Once the mixture comes down to about 165 degrees, it's poured out into the molds and smoothed and pressed just like fiberglass. Although they initially tried to make the tubs in a single piece, the rudimentary pouring and cooling process resulted in a lot of imperfections and uneven panels. so Piral made up 10 separate molds: one for the rear, two for the rear quarters, two for the front quarters, one for the cowl, one for the firewall, and three for the floor. After the separate panels that comprise the body tub are dried and cured, they are laminated together using hemp strips and natural resins into one solid unit.
Until the brothers' patent is granted they don't want any photography of the tubs to get out, so we were only allowed to shoot photos of their two drug farm Jeeps. We can tell you that the bio-bodies are pretty fugly. There were only two completed and they had a bumpy, gnarled texture to them that sort of reminded us of birch bark. The color is sort of a barf beige and tan, and the tub wall thickness appeared to be just shy of an inch thick. The tub rears are one-piece with no tailgate, and there is no dash. The Yoritucks suggest building a wooden dash to house gauges. There are resin-coated hardwood reinforcements in the tub floor and where the body bolt mounts go through the tub. At this time the brothers are working on windshield frames and hood and fender kits. They have no plans to make a grille.
The brothers are planning on coming to market at just $500 for a complete tub, which will ensure that even some folks will buy some. Windshield frames are slated to be $75 a piece, with the hood and front fender kits priced at $120 for the three pieces.
The Yorituck brothers claim that it takes about half that cost to produce the pieces. To secure a non-profit status and benefits, the company will donate any proceeds to the ACLU and sierra Club. several off-road clubs and organizations are currently in the process of trying to get the company's business license pulled, citing unsafe working conditions, code violations, and whatever else they can think of to prevent any revenue strain from reaching the pockets of these two opponents of off-road liberties. We're not really in the business of trying to quash any new company startup, but it seems to us that supporting bio-bodies isn't the brightest thing an off-road enthusiast can do for the health and longevity of the sport. We'll bring you an update on bio-bodies' patent application and the pending legal brawl in next month's dispatch section.