Joshua Abbott, a mechanical engineer in Glendale, Arizona, was in the market for a new vehicle after totaling his Honda Accord (That's a whole other story!). According to Joshua, he "was done with the whole Honda thing, and it was time to build a mini." Out came the Auto Trader, and after thumbing through a few pages, he found a '92 Toy' for sale. "It was exactly what I was looking for - a white shortbed with a low-mile 22RE under the hood," says Joshua. After a short phone call, he took a trip to see it in person and found out that the current owner had inherited the truck from his dad, who had passed away. The son had no use for the truck, so he was selling it. Enough said - Joshua bought it on the spot, and that's how it all started.
Fast forward a few years to Joshua's garage, the local hangout spot, where he and his buds were wrenching when this badass triple-black old-school Lincoln drove by. After seeing this ride cruise by a few times, they stepped out and stopped the guy to get a closer look. While the friends were drooling over the Lincoln, the driver (Big D) started peeping out the truck. After about a minute of pondering, Big D said, "You should chop the top and really make this baby low." Joshua had done shaving and suspension mods, so he was no stranger to the welder, but he had never tackled something as extensive as a chop. Big D offered up his time and expertise to teach him the art of chopping. After Big D shot the last coat of primer, the two were good friends and the truck was 5 inches lower.
We asked Joshua what the most unique features of his 'Yota is and he replied, "There are three mods on my truck that you don't find on all Toys. It lays frame front to back without crossmembers, it's chopped 5 inches, and there's a 327ci under the hood."
Current Mods Include
Five-inch chop top by Big D and the owner / shaved taillights, gas door, rear cab lines, and door handles / Sir Michaels roll pan / diamond-cut headlights / 4X4 grille and bumper / smooth firewall / sheetmetal dash / bucket seats out of a 325i BMW / '04 Taco' door panels / Cadillac tilt-telescopic steering column / four-corner Firestone 'bags / 2-inch drop spindles / owner-built custom four-link / all three crossmembers reworked to lay frame flat / 3/8-inch SMC valves / AIM switch box / 17-inch Centerline Silhouette rims / 205/40/17 Nitto 450 tires / 425hp 327ci small-block Chevrolet motor built by Big D / 485 lift 232-duration Isky camshaft / Pete Jackson geardrive / 10:1 JE pistons / 2.02 heads / Edelbrock intake / Big's Performance prepared 750 Holley carb / 1-5/8-inch Street & Performance headers / custom-built dual Flowmaster exhaust / Mallory Unilite distributor / TH 350 transmission with a B&M shift kit and a 2500 stall converter/ B&M Mega shifter / custom driveshaft by Dick's Driveline / recessed fuel cell / 3.73 posi rearend
Future Plans
Custom windshield by Marzee's Water Jetting / Auto Meter gauges / candy-green paint / tribal flames / good friend Roy will stitch up the suede-and-ostrich interior / suicide doors and tailgate / back-halving the truck to fit 18x12-inch meats