Passion from the Great North

OUR friends north of the border share one distinguishable passion with the U.S., and that’s the love for custom trucks. William Salazar from Smithville, Ontario, Canada, has been an avid minitrucker since before he can recall. “I can’t even remember a time when trucks weren’t in my blood,” William tells Street Trucks. “It’s just second nature at this point.” William purchased his 1988 Mitsubishi Mighty Max from a Negative Camber member in 2011 and has gone through every step to make it his own.

William didn’t want to change the original paint from the Mighty Max because he viewed the Mitsubishi as part of mini-truckin’ history. It was a sign of respect to the original builder.

Although the condition of the Mitsubishi wasn’t perfect, it was certainly something that could be updated and renewed. The biggest issue was the engine smoking, which was a hazard for the Canadian roads. Within the first year, William brought the mini-truck to Bruno at B-Line Mechanics in Mississauga, Ontario, where he rebuilt the entire motor and replaced the cracked heads. Once the Mighty Max was roadworthy and safe, the next step was getting the body and paint to where William could officially make it flawless again.

Bodyworkz in Mississauga, Ontario, was enlisted to fix all the bodywork that needed to be repaired before bringing the truck back to life with custom DuPont Jalapeno Green paint with silver flames. The next stop was to Driven Upholstery in Baltimore, Maryland, where Brad Wurzbacher ripped out the old gray vinyl and created a brand-new tan cabin complete with a sound system located underneath a fake rear bench seat. Brad designed the entire street rod look that William wanted with only a color preference and a blessing of full creative control. For the suspension, William updated the bags on all four corners with Slam Specialties RE6 and RE7 bags for a more stable and secure ride.

William didn’t want to change the original paint from the Mighty Max because he viewed the Mitsubishi as part of mini-truckin’ history. It was a sign of respect to the original builder. After bringing the truck out to a few shows after the rebuild, the original owner met William at a show in the U.S. and gave him all the old receipts and bills for the truck. William is a pioneer of sorts in Ontario and holds an annual show called Northern Showdown at Binbrook Fairgrounds in Binbrook, Ontario. With the help of his close friends, what started as a small show in 2004 has grown into one of the largest truck shows in all of Canada.

William wants to thank his Relaxed Atmosphere club for all their support and help throughout the years. Special thanks go to his mother and father for always supporting his adventures, Bodyworkz for all the body and paintwork, Bruno at B-Line Mechanics for the motor work, Brad from Driven Upholstery for the interior upgrade, his girlfriend Amber, and Chico from Negative Camber for starting an iconic build. Special thanks to James Day, Pete Ludwig, and Andy Brown for helping with Northern Showdown. Thanks also go out to all the hardcore Canadian supporters for always being there and making William’s show a huge success.

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TRUCK SPECS

 Engine & Drivetrain

• 2.6L 4-cylinder
• Weber carburetor
• PaceSetter ceramic headers and valve cover
• 5-speed manual transmission

Chassis & Suspension

• Toyota pickup front clip suspension
• Slam Specialties RE6 and RE7 air bags
• Chrome and stainless hard lines
• Cando control arms
• Rear 3-link
• Two Viair 444c compressors underneath the bed
• 8-gallon tank

Wheels & Tires

• 20×7.5 MSR 087 chrome wheels
• 225/30ZR20 Nitto Neo Gen tires

Body & Paint

• DuPont Jalapeno Green
• House of Kolor silver flames
• Shaved door handles, bed, taillights, antenna, tailgate, and handle
• Smoothed and tubbed bed floor
• Mitsubishi Eclipse hood bubble
• LED taillights on roll pan
• Toyota 4×4 bumper and valance welded together
• Billet grille insert
• Gas filler relocated inside bed
• Cadillac rear disc conversion
• 4.5-inch bodydrop

Interior & Stereo

• Smoothed painted dashboard
• 1995 Pontiac Grand Am leather seats and panels
• Billet Specialties steering wheel
• Auto Meter gauges
• Clarion flat 6-inch subwoofer under back fake bench
• Clarion XC6410 amplifier