On my final trip to Japan as the Associate Editor for MT magazine, I had the opportunity to shoot several of Japan's coolest trucks. No matter how many trucks we had seen before in Japan, it seems on each trip we found cooler and cooler trucks. The truck that stood out to me the most at this year's shoot had to be Hayato's Datsun Unibody.
OWNER: Hayato Muramatsu
RIDE: '79 Datsun 620
HOMETOWN: Akita, Japan
No matter how long you stare at it, you simply won't find any flaws with Hayato's Datsun. The bodywork on the truck is amazing. Every body line was smooth as could be. Every mod was subtle enough to be almost unnoticeable, which seems to be the favorite type of mods amongst the Japanese minitruckers. Hayato is definitely not new to the scene. He's been into trucks for more than 10 years and has been building his 620 the entire time. No detail was spared on this truck.
The color on this truck is phenomenal. If you look closely at the truck, you'll notice it's actually green. This was one of the most challenging shoots I did while at Mini Truckin'. I really had no control over the time of day or location, so working under these conditions made it a lot more interesting. One thing that helped was working with such perfection, as was the case with this smooth 620. Shooting this truck and trying to bring out the green was a hell of a time. But whether it came out black or green didn't matter with this truck, it's just so clean.
Hayato, who is a clothing designer, is excited to be in the pages of Mini Truckin' after all these years, and if his clothes are as cool as his truck, we can only imagine we'll be seeing more from him in the future.
The Lowdown
Rolling Attire
Wheels (Front/Rear): Eagle 17x8 inches
Tires (Front/Rear): 235/40R17
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Air
Airbag type and size: (Front/Rear): Firestone
Spindles/springs: Monoleafed with airbags
Shocks: Toxics
Valves: 1/2 inch
Compressors: Two Viairs
Air line: 1/2 inch
Air accessories: 8-gallon aluminum tank
Frame mods: Step notch
Performed by: T-Craft
City/state: Morioka, Iwate, Japan
Body Modifications
Shaved: Keyhole on left door, all emblems and moldings, gas door, windshield wipers, tailgate, side markers, and side mirrors
Body-dropped: 2.5-inches
Front end: Front fenders, and hood have been extended 3/8 inch
Misc.: Bumpers smoothed and rechromed, unibodied
Performed by: T-Craft
City/state: Morioka, Iwate, Japan
Paint
Brand and colors: Japan Paint, "Dope" series, black-greenbased
Style: Custom-mixed by painter, solid color
Performed by: T-Craft
City/state: Morioka, Iwate, Japan
Interior
Seats: Stock, modified to sit lower
Material: Leather and suede
Dash: Repainted black
Stereo
Head unit: Alpine
Mids and highs: Rockford Fosgate
Amplifier for mids and highs: Boyds
Engine/Performance
Detail work: Painted valve cover, K&N air filter, and polished parts
Misc.: Dual electric cooling fans
Performed by: T-Craft
City/state: Morioka, Iwate, Japan
Special Thanks By Owner:
Mr. and Mrs. Kumagai at Accessory Shop Funny Cas for their help and introducing me to T-Craft, Mr. Fujiwara at T-Craft, Mr. Sakata at Hot Art, and everyone else who helped with my dream truck.