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Nov/Dec 2005

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IVAN “IRONMAN” STEWART INTERVIEW

TOYOTA HISTORY LESSON

WE TAKE 4WD

TOYOTAS TO THE

LIMIT!

��

4WD.Cover#2-2.indd 1 10/19/05 1:40:36 PM

[email protected] 23 Dec 2018

40 November/December

SUPER TACOMA

Supercharged, super strong, superior!

Words: David ZartmanPhotos: David Zartman unless otherwise noted

I’ve been wheeling in Toyotas since 1985, when I bought a pickup new off the showroom fl oor. I tricked it out (or so I thought) with a lift, bigger tires, and of course a double roll bar with four smiley KC lights up top. Yeah, I

thought that was a cool truck, and it was. Since then, I’ve had the privilege to see and wheel with a lot of pretty badass Toyota rigs.

RobPerin.indd 2 10/17/05 2:12:19 AM


4WD Toyota Owner 41

This one is in the top ten.The Toyota in question is a

2001 Tacoma, owned by Rob Perin, of Duvall, Washington. One look at this post-millennium rig will convince

even the jaded eye that

this is a

seriously well-built 4WD Toyota. You see, a Toyota that really stands out is the one that has been put together as a package. Not just a lift and tires, but upgrades and improvements to all parts of the game. Brakes. Engine. Driveline. Recovery. These things take time. If you’ve ever thought about building up a Tacoma, here is one fine

example to learn from—and

be

prepared to be patient.AT THE BEGINNING

Rob picked up his red auto-tranny Tacoma in May of 2001 and the first mod he did was a bedliner and toolbox. A simple mod, but things didn’t stay simple very long. His very next upgrade was to install a TRD supercharger, TRD headers, and a TRD cat-back exhaust system. Why the headers and catback?

“The headers smoothed out the power band of the supercharger considerably, helping to bring the point

where you can feel it really “kick

in”

from around 3K rpm, down to around 2500rpm,” says Rob. “For me, it was worth the cost for the additional power at lower rpm. The catback exhaust is another story. Although I like the tone quality of the TRD system, I should have saved some money there and just had a Flowmaster or Magnaflow welded in. I probably would have been just as happy with that. But, the TRD system is stainless steel, so it will last and I did get that cool TRD engraved tip. Ha!”

Bling bling, Rob. Ok, we can forgive you, it’s TRD. But about the supercharger, have there been any downsides?

“The supercharger has been a great addition. The Tacoma had adequate power with the stock 3.4L, but there was room for improvement,” says Rob. “The supercharger was the right combination of performance for the money and it changed the performance of the truck from ‘adequate’ to ‘excellent’.”

“Beyond extra power (265hp from 190) to spin/self clean the tires in the mud, the supercharger doesn’t make a big difference for the kind of trails I run. However, since the truck is my daily driver, the blower makes all the difference in the world in keeping the 35” tires moving on the freeway and allowing me to come up to speed quickly. Once some fuel system improvements were in place to combat the tendency to “lean out”, there has been no downside except lower gas mileage.”

A supercharger is a pretty big step—like Rob says, there are cooling and fuel issues to get sorted, and he recommends several upgrades to your engine. If you have the 3.4L, you’ll want to do something to combat the tendency of the supercharged V6 from running lean, and the dangers therein. You can get the TRD 7th injector kit, or look at the products from Underdog Racing Development (www.urdusa.com). Do it right or you’ll be roasting pistons and valves.




ON SOLID GROUNDKnowing that he’d be using

his Tacoma for serious off-road excursions, Rob decided he had to stuff a solid axle under his rig. Initially, he looked around for someone to do the swap, but wasn’t satisfied with the answers and solutions presented to him. So, Perin and his friend “ChrisCo” sat down and started to build a list of what they thought they’d need to do it. Parts and pieces were brainstormed, considered or rejected, and then it was damn the IFS, full speed ahead. He decided on a Dana 44.

“There were no complete axle swap kits available, so I assembled parts from a variety of places, picking and choosing what I thought was the most durable and suited my plans the best. I had never done an axle swap before and ChrisCo had never even seen a swapped rig before,” says Rob.

It took nine days before the truck moved under its own power again and predictably, they encountered many problems along the way. Rob describes it as “a gigantic erector set, with hundreds of parts, some of which don’t belong to the kit, no

Rob Perin and his 2001 Tacoma take on a steep Washington trail. 35” BFG Mud Terrains provide the grip while a TRD supercharger provides the grunt. Yep, that’s a solid axle under this truck.

