"I have sold this truck a total of three times, but it has always found its way back home," says Brandon Knowles. He originally bought the truck from its second owner and something along the lines of fate kept stepping in every time he tried to offload it.
Figuring he was meant to do something much more than put the Hilux up for sale, Brandon, along with his buddy Dave, tore the truck down in his backyard. The plan was to dedicate a few days worth of work building a simple, reliable driver. Between the two of them, they were sitting on a mountain of spare Toyota parts they planned to donate to the build. They had a goal—finish and debut the truck at Summer Slam. But aiming to reach this achievement meant they had to scrap the original plan. This truck was no longer going to be limited to their initial low expectations.
Ten weeks—that's the timeline the crew had to finish the project in time before the show. Aside from Brandon and Dave clocking in overtime hours on the truck, two more friends, Chris and Josh, joined the build party. Together, these four dudes brought the Toyota up to par quicker than expected by building the suspension and taking care of body and paint duties themselves. This gave the crew some extra time to cook up a nasty 10:1 22R built solely from extra parts. With help with the interior from All City Convertibles, the finishing touches were nearing completion just days until show time.
"Now that the build is complete, I have to give credit to my friend Dave's wife for her input. One day she was holding a bottle of Dos Equis Amber and suggested we paint the truck to match. Obviously, we used a sh!t-ton more flake to our color palette."
" I have sold this truck a total of three times, but it has always found its way back home.
"
Owner: Brandon Knowles
Ride: 1978 Toyota Hilux
Hometown: Lynnwood, WA
The Lowdown
Rolling Attire
Wheels: 16-inch Ford Probe wheels machined to fit
Tires: 205/40/16
Chassis Modifications
Suspension (front): Modified C-arms
Suspension (rear): Three-link 'bags on axle
Control Arms: Custom
Shocks: Custom application
Air/hydro Accessories: Nitrogen
Frame Mods: Z'd front of frame 2 1/2 inches
Brakes: Stock
Performed By: Brand X Customs (owner)
Body Modifications
Shaved: Cab vents, handles, markers, bed seams and extensions, bumper bolts, inner skirts
Bodydrop: Stock-floor
Performed By: Brand X Customs
Paint
Brand & Colors: House of Kolor Pavo Purple under Pagan Gold, HOK clear
Performed By: Brand X Customs
Interior
Seats: Stock reupholstered
Dash: Stock restored
Gauges: Stock restored
Performed By: Brand X Customs
Stereo
Head Unit: Stock AM radio
Engine/Performance
Engine: Bastardized 22R 10:1
Camshaft: Stage 2 cams
Header/exhaust: LC Engineering
Transmission: TRD close-ratio five-speed
Rearend Type: Restored OEM
Misc.: 38mm Weber carb
Performed By: Dave and Tim, dyno testing at Maxwell Power
Special Thanks From Owner
"Thanks to Dave, Chris, and Josh for making up the Brand X Customs four amigos. Thanks to Matt and John at All City Convertibles for the interior, Jeremy at LineX in Puget Sound for the bedliner, Powdercoating Inc. for taking care of the details, and Maxwell Power."