Jeeps here in various stages of R&D on different parts.  That’s a half dozen Jeeps—and our shop isn’t that big!  Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees, so it usually doesn’t occur to us while we’re working on them, what an awesome collection we have sitting right here.  So we thought we would line them up for a couple of photos and share them with you.  We think it makes a great family portrait!

Special thanks to the following for trusting us with your beloved Jeeps (from left to right in the photos):
Julio Monroy—Brown CJ-8
Cortney McRae—White Unlimited
George Biddlecombe—Red TJ
Brent Murray—Dark Blue CJ
Don McDonald—Blue YJ
Larry McRae—White JK

Shad’s background lies more in the go-fast world of desert racing than in the rock crawling and jeeping world that most of us are more familiar with.  Larry chose him for the job specifically for that reason.  One of our goals here at Poison Spyder is not only to make great accessories for your Jeeps, but to raise the level of workmanship and product development to heights not seen before in the rock crawling and trail-riding world.  As Shad’s influence on the Poison Spyder product line grows, it will become evident in the quality, workmanship, form and function of our products.  You’ll start to see more racing-inspired designs, with components built to withstand a thousand miles of Baja even though you might only throw 18 miles of Rubicon Trail at them.  With Shad’s help we’ll be transitioning toward more 3D-modeled designs, CNC-machined components, more TIG welding and other uses of cutting edge manufacturing technologies.

Shad grew up in the motorsports-crazy town of Hemet, California.  The home of such racing luminaries as Rod Hall, Larry Minor, Nelson & Nelson , and countless others has made this area just south of the Poison Spyder shop a hotbed of off-road and racing innovation.  It was in that environment that Shad cut his teeth in race car fabrication, and honed his skills working for both motorsports shops as well as his own off-road fabrication enterprises.  Shad brings a lifetime of motorsports and mechanical experience to the rock crawling and 4X4 industry through his new involvement with Poison Spyder.  And with the emerging crossover between these two areas of the off-road world through such events as King of the Hammers and rock-racing, Shad’s efforts will help keep Poison Spyder at the forefront of product innovation and craftsmanship.