Shane Craighead, a subcontractor from Roanoke, Virginia, and president of Diversified Ridez, knows what it’s like to take something nice and make it better. His ’92 Mitsubishi Mighty Max is no exception. Shane’s Max started its life as a simple lowered-with-wheels cruiser. But after going to shows and seeing that his stock ’n’ drop was still a 4x4 compared to the competition, he knew he had to do something.
So Shane opted to use hydraulics, but he was not too happy with the buckboard ride. He yanked out the hydros and took it to Greg Taylor of T-N-T Specialties in Waynesboro, Virginia, to have the body dropped 2½ inches and the suspension completely redone. Up front Greg installed Firestone bags and Superior 2-inch drop spindles. Out back he step-notched the frame and fabricated a custom four-link setup complete with Firestone bags and Toxic Shocks.
To complement the low attitude, Shane installed a set of 17x8 Neepers Alien-series rims skinned with 205/40R17 Sumitomo HTR ZII. After competing in the “under construction” classes in primer for a while he decided it was time to go full tilt. So off went the body and cab so the frame could receive a full paint treatment and the motor a full dressing of chrome, paint, polished aluminum, and powdercoating. Then Shane and his friend John Pritchard plopped the Max’s skin back on and started the bodywork. Shane and John installed a Sir Michael’s roll pan, filled the bed seams, and shaved the gas door, door handles, tailgate, and antenna. For that little extra custom touch, an Eclipse hood bubble was grafted into place. The bumper was treated with custom turn signals, foglamps, a frenched plate, and smoothing.
With the bodywork done, it was time to give the truck some color. Shane let John squirt the Copper Orange Amigo paint onto his Max. Right after the paint was dry Shane enlisted the talents of Barry Short from Shorty’s in Vinton, Virginia, to apply the 14-color graphics. The cockpit was the last part for Shane so he took the Max to Swink’s Upholstery in Dublin, Virginia, where they swapped out the stock seat for a set of ’93 Prelude buckets and then covered the whole thing in gray and purple tweed. From shows to club meetings Shane loves to drive his Max and we don’t blame him.
Model: ’92 Mitsubishi Mighty Max
Engine: 2.4L
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Rearend: Stock
Suspension: 2-inch-dropped spindles, Ground Control shocks, Firestone bags, and a 6-inch drop in the front. Custom four-link, Toxic Shocks, Firestone bags, and an 8-inch drop in the rear
Wheels: 17x8 Alien Neepers
Tires: 205/40R17 Sumitomo HRT ZII
Paint: ’99 Isuzu Amigo Copper Orange Metallic
Graphics: 14 colors of fun
ther: 2 ½-inch body drop, 150-watt system with nine speakers, ’93 Honda Prelude bucket seats