What happens when you take an '87 Mazda, drop it to the rockers on big wheels, mate it with a Honda Civic interior, unibody the cab and bed, and paint it one badass color? Well, you're featured, of course! But that's not all that's in store for this mini. As you can see from the pictures on these pages, this is definitely not your run of the mill Mazdawg, it's a Sick Mazic. A what? You read right, and it had us scratching our heads for a moment, too.
It all started out like many of our own tales. Travis Cox pulled out his bank statement in August 2001 and realized he only had $3,000 for the buildup of his Mazda. He did what many of us do and began cutting up his truck himself. With the help of his friend Larry Brown, he installed 2-inch dropped lower control arms by Chassis Tech and 'bagged the front using Firestone 2,500-pound bags. Out back, Larry and Travis opted for a two-link setup, rather than a standard four-link, built from 2-inch square tubing. Then they installed Firestone 26s in the rear. Travis and Larry proceeded to lower it another 2-1/2 inches after it was laying frame by body dropping its rockers. The wheel and tire combination that sets this truck off consists of some nice 18-inch Boyd Coddington wheels with Nitto low-profile rubber.
Now we dig into the magic that makes this the Sick Mazic. Travis ditched his old interior and used the dash and the bucket seats from a '98 Civic to update his interior and give it that extra touch that puts him one step up on the competition. He then wrapped every piece of interior that he could find with gray and black tweed and laid down dark-gray carpeting. Rolling down the road, Travis bumps his Panasonic head unit feeding JL coaxials, but it still doesn't keep him from noticing the heads of pedestrians snapping toward him as they turn to see him drag rocker down the street.
As for the smooth-looking body, the bodywork and paint credits go to David Waldrop. He turned this once standard cab Mazda into a unibody and then continued to smooth everything else out. David ditched the tailgate handle, the taillights, the gas door, the door handles, the squirters, molded the rear shut, and shaved those ever-popular B-pillars. Then Cadillac lights were molded into a fold-up panel from the bed so that the smooth look went undisturbed by taillights. Then, when all was perfect, the truck received a House of Kolors' Sunset Pearl makeover. Travis would like to note that the only shop this truck went to was Waldrop's paint shop.
The first day Travis was able to reap the benefits of all his hard work was on June 27, 2002, when he drove it to the Mini Truckin' Nationals. It also happened to be the day before our photo shoot. He sure cut it close, but 10 months of toil really paid off. Travis would like to thank everyone he knows, especially Larry Brown, Mike Bell, John Greene, Vendy Atkins, and, of course, his wife Beverly.
Owner: Travis Cox
Ride: '87 Mazda B2200
Location: Boiling Springs, South Carolina
Club: Outkast Kustoms
The Low Down
Wheels And Tires 18x7-inch Boyd Coddington billet wheels / Nitto 215/35ZR18
Suspension 2-inch Chassis Tech drop arms / 2,500-pound front, 2,600-pound rear Firestone airbags / two-link rear suspension / bottle-fed air suspension system with regulator
Body Mods Unibody molding / shaved tailgate handle / shaved taillights / shaved fuel filler door / shaved door handles / smoothed B-pillars / shaved emblems / clear corner lenses, bumper lenses
Paint Sprayed by David Waldrop / House of Kolors' Sunset Pearl
Interior And Stereo All upholstery work by owner / '98 Civic dash and bucket seats / Black and gray tweed upholstery / dark-gray carpeting / custom graphic upholstery in door panels
Engine Stock '87 B2200 four-cylinder engine / dressed for show / fuel cell mounted under bed keeps Travis from having to use Zest soap to fix drag holes