Photo courtesy Rob Perin.

instruction sheet and you only have the vaguest idea of what it’s supposed to look like when it’s done.”

After about a month of wrenching, cursing, tweaking and adjusting, they took it for a shakedown cruise where the Tacoma was forced to fully flex on the toughest terrain the truck had been on to date. During the shakedown, Rob found that the shackle hangers on the rear of the new front leaf springs were a fraction of an inch too far forward. When the leaves stretched during the break-in process, they allowed the shackles to collapse against the frame. They rolled it back into ChrisCo’s garage, moved the hangers back about 1/4” and have been wheeling it ever since.

“That was the only problem that I have encountered since the swap,” says Rob. “By some combination of luck and lots of discussion, ChrisCo and I managed to pull off an axle swap that rides better than most IFS trucks and flexes like nobody’s business off road.

Currently, the 2001 Taco sports Rancho 44044 front springs, Rancho shocks front and rear, Northwest

For steering, Rob employs all Parts Mike parts: knuckles, “Super” steering arms, and tie rod and drag link for burly strength. The Tacoma rolls on Allied Daytona 15x8 wheels shod with 35x12.5 BFG M/T KM tires.NOTHING BUT A DREAM

Was this the hardest thing Rob did to the truck? “The

Offroad rear shackles, and custom seven-leaf packs in the back. 4.56 Superior gears are used front and rear. The TRD package included a rear locker, and Rob installed a PowerTrax LockRight locker up front. Warn chromoly axle shafts, a custom High-Angle Driveline driveshaft, Warn Premium front hubs, and a Front Range Offroad custom crossmember complete the package.

SUPER TACOMA



4WD Toyota Owner 43

hardest was definitely the axle swap, just because of the sheer amount of work that was involved, says Rob. “The most frustrating is a funny story. During the axle swap, I had bought a kit for the new front shock hoops. Unfortunately, the kit came with no instructions. Since I knew that the geometry of how the shocks mounted would have a huge effect on the performance and ride of the new suspension,

I wanted them perfect. After several days of agonizing over how to get the geometry right, we were about the give up and use the tried and true Ford shock towers that others were using. The Ford towers weren’t as strong as the hoops could be and certainly didn’t look as cool, but they were easy to get right.

“Late that night, I was driving home and dozed off on the highway. Luckily, the “drowse bars” rumbled me awake. I realized that during the moments I was asleep, I had dreamed of how to position the shock hoops. When I got home, I took a dry-erase marker and drew a diagram of what I had seen on the bathroom mirror, then went to bed.

“In the morning, there was the diagram and it all came back to me. When I got to the shop that morning, ChrisCo was laying out the parts for me to put the Ford shock towers in. I grabbed one of the discarded hoops off the shelf, along with a chunk of string and showed ChrisCo what I had dreamed. The string allowed me to measure the correct angle for the hoop and we welded them in. They have worked perfectly ever since.”

There you have it, folks. Dreams really can come true. WHAT ABOUT WET DREAMS?

One to more visceral matters: the Safari Snorkel. Rob isn’t a huge fan of deep water crossings. Rather, he uses the Snorkel for other equally valid reasons. For one, cool air intake. In the stock intake system, the engine draws air from inside the front passenger side fender. That air has already passed through the radiator, over the block and over the headers before it gets there. “With the intake raised, I found that it reduced the temperature of the air being sucked in by greater than ten degrees, says Rob. “The supercharged engine performs better, the cooler the air it takes in.”

Rob also says he likes the snorkel for the reduced dust intake. With the stock system, the intake is down where it sucks in dust from the front tire as well as from any rigs in front of you. For every foot you go up, the dust goes down considerably. “Since installing the snorkel, I have noticed a marked decrease in the air filter getting clogged up,” says Rob.

Does the darn thing ever get wet? Rob says his 2001 Tacoma has too many electronics to risk repeated deep water crossings. That said, he has waterproofed the cab, engine parts, extended diff breathers, etc. But he doesn’t seek water crossings out. “Just the same, I have found myself in the middle of a few of them,” says Rob. “At the ORV area in Tahuya, Washington, I have had water breaking over the hood during crossings and once I managed to fall into a hole during a stream crossing of May Creek at Reiter Trails, Washington, and water was coming over the bed rails. Definitely glad for the Safari Snorkel then!”GETTING UNSTUCK

Water and mud are two common enemies in Washington state. As such, Rob has taken pains to make sure he’s got good recovery equipment on board. Am ARB bull bar sits up front, cradling a Warn HS9500 winch. Amsteel Blue synthetic rope is wound onto the

A huge pile of fallen logs became an instant, unique playground for this Rancho-suspended Taco. A Warn winch with AmSteel Blue synthetic rope stands by in the off chance the rig gets stuck. An ARB bumper holds it all together—the second ARB bumper for the 2001 MY Tacoma to be unloaded from the boat.

