Laid Taco'Stephen Collins of Jacksonville, Florida, has been reading our mag since 1995. How's that for loyalty? Now that he's at the ripe age of 21, he has a mighty fine roller himself and wanted to share it with the world. His '01 Tacoma gets instant adjustability, thanks to 3/8-inch valves installed in both front and back, and it lays super-low due to a reverse cantilever setup. Stephen rolls big wherever he goes with 18-inch Lexani Zelous wheels wrapped in Nitto 555 rubber. He likes to relax inside his truck by playing a little PS2 and listening to the game scores through a JL 500 amp and sub combo and Fosgate 5-1/4-inch door speakers and 6x9-inch speakers. The items in his bed remain theft-proof, thanks to a Checkmate performance bedcover. Stephen intends on going all out and is currently in the process of a full shave job; he just received his billet grille but is still waiting on the roll pan. He also plans on doing the ultimate mini-trucker's civic duty by body dropping his ride and then dragging rocker to all the East Coast shows. We're sure we'll see you there, Steve.
Father And SonThe reason most mini-truckers love trucks is for one of two reasons: friends or what you've been taught. Perhaps your buddies all have trucks and you're damn tired of them throwing reflectors all over your ride, so you have to get them back. Or, in Ken Cassidy Jr.'s case, your father has taken the time to show you what a good father should - how to build one trick truck! The Cassidy truck is an '87 Chevy S-10 and hosts some heavy engine mods, starting with a GM crate small-block that puts out 330 hp and nearly the same amount of torque. The engine sports Headman headers, a Holley carburetor, an Edelbrock intake manifold, and a dual exhaust. The father and son team has also reworked the exterior by molding in all-steel ground effects, molding the roll pan, shaving the tailgate handle, and adding clear corner lenses and euro taillights. Then, the S-10 was painted jet black to match the truck's limo tint. This black beauty rolls on 18-inch chrome Polo rims and sports Toyo 225/45R/18 rubber. The interior brandishes Auto Meter gauges, an Eclipse deck, a 300-watt amp, and various carbon-fiber accessories. Eventually, after the duo 'bag the S-10, suicide the doors, install caddy lights in the rear, and finish the interior, Ken is hoping for an MT feature - or even the cover. Well, Ken, keep up the good work and keep us posted because you never know what the future may hold.
Clean 2 The XtremeMr. Jeff Strumski is the owner of this fine bright-red Chevy Xtreme. He's been slowly building up his truck as funds permit; we've all been there - and most of us will always be there. You know what I'm talking about: the point where you have to choose between taking your girlfriend to the movies or buying a billet steering wheel. Well, Jeff decided to forgo the movies so he could sport clear corners, euros, a custom exhaust, homemade 2-inch lowering blocks, custom paint throughout the interior, tinted windows, cat-eye foglights, and a custom Chevy Bow Tie third brake light. He did, however, reach a bargain with his girlfriend: If she agreed to make him seat covers and floor mats, he would take her out. Future plans are to shave his ride and install air ride all the way around. Good luck, Jeff, on deciding between your truck and girl.
OopsIt seems we made a mistake, and a pretty big one at that. Dejan is actually a man's name, and we previously put his ride into this very column and mistook the name Dejan to be a female's name. Sorry about that, Dejan. But now that we've cleared that up, Dejan gets to be in our mag twice, so we'll bet he isn't all that upset. Since the last time his truck was in our Ridin' Around section, Dejan has done a few more things to it that we'd like to mention. The rear suspension now hosts an air-ride setup with a four-link and C-notch to get it on the ground. The front suspension setup uses 3-inch I-beams and springs. Dejan also installed custom sounds by slapping a pair of JL Audio 10-inch subs into the cab and powering it with a Clarion 2-channel amp. He's updated the frontend as well, with a Godfather Customs air dam. Sorry again, Dejan. Look on the bright side: If we keep blowing it, you'll slowly gain an incremental full feature.
Rollin' South CarolinaMichael Hitt has owned this fine display of a first-generation S-10 since 1999. During this time, he's rolled with a club called Hammered Down. That name is pretty fitting, since Mike hammered his S-dime down by installing a full air-ride suspension setup using Parker valves and two 3-gallon air tanks. The shiny chrome rollers are 18-inch Gainelle Twins wrapped with 215/35R/18 Nakanos. The front end sports a triple-plated chrome bumper, Crystal diamond headlights, a phantom billet grille, and clear corners. Out back, Mike installed euro taillights and a flush-mounted tonneau cover.
Mike describes his Blazer seats as "big pimpin' crushed velvet," and we are going have to second that. The interior also sports some chrome goodies throughout, along with a bumping system. A JL audio subwoofer works with 4x9-inch midrange and 4-inch high-range speakers and receives power from an MTX amp for some serious tunes. Under the hood, a K&N air filter made specifically for the 4.3L improves inhalation and uses a Flowmaster exhaust to exhale. Michael says the truck will be done when the money flows more freely or when hell freezes over -whichever comes first.