Pistons & Pivots
Ollie's 2010 Tacoma Trophy Truck and Zerode Taniwha
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Flexed out and ready for whoops. Ollie Jones' 2010 Tacoma Trophy Truck.
For as long as I've known Ollie, which is a decade now, he has liked motors. It started as a simple, uncomplicated love for his first Toyota Tacoma; an orange 1998. Then it progressed to a love that was deeper. His next vehicle, a 1989 Hilux had an engine upgrade that needed attention. Needy one might say. Since the OM617 Mercedes Turbo Diesel was not the original engine, it required constant fixes, dragging Ollie into the deep, dark Toyota forums and Youtube Channels. He ended up trading back the Hilux to the original owner for this 2010 Toyota Tacoma TRD off-road. It was bone stock with a 6 speed manual transmission when their relationship began. But as with all relationships, things change.
As soon as Ollie got the truck, he upgraded to 35-inch Maxxis Razr MTS tires. The move to 35's required a bit of frame and fender cutting but Ollie isn't afraid to whip the grinder out and trim the fat.
14-inch FOX 2.5 shocks and Spring Under on the rear make whooping Forest Service Roads seem like pavement.
Ollie decided to mount the external reservoirs in the bed for easy access. They reservoirs promote heat dissipation and damn, do they look bad ass in the truck bed.
A closer Look at the Spring Under or SUA. This means that the leaf spring is located under the axle for more travel.
Another set of FOX shocks on the front, this time FOX 2.5 Coilovers. The front of the truck is essentially stock geometry besides the suspension.
A C4 Bumper turns heads and also protects the vehicle from trees, other cars, and sometimes, bad ideas. Or maybe they are good ideas? Depends who is asking.
Other distinctive features are the fiberglass fenders and bedsides. They give it the wide-body look. Ollie loves to take this vehicle to far-off mountain tops, having summited many peaks. The fiberglass can be tricky as it's not designed to take a hit but it does make it tighter on the trail.
An ARB air compressor for dual locking differentials and supporting on-board air.
The more lights, the better.
This is Kevin. He was acquired on the 'I Only Ride Park' Tour. He has become a mascot of sorts and Ollie is now rather attached. That's all I care to know. The thing freaks me out.
A snapshot of Ollie's 2010 TRD off-road Tacoma:
- Fox 2.5 upfront
- Fox 2.5 rear 14"
- SUA JD fab kit
- OKexpedition skids
- Twin ARB lockers
- Maxxis Razr MTS 315/75/16 tires on Method 305 rims
- Thule tent
- C4 and Coastal Offroad bumpers
- Sherpa Equipment roof rack
- Fiberglass fenders
The guy does not like to pedal and also likes minimal maintenance. The Zerode Taniwah with a 9 speed Pinion gearbox is a match made in heaven.
A belt in place of a chain. Less maintenance according to Ollie and also, max fun.
Grip shift.
A worthwhile read.
A Marzocchi coil for max set it and forget it.
Ollie's Zerode Taniwah at a glace:
- Belt drive and grip shift
- Raceface Turbine stem
- Raceface Next R bars
- Chromag trailmaster seat
- Marzocchi Bomber air forks and coil Bomber rear shock
- Raceface Atlas pedals
- TRP brakes
- Raceface Next R carbon wheelset
- Raceface Turbine dropper post
Ollie Jones is living his life filming, driving to rad places and sending it on his bike.
Check out his latest antics on his insta, @olliegregoryjones.
Comments
Velocipedestrian
7 months, 1 week ago
Nice work Hailey.
One edit - it's 'Taniwha', not 'Taniwah'. The wh makes a soft f sound in Te Reo Māori.
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Cooper Quinn
7 months, 1 week ago
*pre-runner
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rusm
7 months, 1 week ago
Prerunner would generally imply only 2wd, this one's 4wd. Though without long travel the 'trophy truck' designation is suspect at best.... Sweet Taco though!
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SolidAxle
7 months, 1 week ago
Pre-runner only implies a 2wd when you are talking about the sub-model of Toyota Tacoma.
In reality a pre-runner is any vehicle used to pre-run a race course in desert racing. Could be a side by side, could be a rental car.
Its not a Trophy Truck by the SCORE rules, But who am I to say how it identifies itself.
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Flatted-again
7 months, 1 week ago
Until recently, weren’t most trophy trucks (and prerunner trucks for that matter) 2wd? Or am I misremembering my Baja 1000 history?
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SolidAxle
7 months, 1 week ago
You are correct. Mainly for reliability. In recent years awd/4wd trucks have become more popular. I believe a big part of this was due to the development and success of IFS Ultra4 cars.
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Cooper Quinn
7 months, 1 week ago
Yes, all of what SolidAxle said.
Kerry Williams
7 months, 1 week ago
1st thought. Yeah yeah, yet another Tacoma. 2nd thought. That Tacoma is so sick. I want it now! LOL. Great feature. NSMB scores again with the best column on the interwebs.
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Pete Roggeman
7 months, 1 week ago
And unlike a lot of the pristine show ponies out there, Ollie really gets his Tacoma into and out of some uncomfortable places.
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hongeorge
7 months ago
Like the back seat of a Volkswagen?
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hotlapz
7 months, 1 week ago
where is the minigun mount
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