Ramp it! Rob Perin claims temporary dominance over the very cool 4Runner

owned by Rob Galbraith. Check out those Demello Offroad sliders on Rob’s

truck while you’re at it.




drum, and slides out over a MasterPull aluminum hawse fairlead. A 60” Hi-Lift is mounted on a bed rail. Ultra-trick stainless steel D-shackles are ready for action on his equally trick rear bumper. He even has jumper cable jacks built into his bumper. Is there anything this guy didn’t think of?

Probably not. He installed a huge motorhome transmission cooler to keep his slushbox in good shape. An on-board Viair 550C compressor and an air jack on the bumper take care of tire inflation in a snap. An auxiliary 15-gallon fuel tank from Downey Offroad gives a big boost to the length of any 4WD trip. An Optima Yellow Top battery keeps the Tacoma juiced even under heavy electrical load, if not from his Warn winch, then from his Pioneer/Alpine/Infinity stereo system, Garmin GPS, Valentine radar detector, and RCI 10/11/12 meter transceiver. Demello Offroad superduty sliders keep his truck safe from stumps and rocks.THE LAST WORD

All in all, this truck is how a 4WD Toyota should be built. Almost every detail has been looked to, in every department. It’s stronger, more powerful, and has excellent attention to details (including recovery), which all adds up to superlative performance off-road. That’s what the Toyota is: a Super Tacoma.

CONTACTS

Considering that the Toyota is riding on 35” BFG MTs, take another look at the front bumper and you’ll realize this mudhole is deeper than it looks. You didn’t think this Tacoma was a trailer queen, did you? Not hardly—this is a rig that devours soupy mud and begs for a second helping.

Above: A burly Dana 44 solid front axle is the envy of many fellow 4WD Toyota enthusiasts. Rob dreamed up the shock placement for it—literally.

Upper Left: The bed of Rob’s truck holds a tool box, spare tire, recovery equipment, and a Max-Ax.

Left: Repeat after us: Power and torque are good. A TRD supercharger gets the air in, while a TRD header and stainless steel cat-back exhaust assist the exit. Power is upped 75 horsepower at least. You’ll need to attend to cooling and fuel issues to make it run right, however.

Loose, fl aky dirt and a step-up ledge pose little problem for this lifted and blown Tacoma. Massive room to fl ex is part of the solution.

Northwest Offroadwww.northwestoffroad.com(360) 676-1200

Parts Mikewww.partsmikeparts.com(530) 885-0673

Ranchowww.gorancho.com(734) 384-7804

TRDwww.trdusa.com(800) 688-5912

Warnwww.warn.com(800) 910-1122

SUPER TACOMA

ARBwww.arbusa.com(425) 264-1391

Demello Offroadwww.demello-offroad.com(714) 444-4049

Front Range Offroad Fabricationwww.frontrangeoffroadfab.com(970) 881-2418

Hellawww.hella.com(800) 247-5924

High Angle Drivelinewww.highangledriveline.com(530) 877-2875

LockRight (PowerTrax)www.powertrax.com(864) 843-9231



4WD Toyota Owner 45

4WD TOYOTA OWNER: How did you do the TRD locker mod?

ROB PERIN: In stock form, the rear TRD electric locker on the Tacomas only works when the transfer case is in the 4-low position. The “locker mod” allows the locker to be used in any transfer case position. All the mod requires is cutting and grounding one wire from the 4x4 control computer. Now, in conjunction with the “2-low mod”, I can use the rear locker in any range, (4WD Low, 4WD High, 2WD High and 2WD Low.)

4WDTO: Tell us a little more detail on that motorhome tranny cooler.

RP: Early in the Tacoma’s life, I had the transmission overheat light come on while breaking trail on a snow run. I knew that if I wanted the tranny to last, I could never see that light again. Since, within reason, it’s almost impossible to overcool an automatic tranny and since I knew it had a hard life ahead of it, I wandered the aisles of the auto parts store looking for a solution. I passed by the standard automotive tranny coolers and found one that had about three times the surface area of the car units and was meant for a “Class A” motor home (30,000 lbs). It’s about half the size of the engine radiator and since I installed it, I have haven’t seen that dreaded light again, even when aired down to 4 PSI and breaking trail all afternoon in soft snow.

