You know those rides that have seemingly been being built forever? Well, this is one of them. Allen "Buba" Johnston has been working on this same truck in many stages since April of 1994, when he bought the truck brand spankin' new. In fact, in his own words, "this truck has seen more stages than Hollywood actors."
Despite his long run toward building his version of the ultimate show ride, Buba plans to get into the truck yet again and revamp it since it has now been photographed for Mini Truckin'. We don't doubt that the next incarnation of this ride will be anything less than spectacular, and we can't wait to see what it ends up looking like the next time. For now, though, sit back, relax, and feast your eyes on this nailed-to-the-ground scene-stealer.
Owner: Allen "Buba" Johnston
Ride: '94 Toyota Xtracab
Hometown: Moorseville, North Carolina
Club: Pebble Pushers
The Low Down
Wheels/Tires 18x7.5-inch KMC Alf wheels with 215/35R18 Nitto tires
Suspension First, a pair of AIM dropped spindles was installed to give the truck an initial 2-inch drop. Next, the truck was 'bagged using Firestone air springs to make the truck adjustable at will. In the rear, the original leaf springs were trash-canned and in their place sit a triangulated four-link mounted in reverse fashion.
Interior The interior of this fine Toyota sports a smoothed and painted dash and Prelude bucket seats that have been reupholstered using lilac tweed and gray Alant for a subtle two-tone effect. Buba did all of the upholstery work himself and smoothed out the door panels as well. Additional interior accents include a Billet Specialties steering wheel, Alter Image billet dash panels, and a handbuilt center console.
Stereo Also inside the cab is a respectable sound system. An Alpine head unit sends tunes through to an enclosure housing JL8 subwoofers that was built by Buba himself. Look closely; you probably won't see the amplifiers for the system. They're hidden under the rear jump seats in the Xtracab. Midrange and highs for the stereo are also stealth and sit behind the door panels of the Toyota.
Body Mods The truck's body was the proud recipient of plenty of custom work. After the truck was body-dropped a total of 2-1/2 inches, there were more body mods to be made. Most of the usual items mini-truckers abhor were shaved. The tailgate and bed were capped off, making the smoothest unit possible. The 4x4 front bumper and its valance were welded together permanently, and a 30x36-inch ragtop was added. All of the bodywork on the Toyota was done at Str8Twizted Customs by Chad before the body was sprayed anew using '98 Toyota Supra Blue.
Engine Under the hood, you'll find a few surprises. To our knowledge, no one makes an intake for the '89-'94 Toyota, but that didn't stop Buba. He just went out and made one! Internally, the engine is mostly stock, but it has been dressed to the nines with plenty of chrome on the intake, valve cover, EFI upper plenum, power steering reservoir, and various brackets. An additional portion of power also comes from a Flowmaster muffler and new 2-1/2-inch exhaust tubing routed rearwards from the engine bay.
Special Thanks Buba wants to thank his wife Amy and his daughter Hannah, as well as Chad, Robby, Kenneth, Str8Twizted Customs, and his club, Pebble Pushers.