Owner: Brian Brubaker
Ride: '98 Toyota Tacoma standard cab
Hometown: Heiskell, Tennessee
Club Affiliation: Negative Camber
Brian Brubaker has owned more than one custom truck in his lifetime. He's been the owner of a Ranger Splash, a B-series Mazda, and a GSX Integra throughout the years. When he decided that he wanted another truck to work on, he bought a Tacoma with some modifications already intact. The cab had been body-dropped by Jody Hall in Pikeville, Kentucky, so Brian knew that the work to the cab and chassis underneath was as high of quality as one could hope for. He liked the truck enough as it was, but really wanted to make it his own.
The only way he felt that he could do that was to completely change the way it looked. After taking the truck to the 2002 Indy Bash in the same shape he'd bought it, Brian took the ride home and completely tore it apart. Along with his friend John Yoakam, Brian removed all the previous adjustable suspension and reworked it so the truck could lay out easily on 18-inch wheels. The duo also tubbed the firewall and relocated the clutch master cylinder so it would never come into contact with the tires while laid out. We're not sure what shape it was in when Brian bought the truck, but from the extensive work done to the bed alone, we're thinking it was less than optimal for a show truck. Brian completely rebuilt a new bed using two new bedsides, and he replaced the bed floor and tubbed the bed using trailer fenders.
The truck was then taken to Kustomwerks, where Matt and Eric went to work doing their part to help Brian get the truck to where he wanted it. The doors were made to swing suicide, and the rear suspension was redone using a TCI reversed four-link. While the truck was at Kustomwerks, new upper and lower control arms were custom-made, which serve to clean things up under the hood, since there are no longer inner fenderwells in the Taco'.
Most of the work inside the truck's cab was done while the truck was sitting at Brian's house. The interior was completely gutted and tons of time was spent smoothing everything out and prepping it to be painted using the same bright red as the exterior. Nothing that could be unbolted and smoothed for painting was left alone. Everything else in the interior was wrapped in bone-hued leather and matching tweed for an ultra-clean look.
Since finishing the work on the Taco', Brian has been all over the place, showing off the ideas he was able to bring to reality. With the help of friends and shops, Brian has put together a ride that gets attention wherever it goes. The number of trophies that Brian has had to haul back home with him every time he attends a show speaks for itself. From the looks of things, we're hoping he has room for them all. There's likely to be a lot more on the way this coming show season.
The Lowdown
Wheels/Tires 18x7.5-inch Enkei LM1 wheels with 215/35R18 high-performance radials tires
Suspension Air Lift 2B-6 airbags installed front and rear / tubular upper and lower control arms by Kustomwerks / TCI reversed four-link rear suspension setup / raised stock fuel tank
Body Modifications 2-3/4-inch body drop by Jody Hall (cab) and Brian Brubaker and John Yoakam (bed) / new bed floor / trailer fendertubs / combination tailgate skin and roll pan / frenched license-plate box / 4x4 Tacoma fenders / smoothed 4x4 Tacoma front bumper / shaved corner lights / Trenz billet grille insert / shaved antenna hole/ shaved wiper cowl / shaved windshield squirters on hood / custom-made bed / tubbed firewall / relocated clutch master cylinder / relocated custom fuel filler assembly / removable sheetmetal notch cover painted to match / suicide doors by Kustomwerks / all other bodywork by Gary's Body Shop in Clinton, Tennessee
Paint Single color using DuPont custom-mixed red base sprayed by Gary's Body Shop
Interior Smoothed and painted dash and door panels / bone-leather-upholstered Saturn bucket seats / oatmeal-colored flooring and headliner / Nu Image gauge face / Trenz billet pedals / Trenz rearview mirror / Trenz shifter / no inside door handles / leather-wrapped custom center console
Stereo Alpine CDA-7893 head unit / 8-inch subwoofers behind seats / Memphis Car Audio Memphis Belle amplifier / 6-1/2-inch separates inside custom center console / 5-1/4-inch speakers in doors / installation by James Moses and Tweeter in Knox, Tennessee / BAD tribal billet steering wheel
Engine /Performance TRD header / relocated Optima battery / Cool Flex upper and lower radiator hoses / Vitek hose covers / painted K&N air intake / 2-1/2-inch exhaust
Special Thanks Brian's parents and sister / John and Heather Yoakum / Dave and Dan at Machine Fabrication / Chris Covington / Matt and Eric at Kustomwerks / Gary's Body Shop / Kevin Strunk / Darryl Ayers / LA Dave / all Negative Camber members