4WDTO: How long did it take the guy to build that rear bumper? I remember you told us the guy was a just incredibly picky about it--wanted it to be literally perfect. What is his full name or shop name?

RP: A fellow WATTORA

member and TTORA charter member, Shawn Roots, made my rear bumper for me. From the time he started on mine, to the time I had it, it was well over six months and he had hundreds of hours into it. When we test fit the bumper, before it was powder coated, I was tempted to just clear coat it to show off the work. The welds were so smooth that the bumper looked like it was cast as one piece. Shawn definitely believes in old-style craftsmanship that just isn’t fashionable anymore. After producing three of the bumpers, his wife made him quit. It seems he was working on them every evening and when she did the math,it came out to just pennies per hour. I cringe every time I put a scratch on it, but Shawn just shrugs when he sees it and says that is what he built it for.

4WDTO: What would you tell someone who is just starting out modding a Tacoma? What mistakes (if any) or advice would you tell him about that you did?

RP: In stock form, the Tacoma is a very good wheeling truck. Save your money for a while and wheel what you have. Wheel it stock until you feel you are pushing the limits of what it’s capable of. Then, upgrade what you need to take it to the next level. That might mean adding skids instead of lift or a locker instead of a bumper. When something holds you back from what you want to be doing, THEN is the time to upgrade it. Wheel first, upgrade later. I read posts on forums from too many people who have wheeled a few forest service roads and are barely scratching the surface of the capabilities of their rigs, but suddenly they “need” to do an axle swap. That’s not usually a smart decision. ✔

Suspension/SteeringCustom Dana 44 solid front axleRancho 44044 front springsRancho RS99005 shocks (Front)Rancho RS99012 shocks (Rear)Custom seven leaf packs (Rear)Northwest Offroad shackles

(Rear)Parts Mike steering knucklesParts Mike “Super” steering armsParts Mike tie-rod/drag link ProtectionDemello Offroad slidersArma Spray-in Bed LinerARB winch bumperWet Okole seat coversRootsbuilt high-clearance rear

bumperExtended front/rear differential

breathers Tires and WheelsAllied “Daytona” 15x8 wheels35x12.5 BFG M/T KM tires ElectronicsPioneer CD/MP3/XM receiverPioneer XM receiverAlpine V-12 amp10” subwooferInfinity speakers800/1600W inverter110v and 12v jacks in bedPython Alarm System w/ Remote

StartRCI 10, 11, 12 meter transceiverK40 antennaAntenna fender mountGarmin eTrex Vista GPSValentine 1 radar detection

systemTRD Locker mod (Low and High

range)PIAA 520 fog lightsHella rock lightsNorthwest Offroad 160-amp

alternatorVehicle-mounted FRS radioHandheld FRS/GMRS radios (x2)

Coleman Powermate jumpstart system

Optima Yellow Top battery PerformanceTRD SuperchargerTRD 7th Injector kitTRD headersTRD cat-back exhaustMotorhome transmission coolerTRD electric rear lockerAmsoil air filter4.56 Superior Gears F/RLockRight locker in the front diffWarn chromoly axle shaftsNorthwest Offroad stainless

brake linesCustom long-travel front

driveshaftWarn Premium front hubsFront Range Offroad Fabrication

custom cross memberSafari Snorkel AccessoriesWarn HS9500 winchAmsteel Blue Synthetic winch

ropeMaster Pull aluminum hawse

fairleadViair 550C compressorAir Jack on front bumper2.5 Gallon air tankJumper cable jack on bumperBetterbuilt toolboxDeckplate ModStaun tire deflatorsAmsoil fluids throughout60” bed rail-mounted Hi-LiftBed mount tire carrierStainless D-shackles on both

bumpersDowney OffRoad 15-gallon aux

fuel tankConfer shovel and axe mount on

bed railTuffy center consoleTailgate lockTRD radiator capBlack grille

2001 Tacoma Extra Cab Specs

The rear bumper was made by Shawn Roots to the tune of hundreds of hours of labor. Shawn has a reputation as a

true perfectionist and the end result is stunning. Scope the stainless steel D-shackles—sano.

MORE BITS AND PIECESROB PERIN TELLS YOU HOW, WHAT AND WHERE



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