Owner: Quincy Johnson
Ride: '96 Toyota Tacoma
Hometown: Missouri City, Texas
Usually there are stories of hardship, arguments, and random, freak occurrences when building a mini. That's not the case, however, with Quincy Johnson and his oh-so-cool '96 Toyota Tacoma. If building a mini is as easy to build as he claims, we are moving to Missouri City, Texas, to try our own luck.
The hardest part of Quincy's build was trying to find an artist to spray his truck with some personality. The Tacoma had already been shaved smooth and basecoated with DuPont Chroma Base Meritime Blue by Voodoo Customs; it just needed that extra flair. After countless talks with upwards of five or six painters and no luck, a name was referred - Patrick Reid. If you recognize this name, then it's because he owns the Mini Truckin' cover vehicle from our Sept. '05 issue. If anyone knows Patrick, you know he's not hurting for ideas or personality.
Quincy and Patrick sat down at dinner and sketched-out some ideas and ate some fries. After a few Picasso-inspired visions, Quincy approved of the seasoning that would soon spice up his ride. Just weeks later, Patrick made the trip to do the graphics on location (Nice! We've never heard of a mobile graphic specialist). Once Patrick started throwing down the hammer, he didn't stop until the Tacoma was covered from tip to toe.
The only other aspect of Quincy's truck that had to be rethought was the color-matched bedliner, which soon faded to nothingness. We know what everyone is thinking, "Oh my god, how will he finish it now?" Wait - it's finished! The bedliner was redone and away into the sunset Quincy cruises, tearing up pavement and breaking necks.
Since Quincy's Tacoma involved no mental anguish, we know we have plenty more to see from him in the future. As we speak, Quincy is finishing up his other ride, which is said to be a show-stopper. We're sure we'll see Quincy's new project in no time, pending there aren't any brick walls installed in front of his garage.
The Lowdown
Rolling Attire
Wheels: Niche Rhine
Size: 18x7.5-inch
Tires: Kumho 711 225/40ZR18
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Airbags
Airbag/cylinder type and size: Firestone 2,600-pound airbags
Control arms: 2-inch dropped control arms, flipped ball joints
Rear suspension: Reverse four-link
Shocks: Nitro
Valves: 1/2-inch SMC
Compressors: Viair 450
Air line: 1/2-inch copper
Air accessories: 9-gallon air tank
Frame mods: C-notch
Gas tank: Relocated stock tank
Brakes: Slotted front rotors
Misc: Air Ride Technologies switches, custom-painted nitrogen bottles with graphics
Performed by: Mississippi Rob of San Antonio
Body Modifications
Shaved: Door handles, hood squirters, front signal lights, and tailgate handle
Rear end: Tailgate molded shut
Taillights: '00 Toyota Tacoma
Misc: Bed floor raised 3 inches and smoothed out, rounded notch cover, rounded battery cover
Performed by: Voodoo Customs
Paint
Colors: DuPont Chroma Base Meritime Blue
Style: Graphics
Performed by: Base by Voodoo Customs, graphics by Pat Reid of San Leon, Texas
Interior
Seats: Stock
Material: Gray leather with blue ostrich
Dash: Smoothed and painted to match truck
Door panels: Painted to match truck with graphics and ostrich
Flooring: One-off dark-blue carpet
Headliner: Ostrich
Gauges: Viair dual needle gauges
Misc: Ostrich steering wheel cover
Performed by: Brian Hill of Austin
Stereo
Head unit: Alpine CDA-9835 CD/MP3
Mids and highs: Rockford Fosgate T602
Amplifier for highs/mids: Rockford Fosgate T5002
Subwoofers: two 12-inch Rockford Fosgate subs
Amplifier for subwoofers: Rockford Fosgate T5002
Wiring: Monster Cable
Custom fabrication: Flush head unit with plexi backing, fiberglass box that wraps into fiberglass floating center console
Performed by: Insane Autowerx of San Antonio
Engine/Performance
Intake: Cold air
Battery: Dual Optima Red Tops
Performed by: Owner
Special Thanks
Lisa Durki, Santos & Jackie Ramos, JJ Platov, Freddie Williams, Mississippi Rob, Pat Reid, Brian Hill