When Kristin and Bernie Chacon bought their Toyota Tacoma way back in July of 2016, they never expected it to to turn into a 4×4 phenomenon. However, thanks to both of them being aftermarket inclined, the build and the fun that followed have been non-stop since the minute this pickup came home. Oh, and as for the name itself, the truck got its name from the Chacon’s eldest daughter. The moment she saw the Tacoma in that color she said it reminded her of the family’s favorite drinks: Milk Tea with Boba. Thus, “MilkTeacoma” was born!
Serving as is Kristin’s daily driver, the Chacon’s MilkTeacoma is what it looks like when a power couple husband-wife team tackle a project. Since they organize car events for a living, it comes as no surprise these two enthusiasts and their prolonged history of modifying machines created something this spectacular. While Bernie tackles the majority of the team’s social media moves, Kristin is more of the type who makes things happen behind the scenes, either with the Tacoma or in various other aspects of daily life.
A custom “MilkTeacoma” badge and AnzoUSA lighting up front help take Kristin & Bernie Chacon’s Toyota Tacoma to a whole new level.
That said, this Tacoma was built from the bedrock up to blend this couple’s sense of style and functionality with their insatiable appetite for off-road adventure. Granted, while they do still try and get out in the wild and use their MilkTeacoma for its intended purpose, busy family life doesn’t always allow them to do so. So local day trips involving mid-grade off-roading tend to be the norm, periodically punctuated with long distance trips to the Pacific Northwest or Colorado. Weekend trips with camping and technical 4×4 terrain also occur annually, with Big Bear, Death Valley, and Arizona earning top slots for the husband/wife team.
Toyo Tire Open Country R/T rubber and AnzoUSA tail-lamps out back add both function and form to the way in which this truck behaves.
As for some of the aftermarket components on their Toyota Tacoma, the Chacon’s are a huge fan of their AnzoUSA headlights and taillights. While the headlight halo provides a more aggressive look, the taillights feature a really slick light pattern that is super bright as well. Turning toward grappling with good ol’ Mother Earth, the MilkTeacoma rolls on Toyo Open Country R/T tires, which are widely revered for their aggressive tread pattern and renowned longevity. According to the couple, this compound was precisely what they needed, “A great hybrid of all-terrain and mud-terrain tires.”
But tires aren’t everything. The Chacons are also huge fans of another favorite aftermarket manufacturer of ours: Bilstein Suspension. Kristin tells us that daily driving the Tacoma with Bilstein 8112s installed in the front and 8100s in the rear makes it feel as if you are driving a car. Engineered and assembled with industry-leading standards of quality and craftsmanship, these rust-free shock solutions were the perfect self-adjusting solution to their build. With off-road handling just as comfortable and acute as on-road mannerisms, the Chacon’s couldn’t be happier with their MilkTeacoma. “We enjoy every minute using the truck that we have built,” says Kristin. Which is precisely why a balanced build like this gets our Quick Hit nod of approval for this month.
