With the emergence of big wheels taking over in most of the show scene, import mini-trucks cannot fit most larger wheels that are 20-inch and bigger. That makes for some tough competition at shows and just for attention in the scene. These truck owners have to bring out a vehicle that is so unique, everyone forgets about what it is tucking under the fenders. Josh Freeman from Dana Point, California built one of the most unique and well designed mini-trucks of all time. His 1994 Toyota pickup has more innovative modifications than most trucks in the scene right now and can be near the top of the list in mini-truck history.

   Taking the truck below sea level, he used Firestone air bags up front along with 2-inch Belltech drop spindles to lay it out. The rear of the truck is a much more elaborate set up. Josh cut off and threw away everything from the original rear frame of the truck. The rear-end was replaced with a '86 Nissan 300ZX rear-end making it independent just like the front. This allowed him to mount Firestone airbags onto the 300ZX lower arms with flame-style bag mounts built in to the rear frame. The rear sub frame was built with steel tubing and supports the bed, 4 air tanks, the aluminum fuel cell, and of course the rear-end. All 4 corners were supplied Doetsch Tech shocks for a smooth ride. Everything was then painted to match the exterior of the truck. A set of 18x7.5-inch  KMC Elf wheels with 215/35/ZR18 Toyo Proxes tires fit under the truck nicely with front and rear suspension camber.

   Giving his truck an unmatchable appearance was a chore for Josh. As a body man by trade, he wanted to do all kinds of crazy modifications to make his Toyota stand out. He started by removing every factory extremity including the door handles, antenna, gas door, rock guards, third brake light, tailgate, taillights, mirrors, and the front end. He then proceeded to build custom fenders and his hood to accommodate '97 Honda Accord headlights and corner markers. Josh then moved to the middle of the truck and added custom mirrors to replace the stock ones and a LED third brake light at the back of the cab above the rear window. In the rear, the truck received a tailgate skin and roll pan to smooth it all out but Josh had another inventive idea for what to do with the taillights. The lights can be seen through the tailgate skin when the brake is used, but they stay mostly hidden in the paint scheme when not hitting the brakes. The roll pan cut out design was crafted by Josh and the exhaust opening in the rear drivers side was cut to match. The truck has a 4 1/2-inch body drop to lay almost on the doors. Josh did all of this work himself at Advanced Auto Refinishing in San Juan Capistrano, California where he works. The paint scheme was also his design using Gasurit Silver a custom green mix for graphics that wrap around the truck, into the engine compartment, the interior, and on the hood and tonneau cover that was installed to open from the passenger side.

   Josh gutted the interior of his truck and started to shape it in his own custom design. The dash was hand-fabricated from steel along with a center console. The steering wheel is a one-off design to match the wheels and he got it from his parents house. It was formerly a barstool until he got a hold of it. The seats are from a '96 Honda Prelude and were cut down after the headrests were thrown away. They were wrapped in black pleather and mounted with seat mounts that he had to modify. The door panels were also added to so they could match the scheme of his interior. The top of the doors was fabricated to flow into his dash an the bottoms were wrapped in black pleather to match the seats. The steel tubing from the rear end was brought into the cab to make a roll cage. The interior was all painted to match and the tribal  graphics flow down the dash and up the center console.

   The power for Josh's ride come from a stock motor with a Toyota Racing Development cam. The custom exhaust employs a Magnaflow muffler and an exhaust tip that exits from the truck's drivers side bed. Drivelines Unlimited shortened Josh's factory driveshaft and finally found a way to make it work after two others did not.

   Josh would like to thank Jeff and Eric at Advanced Auto Refinishing, his club Severed Ties and all of it's members for their support, and Michelle McCann for bringing a hot look to his incredibly cool ride.