PUSHING IT TO THE LIMIT

MESO TACO

- WORDS AND PHOTOS BY IAN HORN

That question became a mission. A Tacoma cab stripped to its bones became the foundation for something unthinkable—a machine that fused Toyota's proven toughness with Dodge's supercharged chaos. What followed were years of late nights, TIG sparks, and desert dust, ending in a creation that turned heads first at Toyo Tires’ Treadpass during SEMA 2024 and again a year later under the Lock Off-Road banner at SEMA 2025.

At the center of this monster sits a 6.2L Hellcat V8, an engine built for speedways and drag strips, now breathing desert air through a custom titanium intake and K&N filter. It's anchored by solid motor mounts and exhales through TIG-welded headers and CookCraft mufflers that let out a mechanical snarl somewhere between a jet and a thunderstorm. Keeping that kind of heat in check required an entire ecosystem: a CBR dual-pass radiator and oil cooler, Fl Interchiller supercharger pump, Mishimoto heat exchanger, and a Canton coolant tank, all working together in perfect harmony. Fuel is delivered from a Fuel Safe 60-gallon tank through a Radium surge pump and Aeromotive regulator system, plumbed entirely with Vibrant AN lines and fittings. Every piece of it looks like it belongs on a trophy truck because most of it could.