22
Jul 2026
What is considered a simple build? Is it a truck that is simple itself? Or is it a truck that was built in a way that makes it simple to live with, easy to maintain, easy to fix on the trail, nothing you can’t diagnose with basic tools?
Because I’d argue a bone-stock truck with 40 aftermarket “simple” bolt-ons isn’t simple anymore, and a heavily built truck with clean wiring and thoughtful choices can be
This Toyota Hilux embodies that philosophy. It was built by our friends at Stellar Built, and at its core, it’s just a Toyota Hilux. It’s a diesel. It’s on portals, it has a few lights, and it’s wired up by an sPOD. That’s it.
Okay, but seriously, let’s talk about why this truck is actually simple.
You can’t build a simple truck on a complicated foundation, and there may be no better starting platform for a reliable truck on Earth than a diesel Hilux. This is the truck known around the world as the most reliable vehicle. The one Top Gear famously tried and failed to kill by drowning it, dropping it, setting it on fire, and putting it on top of a demolished building. It started every time.
While we never got a Hilux in the U.S., we did get its cousin, the Toyota Tacoma. There’s a reason the Hilux is the default vehicle anywhere in the world where breaking down isn’t an option. It’s simple: a stout ladder frame, a diesel that runs forever, and nothing on it that a set of hand tools and some patience can’t fix. When your starting point is a truck engineered to survive decades of abuse in places with no dealership for a thousand miles, your decision into modifications better make it worthwhile.
The truck sits on 74Weld portal axles, which lift the truck higher and improve gearing to accommodate larger tires. But the huge added benefit is ground clearance, and what better way to test ground clearance than taking it through the Rubicon? That’s exactly what they did just a few weeks ago. With only a rear locker and 35-inch tires.
It still runs the factory lower control arms and factory suspension geometry. No long-travel kit, no custom links, no exotic geometry to chase alignment specs on. The only suspension upgrade is a set of Fox Performance Series 2.5 shocks, and that’s it. That’s the simple-build philosophy in action: upgrade what earns its place, leave alone what already works.
Up front, a custom bumper designed and manufactured by Stellar Built houses Baja Designs LP4s ands a set of Baja Designs Squadron infrared IR lights all wired to an sPOD Mini6 controller and the SourceLT power module. And this is the perfect setup for a build like this, because the electrical system is exactly as simple as the truck.
The sPOD SourceLT delivers 6 circuits at 30 amps each with no relays and no fuses. The whole system runs on current-sensing MOSFETs with self-healing fault protection, so there’s nothing to blow and nothing to replace on the trail. One cable connects the power module to the Mini6 in the cab, and that’s the entire install. Built-in Bluetooth connects to the sPOD app, giving you full control from your phone, which includes dimming, strobing, flashing, switch linking, and more. It even includes low voltage cutoff (LVCO) to protect the battery when the truck sits.
No rat’s nest of relay wiring. No fuse block zip-tied under the dash. One clean system that just turns the lights on, which, on a simple build, is all it should do.
The rear gets a high-clearance bumper and a GFC topper storage and departure angle, nothing more.
Every choice on this Hilux answers the same question: does this make the truck easier to live with, or harder? If you want a simple build, just buy a Hilux (or Tacoma) and modify it using reliable, trusted parts that won’t leave you stranded on the trail.
