The Nitro Tundra has been a very long lived project for us and gone through an evolutionary process from mildly modified with a stretched chassis to a full update last year for the SEMA show in Las Vegas. It’s been a great truck and is a ton of fun both on and off-road.
Summer 2015 we swapped 2015
TRD Pro Tundra sheet metal front and rear including the lighting combined with
SDHQ pre runner style fenders/bedsides for more clearance in the wheelwells. Add in a combo of
Total Chaos long travel control arms, custom
Atlas springs (now sprung under with floating air springs for load capacity) and bypass
Icon shocks all around and this rig was clearly build for more than just show. An
SDHQ front bumper mounting 3
ARB Intensity lights and
Rigid fogs improved clearance without sacrificing the
Warn 9.5XP winch or nighttime illumination. Rear bumper and hitch assembly (it still tows regularly) were custom fabricated in house. Finally, new
Nitto 37″ Trail Grapplers wrapping black
TRD wheels put the power to the ground.
This wasn’t exactly a stock rig when we started. The earlier build included the aforementioned TRD Supercharger, ran a color matched
ARB bullbar, upgraded suspension and a fully boxed rear frame section lengthened 12 inches to accommodate the long bed instead of the standard tiny box as this Crewcab was equipped from the factory. It was a good, usable combination with somewhere north of 500HP, but visually not very unique.
Here it is before:
And after.
With the weather finally improving enough to go have some fun we took the Tundra to the only dunes in our area and let it off it’s leash for the first time since the rebuild. The
Auburn Pro LSD unit and
Nitro 4.88 gears easily took the power from the Supercharged V8 without issue and the Doug Thorley
Doug Thorley Headers headers and pipes sound amazing at full song
(check out the video). The truck is an obsolute blast in the rough stuff as the suspension sucks up big and little whoops at ridiculous speeds for a daily driven street truck and sounds awesome doing it. Add in all that horsepower on tap with its supercharger whine and we’re really pleased with how this project has turned out. Nice on the street, still tows toys well and is extremely capable in the dirt.
Specs:
Sponsors: Nitro Gear, Toyota USA, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, SDHQ, ARB, Auburn Gear, Nitto, Warn, Total Chaos, Amp Research
Wheel Base: 160”
Track Width: 88”
Over all Length: 21’8”
Over all Height: 79”
Type: Toyota 5.7 3UR-FE, TRD Supercharger
Output: 550HP
Engine management: Bullydog / Toyota
Exhaust system: Doug Thorley longtube, magnaflow muffler, custom piping
Fuel Tank: Transfer Flow 46 Gallon
Transmission: ITP High Performance Valve Body
Differential gears brand: Nitro 4.88 (world’s first set!)
Birfields/CV brand: OEM, w/ Total chaos extended shafts
Locker-Rear: Auburn Pro LSD
Suspension Total Chaos Long Travel front and rear
Shock absorbers, f/r: Icon Double Bypass, (dual front),
Springs, f/r: Eibach front, Atlas rear
Sway Bars: Curry Rear antirock
Bump Stops: Icon hydraulic rear, Timbren front
Seats: Classic Softrim Leather, heated seats
Front bumper: SDHQ Prerunner
Rear bumper: Custom Krys-Fab
Sliders: Amp Research power steps
Skid plates: SDHQ
Winch: Warn XP9000
Winch rope: Warn Synthetic
Other safety/Interior gear:Factor 55 Prolink
Brakes: Pads/Shoes, f/r: TRD Pads, Crossdrilled, slotted rotors, Stainless lines
Tires: Nitto Trail Grappler 37/12.50R18/Toyota TRD Pro 18”wheels
Body mods: 2015 Toyota USA OEM Fascia, Tailgate. SDHQ Fiberglass Fenders and Bedsides.
Frame mods: Precision Bodylines 12” frame stretch to fit 6.5’ bed with crewmax. (Toyota only offers 5.5’ bed) custom boxing, additional crossmembers for airbag system.
Headlights: 2015 TRD Pro OEM
Paint/Graphics: OEM Radiant Red, w/ Nitro Graphics designed in house by our graphics guy, Aaron
Weight: 7200 lbs
Shop where work was done: Justdifferentials.com