Going Down like a Fine Wine

A lot of people relate their mini-trucks to women of their past or future. For instance, Izzy Irizarry of Las Vegas, Nevada, compares his 1988 Toyota pickup to a girl he has known since third grade but just couldn’t win over. “I had known of her almost my whole life,” Izzy tells Street Trucks. “But I just wasn’t able to get that date.”

Unofficially built in 1999 by Travis Jaracz for the SEMA show, the truck started to make its journey through owners, bouncing from mini-trucker to mini-trucker for almost two decades. The first time it showed up completed was in 2022 and belonged to Roadglide Joe in North Dakota, who happened to be in the same truck club as Izzy.

The Toyota began having recurring motor problems, and it was once again sold to another club member in Arizona, which frustrated Izzy since he wasn’t able to get the truck in time. “I didn’t even see it listed for sale,” Izzy adds, “and now I was going to see it more often because it’s closer to Nevada.” Izzy decided it was time to strike even though it wasn’t actively for sale, so he reached out to the new owner and found out that the Toyota was still having motor problems and the new owner was also frustrated. Izzy took the drive to meet the guy and refused to leave until a transaction was made, finally getting his “girl.”

Izzy knew what he was getting into, he knew what he wanted, and he knew the issues that were going on, so he went straight to work. He made the purchase in January of 2023, but it desperately needed TLC. The engine, steering, and air management system weren’t safe due to years of neglect. The pickup was brought to Shawn at OMC in Las Vegas to work out the kinks, redoing the steering and fixing all the clearance issues. Next, he tackled the wiring and fuel issues by ripping it all out and putting in an RCI fuel cell, fuel regulator, and new wiring. The last step was redoing the entire air suspension, upgrading every inch of the air management system.

Finally, the Toyota was ready for bodywork, so she was brought to Gage Bolden at Figment Fab in Las Vegas, where everything began to come together. All new panels were ordered from Wolf Steel in Canada, and Bob Grant whipped up a Cali Combo, corner fillers, and a one-off bumper. Gage added a ton of bead-rolled panels to the bed, making radius corners inside, and took the center body line out of a 1979 Toyota hood. Sitting half painted and half primed, Lesa and Benny from Lesa’s Auto Body Supplies in Las Vegas perfectly matched the House of Kolor Brandywine paint.

While riding a wave of good fortune, the unexpected happened as Izzy was pulling into a truck show. The head gasket blew. Izzy talked it over with his friend Duley at Double D Auto in Las Vegas, and instead of putting another Band-Aid on it, Izzy decided to go with a brand-new engine. The block was sent to the machine shop, while every single part was ordered from LC Engineering. The 5-speed was swapped out for a new 200r4 automatic, and Best Muffler built an insane custom stainless header and full exhaust system. Inside the cabin, Izzy has more plans, but Fraga Upholstery in Las Vegas redid a few pieces that were neglected from the past.

Izzy wishes to thank his Freaks of Nature club for their continued push—literally and figuratively—and for making each adventure memorable. Thanks also go to Shawn at OMC, Duley at Double D Auto, Gage at Figment Fab, Lesa and Benny at Lesa’s Auto Body Supplies, Dave at Best Muffler, and Bob at GrantFab. Izzy would also like to thank his godfather Esteban for passing on his love for custom vehicles to me, and to Michelle Hinkson—thank you for the countless phone calls, words of encouragement, and miles traveled. To Steve Henderson, thank you for telling the best stories on all our road trips and checking my trailer straps. “Last, but most importantly, thank you to my beautiful wife, Taryn,” Izzy adds. “Without her, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to live my dream.”

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TRUCK SPECS

 Engine & Drivetrain

• 22R chrome engine
• LC Engineering Pro Torquer camshaft
• Weber carburetor
• Custom stainless headers and full exhaust
• 200r4 transmission

Chassis & Suspension

• Chrome stock control arms
• Slam Specialties SS-6 and RE-7 bags, 3/8 manifold
• Custom chrome 4-link
• Two Viair 444 compressors
• Two 18-inch FLO Airride tanks

Wheels & Tires

• 17×8 KMC Tramp wheels
• 205/40R17 Toyo tires

Body & Paint

• Traditional bodydrop
• Custom House of Kolor Brandywine paint
• One-off Cali Combo and bumper by Bob Grant
• Custom hood with 1979-’83 Toyota center body line
• Phantom grille
• Shaved cowl, corners, door handles, and gas door
• Custom bead-rolled bed with radius corners by Gage Bolden
• Billet exhaust cut-out

Interior & Stereo

• Toyota bucket seats trimmed and reshaped
• Tan vinyl upholstery with black stitching
• Custom tan vinyl headliner, pillars, and dashboard
• B&M Magnum grip shifter
• Kicker components with two 8-inch subwoofers in custom enclosure
• Kicker 300W and 1,000W amplifiers