It’s incredibly rare for an off-road shop to offer just about every service possible for off-road overland rigs – let alone almost every general automotive service as well. Most off-road focused shops offer a core set of services and it usually caters to one vehicle type:
- Custom Fabrication
- Bolt-On Installs
- CNC Machine Shop
- Routine Maintenance
- Supercharger Installs
- Engine Rebuilds & More!
I have never seen a shop that offers all of it under one roof… until now.
Meet The SD Truck Shop, also referred to as “The San Diego Truck Shop” or just “The Truck Shop” for short. This North San Diego off-road shop is located off Highway 15 between Miramar and Miramesa. They have almost 10,000 sq ft of facilities including a warehouse, front office, alignment center, routine maintenance service center, a full machine shop, and much more.
With over 30+ full-time Toyota/Lexus mechanics and 20+ lifts, this shop is a powerhouse and unlike any other off-road shop in the country.
Find Them Online:
- SD Truck Shop: Visit the Website
SD Truck Shop
Largest Off-Road Service Shop In SoCal
The shop provides every off-road and overland service you would ever need under one roof:
- Off-Road Alignments
- Wheel/Tire Mount & Balance
- Suspension Installs
- Re-Gearing
- Shock Tuning & Rebuilding
- Magnuson Supercharger Installations
- Bolt-On Armor Installs
- Body Mount Chops
- Custom Fabrication
- Technical Electrical Wiring & Much More!
The Truck Shop has two Hass CNC machines, FabTech laser cutting, and floor-to-ceiling stock quantities on hand that you wouldn’t believe. When I visited the shop, they had 100+ Magnuson Superchargers, roughly 300+ KING suspensions, and 500+ Bilstien and OME lift kits, all in stock; and that’s just scratching the surface. They also stock many other name brands such as Prinsu, Baja Designs, Switch-Pros, SPODs, Built Right USA suspension components, Method Wheels, and a ton of other small parts and pieces.
After spending a few days there, I can tell you this is by far the largest off-road service shop operation I have ever seen – and I have seen quite a few off-road shops in the last 10-15 years.
If you’re looking for an off-road shop in Southern California specifically for Toyota or Lexus service, look no further.
It was an honor spending time with such a dialed, hard-working group of guys. The work ethic here is unlike anything I’ve seen. The speed at which these guys knock out projects is impressive; fast, efficient, and unbelievably dialed.
Let’s look at the shop in detail and see what sets these guys apart.
1. Supercharger Installs
We’re going to lead with Supercharger installs because that’s why I was there. The SD Truck Shop is one of the largest Magnuson dealers in the country.
Not only do these guys have your Supercharger in stock, but the installation only took roughly 1 day for our 4.0 V6 4Runner. They have 2 to 3 guys on staff, all day, just for Magnuson supercharger installation services.
We rolled into the shop around 8 am for the installation and were done by roughly 6 pm. The installer for my supercharger (Isaac) was efficient and detailed. You could tell this was not his first time. I highly recommend this shop for anyone looking for a same-day supercharger install.
2. Suspensions
Whether you’re looking for an OEM suspension replacement or an aftermarket upgrade, these guys have you covered. They carry KING, Bilstein, OME, and many other suspension brands – and it’s all in stock. With over 30+ employees on site, you can trust that these guys are going to knock out your installation incredibly fast and more importantly, correctly.
3. Wheel/Tire
What’s an off-road shop without tire mount and balancing services? The Truck Shop carries a wide range of Method wheels in stock for you to choose from. Need a set of tires? They can get those too.
4. Off-Road Alignments
After your wheels/tires have been mounted and installed, it’s time for an alignment. The Truck Shop uses a Hunter alignment rack to dial in your camber, caster, and toe spec. If you’re looking for an increase in caster to clear the firewall, The Truck Shop has the experience needed to push your alignment limits without sacrificing ride quality.
5. 4×4 Design/Fabrication
The Truck Shop has a few fabricators on staff who specialize in both Mig and Tig welding. Whether it’s something small and technical or a larger project like a custom bumper or rock sliders – this shop has the experience you can trust.
6. Shock Service & Tuning
If you’re looking to rebuild a set of shocks or tune the set you have now, the shop has years of experience in this department. They come from a long line of race trust enthusiasts who’ve built and rebuilt custom-valved shocks for well over two decades. You can trust that your shocks are in good hands with this crew.
7. Gear & Axle
The Truck Shop has a specialist on staff who can regear your Toyota/Lexus dropout 3rd members. If you’re looking to reduce/lower the gear ratio in your ring and pinion and/or install an air or e-locker – this is the shop to do it.
They have a wide range of ring and pinion gear ratios in stock ready to install as well as a wide selection of locker options.
8. Engine
The shop offers everything from complete engine rebuilds to head gaskets, timing belts, water pumps, accessory drives, and all fuel injection-related components. Plus, it’s all done in-house.
9. Regular Maintenance
If you need a friendly shop to take care of your routine maintenance, these guys can help. They also honor Factory Toyota/Lexus service contracts.
