Hardly a stranger to customizing, Dennis Phillips of Stonewall, Mississippi, found it necessary to continue his wild hobby even after he'd built several other customs, including a pair of Mustangs, an IROC, and an old F-150 truck. When it came time to find the next perfect project, he stumbled across this '94 Mazda B2300. With a solid track record behind him, it wasn't long before Dennis began tearing into the truck to make it his own. This time around, though, he wanted to build a truck that was clean yet could place at any of the numerous shows it would attend. And because Dennis is an automotive painter by trade, it was very easy for him to make an eye-popping, show-winning masterpiece using his own talents. Sit back and enjoy the wonderful spectacle that Dennis has created with the help of his boss Dennis Rolison, Sean Norcross, and his fiance Amanda Smith.
Owner: Dennis Phillips
Ride: '94 Mazda B2300
Hometown: Stonewall, Missouri
Club Affiliation: Relaxed Atmosphere
The Lowdown
Wheels/Tires 18x8-inch Billet Specialties wheels were served up for the front with 225/40R18 Falken rubber, and 20x8-inch Billet Specialties are stuffed underneath the rear with 255/35R20 Falken rubber.
Chassis/Suspension When Dennis decided to tackle the suspension system on his ride, he asked his father for help. They started by replacing the front springs with a set of Firestone airbags and a set of Toxic shocks to help smooth out the ride. Moving to the rear, they decided to remove the factory leaf springs and replace them with a custom Z-link setup and aluminum link bars. Again, they used a set of Firestone airbags in the rear with Toxic shocks for the ultimate ride.
Body Mods Dennis is comfortable with bodywork, so he jumped right in and performed all of the needed body massage. He started by removing just about all of the factory annoyances, such as the door handles, the tailgate handle, the antenna, and the emblems. To give the outside of the truck an even more custom appearance, he opted for a Ford Ranger Splash bed to which he molded a roll pan for a smooth look. Next, he added a Cervinis cowl-induction hood made of fiberglass to give the front of the Mazda an aggressive appeal. To let the sunshine in while driving, Dennis decided to install a sunroof. Also added for a little custom touch were pieces from a Chevy fullsize billet grille, which he used to make his own grille inserts.
Custom Paint Once again, this was another obstacle Dennis tackled himself. He decided to use a GM Blue as the basecoast, and then he followed that up with tribal flame graphics in Corvette Yellow.
Engine/Drivetrain Dennis decided to keep the stock four-cylinder engine and add numerous eye-catching, bright-yellow accessories.
Interior Taylor's Upholstery in Vossburg, Mississippi, was called in to make the necessary changes to the Mazda's interior. The stocks seats were reupholstered in dark-gray tweed with bright-yellow vinyl inserts. The door panels have also been covered in dark-gray tweed, and there are some raised tribal flame patterns in the doors. Dennis added his own custom painter's touch to the door panels by carrying the graphics into the doors. The dash has been covered in gray tweed with the addition of some very cool yellow painted accessories. Taylor's also whipped up a custom center console to house the truck's airbag controls and a Sony PlayStation. After the center console was made, it was brought to Dennis so that he could spray the yellow basecoat and blue tribal graphics, thereby carrying the paint scheme into the truck. One of the last things Dennis added to the interior was the ultra-shiny Budnik Mercury steering wheel.
Stereo Sean Norcross of Meridian, Mississippi, was called in for duty to hook this ride up with a bumpin' stereo system. He installed a full Alpine audio/video sound system in this truck, which includes a PlayStation console to give Dennis and his passengers entertainment on those long road trips to various shows.
Special Thanks To Dennis Rolison, Sean Norcross, and Dennis' fiance Amanda Smith.