Owner: Jim Voit Ride: '96...
Owner: Jim Voit
Ride: '96 Nissan Hardbody
Hometown: Tyler, Texas
Club Affiliation: Relaxed Atmosphere
During the summer of 2000, Jim Voit was like most other mini-truckers that were planning on attending Texas Heatwave. Plans were set to roll with his club, Relaxed Atmosphere, reservations were made, and prior to making the trip from his home in Tyler, Texas, he trimmed his mini's wheelwells to gain a little extra clearance for the 18-inch rims and tires that he installed. Then disaster struck.
One of the ignition wires in the truck's wiring harness was cut in half by the jagged wheelwell, and Jim ended up missing the show with a truck that looked beautiful but did not run. Ouch! What a let down. There's nothing like working your butt off to achieve a goal only to be tripped up a few feet from the finish line to make you want to commit hari kari. Jim was probably seeing red that day, for more than one reason. We wonder if that was the day he decided to name his truck Diablo?
When we caught up with Jim at Greenville, he was both relieved and surprised at our offer to photograph his mini for the magazine. We couldn't resist shooting the clean street mini with the bright PPG Aztec Red paint, the smooth exterior, and the fly billet rollers. His stories about the trials of building his ideal mini-truck only served to sweeten the pot by giving us a truck that not only looked cool but was an interesting subject as well. It's a theme that we can all relate to.
At some point, everyone has had their heart set on bringing their ride out to a special show, only to have their dream cut down by a blown 'bag, a lack of brakes, or a truck that just won't run.
The Lowdown
Chassis/Suspension: Ekstensive Metalworks 'bagged the front of Diablo using Firestone 'bags and Belltech 2-inch drop spindles. They also two-linked the rear suspension and installed another pair of Firestone airbags for the ultimate in adjustability.
Wheels/Tires: A set of 18x7-inch Boyd Coddington Timeless 6 rims have a 5.5-inch backspacing and are wrapped in P225/35ZR18 Pirelli tires.
Body Mods: Andy Woods installed a set of 4wd front fenders and a Trenz phantom billet grille. Behind the grille lies a pair of lowrider lazy-eyes headlights. Everything from the bumper rearward is shaved, including the windshield squirter nozzles, the door handles, the front corner lamps, the third brake light, the taillights, and the tailgate handle. LEDs took over the job of illuminating the rear of the truck after the stock taillights disappeared.
Custom Paint: Aztec Red paint by PPG was skillfully sprayed, covering the bodywork and giving Diablo its menacing look.
Interior: Wallace Upholstery installed a pair of Acura Integra bucket seats in place of the stock bench and covered them in luxurious leather material. It also covered the custom center console that houses the air-suspension controls in a billet panel.
Audio System: A Pioneer head unit sends signals to Rockford Fosgate amplifiers, which pump power to Fosgate subwoofers in a sealed enclosure mounted behind the seats. Polk Audio mids and tweets reside in the doors and cover the rest of the audio spectrum that the subs leave out. Wiring for the system comes from Stinger Electronics.
Engine: The engine compartment is all about being sano and clean. A polished billet air-intake system and a Red Top Optima battery are the only mods, but you could eat off of the rest of the stock motor.
Owner's Quote "This truck is my one and only love. It doesn't talk back and is always there for me. I'd like to thank Andy Woods, RA, James Frizzell of Crazy Dick's, and Ekstensive Metalworks."