I just found the sleeve to the stereo that I sent you. Let me know if you want it, maybe it's a generic thing and not worth shipping but if you need it I'll send it.
I just found the sleeve to the stereo that I sent you. Let me know if you want it, maybe it's a generic thing and not worth shipping but if you need it I'll send it.
In reply to akylekoz :
It's all good. The stereo is installed and much bueno. I think I stole a sleeve off a junk radio or something.
This thread has been dormant for close to a year now. I figured I'd update it. The truck is still performing just fine and fills a needed role in my life. Pickup duties...
Yesterday I used it to bring a heavy crate back to my shop. There's no way my Landcruiser could have worked for this job.
I still love this thread and consider something similar all the time to replace my giant truck. Keep on truckin' Cousin Eddie.
Back at my High School that crate would have been carpeted and been carrying 4 - 18" Lanzar woofers. : )
I would love to have that truck to carry my boys GT and Haro in the back of. It really turned out well.
Not a Mazda but this is one of my favorite mini truck pictures. Young BMX pro Mike Dominguez just living killing it in the 80s.
OjaiM5 said:Back at my High School that crate would have been carpeted and been carrying 4 - 18" Lanzar woofers. : )
I would love to have that truck to carry my boys GT and Haro in the back of. It really turned out well.
Not a Mazda but this is one of my favorite mini truck pictures. Young BMX pro Mike Dominguez just living killing it in the 80s.
Classic BMX. I got to chat with Mike last year. Turns out he's way into air-cooled VWs these days.
OjaiM5 said:Back at my High School that crate would have been carpeted and been carrying 4 - 18" Lanzar woofers. : )
I would love to have that truck to carry my boys GT and Haro in the back of. It really turned out well.
Not a Mazda but this is one of my favorite mini truck pictures. Young BMX pro Mike Dominguez just living killing it in the 80s.
I forgot his Strike Zone signature bike was offered in the same color as his truck.
This build has me searching "mini truck" on CL. Not much out there. Against his will this may have to be my sons first vehicle.
OjaiM5 said:This build has me searching "mini truck" on CL. Not much out there. Against his will this may have to be my sons first vehicle.
not sure mini truck will get you much as most people that own them would just put Datsun in the ad !
I had an early Datsun flat side years ago , I think it was a 1964
Just caught on this thread, and as others have mentioned love your attention to detail and the "OEM+" look you have achieved. I'm also in Fort Worth, so hopefully I'll get a chance to see this awesome truck in person at some point. Also if you can post info on some of the shops/junkyards you have used locally, that would be awesome. I am hoping to do a similar "OEM+" build on my Suzuki Cappuccino, and knowing the right places and people to work with, will be invaluable. Keep up the great work!
Kenny_S2K said:Just caught on this thread, and as others have mentioned love your attention to detail and the "OEM+" look you have achieved. I'm also in Fort Worth, so hopefully I'll get a chance to see this awesome truck in person at some point. Also if you can post info on some of the shops/junkyards you have used locally, that would be awesome. I am hoping to do a similar "OEM+" build on my Suzuki Cappuccino, and knowing the right places and people to work with, will be invaluable. Keep up the great work!
I have recently moved to Azle, so I'm closer to Fort Worth than ever.
For plating, use Arrow Plating on May Street.
For junkyards, I only use two. Dismantlers 2000 on Elliot Reeder (my main haunt). And, Pick and Pull, also on Elliot Reeder. They are more expensive though by far.
For junkyard tacos, Fuel City on Haltom Road and Airport Freeway.
Okay I'll bite. What's in the crate???
In reply to Scotty Con Queso :
Motorcycle lift table. Like the jerk I am, I sold my last one a few years ago. Now I got to have the pleasure of buying another one.
Stopping in to say this thread has me wanting to do more on my Colorado and I started following you on Instagram last night.
So I have made some changes to the truck recently and certainly nosedived off the cool minitruck scale because of it.
This is such a good little pickup. I have done so much work to it to make it as solid and reliable as possible, but it wasn't quite fitting my needs. I have been driving the Mazda almost exclusively as my daily. The LandCruiser just isn't as cheap to drive as this truck is. And I have been doing some heavy landscaping work on our new (old) house which requires hauling all sorts of detritus.
So, I raised it up an inch and I took those wide tires and wheels off and replaced them with a set of nearly new 14" tires on Nissan Hardbody wheels (200 bucks for all on FB). Now it drives soooooo much better. No need for power steering anymore. It's smoother. Quieter. Better fuel economy.
Then I did another thing. The original stripe decals on the truck have faded white and were looking really haggard. So I grabbed an eraser wheel and spent about 6 hours of my life removing them. And I raised it another inch. It's now lowered 2 inches in the rear with lowering blocks and 2 inches in the front with the dropped control arms. So it now has OEM ride quality.
I'm still working some leftover adhesive off of some areas. It's quite a tedious process.
And finally, I put a rear bumper on it. I have need to pull a motorcycle trailer periodically and don't want to use my LandCruiser and get 10 miles per gallon. So, bumper and trailer light wiring installed (wiring is hidden sanitary under the bumper). Now I just need to get a hitch ball.
I know. I'm lame. I'm not arguing with you. But now I have a little truck that serves my purposes rather than impress the car nuts. Such is life...
(/close thread).....worst thread ever. Buzzkill....
Cousin_Eddie said:(/close thread).....worst thread ever. Buzzkill....
it's still a great story. I just hope you rewrite the ending again. i was never feeling the low and wide rolling stock, so the wheel and tire swap improved it IMO.
In reply to Cousin_Eddie :
There's something to be said for having a really usable truck, especially a small one. It may not look as rad, but it still looks good. And functional for you > sitting. It did look sweet slammed with the decals, though.
Dang, graduated high school and had to get a haircut and real job.
Happens happens to the best of us. At least it got to party for a while and didn't get any girls pregnant.
This probably isn't the final form. I'd like some nicer wheels and tires, but something skinnier than the offset wheels that I had on it.
Removing the decals took the truck from radwood to sadwood but I don't blame you one bit.
With the old decals removed I feel like it needs some new vinyl.
Still looks awesome!
Perfect little truck, wish I could find something like that here in Denver
Reminds me of the early to mid 2000s when you saw lowered mini-trucks put back into service by handymen and such. You'd see 'em driving around back on regular wheels and tires with one fender replaced but still sporting the frenched license plate on the bed and the Z-bend antenna with a bed full of tools and building materials.
I did a lot of thinking about my little Mazda today.
I know my recent changes to the truck have been pure buzzkill to this board of car enthusiasts. But, I'm kind of an old guy. I'm getting plenty of gray hair. I have a rent house with an elderly relative living in it that takes recurring maintenance and yard work. This little truck just flat works for me now. It hauls my lawn equipment. It hauls motorcycles. And I am no damns given if it gets a scratch on it.
Today I drove it over to the city where I work to buy a weedeater from the local ACE hardware where the owner treats firemen particularly well. I'm a loyal customer to say the least. Since I live in Texas and we are all outlaws, I was clipping over there at 80 miles per hour, windows down, enjoying the beautiful weather.
I filled it up with gas on the way back home. 23.66 miler per gallon. The taller tires have made the truck highway friendly again. Previously with the short tires, 80 mph would have been quite lively.
I did raid my vintage motorcycle sticker stash and add some flair to the back window.
TLDR....I'm nearly 50 and have started to do old man E36 M3.
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