CHASE TUNDRA

Words: Kristie Real

Photos: Brian McGee

The moment Edward Ho saw a few iconic Toyota Tundras dressed to the nines in the DUB Live! section at SEMA a few years ago, he was instantly hooked on the idea of building his own Tundra that would take home awards and garner attention like the ones he had seen. Despite starting out as his daily driver (with the occasional mountain trip to indulge in some snowboarding), Edward knew it was destined for so much more! But since the truck still needed to function as his primary vehicle, he needed to go with a look that suited hitting the show circuit on the weekends, but still wasn’t over-the-top flashy for his kids’ morning school drop-off line. “It basically has to be suitable for all my daily routines and weekend activities,” he admits. He initially chose the Tundra for its 4×4 capabilities to handle various terrains.

Calling the build “Chase Truck Tundra,” Edward was inspired by the infamous King of the Hammers event, which he attended a few times. “I saw these well-equipped support vehicles for the race trucks, and loved all the gear, equipment and rugged capability on them. I worked closely with Evil Manufacturing in La Habra, CA, to get the right look and feel of the truck.”

The Avery Dennison Brushed Aluminum textured vinyl wrap makes the Tundra stand out from the rest, due to the fact that it’s never been seen on a truck before. “From far away, it looks like a matte gray, but close up, you can really see the texture,” he notes. “This definitely gave the truck a look that entertained spectators at events.”

The initial design process took a while, but that was because Edward needed it to be different from all the amazing Tundra builds on the scene already. With the help of other vehicle customizers, he was able to come up with a look that was going to turn heads. “I got a lot of recommendations from members in the Level 7 Truck Club and other Toyota Tundra groups. I kept wanting to change the look of it throughout the process, which was hard,” he notes, admitting that he had to stop looking for inspiration and just start building. But in the end, he chose products that could hold up against various conditions and terrains.

Evil Manufacturing built a one-off chase rack that could hold two 37” tires and still have room for extra accessories. Edward also chose to have full-size spare tires mounted on the sides in order to keep the truck’s bed open for a Transfer Flow 40-gallon auxiliary fuel tank, a Viair air compressor tank and an auxiliary battery by Odyssey Battery.

As his first truck build (despite knowing his way around cars), Edward spent a lot of sleepless nights to finish it and made sure everything turned out as he first dreamed of. “I had this image of the truck, and it finally became a reality. But it didn’t happen overnight. It took a lot of time and commitments to make this build happen. It’s fun to drive, and to have at shows and events.” When it was finally unveiled, Edward received the same reactions he gave other builds of this stature and basked in all the compliments and attention. “The best responses are when I’m at a stop light, and people give me the thumbs up, shouting, ‘Nice,’ or ‘Bad ass truck!’” As Edward thoroughly enjoys his Tundra, he’s already looking for inspiration for the next truck!

GEAR : 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA CREWMAX

WHEELS / TIRES

20×12 -44 Centerline LT1MB wheels
37×13.50R20 Yokohama Geolandar MT tires

PERFORMANCE

R1 Concepts – engraved R1 rotors, red painted calipers by POR15
Flowmaster Delta Force Performance air intake
Flowmaster Outlaw Exhaust system
Doug Thorley Short Tube headers
Jet Performance Throttle body spacer
Jet Performance V-Force Performance module
Jet Performance Powr-Flo Mass air sensor
Nitro Gears 4.88 front and rear

EXTERIOR

Advanced Fiberglass Concepts – Fiberglass front fenders and rear bedsides
Avery Dennison Brushed Aluminum Black wrap installed by Daley Visual
N-FAB Front RDS bumper / rear RBS bumper
RK Sport Air Ram fiberglass hood
DB Customz front grill with backlit TOYOTA emblem
Evil Manufacturing custom swing tail gate door
Liquid Armor ceramic coating
Formula One High Performance window tint by The Tint Pros

SUSPENSION

Bulletproof Suspension 6”-8” lift kit with bolt-on traction bars
Atlas Suspension rear 6” leaf springs
Bulletproof 2.0 reservoir shocks
Bulletproof 2.5 coilovers/springs
Coachbuilder rear shackles
Firestone Ride Rite Rear Helper air bags
Evil Manufacturing custom air bag spacers

RECOVERY

Hitch Works adjustable tow hitch with GG Lighting LED pods

LIGHTING

Winjet Automotive headlights and taillights
GGLighting front bumper, fog lights, rock lights, roof rack
Daymaker LED round lights
SideWinder ditch lights
SideWinder rear facing rack lights
6” single row side reverse light in rear bumper
Oracle Lighting – Red LED wheel rings
Buggy Whip – 5’ Red LED buggy whip

ACCESSORIES

Custom Chase / Utility Rack / Roof Rack by Evil Manufacturing
Transfer Flow 40 gallon refueling tank
Odyssey Batteries – dual battery setup
Viair 2on2 on board air compressor kit
Grote LED strip lighting – under cab lighting, custom red signal
Bolt Locks hitch lock
Hornblasters Conductor’s train horns
Macs Tie Down Y-Strap spare tire tie down
SPOD light controller with touchscreen 8 switch panel

INTERIOR

Katzkin leather interior
Whistler Radar Detector Pro-3600
Whistler Dash Cam
Hydrodip Redwood & Blackwood trim panels

AUDIO

Power Acoustik 9” multimedia touchscreen / navigation / DVD
(4) CT Sounds Meso 6.5” component speakers

SOURCES