You don't need to dump $100,000 into your truck in order to create a solid prerunner that will provide years of fun in the sun. With the right modifications, you can take your mild-mannered truck and transform it into a dirt-eating beast. Our friends at Camburg Engineering have assembled an '05 Toyota Tacoma that has been showcased at various off-road events and also sees a fair share of dirty fun. A good-looking truck is nice. But as off-road enthusiasts, if the truck doesn't work in the dirt, then there is no point in even turning the first wrench. This truck does well and was a pure joy to wheel.
Let's first climb under the front end of the truck and reveal the Camburg long-travel off-road suspension. Having had one of these systems on a previous project truck, we can assure you it works and never left us stranded. Sway-A-Way provides the shocks for the kit with its 8-inch coilovers and 8-inch bypass shocks. Because of the increased track width, the kit comes with a full Heim steering setup for superior strength. The new upper and lower control arms measure 3.5 inches wider per side and provide 14 inches of usable wheel travel. Each arm also utilizes 1-inch uniballs replacing factory ball joints. Beard limiting straps keep everything from overextending, and if your truck is 4wd, the 4wd version of this kit comes with custom-made 300M axles. |  | 
In order to match the performance of the front end, Camburg created a rear suspension system using a custom-made Deaver Spring leaf-spring pack made specifically for its kit. Working in conjunction with 2.250-inch Sway-A-Way shocks, the rear achieves a smooth-riding 12 inches of usable wheel travel. The shocks mount directly in the factory location (now that's cool). During our test shoot, the truck performed flawlessly in every condition we threw at it. Small-body trucks can turn into great off-road prerunners because of their size and weight. The only downside is that they are light, and with all of the weight up front, the rear end begs for more pounds. |
Under the hood remains mostly stock with the exception of an Advanced Engine Management (AEM) intake system heading toward the JBA cat-back exhaust system. The Tacoma V-6 powerplant is quick and responsive. Adding just a few extra ponies and a nice grumble really finishes it off right. The truck has also been regeared to 4.56 gears both front and rear. | 
Glassworks Unlimited 3.5-inch Tacoma fiberglass bedsides allow enough clearance for the 33-inch Nitto Dune Grappler tires. The Nitto tires really look great and perform well wrapped around 16x8 American Racing ATX wheels. | 
This truck is 4wd, which means it may see some rockcrawling here and there you never know. For our photo shoot, we chose to shoot in the mountains for a change. This gave us time to test out the DeMello Off-Road rock sliders. Rock sliders are great for keeping the terrain away from your door panels, and in taller trucks, they can act as an entrance step into the cabin. |
This truck is going to continue to spend a lot of time in the dirt. That includes prerunning duties for the Camburg race team, which means driving at night is a must. Sparing no expense, Camburg chose a super-bright set of Hella Rallye 4000 HID lights. Imagine walking into a dark warehouse and turning on the overhead lights. That's how it looks in front of your truck when you run HIDs. |  | |