OWNER: Scott Diemer
RIDE: '94 Toyota Pickup
LOCATION: Orlando, Florida
CLUB: Lifestyle Car Club
Everyone gets started in our hobby a little differently. Scott Diemer, from Orlando, Florida, manages a feed store. His introduction to the hobby came via a roommate who was into modified minitrucks. Scott liked the idea of rolling in his own custom ride, and he eventually decided to build one of his own. His choice of a Toyota was prompted by its unique style, and the vision he had was simple and clean. His '94 was purchased in 1995 as his first truck, although he has modified it several times since then. Most of the mods were done voluntarily, except for an instance back in 1998.
Just at the point when he had all of the cool customizing tricks in place, a traffic accident destroyed the rear end. So, who was responsible for the crash? The culpret turned out to be a one-arm man who had just been released from prison, three months before.
Unfortunately, Scott had to start all over again. He began by rebuilding the truck and working through a long, three-year argument with the insurance company. As you can see, he persisted and the payoff is a beautifully customized truck that anyone would be proud to drive.
During this rebuild, Matt Torgersen of The Shop, in Longwood, Florida, played a key role in the truck's ultra-clean look. He added the 4Runner 4x4 front end and side mirrors, then molded to the rear end, and installed Caddy taillights. The body was shaved clean of door handles, emblems, and the third brake light. Body-dropping the truck over 4 inches would mean a new hood was in their future, so Scott and Matt created a carbon-fiber version with extended body lines to clear the engine. A new Sprint tonneau added aerodynamics and protected the contents of the smoothed bed. In order to clear the chromed, triangulated four-link with Firestone 'bags, the bed floor was raised. Thomas compressors reside under the bed, and twin reserve tanks show through the bed floor.
For the exterior, Scott wanted to continue his simple and clean plan by choosing a custom single color. The paint is a custom- mixed shade of Metallic Aqua, also sprayed by Torgersen. Scott went with a set of 17-inch TSW VX1 wheels wrapped in Nitto NT 245/40ZR17 rubber to get his Toyota rolling in style. A stereo was the perfect finishing touch, accomplished by Installs by Mike, in Orlando, Florida. A Pioneer/Rockford Fosgate system was the sound of choice. Custom fiberglass pods held the four 8-inch subs behind the seats, along with the 5.25-inch mids in the doors and tweeters in the A-pillars.
The truck has not only been fun and a cool source of transportation, but it has also led to lifelong friendships with a great group of people. Scott has been a member of the Lifestyle Car Club in Orlando since 1995, and he considers the group as his extended family. He is the current club president and plans to enjoy both his truck and his close circle of friends for a long time to come.
This time around, he'll be watching out for the one-armed man!
THE LOWDOWN
Rolling Attire
Rims (Front/Rear): 17-inch Chrome TSW VX1
Tires (Front/Rear): 215/40 Nitto 450NT
Chassis Modifications
Suspension Type: Airbags
Rear Suspension: Tci Chrome Triangulated Four-Link
Airbag Type And Size: Front: 2,500lb.
Rear: 2,600lb.
Spindles/Springs: Modified Strut Bars With Heim Joint Ends
Air Accessories: Twin 5-Gallon Air Tanks, 1/2-Inch Lines, Mac Valves, Eight-Switch Box
Frame Mods: C-Notch, Tubular Gas Tank Mounts, And Drag Bar
Gas Tank: Stock Gas Tank Relocated
Performed By: Matt Torgersen, The Shop
City/State: Longwood, Florida
Body Modifications
Shaved: Handles, Antenna, Third Brake Light, Mirrors, Gas Door, And Rock Guards.
Body-Dropped: 4-1/4 Inches
Front End: Four-Runner, Billet Grille, Custom Carbon-Fiber Hood
Rear End: Molded In Fbi Roll Pan And Tail-Gate Skin Combination
Taillights: '95 Cadillac De Ville Taillights
Bed: Pass-Through From The Cab To The Bed, The Bed Is Boxed In And Smoothed With A Billet Gas Door In The Rear And Two 5-Gallon Air Tanks Showing Through The Bed. Rear 'Bag Setup Is Visible Below A Piano-Hinged Door. Compressors And ABattery Are Hidden Under A Removable Cover In The Rear Of The Bed
Performed By: Matt Torgersen, The Shop
City/State: Longwood, Florida
Paint
Brand And Color: Custom-Mixed Metallic Aqua
Style: Basecoat/Clearcoat, Single Color
Performed By: Matt Torgersen, The Shop
City/State: Longwood, Florida
Interior
Seats: '93 Toyota Celica
Material: Light-Gray Tweed
Dash: Wrapped In Light Gray Tweed
Door Panels: Custom-Made With Fiberglass Speaker Pods. Aftermarket Power Windows Installed And The Panels Wrapped In Light- Gray Tweed
Center Console: Custom-Made Wrapped In Light-Gray Tweed, The Console Holdsthe Air Gauges, Billet Cigarette Lighter, And Drink Holder
Flooring: Dark-Gray Carpet
Headliner: Light-Gray Tweed
Misc.: Billet Shifter Made For S-10 Modified To Fit And Wrapped In Gray Leather,Colorado Custom Steering Wheel, And Billet Pedals
Performed By: Installs By Mike
City/State: Orlando, Florida
Stereo
Head Unit: Pioneer DEH-P7600MP
Amplifiers: Bose Two-Channel, 600-Watt Amp Powers The Subs
Speakers: Four 8-Inch Rockford Fosgate Subs, Two Pioneer 5.25-Inch Mids, Two Ioneer 1.5-Inch Tweets, Powered By The Head Unit
Performed By: Installs By Mike
City/State: Orlando, Florida
Engine/Performance
Fuel Delivery: Fuel Injection
Intake: Custom-Made With Polished Tube
Battery: Optima Yellowtop
Location: Rear Of The Bed On Its Side
Detail Work: Wires Wrapped In Blue Loom, Billet Accents
Special Thanks (from owner):
I would like to thank Matt Torgersen, from The Shop, for all of the work done onmy truck, and for always helping me, anytime I needed it. I also want to thank Lifestyle for being like a family to me and supporting me during the building process.