ONWER: Shaun Milde
RIDE: '94 Toyota HiLux Extra Cab
HOMETOWN: Adelaide, South Australia
CLUB: Negative Camber
Building a minitruck in the land down under isn't as easy as one might think. The laws governing the Aussie minitruckers are very stringent. Every modification that we take for granted in the United States is actually specifically outlawed in Australia, and the fines can be outrageous. If you want to have any hope of keeping your 'bagged truck, it must be tested and signed off by a safety inspector, which can get quite costly. It's not a bad idea, if the government's purpose was to keep hacked-up death traps off of the road; but it's still quite a hassle for legit shops and builders.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Shaun Milde of Adelaide, Australia, did an amazing job on the buildup of his Toyota. From the undercarriage to the interior, Shaun's truck is well-built. He spent the last year tediously covering every square-inch, leaving nothing untouched.
Before building this Toyota, Shaun was tinkering on a '90 Nissan Navara (the Australian version of the Hardbody), but after building his first HiLux several years ago, he couldn't wait to get his hands on another. Therefore, when the opportunity presented itself, he jumped all over it. His focus was still on building the Nissan to completion, it was just sidetracked after the idea of building the Toyota as a clean daily driver was thrown out the window.
Shaun drove his '90 HiLux into the shed, which was the last time the truck would see the light of day-until it was taken to get the two-tone flamed paintjob. Considering the amount of work and detail that went into the buildup, it was actually fairly quick. Every single nut and bolt on Shaun's 'Yota has been touched, modified, painted, polished, or chromed. Nothing was safe from Shaun's vision of what this minitruck should look like.
Shaun got to work on his Toyota over the last year, until he was happy enough to drive it in style. Now that the truck is at this point, he's driven to do even more to it, and Shaun has even bigger plans for his truck. He assured us, he has tons of tricks up his sleeve. We're anxious to see what he can come up with next!
The Low Down
Rolling Attire
Wheels (Front/Rear): 20x8.5-inch CSA TeaseBackspace (Front/Rear): P35 offset
Tires (Front/Rear): 225/30R20 Nexen
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Air
Airbag/cylinder type and size: (Front): Firestone 2500 (Rear): Firestone 2600Spindles/springs: 3-inch drop spindles, custom-made one-offs
Valves: 1/2-inch Black Max
Compressors: Two SD5000
Air line: 1/2-inch
Air/hydro accessories: PSI gauges, two 5-gallon air tanks
Frame mods: 2-1/2-inch front Zee, steering box remounted, trans crossmember modified, 7-inch notch in the rear, custom mounts, and bridge to suit IRS rear
Gas tank: Toyota standard tank shortened to fit IRS mounts, electric fuel pump, and surge chamber fitted for EFI
Brakes: Stock HiLux front, stock Celica rear with five-lug conversion.
Detail work: JSM Customs logo in bridge, tube 'bag mounts, tube battery mounts, hidden wiring in chassis, pinstriped air tanks, two-tone chassis Gloss Blueprint Blue and Satin Black with flames, and pinstriped in Olympic Blue.
Misc.: Rearend has 86 Celica IRS, shortened 11-inch front frame, custom arms, frenched in top mounts, painted, and detailed.
Performed by: Fabrication and installation by John (Dad) and owner; paint by owner, pinstriped by Ben Reid of State of Art Custom Paint.