My First Car - 1986 Mazda B2000

Quick post this morning to make up for falling asleep on the couch last night!  This is my very first car- a 1986 Mazda B2000 long bed pickup.

That's me, on graduation day, thinking I was the coolest thing on four wheels!  Forget all of the talk of air suspension, body drops, custom body work, and billet wheels- this was 1995, and I worked at McDonalds!

Here's a quick list of the mods on this custom ride: I pulled all of the leaf springs out except for the main leaf, then added 3" lowering blocks to ensure that the rear axle was sitting hard on the frame- no suspension travel at all!  Up front, I started by cranking the torsion bars all the way down, but I never read about re-indexing the torsion hangers, so I actually dragged the bars all the way off on a speed bump at school!  So, no suspension travel up front, either!

Those wheels you're feasting your eyes on are 14" stock LX chromies, wrapped in 195/60-14 tires!  Only the best for this ride!  Inside, the "stocker is cheaper" look continued, with a factory tape deck wired to a small Clarion amplifier for two pairs of 4" coaxial speakers.  Of course, a mini has to have some bass, so a custom box with four Pioneer 8" woofers sat behind the seat.

I learned a lot with this truck- mostly about how NOT to modify a vehicle!  But I had a blast cruising around Sacramento with my friends, and it never left me stranded.  These Mazdas are so cheap now, I think I'll add one to my "must build" list for the future- I'd love the opportunity to build one the right way!

1972 International Travelall

Mark this one down in the "unrealized project" column!  We picked this beauty up about 7 years ago- saved it from the wrecking yard with a bad transmission and a few sucked valves.  But the body was REALLY straight and clean!  Just some minor rust in the tailgate and two door jambs, which in my eyes was easily remedied with a little elbow grease and welding rod.

The plan was simple- repair the engine, fix the rust, and lay this beast on the ground on some big billet wheels!  My wife, Vicki, and I agreed that the body was good as-is; no shaved door handles or custom tail lights required with something this unique!  Even the factory grille looks like something custom:

The stock bumpers, tail lights, even the two-tone paint just looked "right"!  It totally reminds me of one of my other favorite classics- the Lincoln Continental (look for a blog post on my experiences with those at a later date!).

The first roadblock in this project was the "repair the engine" step... you wouldn't believe how expensive parts are for an International 392!  So, plan B was to swap the 392 and the broken TorqueFlite transmission for a Chevy 454 and Turbo 400 automatic.  I found a great deal on a complete fuel injected drivetrain, so we pulled the trigger!

The SECOND roadblock was actually swapping this engine and trans into the TravelAll chassis!  Unfortunately, my fabrication skills at the time (as well as my equipment for safely maneuvering a big block engine/transmission package inside an engine bay) weren't up to the challenge.  Other projects got bumped in front of the poor International, and we ended up giving it away and selling the Chevy motor when we moved from our last home a few years ago...

If another one of these with a straight body comes my way for the right price, I'd love to give it another try.  There aren't a lot of them on the road around here, but I'm sure if I start looking the right one will come along!
PS- sneak peek of my old Scion in the garage- look for the full story in an upcoming blog post!

Nissan Hardbody - Excellence in Primer

This mini truck is pretty much the OPPOSITE of Last Look from a couple of days ago, but it's still one of my favorite minis!

This truck has all of the staples of a true custom mini: laid out on airbags, shaved handles and rear end, 4wd fenders with a Toyota bumper conversion, phantom billet grille, billet wheels... 

...but the body drop and suicide doors just set it off to a higher (lower) level!  Even though this truck is still in tinted primer, my eyes see it as a finished product as it sits.

Given my love for all things Nissan/ Datsun, combined with my love of minitrucks, you would think I would have owned a Hardbody by now.  Well, I DID technically own one (standard cab, 'bagged and body dropped, but a total basketcase) for a couple of months about 6 years ago, but it never actually made it to my house before I sold it to someone else to finish! 

Keep checking back to the blog- pulling up these pictures after not seeing them for a few years has me thinking it won't be too much longer before I give a Nissan mini project another go!

80-Series Toyota LandCruiser - My Suburban Safari Vehicle

The 80-series 'Cruiser was the last "real" LandCruiser we got here in the United States.  Solid axles front and rear, a straight-six under the hood, and true off-road capability, with some nice luxury touches thrown in.  The next generation, the 100-series, went soft- independent front suspension, V8, lots of well-placed cupholders... you might as well buy American!

My 'Cruiser was bought new in 1997 by my parents.  It's a 40th Anniversary Edition, which came in a special sage metallic color with black chrome emblems, two-tone leather interior, and a nifty badge on the center console denoting its special-ness!

As great as this vehicle was from the factory, I've never been one to leave well enough alone!  And so, when this beauty became mine in 2006, I promptly added a 3" suspension lift and 33" tires to give it a tougher look.  Removing the factory running boards added to the lifted look as well.

