Whenever a "new" truck hits our shores, the first person to build that truck as a custom is usually guaranteed to make history with it. Because there are no others like it to be compared with, that truck becomes the standard by which all others are judged. Whether the truck is a mild custom, such as the one you're reading about now, or an incredible full-custom machine, you'll never forget the first one built. In one of the most miraculous buildups of the off-season, this Toyota Tacoma Double Cab went from a stock-height prerunner (read: 4x4 chassis) to a frame-laying custom, all thanks to Silver Star Customs in Horn Lake, Mississippi. You heard right - and it all happened in just six weeks.
| Owner: | Jake Busman |
| Ride: | ’02 Tacoma Prerunner Double Cab |
| Hometown: | Woodbridge, Virginia |
The Low Down
Wheels/Tires 17-inch, five-spoke silver "racing-style" wheels with 215/45R17 tires.
Suspension Up front is where Silver Star Customs did a ton of work to make the Tacoma lay out. Front suspension parts from a '97 2WD Tacoma were added to the frame after the prerunner parts were cleared from the framerails. This allowed the suspension to use less room from side-to-side and made it more compact from its lowest point. After the conversion was complete, the front was 'bagged using a pair of 2,500-pound Firestone airbags. A pair of Monroe shocks was also added to keep the ride comfortable. In the rear, something totally different was devised. First, the stock rearend had to go because it was too wide. Once a '94 rearend was placed under the truck, a one-off, cantilever two-link rear suspension system was built and installed. The new suspension uses only one 2,600-pound Firestone airbag, but there is considerable lift. Yet another pair of Monroe shocks was installed for a smooth ride at any ride height.
Body Modifications The rear door handles were shaved, and a steel tailgate skin and roll pan were added to the rear, effectively molding the tailgate area permanently shut. Additionally, the license plate was mounted to an electric platform that rises from the top edge of the tailgate, making it invisible from view when the owner wants it hidden.
Paint William Stacks and the crew at Silver Star Customs were responsible for all the bodywork on the Tacoma and the speedy turnaround in the paint booth. Most of the truck had to be repainted, so instead of just returning the body back to silver, custom graphics were added on the hood, bed sides, and edges of the rear doors.
Engine Under the hood, everything looks stock - but it's not. The stock inner fenderwells were raised to allow full travel of the wheels and tires with the new adjustable suspension. This truck is every bit the custom daily driver that Jake envisioned when he enlisted Silver Star Customs to carry out the work.
Miscellaneous Inside the cab, things are mostly stock. The truck is still brand-new. The most obvious change is the addition of a Billet Accessories Direct steering wheel. Because no one builds an adapter to install an aftermarket steering wheel in a new Tacoma, Silver Star pioneered the world's first adapter.