Owner: Eric Gump Ride: ...
Owner: Eric Gump
Ride: '00 Toyota Tacoma Stepside
Hometown: Spokane
Club Affiliation: Visions
Eric Gump is one of the many die-hard mini-truckers who take up residence in the Pacific Northwest. An inhabitant of Spokane, Eric spends most of his free time going to custom-truck shows and cleaning the rain off of his '00 Toyota Tacoma Stepside. Eric has been addicted to the mini-truckin' lifestyle since the first day he saw a mini laid out on the ground. A few years later, he decided that he'd build his own version of a custom truck to turn the vision he pictured in his mind into a reality.
The first thing that had to be taken care of was the nosebleed height that all stock trucks possess. To remedy this situation, Matt Brown cut out the front suspension and built custom 'bag mounts to give the pair of Firestone 2,500-pound 'bags a cozy home safe from harm. After relocating the T-100 rear shocks up front, the rear suspension was made adjustable using a chrome TCI four-link and another pair of Firestones. T-100 rear shocks were also used in the rear to smooth out the ride. With a brand-new set of 17x7-inch MSR wheels and the Taco' aired out on the ground, Eric's truck was that much closer to becoming the mini-truck he was after.
The fresh frame-laying stance gave Eric the confidence to roll the streets of Spokane unashamed as he plotted the next phase of the buildup. Eric decided to go the whole nine yards and paint his truck, along with redoing the entire interior. However, before painting the Tacoma with the PPG Lamborghini Violet and Lunar Mist two-tone, the truck received the royal shave treatment. Everything from the door handles to the gas door and taillights was stripped and shaved smooth. To complement the truck's smooth appearance, a custom roll pan with AI tribal lights was welded in place before the final bodywork and paint was finished. After the truck's exterior was completely remade to match Eric's ultimate vision, it was time to do the same thing to the interior.
Jason from Bitchin' Stitchin' was the man for the job when it came to redoing the interior. He yanked out the dash, the stock seats, and the rest of the interior, and went to town. The dash was wrapped in tweed, and the insert pieces were smoothed and painted to match. The stock bench was rebuilt as a 60/40 and wrapped with a tweed and leather combination. The headliner received the same tweed, and the gray carpet kept the color scheme flowing. To keep Eric company on all the road trips he makes to mini-truck shows, an Alpine CD player paired with a set of MTX door speakers spit out the tunes. Once the interior was wrapped up, Eric was ready to hit his first show with his completed ride. He took Third Place at Drop Zone in Oregon with his incarnation and hasn't slowed down since. Check out the Lowdown for the vitals.
Special Thanks:
Eric's wife Brandy for her support throughout the entire buildup / all his close friends who helped out / Visions / Jason Knauft / Tom Jacobs / Todd Stewart