When Michael Jeffreys decided he wanted to build himself a new ride that would stand out at shows and when he was out cruising, he decided to build an '86 Mazda B2000 standard cab. This isn't the first time Michael has built a custom.
Through his trials with an '88 Astro van and an '87 Cab Plus Mazda, he learned a lot. This time he'd go straight through to building a neck-breaker at neck-breaking speed by having the truck go from stock to the way you see it now in about nine months. On this, his most recent project, he wanted to be creative and challenge himself in ways that he never had before when building a custom ride.
So even if the paint and huge attention to detail on this truck doesn't get to you, then maybe the fact that most of the truck was built solely by its owner will. That in itself is possibly the most respectable thing about any customized mini-truck.
Owners: Michael & Tiffany Jeffreys
Hometown: Graham, North Carolina
Ride: '86 Mazda B2000
Club Affiliation:Outkast Kustoms
Wheels/Tires
16-inch chromed 4-Runners with 205/40R16 BFGoodrich Euro T/A radials.
Suspension
Michael Jeffreys performed all of the suspension modifications to the truck himself by installing 8-inch front hydraulic cylinders up front and a pair of 10-inch rams in the rear that run off of four batteries and two hydraulic pumps. To keep bounce to a minimum, Monroe shocks were installed at the rear, while a pair of Rancho shocks take up the impact from the road up front in the Mazda.
Body Mods
The truck was body dropped a total of 3 inches by Michael in his open carport in the middle of winter in North Carolina. If that doesn't scream commitment, then we have no idea what does! The inner bed panels were also built by Michael to give the inside of the bed a more custom appearance. Next, the body was treated to a healthy overall shave of its door handles, tailgate handle, tailgate, antenna, fuel door, and all bed and body seams. Of course, like everything else on the truck, Michael did all of that, too. With an enthusiast like Michael, who needs a custom shop?
Engine
Under the hood, Michael did have to send out a number of parts to a local chrome shop, but everything else was painted pink or purple to enhance his chosen color scheme. For added performance, Michael installed a Weber carburetor to the notoriously weak 2.0L Mazda engine under his hood, added a Pacesetter header, ACCEL plug wires and an ACCEL chrome spark coil, and bent his own exhaust system using a Flowmaster muffler to finish the job.
Paint
The truck was painted using PPG paint exclusively. More than 30 colors were used to give the truck the visual impact it makes these days. So, can you guess who laid out the graphics on the Mazda? We'll give you a hint: He's the only one who doesn't have to ask permission to drive the truck anytime he wants. You got it, Mr. Jack of all Trades, aka Michael, laid out his own graphics, too!
Interior/Stereo
Inside the truck, Michael kept up his commitment to build his own truck by covering everything in sight using purple tweed, including the headliner. He laid fresh purple carpeting on the floor of the truck and built a custom center console for the center of the cab to house his stereo head unit. The seats in the truck are original Mazda bucket seats, sans headrests, covered in even more purple tweed fabric. For tunes, a Pioneer head unit directs signals, while a Kenwood amplifier boosts power to make it more enjoyable. There are a total of four Memphis Audio 6-1/2-inch speakers in the truck housed in custom kick panels and in the rear cab corners of the truck.
Detailing
The entire chassis of the Mazda has been detailed to death using purple, pink, and silver throughout, with a touch of chrome from the hydraulic equipment installed in the bed of the truck.
Special Thanks
To Michael's wife, Tiffany, and his son, Mikey, for putting up with his working on the truck on many a long night.
Owner's Quote
"I'm ready to build another Cab Plus Mazda now. The total time I spent working on this truck is only around nine months. To be in Mini Truckin' has been one of my all-time goals, and I have reached my goal with the building of this Mazda. Thanks, Mini Truckin', from me, my wife and my son, Mikey Jr."