Tying a set of 5-inch All Pro leaves into the custom spring hangers, the Taco has plenty of room for the massive Dana 60 to cycle the 12-inch Bilstein shocks over the rocks. The Taco was originally set up with rack-and-pinion, but now a custom steering system along with a traditional frame-mounted steering box keeps the front end under control.
Evolution is real and we can prove it! Ok, maybe not the part about the walking fish, but take out your old photo albums and place a picture of your rig when you first bought it at one end of the table and then lay out your photos in chronological order for each year you modified it. As you view the progress leading up to the current configuration as it sits in your garage today, chances are two things come to mind-where did all that money go, and wow, talk about change!
It's with this concept that Pepe Palomo took this once left-behind project truck and finished what the original owner never got to realize. It's hard to imagine this mammoth Toy was once a two-wheel-drive street cruiser resting on airbags and running through suburbia, terrorizing grocery-store parking lots, and dragging frame anytime someone would look its way. These days the only metal dragging is the massive 1-ton axles sliding over the rocks in Johnson Valley as it crawls its way through some of the toughest trails found in the Southwest. With the Tacoma resting high atop 42-inch TSLs, Pepe set out to build a rig that was fun for him and comfortable for the family. That explains the custom bed seating and cage that let his little ones enjoy all the outdoor fun. Though it's hard to ever call a rig finished, we think this bright green monster will be filling up his family photo album just the way it sits for many years to come.
Plucked from under a '79 E-350 van then stuffed with a set of 5.38 gears and spool locker, the massive Dana 70 rear axle is all business. And to keep those knobby 42s from slipping under the 1-ton gear, Off Road Overstock bead locks were bolted down for some serious rock-peeling action. | 
With an interior that you can hose out and Crow seatbelts that will keep you strapped in, this standard-cab Taco is built to survive years of abuse in the dusty Southern California desert. And to keep the Palomo family's noggins protected, a modified All-Pro Off-Road rollcage was installed just in case this crawler takes a flop. | 
What's better than one transfer case? Two of course! Helping the 2.4L four-cylinder engine give the Taco a little crawling power is a set of stock Tacoma transfer cases that use a Marlin Crawler adapter to double the factory low, creating an overall crawl ratio of 2.16:1. |
Tech Specs - 1998 Toyota Tacoma
Drivetrain
Engine: 2.4L
Transmission: W-56
Transfer case: Dual 23-spline Toyota cases with a Marlin Crawler adapter
Front Axle: Dana 60, Detroit Locker, 5.38 gears
Rear Axle: Dana 70, spool, 5.38 gears
Suspension
Springs & Such: 5-inch All-Pro Off-Road leaf springs with Bilstein 5100s front and rear
Tires & Wheels: 42x15 TSLs on 15x10 Off Road Overstock bead locks
Other Stuff: Custom bumpers, modified All-Pro Off-Road rollcage, five-point Crow harness