Boyd Allen is the type of custom truck guy who has had many obstacles in his life, which have prevented him from building a truck of his own. He is just as involved in the scene as anyone else and hangs out with fellow truck owners. The only difference is that Boyd didn't have the ability to roll a finished truck because he had neither the time nor the money to complete a project truck. His only option was to buy an already-built ride so that he could have something clean to drive to events and to show off during the day.
What Boyd found was this clean Tacoma that Rocky Fox of Chaotic Rods & Customs just recently finished. It was originally purchased by Rocky, when the motor in his body-dropped, 15-passenger Chevy van blew up and he had nothing to drive. His only choice at the time was to get a ride to the local Toyota dealership and buy a brand-new truck. It was a good deal as this base-model Tacoma was equipped with carpeted floors and air conditioning. It was a good reliable truck for commuting in, but it would eventually get cut up.
The only thing keeping it from being torn apart was the fact that it was Rocky's only running vehicle.Since his girlfriend was taking a vacation to Europe, Rocky was able to work on the truck after hours at Chaotic and use her vehicle for his commute in the meantime. During that two-week period, the truck was body-dropped over a set of 20s and set to a driveable state. The fabrication included moving the front suspension up and making a tube frame from the firewall back. By doing this, the stock floor of the cab and the bed floor were preserved.
Because the Tacoma was driven every day, Rocky wanted it to remain clean. He wasn't about to mess that up by shaving it and leaving primer spots over those areas. Instead, his plan was to save up money to do all of the bodywork at once and paint it after. Ironically, he lucked out by getting rear-ended while driving the truck. After having the other party's insurance adjuster come to the shop, Rocky ended up getting $2,900 for the repairs. Since Rocky was doing all of the labor himself, he didn't have to pay anyone to work on it. That meant all of the money went toward custom paint and supplies needed to not only fix the damage but also finish it off with a new paint scheme.
With a minimal amount of money spent on building this truck, it was completed and ready for show. The truck was then taken to Gator Drag '07,and while hanging out, someone asked Rocky how much money he wanted for the Tacoma. Even though the truck wasn't for sale, he said he would let it go for $15,500 if someone offered it to him. That's when Boyd overheard the conversation and raised his eyebrows at the deal. He told Rocky that he would talk to the loan agents at the bank on the following Monday and let him know about taking it off his hands. Since the truck was only a few years old, it blue-booked high, and Boyd was able to get a loan for $11,000 toward it. Then, Boyd scrounged up another $3,000, and they called it a deal. In our opinion, both parties benefited, since Rocky got money for his next big project and Boyd now gets to roll this newly finished truck.
The 411
Owner/Hometown:
Boyd Allen / Beaumont, Texas
Year/Make/Model:
'04 Toyota Tacoma
Engine/drivetrain:
Toyota 2.7L four-cylinder / intake made fromsalvaged Honda parts / five-speed manualtransmission / '89 Toyota rearend
BY: Rocky Fox of Chaotic Rods & Customs inTomball, Texas
Rims:
Front & Rear: 20x7.5-inch Luff S5R
Tires:
Front & Rear: 225/30R20 Toyo Proxes4
Suspension:
Front: Slam Specialties RE-6 airbags / factoryshocks relocated
Rear: Custom two-link with track bar / SlamSpecialties RE-6 airbags / factory shocksmounted to bridge
Accessories:
viair 380C Compressor / Parker 1/2-inch valves / 1/2-inch copper hard lines /two 3-gallon air tanks