A few years ago, we met an extremely zealous mini-trucker who had just begun to paint trucks for a living. Soon afterwards, he was all about getting us to see his S-10 closed bed up close and personal at Indy Truck Bash that year. We ended up shooting a cover feature on the truck and since then, he's become a force to be reckoned with in the Midwest. This month, we present to you the most recent creation from Dustin Haven at KolorKreations in Scottsburg, Indiana. We're sure you'll flip out when you see just how insane Haven's Toyota has become in less than two years of total build time.
MT: Would you catch everyone up on the appearances your paintwork has made in MT?
Dustin Haven: There were the graphics on Todd Wilt's hydraulic dancing Toyota that I did, then I designed and painted the graphics on his brother's Tacoma (both were painted at Bewley's -- I have to give my buddy Carey some props), then there's my '88 S-10, which was painted before I worked at Bewley's and got me that job. Finally, we're up to my Suicidal Toy, which was done on my own.
MT: Your first truck was called Beyond Immaculate, which detailed the high quality of your old S-10 and alluded to the name of your club, Immaculate Collection. How's the club doing these days?
Dustin Haven: We're doing really well and we're getting bigger every summer. We have 20 members now and the quality is very high. I consider myself lucky, though; it's all up to me on who gets in because I'm the president of Immaculate.
MT: I've always held your club in pretty high regard. All I've ever seen in Immaculate are high-quality people with high-quality rides throughout.
Dustin Haven: Thanks, man, that means a lot coming from you. I try to keep the club laid back with no BS -- just nice rides and cool people. We'll be huge with time; the reputation of the club is more important than anything.
MT: We try to do the same with our club, but size isn't important to me; I have too much to do day-to-day. So, how long have your been out from under the trappings of other body shops? For the longest time you were overshadowed by whatever shop's vehicle you were working on at the time. That's probably why most people wouldn't realize that you've painted so many of our past cover trucks.
Dustin Haven: I've been on my own for two years with my custom painting business, Dustin Haven KolorKreations, in Scottsburg (www.kolorkreations.com). I painted for Bewley's Body Werks in Indianapolis for about two and a half years before I went out on my own. I painted graphics on my first vehicle, a slammed '85 S-10 Blazer, at the age of 15, and I'm 26 now.
MT: So, is there anything about your ride that you'd like to go on record about?
Dustin Haven: I bought the truck from a buddy of mine named Chad Walkup who had already started the project and lost interest in it to a Honda (pulleez). It was already body dropped and 'bagged, but the body was in real bad condition with no interior or any mods performed on it. I bought it with out seeing it in person first and when Joe Mattes delivered it, it was in worse shape than I had thought. It probably should have been dropped off at the salvage yard instead of my shop. After almost two years of working on it between customer's vehicles, it finally came to become what it is today with countless hours of time and money spent on the project. I'm so glad to have it finished; now I can start on another project. Just kidding, Jennifer. Well, sort of. The next vehicle I build will be done in less time, though. No more frame-off buildups for a good while.
MT: Is there anyone who was instrumental in building your Toyota that you'd like to give a shout-out to?
Dustin Haven: I like to give a special thanks to my fiancee Jennifer, aka the chick on the cover for putting up with me during the buildup of the truck. My club Immaculate Collection --you're all like family to me. To my parents Rick and Kay Haven, and my parents-to-be, Steve and Sherry Fletcher; to the crew at Steve's Body Shop (Rick, Steve and Slick). Jim at Heroes Custom Car Care, Brian at Cool Cars, Keith and Lee at K&L Customs, Steve Nielsen and the Alter Images crew, and finally to a few of my buddies that helped during the buildup of Suicidal Toy, including my brother Brandon Haven, Jeremy Walton, Brian Buckel, Mike Gross, Eric Hazelwood, and Ed at The Blast Shop. Of course, I can't forget you guys at Mini Truckin' -- thanks for all of your help.
MT: Is there anything you'd like to add to tie everything up and let our readers check out your killer truck?
Dustin Haven: Absolutely. I'd like to dedicate my cover and feature to the memory of Trevor Crockett, a member of Immaculate and a dear friend of mine, as well as to Bobby Suiters from Latest Craze; both were avid enthusiasts in mini-truckin', and both will be missed dearly.
MT: That's awesome, Dustin. Thanks for taking the time to help us get this all down on paper for prosperity.
Dustin Haven: No problem, man, I enjoyed it all.