56 NOVEMBER 20194-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD

FEATURE

LORD

OF

THE

RIGS

ONE TRUCK TO

RULE THEM ALL

BY Harry Wagner

[email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHY HARRY WAGNER

B

UILDING A SINGLE-PURPOSE

rockcrawler or daily driver

is relatively easy, but it’s

tough to build one vehicle

that can do it all. Every modi-

fication takes some sort of

compromise, whether it’s

decreased mileage or increased squeaks

and rattles. Rockcrawlers often have

unbalanced drivelines, negative caster,

and a host of other issues that make them

perform poorly on the street. But as we

demonstrate each year on our Ultimate

Adventure, building something that does

everything well is not impossible.

Orie Harman has the best example we

have seen in a long time with his do -it-all

Double Cab Tacoma. Rockcrawling isn’t

an issue thanks to the locked 1-ton axles,

40-inch Toyos, and deep gearing from a

four-speed Atlas transfer case. Going fast

through the rough is made possible with

King coilover and bypass shock s at each

corner. The rear of the frame was even cut

off and replaced with tubing to maximize

wheel travel from the trailing arms.

Sounds like a King of the Hammers

race car, right? Except this truck has a full

enclosed cab with four PRP suspension

seats in it and even has a Tepui rooftop

tent mounted on the bed. Orie and his

wife Muriel even drove the truck on a mul-

tiweek road trip across the country this

summer, camping along the way. If that

isn’t perfect, it sure is close.