For Andy Motzkin, his truck is more than just a personal possession. It's more like an extension of his own body. The attachment between Andy and his truck goes beyond all other material things. Growing with different truck trends and going through the stages of manhood, these two have a long history together.
Andy wasn't into the show scene at all until the purchase of his Isuzu. He was 17 years old and cruising in a '62 Nova, when it got crashed into. The insurance company totaled the car out and sent him a check for two grand. At the time, he was sick of cars and wanted to drive something different like a truck. His dad spotted an Isuzu on his daily route and relayed the information to Andy that it was in the same price range as the insurance check.
Once he picked up the diesel-pumping mini, he found himself ogling his neighbor's truck that had already been lowered. His neighbor had little faith in Andy and told him that he could never build a truck that would amount to anything. That added fuel to his fire and got him to slowly add aftermarket parts to it. From paycheck to paycheck, he would make trips to the Pep Boys, adding whatever he could.
Since the money being made was small and trickling in, Andy decided to get serious by saving enough money to have an adjustable suspension put on the truck. Then, he dished out some moola to swap out his old-school rims for 16-inch Billet Specialties Phantoms in preparation for the suspension mods. Andy knew some amateur builder that claimed to be a hydraulic guru. The truck was in the guru's hands for about four months, before it was given back to Andy. One week after that, the truck needed to be rebuilt because the budget work was unfit and under par for a show truck.
The truck was sent to Coffman Performance, where Willie started on the Isuzu that he would later complete 90 percent of the buildup. First thing done was the reworking of the suspension. Moving on, Willie started shaving the body and banging the sheetmetal straight. Once that was completed, Andy came up with the idea that he should order steering parts from overseas and convert it to righthand drive to make this truck out-of-the-ordinary. That was pretty much tackled with conversion parts and a little frame work for it to accept the new steering. With that done, the rest of the interior could be done along with a custom-molded dash to accept the new steering mechanisms.
With the final coats of paint done, the truck was finished and almost a decade of Andy's life was past in its completion. Little by little, the money was saved and the work was done over a long period of time. Though this build took time, Andy has maintained his enthusiasm to finish everything without compromising any quality or taking the short way through its challenges.
The 411
Owner/hometown: Andy Motzkin / Tucson, Arizona Year/make/model: '84 Isuzu Pup
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2L diesel / four-speed manual transmission / righthand drive conversion
Installer: Willie of Coffman Performance, of Tucson, Arizona
Wheels/tires: 16x7-inch Billet Specialties Phantoms / BFG Euro T/A 205/40R16
Suspension: 8-inch hydraulic cylinders (front) / 6-inch hydraulic cylinders (rear) / flipped upper ball joints / lower ball joints spaced up 1-1/2 inches / hard lines / two chrome Pro Hopper pumps and four dumps / rear three-link / frame C-notch / 5-inch body drop
Fabricator: Willie of Coffman Performance, of Tucson, Arizona
Body Mods: Relocated front bumper to line up with fenders / molded Eagle Talon bubble to stock hood / Sir Michaels roll pan / shaved wiper cowl, antenna, bumper endcaps, door locks, bumper marker lights, door handles, gas door, tailgate, license plate box, roll pan, body moldings, and rear cab wall
Custom Paint: Somba Green Pearl
Body/paintwork: Willie of Coffman Performance, of Tucson, Arizona
Interior: Saturn SC2 Buckets / handmade door panels / handmade fiberglass dash / modified stock gauges / fiberglass custom console / FBI steering wheel
Upholsterer: Seats covered in vinyl and tweed by Matrix Auto Upholstery / all other interior work done by Pete of The Specialist, in Tucson, Arizona
Audio/video: Alpine head unit / Boston Acoustic mids / JL Audio subwoofer / Alpine amp
Installer: Pete of The Specialist