When installer and then college student Andy Ream replaced his '99 turbocharged Acura Integra with a '05 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner, he had every intention of leaving it stock. "I first purchased this truck in June of 2005 after working as an engineering intern for Toyota Technical Center and learning what the truck was capable of," he says. "Its target handling vehicle was the Nissan 350Z and it actually outperformed the 350Z around a ride and handling course!"
Despite his immense satisfaction with the truck's performance, his keep-it-factory intentions all changed a few short months later, at least when it came to the stock interior. After SEMA 2005 (and seeing all the modified vehicles filling the Las Vegas Convention Center), Ream and a co-worker were driving home to Phoenix and started bouncing around ideas. "Within weeks, the interior was gutted and the project had begun!"
DIYReam can proudly say he built the system all by himself, with minor exceptions of window tint, paint and upholstery on the visors, shift boot and center console. Considering the amount of modification in this truck, those exceptions are truly minor. Take the dash for example. Almost everything that came from the factory was removed or relocated to properly configure the Clarion DRZ9255 head unit, Sirius Starbase and Excel 10.4-inch LCD screen.
Using a mixture of the existing dash and additional materials, such as a Metra dash kit Ream cut apart to remount the clock and hazard information bar, enabled the dash upgrades. He also used the factory ISO-brackets, which he modified in order to hold the radio higher in the dash and at a less severe angle. "I'm especially proud of how clean the Sirius Starbase integration ... turned out," Ream says. He disassembled this unit and molded the display on the driver's side, reassembling it after the dash had been painted. But before that, he fiberglassed all the new trim panels to the factory vents to form a solid hunk of dash.
A Worthy ProjectThe Dynaudio System 340 components found a place in the front doors since Ream "loved the sound of the speakers since I heard first heard them; I've just never had a project worthy of them." So he didn't skimp on labor when it came to customizing the doors. He took off the factory panels and cut into the lower section, leaving just the edges so he could easily reattach the panels when finished. The MDF base of the new fiberglass speaker enclosures is mounted to the inner door skin. MDF rings, fleece, fiberglass mat and reinforced body filler make up the rest of the 0.3ft3 sealed enclosures. On top of the enclosures, a fiberglass overlay provides a finished appearance.
With the rear seats removed and a stereo setup in place, Ream decided not to include rear speakers. You won't miss them, especially with the small, glassed-out cabin and center console that incorporates not only two JL Audio 10W7 subwoofers. To create this 1.9ft3 sealed enclosure, Ream made 31/44" MDF walls and a top and bottom of 10 to 15 layers of fiberglass mat and 31/44" MDF rings.