So, I just returned from Budbuilt in Lenoir, NC. It's actually a larger town than I expected and very typical of other small towns in NC. Anyway, I pulled-up to Bud's shop and he immediately knew who I was and he seemed really excited to see my truck. I gave him a quick tour, and then he gave me a quick tour of his place. He's got TONS of stuff going on, and he admitted to being swamped - which he also admitted is a really good problem to have. While I was there they were working on a late model Tundra and outfitting it with a bunch of different stuff. He showed me the stuff he's got for the 4Runner (didn't see a battery tray, though and I forgot to ask until I left) and a couple of other Tundra bumpers he's done. As everyone else has said, Bud is a super nice guy and he spent about 30-45 minutes showing me around and talking to me about stuff. He said he's looking to move into a bigger facility right up the road that'll give him a bunch more space to keep parts in inventory.
Qjake - I completely missed your last question, so I didn't ask. But, my guess is that all of the sliders he makes for the 5th generations are the same because he specifically mentioned to me the drill pattern he has on the bolt-ons allow for all the different models.
Bud's also on the fence about attending the Summit this year, but he said he's going to make a decision soon. I told him that there were a lot of guys that would love to meet him. As for the rest of you, Bud's hired a new woman named Lisa that is basically handling all of the customer service and order tracking. If you give them a call you can ask the questions about switching winch mounts, incomplete welds, and missing orders.
Intruder - my guess is that your order has shipped or they completely forgot all about it because there were tons of skids lying around waiting to be powdercoated, and lots of sliders for 5th Gens sitting in boxes waiting to be shipped...
