Owner: Jeff Lewis
Ride: '93 Isuzu
Hometown: Sevierville, TN
Club: Relaxed Atmosphere
Dreams are the one universal thing that we can all relate to. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for equality, Tom Cruise has dreams of an alien spacecraft, lead by an intergalactic ruler named Xenu; but Jeff Lewis, well, he had a dream of a body-dropped Isuzu. The dream came just after he had acquired the truck. As he laid down that night, his mind started to wander into a deep sleep, where Jeff found himself sitting on the tailgate of a truck, swinging his feet back and forth, and talking about a project with a familiar face-Bob Grant. As they sat there, pitching ideas off of each other and looking at the truck, both of them kept referring to the single cab Isuzu as "Isabella." When Jeff woke up and cleared the sleep from his eyes, he had a name for his truck, as well as a few new ideas.
The Isuzu was taken to Twist of Cain where Jeff, Ed, and a close group of friends created a full frame that cradles the 327-cid small-block, the cantilever rear suspension, as well as the two Kinetik batteries. Grant Kustoms provided a one-off front bumper, rear combo skin, and a new rear cab wall that allows the body line to flow all the way around the cab. Inside the cab, the stock dash was ditched and a '59 Impala dash was sectioned to fit.
When it came to finish the work and paint it, Jeff only trusted one shop: Keef's Rod and Customs in Sallis, Mississippi. John and the crew worked diligently to prep the truck, ensuring that every panel and line on the Isuzu was straight. Once it was prepped, it was sprayed with Matrix Rootbeer Candy base, as well as Matrix Tarnished Silver inside the bed and cab. A simulated stainless trim was laid down with engine turned silver leaf.
The interior work was completed by David Corn at Pro Stitch. He used a combination of dark brown ostrich, suede, and tan leather over the bench seat, headliner, and the floor to create a hot-rod flow inside.
Jeff's dream couldn't have been completed without the help of many friends, sponsors, and positive feedback from the minitruckin' community. His truck should serve as a constant reminder that dreams don't have to be as serious as equality, or as stupid as Tom Cruise; sometimes they can just be about a super-clean minitruck.
The Lowdown
Rolling Attire
Wheels (Front/Rear): 20 Rozzi Peel
Tires (Front/Rear): 225/35-20 Nankang
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Air
Suspension (Front): Speedway Motor upper and lower control arms (Rear): Suicide Doors Super Pivot
Airbag/cylinder type and size: (Front/Rear): 2,500-pounds Air Lift Dominators
Control arms: Speedway Motor Circle Track arms
Valves: SMC
Compressors: Two Air-Zeniths
Air line: 1/2-inch
Frame mods: Full frame
Frame material: 2x3-inch steel
Gas tank: Fuel cell
Brakes: Disc conversion by John Yokam
Body Modifications
Shaved: Handles, taillights, and Grant Kustoms combo skin
Body-dropped: 5 inches
Sectioned: 1.5 inches off the rockers
Front end: Grant Kustoms one-off front bumper, Rodeo front sheetmetal
Back end: Sheetmetal open bed, cut to show the body line molded in back of cab
Taillights: Shaved
Doors: Top rounded to match doorjamb
Misc.: Grant Kustoms body line in rear cab wall
Performed by: Twist of Cain and owner's friends
City/state: Morristown, TN
Paint
Brand and colors: Matrix Rootbeer candy and Matrix Tarnished Silver
Style: Solid with silver accent
Airbrushing: Silver trim with silver leaf
Performed by: Keef's Rod and Custom
City/state: Durant, MS
Interior
Seats: Bench
Material: Ostrich, Ultra leather, and suede
Dash: '59 Impala dash
Door panels: One-off fiberglass, by Daniel Whalley at Greenhouse Customs
Flooring: Leather
Headliner: Ostrich, Ultra leather, and suede
Performed by: David Corn at Pro Stitch
Stereo
Head unit: iPod
Mids and highs: Rockford Fosgate
Amplifier for mids and highs: Rockford Fosgate
Custom fabrication: Speaker pods in fiberglass door panels
Performed by: Tony at Chromed Out Customs
City/state: Sevierville, TN
Engine/Performance
Displacement: Chevy 327-cid small-block
Number of cylinders: Eight
Transmission: TH350
Intake: Weiland
Header/exhaust: Chrome shorty-block headers
Driveshaft: Two-piece '78 Chevy C-10
Rearend type: Toyota
Battery: Two Kinetik HC 1400
Location: In bed
Performed by: Performance Machine
City/state: Pigeon Forge, TN
Special Thanks By Owner:
There is no way I could have completed this truck without the help of my sponsors and friends. I'd like to thank Brandon at Rozzi, Bob and Matt at Grant Kustoms, Jason and Ricky at Suicide Doors, Kris at AVS, Erik Harbour at Kinetik, Larry Smith and Bowman's Body Shop, Corey and Jeremy at Air Lift, Tony Syms at Chromed Out Customs, Paul at Air-Zenith, Keef at Keef's Rod and Custom, Daniel at Greenhouse for all their support. I'd like to thank God and all involved in the build, as well as Miranda my beautiful girlfriend, for all the crap she deals with; and my Mom and Dad. Thanks to Nubby for taking the blame for the flaws, as well as the great work; John Keith, Chris Baxter, N.C. Dave, John O'Neil, Oliver Porter, Mike Alexander, Jason Gore, Jason Fox, Eric Tate, Ricky Parton, Sean Tharp, David Corn, Corey Rosser, Jeremy Hart, Surfer Matt, Nick Crouch, Pops, Burt Reynolds' mustache, and my extended family and club members of Relaxed Atmosphere, and to all who I forgot to mention-sorry this is hard to do when it's crunch time.