387-horsepower Toyota Tundra
Access Cab
Words: David Zartman, Photos: Tiffany Tudyk |
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as aftermarket companies
such as Sway-A-Way, Total
Chaos and Demello Offroad.
As such, those are some of
the shops he turned to when
he decided to get into the offroad
game in a serious way.
Knowing high-speed,
whooped-out desert action
would be on the menu, Evan
improved his suspension
first with a Total Chaos (www.
chaosfab.com, 951-737-9682)
upper control arm (UCA) kit
and a RaceRunner (www.
swayaway.com, 818-700-
9712) coilover lift. “I did that
because it made the vehicle
functional in the desert, and had the biggest impact on
appearance,” says Evan.
Evan liked the Total Chaos
and RaceRunner equipment,
but an upgrade would soon
be coming.
RAMPING UP
THE PONIES
Here’s what a typical
chase vehicle does at desert
events such as SCORE races.
They meet the race truck at
a designated pit area, do
repairs and replenishing as
needed, and the race truck
departs in a huge cloud
of roost. The chase team
members pile into their
trucks and depart in their
own shower of roost to get to
the next pit area before the
race truck. That means one
thing: you can’t have a stock
engine. Plus, who doesn’t
love extra power? You can
use it almost anywhere, and
in power-robbing sand, it’s a
must.
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Evan Nickols isn’t one to think small. His creation, a 2003 Tundra Access Cab Limited with 387 horses and 405 ft-lbs of torque, brings envious stares wherever he goes—and rightly so.
It’s a serious mix of power, handling and comfort that also happens to serve double duty as a havefun vehicle on weekends or a potent chase truck for high-dollar SCORE race teams. |
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FROM WHENCE CAME YOU?
“I chose a Tundra because of reliability and styling,” says Evan. “My goals were to have a vehicle to both have a blast driving and also showcase the parts we sell. I also wanted to be able to chase the BK Fabworks Class 7 truck that we sponsor.” (See Jan/Feb 2006 issue for the full feature on that totally sick Tacoma.) Who is “we”? That would be Northridge Toyota (www. northridgetoyota.com, 888-381-0623) where Evan is employed as the parts
manager and general off-road
honcho. Part of his mission is to get Northridge Toyota into
the upper realms of off-road Toyota parts and accessories,
both OEM Toyota/TRD as well
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UPGRADING THE
SUSPENSION--AGAIN
“After I did the performance
upgrades, and with the
higher speeds I was going,
I realized that I needed
more suspension travel,” says Evan. On went a Total
Chaos long travel front
suspension setup, which
included upper and lower
arms, knuckle 
gussets, heim
steering and rack bushings.
Complementing the Total
Chaos hardware were Sway-
A-Way RaceRunner 2.5”
remote-reservoir coilovers
(eight inches of travel) with a
2.5” remote-reservoir second
shock also installed to handle
serious impacts and landings
from jumps.“I chose Total Chaos for
reliability with their dual
shock apability up front,”
says Evan. “But it took a little
bit of fabrication in the ear.
George from 4xflyin.com
fabricated a new rear shock
tower and installed Deaver
11-pack leaf springs with 10”
travel, plus 2.5” Sway-A-Way
remote reservoir shocks with
2” Sway-A-Way bump stops.”
Evan also installed 26”
limiting straps.
Evan wasn’t afraid to
prove that he puts his dualshocked,
Total Chaos/Sway-
A-Way-equipped Tundra
through the wringer. Just
check out the photos (don’t
try this at home, folks!). His
truck flew through the air and
soaked up the landings time
and again.
That’s not a California quake you’re feeling, it’s the subwoofers under the seat. Clean install, too.
PROTECTING THE
EXTERIOR
With the suspension and
engine upgrades done,
Evan wanted to make some
exterior enhancements. BK
Fabworks in Hesperia made a
new front bumper (around the
stock bumper), installed the
Glassworks fiberglass fenders
and flared the rear bedsides.
Evan made sure to install a
front skid plate to keep his
front end safe from desert
rocks.
Jason, Wyatt and crew
at Demello Offroad (www.
demello-offroad.com, 714-
444-4049) cut the rear
bedsides and installed their
signature burly rock sliders
and a new rear bumper. One
of the coolest items on the
Tundra is the Wilco Products
new Tiregate, used to hold
the full size spare. Speaking
of rims and rubber, Evan
rolls on beadlocked Robby
Gordon 17x8 wheels with
285/75R17 BFG Mud Terrain
tires. Custom graphics were
added by Stick It to complete
the look.
Beefy Total Chaos Fabrication A-arms are matched to Sway-A-Way RaceRunner 2.5” remote-reservoir coilovers (eight inches of travel) with a 2.5” remote-reservoir second shock. Red brake caliper is part of the TRD big brake kit for serious stopping power.
TRICKING THE
INTERIOR
Like any truck owner, Evan
wanted to make sure the cab
was as nice as the exterior.
He has a power sunroof, rear
slider window, upgraded
suede leather upholstery,
a burl wood
dash kit and
steering wheel, Pioneer N2
head unit with navigation,
Sirius, and even a back up
camera system. Big amps
and subs mean the rock can
rock when he’s going WOT in
the desert.
Out went the OEM headlights and fogs
and in went HIDs. Two Hella HID 4000s
sit on the front bumper and two Hella 550
back-up lights reside on the rear Demello
bumper. A Delta flush-mount toolbox also
takes up some space in the bed, which
has been Line-X’ed.
TIME TO ROCK
The barren flats of Ocotillo Wells were
the chosen venue to see if this Tundra
was timid or a terror. We’d scarcely been
there long enough to check the ISO on
Tiffany’s Canon EOS 20D when Evan
revved up the V8. The Bassani exhaust
coughed like an angry tiger woken from
slumber and then the Tundra was off likea shot. Shrouds of choking
dust descended upon us we
waited for Evan to return.
Annoyed by the dust,
we told Evan to take a
flying leap. He took us
literally, and moments
later had launched his
truck up and over a rise
in the trail. The big Toyota
landed hard on the front
suspension, but the Total
Chaos/RaceRunner dual
shocks setup soaked it all up
in stride.
TUNDRA TIME
It’s always awesome to
find people who trick out
their new-generation Toyota
trucks and wheel them too.
Even as Evan reclines on
his suede and leather seats,
he can cinch down the belts
and scream through the
desert aboard his 387HP ride.
Damn, sign us up for that!
Robby Gordon 17x8 wheels with 285/75R17 BFG Mud Terrain T/A tires look killer and perform equally well. So do the remote reservoir RaceRunner shocks.
Here’s a look at the rear end of the Tu ndra. Note the Sway- A-Way RaceRunner shocks, Deaver 11-pack springs an d the Bassani exhaust system.
Who says off-road trucks have to be s partan? This is one Tundra that lets its owner ride in comfort.
