A dark Utah Tacoma appeared at Eaton’s booth
While on the hunt for compelling SEMA show content, we always go out of our way to stop by the Eaton Performance booth. We usually find a very high-end custom Retro Mod truck or a classic Bronco truck, but this year we were surprised to find a late model from Toyota known as The Dark Yota Tacoma.
The Tacoma immediately caught my attention because it was propped up on some Race Ramp beds with fairly large wheels, packing a long travel suspension, and a wide body kit among many other modifications. I went to check it out more closely and found owner Joshua Oates hanging around so we decided to get the full scoop on this rad ride.
Josh was a casual truck enthusiast until building a Toyota Tacoma began to consume his life. Josh is now an influencer and content creator, and has amassed a large following on YouTube and Instagram. He even launched an online storefront where he can help train other truck enthusiasts on how to effectively build their own vehicles. Thanks to these efforts, Josh and @the_dark_yota have attracted dozens of affiliate partnerships that support his endeavors and the vehicle project, and even help him participate in events like the SEMA Show.
SEMA 2023: A dark Toyota Tacoma appears at the Eaton Pavilion
The Dark Yota is decked out front to back and wears a specially designed “dark” camo vinyl wrap. Under the hood, a Harrop Supercharger using Eaton Twin Vortices Series (TVS) technology provides additional power to propel a heavily loaded Tacoma.
“The Supercharger and Eaton ELockers are game-changers for this platform,” Josh explained. “The driving as well as daily driving especially with the 37s and beadlocks takes this truck to the limit but everything feels normal and runs normal with the performance upgrades. The plan for the rest of the year is to add the second stage pulleys and supercharger intake. After that, we will look at boxing the frame And finishing preparing a new bed rack and tent.”
“Next year,” Oats continued, “I’m considering switching to a Marlin Crawler system that is better suited to Colorado terrain. We are also working with Currie Enterprises on a new 9-inch rear axle that is probably 5 inches wider than the factory. Everyone can come check out the truck at Overland Expo West and Mountain West next year and maybe SEMA again.
Dark Yota Tacoma Performance Upgrades:
- Harrop charger
- D3 performance tuning
- Big Power Break Brake Kit (Red)
- Solo Motorsports Tundra Steering Rack with Clevis and Double Cut
- Yukon 5.29 gear
- R4t high clearance exhaust
- Factory rear E cabinet with Eaton Front E cabinet
- Evo10s Warning
Suspension Upgrades:
- Dirtking +3.5 Long Travel Kit with Side Loops and Double Upper Arm Cover
- Closed off-road front coilovers with triple side passes
- Closed off-road rear 14-inch triple overrides
- 2″ Off-Road Closed Rear Hydro Fender Kit
- All-Pro Off-Road Expedition 2.0 Leaf Packs
- Dobinson greaseable paper packing staples
- Drt back hanger with cross bar
- Rear shock transmission archive
Lighting upgrades:
- Diode Dynamics Ss3 Pros X16
- Pros of diode dynamics ssc2 x4
- Diode dynamics ssc1r x5
- Dynamics Diode Rgbw Rock Lights X16
- Morimoto Xb V2 Headlights (Amber Drl)
- Morimoto/Miso customs tail lights
Wiring and electrical upgrades:
- Fire wiring off-road
- Blaze Off Road Dual Power Switch Bracket
- Garmin Power Switch X2
- Blue Seas Ground Bar
- 2 full throttle AGM batteries
- Sdhq battery terminals
- Sdhq dual battery pack
- Cascadia 4×4 hood solar panel
Armor Upgrades:
- C4 Rock Runner Manufacture Front Bumper Tube
- C4 Rockrunner Manufacture Twin Tube Rear Bumper
- C4 manufacturing sliders
- C4 manufactures complete sleds including rear diff and fuel tank
External promotions:
- Sherpa roof rack
- Advanced fiberglass bumpers and sides
- Lucid shell (Thedarkyota Camo).
- Fxh racing xr1 17×9 -12
- Apex Designs Valve Stems
- Mickey Thompson 37×12.5r17 Baja Boss Mud Terrains X5 Tires
- Flat system
- Custom Xtrusion Overland bed rack with sliding access and exit gates
- The evolution of the Gofsr V2 is long
- Condition1 states on the roof rack
- Factor 55 Ultrahawk
- Factor 55 Fairlead
- Marlin Crawler Lca Brace/Cam Tabs
- Total chaos spindle complexes
- Lil B taxi transfer
- H3r fire extinguisher
- Action Trax X4
- Damous shovel
- CrazyFab Firewall Dock
- Geartech Customs Custom Fender Liners
- Alpine Off Road Tire Belts
- Dark Angel Medical Hard Case Kit
Internal promotions:
- Corbo Trailcat front seats
- Delete the entire back seat from Goose Gear
- And Fab Roof Molle Panel
- Expedition Basics Tpam
- Garmin Trade Tablet
- Radio Midland
- Dark Angel Medical Headrest Kit
- Setpower dual zone refrigerator
- H3r fire extinguisher
- Quad lock phone holder/charger
- Scannog 3
- Soma high performance carbon fiber steering wheel
- Kicker amplifiers and amplifiers
- Desert do it jackers seat
