OWNER: Robby Hohlt RIDE: 2002...
OWNER: Robby Hohlt
RIDE: 2002 Chevy Blazer
LOCATION: Indianapolis, IN
CLUB: Severed Ties Petition
"Hey man, let's lay my truck out on 22s". That seems to be one of those famous last statements when someone starts off a nice simple project that they want to drive.
Even though there might be every intention to stick to a simple plan, once the cutting and welding begins the "might as well" motto also known as the "minitruckin' snowball effect" comes into play.
That's exactly what happened to Robby Hohlt from Indianapolis, Indiana, when he tore into his two-door 2002 Blazer Xtreme pictured here. Although there are no remnants of the "Xtreme" Blazer that Chevy had in mind when it rolled off the showroom floor-body kit included. The truck started out as Robby's first new vehicle after college and was quickly bagged on 20s, but not to fully lay it out. Just like any good minitruck build, it never stops there. After attending a few shows with this set up, it was time to lose the body kit and make it lay out on 22s. This is when he hooked up with Tony Neumann to handle the new upgrades. Every time these two got together, another modification would quickly get added to the list and soon started the "might as well" motto.
This simple 'bag redo turned into a full body drop.Next on the list of upgrades came when the duo decided to up the game and stuff 22s in the front and 24s in the rear. Throughout the build time, Robby and Tony spent a lot of time together and eventually went from a business relationship to good friends, like many shop owners and customers do.
The next thing to tend to came in the way of a front suspension upgrade. Having trouble with positive camber up front didn't allow the Blazer to lay out with such big wheels, so Jason from Suicidedoors.com joined the build by sending out one of his first sets of control arms to cure the camber issue. Thinking things were going smoothly, it seemed only a matter of time before the next problem would rear its ugly head. And sure enough, just as the truck was ready to come off of the jackstands and test out the suspension, the truck tipped and almost went on its side. Good thing Tony's wife was around and could come to the rescue. See guys, it's good to have your wives around the shop just in case. Thank God nothing happened and they could get on with the build in one piece. Now Tony was able to give the truck a twice over to make sure everything was up to his high standards, and then it was off to the paint shop for a good coat of the shiny stuff.
When the painter was done laying his final coats, it was time for the tedious task of reassembly. Everything was dialed in and detailed to the tilt, ready to debut at its first show. The first big show Robby took his Blazer to was the very spot these photos were taken. The smell of suede and paint lingered in the air around the Blazer like cheap cologne because it was that fresh. Not only did this immaculate two-door catch our attention, but it had all the showgoers drooling all weekend long. It was a good thing all of the photos were taken at the show because four days after the cover shoot, Robby's dad smacked the side of his showpiece while getting the lawn mower out of the garage, which called for some minor repair before it would be show worthy again. Dang, cover shoots really ARE cursed!
This is one of those builds that shows what real minitruckers are all about. When a shop owner can turn a customer into one of their best friends, you know that it's going to work out for good. Even though this build took two and a half years to complete due to the usual set backs, Tony made sure that everything was done right, which wound up paying off in the end with more than just a cover truck; lifelong friendships were forged in metal in true minitrucker fashion.