From there, I swapped the stock orange turn signals and corner lights for clear replacements, added HID headlights, and threw a KargoMaster safari rack to the stock roof rails.  I left the engine stock except for a replacement muffler and exhaust tip for a deeper tone- the twin cam 4.5 liter six sounded far different from anything I've owned!

Inside, the factory leather and woodgrain was plenty luxurious enough for my taste.  However, I DID swap the factory radio for a Pioneer DVD navigation unit, and added new door speakers and a 12" subwoofer to make some noise...

Between the moderate lift, roof rack, and the fact that I NEVER took this highly capable rig off-road, my friends and co-workers dubbed this my Suburban Safari Vehicle!  As much as I really wanted to blast up some fire roads, flex the suspension out on some giant boulders, and traverse waist-deep snow runoff, I just couldn't bring myself to risk the near-perfect body and paint!

I sold this rig last year, and I still see it from time to time (I HATE selling cars locally- when they're not mine anymore I don't want to see anyone else enjoying them!).  The new owner has some great plans for it, and has actually gone on some mild trail runs... lucky bastard!

If you think an 80-series 'Cruiser might be right for you, head over to www.ih8mud.com for a TON of information, and some great deals on other people's pride and joy.  And if you DO decide to pick up a LandCruiser of your own, be sure to get it dirty every now and then!

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8

The shop I used to work for picked up this '08 Challenger as soon as they came available.  Then, just as quickly, we installed a complete air suspension system and a set of 22" wheels to make it one of the first custom Challengers out there!

Aside from the air suspension and wheels, the engine was modified with a K&N intake system and a custom exhaust system with electric cutouts.  The beauty of this car is that just about everything else already rocks from the factory- DVD navigation system with a Kicker subwoofer, Brembo brakes, HID headlights... not much room for upgrades!

To all of the "musclecar purists" out there, we were very careful to route all of the wiring and air lines through factory holes and body grommets.  The entire trunk setup (tanks, air compressors, etc.) was mounted to a piece of MDF that sits in place of the factory "emergency kit" - these cars didn't come with a spare tire, just a can of fix-a-flat and an air compressor!  With the trunk floor in place, you can't see a thing!

I decided to include the Challenger not because it's particularly unique or rare (and it's definitely NOT an underdog by any measure!), but because I performed most of the modifications to it, and I'm pretty proud of how it turned out!  It was invited to the 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and was on display in the Air Lift Company booth.  After the show, my wife and I cruised it around the strip and out to Hoover Dam:

OK, last shot- I had to include at least ONE with a scantily-clad lady!  See you tomorrow!

The Lamborghini Miura - Full Of Win

OK, let me be clear: I'm not overly crazy about exotic sports cars.  I've always been more for the underdog- Datsun over Alfa Romeo and so on.  But the Miura... well, just look at it!

If you want the back story of Ferruccio Lamborghini and how he came to make sports cars, look it up on Wikipedia- it's a great read, and I won't clutter this blog post with copypasta.  Which leaves me more room for another picture of this beautiful car:

The lines, the stance, the fitment of the wheels... everything just looks in perfect proportion.  Of course you can see the inspiration it provided for several other vehicles- Ferraris, Maseratis, and many others took design cues from the Miura.  OK, another photo.

There weren't many built, and due to their power and typically exotic-car handling, very few remain today.  So, I probably won't end up owning one.  But it's definitely on my short list of dream cars, so if my Lottery Investment Strategy pays off you'll definitely see me rolling!  Check it out in yellow:

Tough choice between the two- I may have to get more disciplined with those Lottery investments to I can afford to have a couple different colors!

If you have a few more minutes to spare, take a spin with Richard Hammond of BBC's Top Gear in a green Miura- enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Last Look - The Definitive Minitruck

My first ride when I was a teen was a minitruck.  A 1986 Mazda B2000.  I lowered it WAY too far (the wrong way), put skinny tires on the stock chrome wheels, and rolled it with pride everywhere!

Since then I've owned around 60 other vehicles, but I still love the mini truck style- stupid low, tucking wheels, with wild paint... basically, the less practical you can make a truck, the better!

In 1996, this Toyota pickup was featured on the cover of Minitruckin' Magazine.  It's called Last Look, and it basically set the bar for what a minitruck should be, and then some...

Just look at the attention to detail throughout this thing- every surface is airbrushed, tweeded, polished, or wrapped in carbon fiber (which was VERY exotic at the time).  The engine is fully detailed, the bed is smoothed out... even the interior floor has been smoothed and airbrushed!

I've owned a few minitrucks since that first Mazda, but I don't think I'll ever own something built to this extreme level- it would just be too nice to drive, and I wouldn't be able to resist!

I hope you'll click on these pictures to view the larger versions- the detail shot of the hood just blows me away every time... it must have taken them hours to lay out all of that artwork!

This truck fell into the hands of some folks who didn't truly appreciate the work that went into it, and it wasn't very well cared for, until a gentleman in Arizona picked it up just a couple of years ago and began restoring it to its former glory!  He's keeping it as true as possible to the original design, and I respect the hell out of him for preserving a piece of automotive history!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for another vehicle that you don't see every day!