Most of the damage was merely cosmetic, so he tackled the truck's stance first before repairing the body. Cary knew a 6-inch suspension lift and 37-inch-tall tires would surely make his truck stand out. To clear those 37s, though, would also require a 3-inch body lift. Lee's Paint & Body would also accent the fresh stance with a fresh body. Lee Smith completed the repairs and then took things a step further with a marbleized flame job. Once flames stretched from the front fenders all the way to the bed, the truck was taken to Audio Specialists for a mobile entertainment install. Cary loves to listen to his tunes, so he had the shop craft a custom fiberglass sub box for the back of the cab and filled it with four JL Audio 12-inch subs. They would most definitely pound out the bass he loved. The shop also customized the stock door panels with fiberglass to provide a place for the speakers and a monitor in each door. The rest of the interior, including the dash, was smoothed down and painted to match the marble look of the flames.
Cary took his dream truck home, relishing in the fact that even after all the accidents, the truck looked even better. Even though he didn't plan on building his new truck, fate had it in for him to customize it. Cary learned a valuable lesson about owning a custom ride and that good insurance is a necessity. Lucky for Cary, fate was not cruel and he learned this lesson without too much pain and suffering, and he still managed to end up with a sweet truck.
THE 411
OWNER/HOMETOWN:
Cary Alder / Hopkinsville, Kentucky
YEAR/MAKE/MODEL:
'98 Toyota Tacoma 4x4
ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN:
3.4L V-6 / Injen cold-air intake / dual exhaust with no mufflers / manual transmission / Centerforce Stage 2 clutch / 5:29 Yukon gear limited-slip differential, front and rear
BY: Cary Alder
RIMS:
FRONT & REAR: 22x10-inch Mazzi Hulks
TIRES:
FRONT & REAR: 37x13.50x22 Nitto Mud Grapplers
SUSPENSION:
FRONT: 6-inch Trail Master lift / Fabtech 3-inch adjustable coilovers
REAR: Trail Master 3-inch blocks and a 2-inch add-a-leaf
CHASSIS: Performance Accessories 3-inch body lift
BY: Todd Thomas of Guthrie, Kentucky
BODY MODS:
Shaved tailgate / Sir Michaels roll pan and tailgate handle relocator kit / APC clear corners and carbon-fiber taillights / T-Rex billet grilles / Trenz billet antenna
BY: Lee Smith of Lee's Paint & Body in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
CUSTOM PAINT:
Factory black / marbleized flames in House of Kolor Candy Apple Red
BY: Lee Smith of Lee's Paint & Body in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
INTERIOR:
Stock seats with shaved headrest / smoothed and painted dash / modified door panels with black tweed, black carbon-fiber vinyl, and painted bottom section / custom-made billet overlay on gauges / BAD billet steering wheel / custom fiberglass subwoofer box
BY: Micah Williams of Audio Specialists in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
AUDIO/VIDEO:
Panasonic CQ-C70003U 7-inch touch-screen / JL Audio 6.5- and 5.25-inch components with JL Audio 300/4 amplifier / four JL Audio 12-inch W3V2s / two JL Audio 500/1 amps for subs / 7-inch Exonic screens in each door
BY: Audio Specialists of Hopkinsville, Kentucky
CLUB:
Vaperz
SPECIAL THANKS:
His girlfriend, Whitney, his parents, Vaperz Car Club, his uncle Tom, and Audio Specialists