While we’re used to seeing Fox Factory athlete Gracey Hemstreet charging UCI Downhill World Cup tracks around the globe, her roots run just as deep in the dirt roads of home. Born and raised on the coast of British Columbia, Gracey grew up spending countless hours with family and friends exploring backroads, crawling technical lines, and learning the rhythm of off-roading long before she was racing at the highest level.
Now with a truck of her own, a well-kept first-generation Toyota Tacoma, it was time to build something that reflected that side of her story. With the help of close friends, Fox Factory, and Method Race Wheels, she transformed it into her dream shuttle rig: equal parts function, freedom, and a nod to where her love for off-roading began.
“Overland Outfitters did such an unreal job building this truck up now it’s like the ultimate shuttle rig for BC. It's sick!”
- Gracey Hemstreet
We were able to catch Braeden Hitchcock, owner of Overland Outfitters, about the build process for Gracey’s truck and to run us through all that was done.
What work was done to the truck? Any custom items?
We did a ton of not-so-exciting maintenance as you do on older trucks to keep them running smoothly for years. On the exciting side, we did:
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35" tires, with full firewall and fender tubbing to clear them at full bump and full steering.
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2.5 Fox Factory coil overs and UCA's in the front
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Fox 2.5 Factory Race Series Shocks (12in of travel) in the rear with custom shock relocation and mounting.
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Air lockers front & rear with 4.88 gears
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Air compressor installed for the lockers as well as airing up the tires
What was the most challenging part of the truck build?
Probably the fire wall tubbing is the most custom and challenging thing we did, making sure that the 35" tires can clear all the way around no matter how far the steering is turned or the suspension is compressed. To do that, we pulled the coils off the coil overs so we could fully bump out the suspension on the lift and cut out the firewall and fenders until the tires fully cleared, then welded in new sheet metal.
Gracey wanted her truck to be great for shuttling but also hitting a bunch of the local wheeling trails, so we stuck with IFS for driving comfort and hitting back roads but added the 35's and lockers to give it some real capabilities. Combined with the Fox shocks for better ride performance, and the custom shock mounting in the back for a lot more articulation in the rocks.
Gracey's truck is now actually shockingly capable with the lockers and 35's. I think it would really surprise a lot of people how well it can wheel and rock crawl.
