"It's kind of like an onion," Jon Lee says of his 2004 Toyota Tundra. "It doesn't jump out at you, but as you look closer, more and more details come out." Indeed. Jon's Tundra is plain white and sans graphics. Its track width isn't overly wide, and the ride height isn't that much taller than stock. Just the same, the onion analogy is dead on.
It all started with a master plan. Jon, of Riverside, California, is a long-time Toyota fan and a former Factory Toyota Master Tech. He wanted his prerunner to be capable, comfortable, and to fit his life as a backcountry explorer and as a co-driver of Pro Armor's Class One team. Those were the "big picture" parameters.
There's a Sol Tek quintet...
There's a Sol Tek quintet riding on top of the front bumper. Mark Johnson built an air scoop into the design. The scoop channels the air as well as the observer's eye.
To meld the big picture parameters with the small metallic details, Jon turned to long-time friend and fabricator Mark Johnson. "We decided to keep the stock dash," informed Mark. "That dash was taken in and out of the truck about a hundred times while we were building the truck, but we finally got a dash that fits around the 'cage tubing. All the accessories work."
After the first glance, the next layer you're likely to notice is the Ford-style I-beam front end. What's a Ford design doing on a truck owned by a die-hard Toyota guy? The master plan called for 20 inches of front wheel travel combined with a reasonable track width. Mark explained the dilemma: "To get 20 inches of front wheel travel with A-arms, we were either going to have to have a 105-inch track width or move the engine back several inches. Jon didn't like either of those options, so we went with I-beams." As built, the front end yields the desired 20 inches of travel and has a very reasonable 85-inch track width.
Check out the tire and wheel package. While 35-inch BFG Baja T/A's aren't exactly rare, the 5-on-205 buggy-style wheel bolt pattern is. Why use a buggy bolt pattern on a truck? The master plan, of course, called for it. This wheel-and-tire combo matches the one used on the Pro Armor Class One buggy. That way there's no need to carry separate spare tires for the buggy and for the Tundra.
One-piece hoods that take...
One-piece hoods that take three people to remove them aren't all that practical for everyday use when you're flying solo. This front end tilts forward on Heim joint hinges. A stock 4.7 Toyota I-Force V-8 propels this truck, surrounded by 'cage tubing and Fox coilover and bypass shocks.
The truck is not just limited to prerunning and chasing, though. "The first thing I did when the truck was done was to take my wife on a 600-mile trip through the Nevada desert. We saw old mining equipment, ghost towns-all that stuff."
Unlike an onion, peeling back the layers of this truck won't have your eyes watering in pain. It'll have your mouth watering in amazement. This truck goes to show what can happen when you combine a talented fabricator with a master plan.
| Specs |
| VEHICLE: |
2004 Toyota Tundra |
| OWNER/HOMETOWN: |
Jon Lee/Riverside, California |
| ENGINE: |
4.7L Toyota I-Force V-8 |
| INDUCTION: |
Stock EFI |
| TRANSMISSION: |
Stock automatic |
| FRONT SUSPENSION: |
Custom I-beam conversion by Mark Johnson, kingpin I-beams, parallel links |
| in place of radius arms, Fox coilover and bypass shocks, 20 inches of travel. |
| REAR SUSPENSION: |
Custom three-link by Mark Johnson, Dirt Tech trailing arms, reversed |
| upper wishbone, Ford 9-inch axle with Cone Industries floater hubs, |
| 40-spline axles, 4.88 gears, spool for 100-percent locked-up traction, Fox |
| coilover and bypass shocks, 23 inches of travel |
| TIRES: |
35-inch BFG "Project" Baja T/A's |
| WHEELS: |
BTR beadlocks with 5-on-205mm pattern to match the Pro Armor Class One buggy |
| OTHER DETAILS: |
All California smog equipment present and functional, external battery |
| jumper, Filtered A/C, GPS navigation with laptop Google Earth capability |
 Functional windshield wipers...  Functional windshield wipers are tough to pull off if you run your cage tubing in the structurally ideal locations. The wiper motor is upside down on the driver's side now, but it started life on the passenger's side. Custom actuating rods move the all-important wipers. Jon lists the wipers as one of his favorite parts of the truck. |  This is a Ford-style front...  This is a Ford-style front end, so where are the radius arms? Parallel links keep the caster angle constant throughout the suspension stroke, improving handling. The lower link is adjustable so that the caster angle can be dialed to perfection. |  Another benefit to using kingpin-style...  Another benefit to using kingpin-style I-beams is that the steering linkage runs behind the beams if you're true to the original Ford design. Ford never dreamed of a steering setup like this one. In place of a steering box, Mark used a Howe rack whose force is supplemented by a ram assist and protected by a Fox steering damper. In addition to protecting the linkage, running the tie rods behind the I-beams puts the rods in compression (better for tie rod end life) and enables a perfect Ackermann angle (better for cornering). The wide-set Toyota frame made it possible to run the steering rack and the swingset inside the frame rails. |
 Kingpin-style I-beams are...  Kingpin-style I-beams are sought after for their brute strength, and that's what Mark Johnson built this front end with. Notice the doubler plates on the frame, which add vital strength to tubing attachment points. Mark notes that the steel used for the Tundra frame "...is on the thin side." |  The fiberglass fenders, front...  The fiberglass fenders, front bumper, and BFGs hint at what's underneath. |  Hidden behind a Dzus-tabbed...  Hidden behind a Dzus-tabbed panel there's a cabin air filter.... |
 .....which makes all the difference...  .....which makes all the difference when you're in the dust. |  The rear suspension's upper...  The rear suspension's upper wishbone runs opposite from the norm, but this configuration was the best fit. At the frame end, you'll find a burly rod end connected to a heavily-reinforced crossmember. |  |