1993 Toyota Compact Pickup

A truck is a truck until it can no longer haul anything. Then it is just a worthless pile of metal. Donny Desinise of Dacula, Georgia, knew when he decided to give his ’93 Toyota a full makeover that if he was going to keep his truck a truck, it would need to remain driveable and haul him from show to show.

We’ve all seen the pampered trucks that are pushed on and off trailers because their owners are deathly afraid of a little asphalt rash, a scraped frame, or —heaven forbid—a bug in the radiator. But that’s not Donny! Donny’s truck is nicer than 99 percent of all the trailer-queen trucks, and it’s DRIVEN every mile to each show, with some events taking Donny a few states from home. Don’t just take our word on how nice Donny’s truck is. How about a few Best of Show awards and then take another look at the pictures.

First and foremost is the wicked stance provided by The Drop Shop in Pikeville, Kentucky. Modifications to the chassis include a raised front crossmember, AIM 2-inch dropped spindles, a custom rear frame with a triangle notch, and a set of Firestone bags. This all adds up to a total lowering of 14 inches front and rear, easily tucking the 17-inch Niche Spikes deeply in the wheelwells.

Moving to the topside, it’s obvious this mini has been given the full treatment. Donny went off by shaving the tailgate and door handles, antenna, wipers, gas door, rock guards, taillights, and bed hooks himself. Donny also added a custom-built hood, 4x4 fenders, a smooth roll pan, and flush taillights before handing his Toyo over to Korey Fields of Stockbridge, Georgia, to spray the Royal Blue paint (even to the inside and bottom of cab) and lay out the tasteful multicolored graphics. A Trenz Phantom grille and a Rhino bedliner finish off the exterior.

For the interior, Donny swapped in a Toyota extra-cab seat and then had the entire cabin dressed in tan tweed with leather inserts by Exotic Tops & Trim in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Donny finished up the passenger area himself by installing a combination of white gauges with a billet insert and a Classic-model steering wheel from APC, and a sound system made up of Alpine components routed to JL Audio 10-inch subs for all those long trips behind the wheel.

Even though this truck is a driver, that didn’t stop Donny from detailing his engine compartment to show truck standards with paint and polished components. And it should be noted that the day before these photos were taken, Donny had traveled across an entire state and through a bitter storm (without wheelwells). He worked through the night detailing his truck back to perfection and took home a Best of Show-Driven and a $1,000 prize for his dedicated efforts.