Rendering of the Month
This killer Sport Trac rendering happens to capture the rebuild of our Sept. '04 cover truck. The new buildup features suicide rear doors, a ginormous sliding ragtop from Street Beat Customs, a 4-1/2-inch stock-floor body drop tucking some double-D's, and a full fiberglass interior done by owner Dan "Satner" and James Cashman with a full bangin' stereo. If all goes well, this ride will soon be seen draggin' plastic rocker at a show near you, and will hopefully be ready for SEMA '06. Sponsors include Cashman Customs, FBI, Big Lee Customs, and AVS.
Break-dance Move of the Month
This month we bring you the worm (aka the dolphin) by Chad "I Invented the Worm" Lucas. First, you start out off in push-up position on the ground with your whole body flat on the floor. Swing your legs and thighs up, putting your weight on the waist up. Push up your arms while your legs go down so the space under you flows forward. Repeat these steps up and down your party dance floor and you will be the envy of your collective group. Variations for the advanced: backward worm, flying worm, the ghetto spasm wormTips: Make sure you always have your shirt tucked in. Fat guy difficulty level: ***
Hard Luck of the Month
Bret Holmer from Perfect Poise truck club in Arizona takes the cake for this month's Hard Luck award. After just completing his '96 Tacoma extended cab days before Drop Zone '05, a driver who fell asleep plowed into the back of Bret's Taco'. Brett was parked in front of a buddy's house and the fullsize Ford smashed into him, doing at least 45 mph and pushed Bret's truck three houses down and into the middle of the street, while Bret's truck was laid out!. Since the whole rear of Bret's truck is completely hammered, we decided he definitely deserves the FBI gift certificate to get a head start on piecing his mini back together. Good luck, Bret!
Tattoo of the Month
While we're still gathering submissions we thought we'd show you a collage of some of the tats that we've come across over the years on our nationwide escapades. Mini-truckers and tattoos go hand in hand, so we know there's some awesome work out there. Strip bare and send us those pics!
MT Junior of the Month
This month we bring you another hard-core MT Crayola pusher, at only 2 years old. Ronnie E. LaDieu IV got an early start at hittin' switches, since he's a third-generation mini-trucker. His dad and grandpa built him a custom wagon, using 55 feet of 3/4-inch-square tubing and 4-inch stroke cylinders on all four corners. This bad boy gets 6-1/2 inches of lift. Ronnie figured out that the more psi he runs, the more the truck can hop, so now the wagon runs 80-plus psi at all times (at 175 psi, it will hop 3 inches with him in it and he loves it). At only 2 years old, little Ronnie assures us that pimpin' is easy when you roll like he does.
Lowest Truck of the Month
We're a big fan of super-modified minis - especially functional ones! Trevor from North Dakota spends his days as a painter, and by night, he cuts up his two Toyota mini-trucks. This 'Yota is currently chopped 4 inches, body-dropped into the rocker, and receives more mods on a daily basis. Trevor's ride is an excellent example of thinking outside the box and making different look good. Keep up the great work, Trevor!
Modification of the Month
Here's a different take on a modification that people have been doing for decades. It's a '98 Chevy S-10 that's received the suicide treatment by Lee Phillips, owner of Hotridesmag.com. All of the one-off parts were built and designed by Lee, and consist of hinges that are cleaner and stronger than some other kits, since they don't connect to the doorjamb for support. The hinges are made of 5/8-inch-round rod that protrudes through a frenched slot in the door. The doors still swing the full 90 degrees.