You may have figured out that show trucks you can't drive off-road are going away from Off-Road magazine. You may think that this particular truck pushes things a bit too far in the other direction, though. Nope. This Toyota may look as if it lost the war with the rocks, but mechanically, it's flawless and can take on just about any trail, no matter how difficult. An added feature of this truck is that owner Ken Francisco drove it all the way from Phoenix to Hurricane, Utah, for the two photo shoots it took to cover this feature. Since it was shot at two different times, you may notice some minor differences in the photos; Ken had changed some things. Suffice to say, the truck worked great both ways.
Some of you may remember Ken from back in the day, when he was known as Zuk, a builder of functional Suzuki Samurais who was willing to put himself and those Samurais in just about any peril for a photo. Well, the Samurais are long gone, and Ken has returned to his first love - Toyota pickups and 4Runners.
Ken's '92 Toyota pickup is a well-built trail rig that has obviously seen some of the toughest trails in North America. Ken also likes to take in nice scenic trails with an overnight campout here and there. Check out the photos and see how this Toyota was built to take a licking and keep on ticking off- and on-road.
SpecificationsYear/make/model:'92 Toyota 4x4 pickup
Owner/hometown:Ken Francisco/Chandler, Arizona
Engine:22RE inline four-cylinder
Induction:Toyota fuel injection
Transmission:Toyota five-speed manual
Transfer case/Low-range ratio:Dual transfer cases; 4:1 gears; 215:1Low-range ratio
Frontend:Dana 44 with Detroit Locker
Rearend:Dana 44 with Detroit Locker
Ring-and-pinion:5.89:1
Suspension:Custom suspension; Rancho and Valley spring packs; Rancho 9000 shocks
Tires/wheels:36x13.50R15 LT IROK radials/15x10-inch Champion bead locks