How a Stock Taco Became a 60 MPH Whoop-Slayer (Hint: Ls3)

When Chris bought his ‘06 Toy Tacoma 14 years ago, he probably never imagined it would become the desert-shredding monster it is today. What started as a daily driver has transformed into an LS3-powered prerunner that makes all the right V8 noises while absolutely demolishing desert whoops at 60 mph.

Chris’s build represents everything we love about the prerunner scene - taking a reliable platform like the Taco and pushing it way beyond its factory limits. The heart of this beast is an LS3 with a mild cam that’s otherwise completely stock internally.

The front end runs a Fiberworks clip since Advanced quit making theirs, housing a serious King suspension setup. We’re talking 2.5x10" coilovers paired with 3x10" 3/2-stage bypasses up front, giving this truck the ability to soak up whatever the desert throws at it. Those aren’t just numbers on paper either - this thing genuinely whoops at highway speeds without breaking a sweat.

Chris kept the factory frame rails, which saved him tons of fabrication time and proves you don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes working with what Toy gave you makes perfect sense, especially when you’re doing builds in 2-3 week chunks between desert trips. That’s the reality for most of us.

The rear suspension is where things get really interesting. Chris went with a Dirt Designs 4 link kit that cycles 21" of travel, matched with 2.5x16" coilovers and 3x16" 5/2-stage bypasses. He’s eyeing an upgrade to 18" bypasses that would bump rear travel to 24", but honestly, 21" is already more than most of us will ever use.!

Under that rear end sits a Camberg Ford 9" housing with Camberg hubs, Wilwood brakes, and an ARB air locker running 5.29 gears. The whole setup is matched to a TR6060 transmission and a Dodge NV231 t-case. It’s a bulletproof drivetrain combo that can handle whatever abuse the LS3 dishes out.

The attention to detail throughout this build is impressive. Custom aluminum oil pan for four wheel drive clearance, Donaldson filters that outflow K&N units by 15% and are way easier to service in tight spaces, and Morimoto headlight housings that Chris had to custom fab just to make his intake setup work.

Chris kept the bed, which might seem like a compromise, but it’s actually brilliant. The Prinsu roof rack with custom-cut Baja Designs S1s provides scene lighting when you’re wrenching after dark. The interior features PRP Enduro Elite seats, PRP harnesses, and a PRP steering wheel with wireless controls that can actually start the truck.

Chris’s next goal is getting this Taco race-ready for 1450 class competition. That means more safety equipment, finishing some cage work, and probably upgrading those PRP seats. But even in its current form, this truck is already proving that you don’t need a six-figure budget to build something that genuinely rips.

The beauty of Chris’s build is that it represents the achievable dream. Sure, it’s not a $200,000 trophy truck, but it’s a real-world prerunner that gets used hard and performs when it counts. It’s the kind of build that makes you want to start cutting up your own daily driver, which is probably the highest compliment you can give any project truck.