Minitruckers strive to be different. The quest is to do something that no one else has done before or to do it better; that is what we live for.
So after hunting around for a new project, we finally found a truck that has never been fully built and laid out flat to the rocker. Like all projects, our mission was fairly simple in the beginning, and that was just to find a1972 Toyota Hilux in decent shape and put it on the ground. But after we found our canvas, hauled her home, and tore her apart, our imagination began to run rampant with cool modifications that would soon find their way onto Project: Low Lux. If you were able to follow along on some of the blogs at minitruckinweb.com, then you saw that we decided it would be a good idea to try and get this truck body-dropped, body-modded out, and painted to the Forbidden show with only three weeks time. This was no easy task, but thanks to Jamey "Handmade" Jordan, Brian "Lost Cause" Walker, and Bobby from Sadistic Iron Werks, we barely made it.
For this installment we wanted to show you all the cool mods done in only two weeks to get the truck to the Forbidden show. As the frame and the body were being built in two separate places, this first part of this buildup shows all the body mods and round one of the paint. Next we will delve deeper into the full frame, suspension, and rest of the buildup. Special thanks to everyone that helped and pitched in, including Tyson and Ernie for letting us tear up their shops at all hours of the night. Stay tuned for the rest of this exciting, first-of-its-kind buildup. For more information, contact the companies listed in the source box, and visit Minitruckinweb.com for more pics and video of the buildup.
1. This is the truck that...
1. This is the truck that sparked our interest, and after doing our research we found that there weren't many out there even mildly built, much less any that have ever been body-dropped.
2. Road trip! Our buddy Wayne...
2. Road trip! Our buddy Wayne had just the truck we were looking for to get the project rolling.
3. It didn't take long before...
3. It didn't take long before Bobby talked me into tearing her apart and going to town.
4. Jamey "Handmade" Jordan...
4. Jamey "Handmade" Jordan is always down for an adventure, so he flew in from Mississippi to lend a hand. Jamey doesn't mess around; he cut the pinch off and welded up the rockers first thing.
5-7. Meanwhile, Brian "Lost...
5-7. Meanwhile, Brian "Lost Cause" Walker was making work of the body mods. He started by shaving the doors, keyholes, emblems, and mirror holes.
6.
7.
8-9. This was the scene for...
8-9. This was the scene for almost two weeks, as Brian hustled to sand down the entire truck, shave it up, do all the body work, complete the 89 body mods, and still try and paint it black before the show.
9.
10. We decided to give the...
10. We decided to give the ass end a clean shave by welding in the tailgate. This meant that all the factory hinges had to be cut off and shaved as well. That's right, MORE things to shave.
11-13. Before 11: Not only...
11-13. Before
11: Not only did we decide to ditch the bed hooks, but we also wanted to clean up the lip and edge.
12: Max at Bio Kustumz cut...
12: Max at Bio Kustumz cut a 1-inch piece of tubing in half horizontally so that we could fill the lip.
After 13: A very subtle but...
After
13: A very subtle but badass mod that many might not notice.
14. To go with the clean custom...
14. To go with the clean custom look we planned for the body, we wanted to smooth out the back end but still keep the TOYOTA in the tailgate.
15. Brian cut out the stock...
15. Brian cut out the stock hinges and made filler panels to smooth everything out.
16. Next, Brian filled the...
16. Next, Brian filled the tailgate gap and welded it up all the way around.
17. Brian also made taillight...
17. Brian also made taillight fillers to further smooth out the rear.
18. The factory bed was built...
18. The factory bed was built in panels, so each seam also had to be fully welded.
19. Next to go; the gas d...
19. Next to go; the gas door.
20. With the bed super modded,...
20. With the bed super modded, it was time for Jamey to do work son! He went to town with the grinder for days on end to smooth everything out.
21. When it came time to body-drop...
21. When it came time to body-drop the bed, Jamey took it back to the old-school and busted out the torch.
22. The rest of the truck...
22. The rest of the truck was blocked out before we could finish the final bodywork and prep Low Lux for some primer.
23. AutoBody Color & Supply...
23. AutoBody Color & Supply custom-mixes paint and had everything we needed for the perfect paintjob in stock.
24. After many nights of intense...
24. After many nights of intense labor, it was finally time for Brian to spray some primer.
25. Another custom touch was...
25. Another custom touch was to ditch the factory wing windows and build small side-view mirror panels.
26-27. After Brian gave two...
26-27. After Brian gave two good coats of primer and all the parts were dry, we were more than anxious to see what she would look like almost together and on the ground. Not bad at all!
27.
28-29. Next, it was time for...
28-29. Next, it was time for some black. Due to our time constraints we will have to go back in and finalize the paint and clear later on, but not bad for two and a half weeks!
29.
30. With the cab and front...
30. With the cab and front end black, and the clock counting down faster and faster, we came to another crossroads and realized we would have to leave the bed as-is. There wasn't any time left for bodywork or to finish the final bed mods like extending the lower portion to match the cab and rockers. But we all did a damn good job in the time that we had to work with.
31. The last day gave us some...
31. The last day gave us some time for little touches, so Brian did spray the bed black, and got down on a little airbrushing for a cool pin-up piece on the hood.
32. Jamey "HandMade" Jordan...
32. Jamey "HandMade" Jordan started HandMade Seat Co. with these prototype bomber seats. These spawned the old-school style and theme of this truck. With these seats sitting in the cab, Project Low Lux was sure to turn heads at the show.
33. All back together, just...
33. All back together, just had to finish up the hood and bolt up the front end.
34. Project Low Lux made it...
34. Project Low Lux made it to the show in one piece, and we didn't kill eachother. Couldn't ask for a better group of buds to help out on such short notice. Stay tuned for the rest of the buildup.
The Frame: Sneak Preview
Here's a sneak peak at the full frame build coming your way soon!