Owner: Shawn Haakenson
Ride: 1993 Mazda B2600i
Hometown: Jamestown, ND
Club: Severed Ties
Cruising around in any type of heavily modified automobile definitely has its rewards, such as loads of positive attention and thumbs up from passing commuters who confirm a job well done.
On the flip side, driving the only 'bagged, custom-painted minitruck in a small town is sure to set off the red flags to local 5-O looking to lighten their load a few citation slips at a time.
For Shawn Haakenson, or "Geoffrey" as his friends call him after the loveable Toys 'R Us spokes-giraffe (we'll explain why a little later), being pulled over and ticketed for minor infractions such as rolling on a modified suspension, tinted windows, not having a rear bumper, blah, blah, blah, was a constant nuisance. If you name it, Shawn has probably been slapped on the wrist for it at one time or another while driving his misfit of a Mazda around the mean streets of Jamestown, North Dakota. Luckily, as Shawn's little B-2600i that he'd purchased from Kyle Bertsch back in 2004 started showing real signs of evolving into a legitimate showpiece, the fuzz stated giving him a break. Oh, they continued to pull him over, but now they just wanted to take a closer look at the truck that they had once blacklisted and penalized for being "different."
Now that Shawn is finally finished on the buildup of his first full-blown custom, he's had a chance to reflect on the positives and the things he wished he'd done differently along the way. "The best part about finally being done with my truck is being able to enjoy and show it, and also seeing ex-girlfriends break their necks as I drive by. They should've stuck around, I guess."
As for the negatives, Shawn told us, "Being harassed by the cops and breaking things from dragging too much were the worst parts during the five-year build. Also, I would've opted for a bodydrop and even gone as far as cutting a hole in the roof for my head to stick out. I get a lot of crap for not being bodydropped, but being 6'5" (hence the Geoffrey the Giraffe moniker), it makes it tough to fit inside a mini in the first place."
Now that Shawn's truck is somewhat hater-proof, at least for the moment anyway, we wish him congrats for completing his first feature truck. Hopefully John Q. Law will let him get his minitruckin' on in peace now.
For more information on Shawn's mini misdemeanor machine, check out the Lowdown.
Lowdown
Rolling Attire
Wheels: 18x8.5 Intro Vista II six-lug
Tires: 215/35ZR18 Falken
Chassis Modifications
Suspension (front): Slam Specialties RE6 'bags, 2-inch Chassis Tech drop spindles
Suspension (rear): Four-link with over-the-axle Slam RE8 'bags
Compressors: Two Viair 380s
Air Accessories: 8-gallon tank, eight 1/2-inch valves
Frame Mods: C-notch
Misc.: Entire frame sprayed with undercoating
Performed By: Kyle Bertsch
Body Modifications
Shaved: Door handles, locks, emblems, hood pissers, cowl vents, mirrors, antenna, and gas filler door
Body Mods: 4x4 sheetmetal, inside of bed is tubbed, smooth sheetmetal floor and sides, gas filler door moved to bedfloor that was sprayed with bedliner, and frenched clear '59 Cadillac taillights
Bolt-ons: Billet grille and Kuryakyn mirrors
Misc.: Cali combo
Performed By: Brian Schwartz and owner
Paint
Brand & Colors: House of Kolor Lime Time Green, Sunset Pearl Orange, silver/white pearl
Misc.: Red "slash"-style pinstriping, hand-striped on both sides of orange stripe and into the jambs
Performed By: Brian Schwartz and AJ Renner
Interior
Seats: Stock with chopped headrests
Dash: All sheetmetal wrapped in vinyl with a suede gauge cluster insert
Gauges: Auto Meter "Old Tyme"
Misc.: Hot-rod style done in charcoal vinyl and suede, formed custom headliner, custom-built center console, and smooth door panels with handbuilt armrests
Performed By: Larson's Creative Concepts
Stereo
Head Unit: JVC KW-ADV793
Mids & Highs: Memphis M-class 6.5-inch
Subwoofers: Four 10-inch Kenwood KFC-w2512
Amplifiers: Kenwood KAC-7205 and Kenwood KAC-9105D
Misc.: Entire cab of truck is covered in Stinger Roadkill; fiberglass sub enclosure, fiberglass kick panels, and amp racks
Performed By: Owner and Farrell Hodges
Engine/Performance
Engine: 2.6L fuel-injected
Intake: Cold-air
Header/Exhaust: MagnaFlow
Detail Work: Tubbed wheelwells and hidden wiring
Performed By: Owner and Brian Schwartz
Special Thanks From Owner
"I want to thank my mom and sisters for putting up with my addiction and supporting it, my dad who was my inspiration, Kyle Bertsch, A.J. Renner, Brian Schwartz, and Farrell Hodges for all the help and time put into the truck, Tony and Amber Elhard of Wire Worx, Dale Hill, John Larson from Larson's Creative Concepts for the interior work, Corey, Trevor, Jamie, Brett, Steve, Adam, Rory, Grant, Gavin, Sosa, my club Severed Ties, and anyone else I forgot to mention that has helped along the way. Thank you!"