How Jack Turned a Daily Driver Taco Into a 37” Tire Beast - It Always Starts With Marketplace...

Jack’s ‘18 TRD Off-Road Taco isn’t your typical mall crawler - this thing is a legitimate trail destroyer that proves what happens when you combine serious fabrication skills with an obsession for conquering gnarly terrain. What started as a bone-stock Taco with nothing more than a TRD spacer lift has evolved into a 37" tire monster that’ll make you question everything you thought you knew about what these trucks can handle.

The transformation didn’t happen overnight. Jack picked up this truck back in ‘20 with about 30,000 miles on the clock, and like most of us, he couldn’t leave well enough alone. The progression tells a familiar story - rock sliders, lights, wheels, and tires. But where most builds plateau, Jack kept pushing. The real turning point came when he scored a pair of 35" Yokohama Geolanders on Facebook Marketplace. That’s when the addiction really kicked in.

The front suspension setup is where things get seriously impressive. Jack went full send with a JD Fabrication long travel kit that’s 2.25" over stock. We’re talking Fox shocks, Fox hydro bumps, and Porsche 934 CV axles that can actually handle the abuse. The Willwood six-piston brakes up front make sure you can stop all that momentum when things get sketchy. But here’s where it gets wild - to make those 37x13.50 Cooper ST Pros fit properly, Jack had to get creative with some serious fabrication work.

The engineering that went into clearancing those meats is next level. Jack moved his differential up and forward, built a custom crossmember, and relocated his steering rack 14mm (0.55") (0.55") forward. The inner fenders got the chop in favor of custom JD Fabrication units. Even with all that work, he still kisses the firewall at full lock, but that’s the price you pay for running rubber this aggressive.

Those Cooper ST Pros deserve some serious respect too. Jack was initially skeptical about stepping up to 37s, but these tires changed his mind completely. The way he describes their performance in snow and wet conditions - acting like an all-terrain on pavement but performing like a mud-terrain in the deep stuff - that’s exactly what you want from a do-everything tire.

The interior modifications show Jack’s attention to detail extends beyond just the mechanical bits. That custom carbon fiber steering wheel from Destroyed Customs with purple stitching and suede accents sets the tone. The Bride shift boots with matching purple stitching and Teton Workshop aluminum shift knob prove that small touches matter. When you’re spending serious seat time on technical trails, having controls that feel right makes all the difference.

Under the hood, Jack went with a UMP intake system that’s more commonly seen on desert race trucks. It’s a cyclone design that spins out water and keeps dust from choking the engine - perfect for the kind of terrain this truck was built to handle. The custom battery mount houses an Odyssey PC1500 that feeds all those light bars and accessories.

The bed setup keeps things practical with Decked drawers for organization and a Hot Metal Fab swing-out that doubles as a bed stiffener. That’s crucial because these Tacomas will fold like a taco shell if you don’t reinforce them properly. The ARB compressor lives back there too, feeding air to whatever needs inflating on the trail.

The lighting setup is absolutely bonkers in the best way possible. Three S8 light bars up front, Baja Design rock lights tucked into the wheel wells, and a full complement of S2s out back including a chase light for dusty conditions. When Jack hits the trails at night, he’s basically turning night into day.

Jack’s already planning the next phase - a Dana 60 swap and a Marlin Crawler taco box for even more capability. The fact that he’s thinking about what comes next while this truck is already this capable shows the kind of builder mentality that creates truly special rigs.

You can follow Jack’s adventures on Instagram @435syota and check out more incredible Taco builds at Taco Lifestyle. This truck proves that with enough vision, skill, and determination, these platforms can handle way more than most people give them credit for.