Dedication at Its Finest

We’ve all been there, working away on our dream truck night after night and weekends only to have life throw us a curve ball (or 10) along the way: family, kids, house, jobs, and sometimes major loss, like the passing of a friend or family member. Hard times come and go, but being able to get back up and keep fighting the good fight is what separates the men from the boys.

We all face challenges every single day, but if you’re anything like Josue “Q” Quiroz, president of the Desert Chapter of Severed Ties, you stay focused and keep your eye on the prize. Q started the build of the pristine Tacoma you see pictured here more than 12 years ago. Throughout that time he’s experienced ups and downs, but one thing always stayed the same: his dedication to seeing the build through.

The truck was pushed aside for five of those 12 years so that Q could develop his job skills and grow his family. It’s not always easy to devote yourself to a cause or a build, but Q had a few people in his corner to keep him motivated. One of his prime motivators was the fact that he dedicated the Tacoma build to his friend, Noel Rodriguez (who passed a few years ago). With support from family, friends and club, Q was able to push through the last two years and finally see his dream completed.

The body drop and original air suspension installation were all done in Q’s garage with help from a few buds and plenty of cold ones. As the years went by, he had to step up the build quality to keep up with changing styles. So after dusting off his old project and breathing some new life into it, Q worked on a solid plan to debut the Tacoma at the 2014 Forbidden Fantasy Show.

The Tacoma was blown apart, and Tre5 Customs began to overhaul the suspension and back half to make room for the new 20-inch Intro wheels. Meanwhile, So Cal Auto Body (the Corona Brothers: Fili, Alex and Chito) began the massive undertaking of smoothing out the body before laying down the gorgeous PPG Ruby Red. Although he relied on close friends to help, Q still got his hands dirty and helped during every single stage of the rebuild.

Once the suspension and frame duties were handled, the Taco was reassembled for final bodywork and paint. The color made its way under the engine bay, into the interior, and throughout the freshly smoothed bed and exterior. Now dripping in an elegant burgundy, it was time to button up the final details.

The interior and stereo were tag-teamed by California Custom Upholstery and Audio Vision. Featuring black satin synthetic leather throughout and a custommounted iPad in the dash to control the Alpine Type R system, the luxurious cabin is just as refined as the elegant exterior. With so many friends coming together to help Q make his longawaited debut, it was evident that many others wanted to see this truck completed just as badly as Q himself did.

By keeping his eye on the prize and relying on a little help from his friends, Q built one amazing Tacoma that will stand the test of time. Elegant, classic, with just the right custom touches, this mini is the very embodiment of cool, and we can’t wait to go for a cruise. Surprisingly, the Tacoma’s no trailer queen; it gets driven and driven hard. Congrats, Q, from the entire Street Trucks staff. You nailed it, and we look forward to seeing you out at shows enjoying the fruits of your labor.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Josue “Q” Quiroz
1996 Toyota Tacoma
Cathedral City, CA
Severed Ties

ENGINE/TRANS

• 2.4L
• Stock components relocated
• Custom K&N intake
• Cleaned, rewired and painted
• Pacesetter headers
• Custom Magnaflow exhaust
• Engine cover
• Custom shifter

SUSPENSION

• Shops: Tre5 Customs
• 3.25-inch body drop
• Back half with 2×3-inch box tubing
• 4-link and cantilever ’bag setup
• Early ’90s Toyota rearend
• Custom fuel cell
• Tre5 disc brake setup
• Carrera chrome shocks
• Relocated control arms
• Modified spindles

WHEELS & TIRES

• 20×8-inch Intro I-331 wheels
• 235/30/20 and 255/30/20 Acelero tires

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: So Cal Autobody
• 2000 Tacoma hood
• 1996 4WD bumper and 2WD valance
• 4WD fenders and bed
• Grant Kustoms tailgate skin combo
• Shaved handles, gas door, bed floor, third brake light and hump
• Spyder LED taillights and headlights
• PPG Ford Ruby Red paint

INTERIOR

• Shops: Victor Moreno at California Custom Upholstery/Randy Stockman at Audio Vision
• Black satin synthetic leather
• Black Bentley carpet
• 1996 Saturn wagon seats cut down
• Smoothed and painted dash
• Custom-built center console
• Flush iPad
• Alpine Type R subs and PDX amplifiers
• Kinetik batteries
• Dynamat

Special thanks from owner: Fili, Alex and Chito Corona and everybody at So Cal Auto body for all of their hard work and dedication; Jeremy Rice, Randy Stockman, Big John Schick, Fito Velasquez and everyone who had their hand in this thing; also my beautiful wife Gaby and my kids. This truck has been a long time in the making, but I couldn’t let it go because I felt I had to finish it to honor one of our fallen brothers, Noel Rodriguez. I really want to thank everyone; it wouldn’t have been possible without all of you.

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