The Resurrection of a Pre-Runner’s Legacy

This story isn’t just about a truck, and it isn’t about its speed, its capability off-road, or its looks either. This story is about a man and a machine that healed each other through the passion of off-roading and finding a new way to express themselves behind the wheel and off the pavement. Of course, we will cover all the bases of this rowdy build and its legacy. This project took over five years of pain, sweat, tears, blood, and a lot of money and learning to build. Meet Spencer Trego, a Chula Vista local here in Southern California, who is the creative mind and builder behind this rig. Spencer didn’t know much about his truck when he first started working on it, but what he did know is that he wanted to learn and wanted a new driving experience with it. Through pure drive and motivation, he cut his perfectly driveable 2004 Toyota Tacoma in half and got right to work creating one of the most capable off-road speed demons out there.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room. No, the truck doesn’t have body panels yet, other than a steel cab and doors, but let’s find out why. Spencer finished this truck in October of 2024, and his first trip out to Ocotillo with the DFS Mob went well, and the truck seemed flawless. It ran smoothly, and the shocks seemed to work fine. Spencer had the time of his life driving it, and shortly after that first trip, he took the truck to TCB Ranch and got to huck it a little bit. He was even featured in a previous Tread magazine issue last year, with a single photo included in the event coverage. I found this truck unique because it was not built by a shop or with big sponsors, but by someone who believes in what it is to build a prerunner and to be grown by the roots of this game.

I followed Spencer and kept tabs on the truck. Spencer took a trip to the famous Glamis sand dunes in December of 2024 and found himself having some fun. While out enjoying the truck and ripping around the desert, he came across a bad spot and experienced the ultimate off-road tragedy. He rolled the truck a few times and ended up totaling it in its entirety. Spencer went from having the capability of going anywhere at any speed to having no truck at all—no sound of the motor, the shocks were bent, the cab was crunched, and his dream build was ultimately destroyed.

As a fan of the truck and a friend of Spencer’s, I felt his pain. I hated seeing the truck in that condition and wished for its return. After speaking with Spencer, he mentioned that the community jumped in and offered to help him out. Places like Off Road Warehouse in San Diego, Jamar Performance, Hi Desert Motorsports, Probearing, and more wanted to see this truck back up and going again. Over time, Spencer went quiet on social media, but behind the scenes, he was cutting the truck apart again and rebuilding his vision one day at a time. As the truck slowly got closer to finishing, Spencer started teasing the truck and slowly revealing it. Finally the truck’s rebirth was on full display at the Off-Road Expo with the Terra Crew building. Spencer wanted to get back behind the wheel and get the truck more dialed than it ever had been.

Now we can talk about this build and the parts that made it into a dream for so many! Lighting the way on this build, we have nothing less than the best—Baja Designs Squadron SAE and KC Cyclones underneath to really give it that hovering feeling at night. Powering this monster is a Chevy L96 6.0L motor running LS2 heads, an LS2 intake manifold, a 92mm throttle body, LS7 lifters, a Brian Tooley Racing Truck Norris cam, an LS1 water pump, and an LS3 oil pan underneath. This truck really barks on and off the throttle. The idle and chop it brings is something you turn the music down for to enjoy the sweet symphony of an American cammed V8. Letting this motor breathe is a self-made 1.75-inch header leading into a 3-inch exhaust and Carven mufflers on both sides.

Even though this truck has the motor to push it, it had to have the suspension to allow it to float through the deep whoops and off-camber banks scattered across the desert floor. Fox shocks were included in this build, and running in the front is an I-beam suspension setup that Spencer welded together. On top, he is running a 2.5×14 coilover with Eibach springs and monster-sized 3.5×16 5-tube bypasses. In the rear, Spencer is sporting a full 4-link trailing arm setup with a 2.5×16 coilover and 3.5×18 5-tube bypasses. From front to rear, this rig is set up to handle it all, from the big jumps to the big whoops and the fast speeds.

Keeping this rig steering straight as an arrow and ready to turn at any time is a Howe hydraulic Ram assist with a Power Steering Solution steering box. Keeping the suspension up, the motor pushing, and putting power to the ground are the best tires money can buy—40×13.50 BFGoodrich KR3—a proven Baja tire and championship-winning compound. Wrapped in these masterpiece tires is a set of industry-favorite KMC Enduro 17-inch wheels that really shines in a metallic black finish.

Let’s jump back into the drivetrain for a moment. Pressed against that American machine is a Culhane transmission with a Culhane 3500 stall running a manual valve body connected to a Winters shifter. Dual 10-inch Derale trans coolers keep this puppy cool during those hot desert days. The transmission was paired with a driveshaft from Oceanside Driveline with 1350 U-joints and an Evan Walker 10-inch third member mated to a Camburg fabricated housing with a self-made upper truss by Spencer with a 5.37 gear ratio and spool to keep everything locked up properly.

This vehicle must come to a stop at some point, and helping it do just that is a set of Jamar Performance 6-piston trophy truck calipers up front and Jamar 4-piston calipers in the rear. Keeping that fluid pumping clean and hard is a matching Jamar master cylinder, as well as custom brake lines and a Kibbetech hand brake for sliding that big body sideways through the corners.

Getting into some tech, the brains behind the motor and tuning are a Holley digital dash and full harness. This unit allows the gauges and all necessary readings to be readily available at the touch of a screen for Spencer. Keeping everything comfortable and safe inside the cab is an MPI x Cleetus McFarland steering wheel and a set of PRP Comp Elite seats with matching harnesses. This truck is fully caged and tubed from front to back, and all custom frame modifications were done by Spencer in his garage. He traded work for parts, did all the side work he could get his hands on, networked to find anything he could, and basically worked his ass off to get what he has now. There were no handouts here!

We thank Spencer for allowing us to feature this rig and bring it to life in this article. We are excited to see more from him in the future! As we change modifications, alter the body, add horsepower, and do more legendary rides with this truck, we will be there to watch and stand by its greatness. Until then, keep the tread off the pavement.