10. Full Machine Shop
The Truck Shop has two Hass CNC machines and a FabTech laser to accommodate more custom projects. They also work with many local off-road companies who depend on them for countless parts, pieces, brackets, and much more.
11. Inventory
The cherry on top; and the pictures don’t do this justice. The Truck Shop has a warehouse with floor-to-ceiling inventory of KING shocks, Bilstein Shocks, Magnuson Superchargers, Prinsu Roof Racks, and much more.
If you’re looking for a shop that has your suspension in stock with same-day installation service, you can 100% count on the Truck Shop.
Final Thoughts
As I previously mentioned, I was down at the SD Truck Shop for a supercharger installation. I chose them for a few reasons.
First, they have Superchargers (4.0, 3.4L, and 5.7L) in stock and offer a 1-day installation. This is a huge selling point as most other shops can’t knock out a supercharger install that quickly. Don’t think that comes at the cost of workmanship, no. The crew here has a massive amount of expertise and knowledge, especially with supercharger installations. They average 1-2 supercharger installs daily, which gives you peace of mind knowing that this shop is incredibly experienced with such a technical mod.
If you’re even remotely local to SD Truck Shop, you need to check them out. Even if you’re not ready to pull the trigger on a supercharger, they have a ton more to offer.
There’s a lot of discussion threads about SC’s and I really haven’t seen anything more than anecdotal comments about engine temps and cooling. Did you do anything to increase cooling capacity? We tow an Opus popup trailer and the added weight has me reluctant to pull the trigger – besides the cost! Thanks and looking forward to seein the new truck at the next Stellar party.
The supercharger comes with an intercooler (Magnuson states “High-efficiency intercooler system for maximum charge air cooling and sustainable performance”) however, I have not seen any real-world data of before/after engine/trans and coolant temps. I would think they designed the intercooler and coolant reservoir to over-accommodate the additional increase in engine/trans and coolant temps heat but who knows if it was over or to factory specs? Haven’t heard any complaints though about the supercharger overheating blocks or transmissions, so that’s a good thing. On my trip home from San Diego to Sacramento – I drove straight home in one shot and saw no noticeable sign of anything overheating. I need to get a Scan gauge on this 4Runner to start getting some real-world data. If I see you down at Stellar, stop me and I’ll let you test-drive the 4Runner. It’s one of those things you need to feel and see. It’s wildly impressive. I think you’d love it for towing your trailer.
I would give this shop 4 stars. they did my regear on my 5th gen back in 2021. on a 7000 mile road trip i almost experienced a catastrophic failure while on the east coast. luckily i was in close proximity to ECGS and they did an emergency regear. No real fault to SDTS, they were limited in supply of gears that are known to be reliable for Toyota, and i had a set of Motive gears that are more for other car manufactures. James was awesome and did pay for half of the cost to do the regear which he did not have to do since i was outside of my warranty window.
I have gotten plenty of other smaller work done their and they did not disappoint. Very knowledgeable shop and they have a very heavy workload, so be patient when they do have your rig.
Brenan,
Can you please comment on the super charger requirement for high octane fuel and if/how that factored into your decision? I certainly understand the benefits, and fun, of horsepower.
However, I imagine myself outside of “Bumfork”, on the north branch of “Sheet Creek”, with only 85 octane available for the 50-mile drive to civilization and risking potential engine damage.
If Magnuson offered a “detuned” mode, I think they would have a “winner” (along with a chicken dinner, too!).
Thank you.
I was never concerned with spending the extra money on premium fuel. Because I lost so much power/torque due to the 37″ tires I am running in addition to the unsprung weight of the portal axles, I simply needed more power. A Supercharger is arguably the only modification (outside of re-gearing) that can bring real power back to the 4Runner after adding bigger tires and additional unsprung weight. After feeling the supercharger increase in both low-end torque and top-end speed, I am 100% convinced that having a supercharger is the only way to restore power/torque and responsiveness on a built truck. I enjoy the 4Runner more than I ever have, even after owning 5 different 5th Gen 4Runners. After mounting bigger tires on a stock 4Runner, the performance is next to nothing. The only way to get that power back is a supercharger. Premium fuel is whatever at that point.
Credit to Magnuson for a prompt response to my inquiry regarding a detune/limp mode should 87 octane be your only option –
Todd Payne (MagnusonSupercharger)
Mar 11, 2024, 18:47 EDT
Thank you for contacting Magnuson Superchargers Jon!
You could theoretically run 87 octane in our 4Runner/ Tacoma vehicles without changing the tune. You would need to zip tie the bypass into the open position. This would keep the vehicle from going into boost but it will feel very sluggish.
There are no options for having “Calibrations on the fly” with a Toyota PCM. If we made a map for 87 octane you run into other issues, like running too little timing to keep the vehicle from knocking. When you run lower timing then your exhaust gas temperatures increase. This is hard on the cats and shortens the life span of them.
The easiest way to have the best of both words is to keep the vehicle from going into boost when running 87 octane.
Thank you,
Customer Support
Got a supercharger installed here a couple years ago on my 4Runner. No problems. Decent price. Cool group of guys.
James and his crew at the truck shop or SD truck shop is the only shop i trust.