All Entries in the "Featured Tacomas" Category

2011 SEMA Oakley Surf Tacoma

Rolling into the 2011 SEMA trade show is the custom Toyota Tacoma Oakley Surf equipped with a variety of rad features to make any surfer droll. It is the must have ride for driving over sandy beaches and then grabbing your board to take on the surf.

The 2011 SEMA will feature a surfer's dream in the Oakley Surf Tacoma.

This specially-modified Tacoma is sponsored by Oakley. Its debut drew Australian surfing pro Tom Whitaker who was on hand for its introduction press conference on Nov. 1, 2011.

The already rugged Tacoma 4×4 pickup, V6 and TRD supercharger generating 304 horsepower was further customized by Smithbuilt to be a “Surfing Big Wave Assault Machine” according to Toyota.

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Tim Esterdahl | Nov 08, 2011 | Comments 0

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Andy Aughenbaugh’s Adventure 95′ Tacoma Off-Road Project Truck

The Toyota Tacoma’s appeal stretches across all walks of life, and in some cases it inspires even non-gearheads to wax eloquently about its finer points. This is the case with Andy Aughenbaugh, Outdoors Columnist for the Carroll County Times. Aughenbaugh, who in addition to his regular contributions to the Maryland newspaper is also an avid off-road enthusiast, recently purchased a 1995 Toyota Tacoma X-Cab 4×4 to replace a recently sold Jeep Cherokee as his rock crawler of choice. What makes Andy’s new truck notable is his decision to document its transformation from bone-stock condition into the kind of adventure vehicle he is looking for to help him hunt, fish and just generally explore the wilderness areas of Carroll County and the surrounding states.

Andy's 1995 Tacoma. Photo by A. Aughenbaugh.

Aughenbaugh’s first column about the Tacoma detailed the research he had done in order to decide what modifications he should make to his truck. A fairly long list of what Andy termed “basic build” requirements included aftermarket bumpers, a winch, a new off-road suspension and mud tires, easy-to-wash vinyl floors, better seats and a number of different mounts and racks for the gear that he wanted to take with him on the trail. He also discussed the preventative maintenance that he felt he needed to tackle, as the truck had a decent number of miles on it and was due for a fluid refresh, amongst other things.

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Benjamin Hunting | Nov 03, 2011 | Comments 2

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The Project Venture Toy Tacoma

Project truck articles in major publications are usually a good read, and there is certainly no lack of column inches devoted to tracking the labor and components used to build solid trail-going pickups. It’s a little more rare, however, to find follow-up pieces documenting just how well a specific truck performed after putting up hundreds of hard off-road miles, years after it was originally put together. 4WD and Sport Utility Magazine recently did just that in their June, 2011 issue with a look back at a 2001 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck called the Project Venture Toy Tacoma.

The Project Venture Toy in its natural environment.

The Project Venture Toy story began back in 2008, when writer Jay Kopycinski selected a two-wheel drive Prerunner Tacoma as the basis for a project build that would allow magazine staff to use the pickup for camping and rock climbing duty while still providing reasonable highway performance that would allow them to get from point A to point B with little drama. Why a two-wheel drive truck? Kopycinski and crew already knew that they were going to swap out the Tacoma’s independent front suspension for a straight-axle unit and then installing their own transfer case to build a more capable four-wheel drive chariot.

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Benjamin Hunting | Sep 08, 2011 | Comments 2

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Feature Truck – Scott Crumley’s 2005 TRD Off-Road Pre-Runner

We are always on the lookout for interesting project trucks to feature here on TacomaHQ, and this month we are lucky to show off Scott Cromley’s 2005 TRD Off-Road Pre-Runner. This four-door truck not only hauls friends and family when required, but it’s also been tastily modded to rip over dunes, sand and other obstacles and deliver the kind of high performance joy that Toyota built right in to this lightweight pickup platform.

Pre-Runner trucks are not four-wheel drive pickups but actually two-wheel drive trucks that offer the jacked-up look and the same rugged suspension of their four-wheel drive cousins. Designed to run down fire roads, blaze across desert or beach sand and generally offer thrills without the weight, complication or expense of four-wheel drive, Tacoma Pre-Runners are some of the most fun models in the compact truck’s lineup.

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Benjamin Hunting | Aug 25, 2011 | Comments 0

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Ron Sino-Cruz’s 1996 Toyota Tacoma X-Cab Custom Mini Truck

The Toyota Tacoma isn’t exactly a fixture on the mini-truck scene, but that didn’t prevent Ron Sino-Cruz from choosing a 1996 Toyota Tacoma X-Cab as the basis for his classic-themed custom pickup. The ultra-low, super clean Tacoma is a beautiful example of what can be accomplished on the custom scene when following your own heart and ignoring negative comments from those who just don’t understand your particular vision.

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Ron's '96 Tacoma mini-truck.

Ron told MiniTruckinWeb.com that he initially began the project in his own backyard, but that he eventually ran into electrical and air suspension issues that were beyond his ability to diagnose. He turned to iDesigns in California to help him bring his mini truck dream from the drawing board to reality, and he has been very pleased with the end result.