Catchin’ the Fever

Tired of being a passenger, and constant caller of “shotgun,” Ashley Callahan recognized the right time to grab hold of the wheel when it presented itself. It was 2013, and her husband’s S-10 had just been finished and was making its rounds throughout the show circuit. The truck bagged a few trophies and made a splash in the magazines, but even though Ashley had nothing but pride for her husband’s success, she wanted something for herself. Sure, the Dime was nice and all, but she was looking to rise above the positive response it had received, and leave it far behind in the dust.

Luckily for Ashley, her husband Daniel isn’t the competitive type. He was ready and waiting to get to work as soon as she found the right specimen. The two actually function well as a team, and that factor played a major role in getting their new project underway so quickly. “I bought this Isuzu to be a daily driver. When we drove it to the garage to fix a few small things, it didn’t end up coming back out in the same condition. Three years passed, and only less than a handful of original parts still remain,” Ashley says about her show truck’s humble beginnings.

WHEN THE DUST FINALLY SETTLED, THERE WAS ONE LAST BOX TO BE CHECKED OFF ASHLEY’S LIST: FINDING AN APPROPRIATE NAME FOR HER FRESHLY BUILT BEAUTY. ‘PARVO’ STUCK AS A FITTING NAME FOR THE TRUCK.”

When a quick fix turns into a project as extensive as this li’l P’up, it helps to have an optimistic outlook on the situation. The project isn’t going to cost just a few bucks, and it won’t magically complete itself overnight. That’s just reality. Willing to share what she learned during her experience, Ashley told us, “Well-built trucks definitely aren’t cheap, and cheaply built trucks aren’t even worth having. Oh, and don’t try to balance the checkbook until the project is over and done with.” The final bill has yet to be accounted for, and from the tone of her voice, there might never be an official tally of parts and labor. “I honestly started losing count of what was flying out of our bank account from the first day we started.”

Not letting price tags dictate the road to her ultimate happiness, Ashley pressed on through the years with determination and sacrifice. “The customizing of the truck all started with a set of wheels. We needed them to figure out how much the rearend would need to be narrowed. From there, the complete strip down of the frame began, and the build-up of the framework started taking shape.” The rolling chassis developed nicely, and the body began changing for the better.

“I proceeded to cut out the entire firewall, cab floor and back cab wall to achieve a cleaner look while claiming more comfort space inside the truck. We actually gained a substantial number of inches over stock specs. To stand out from the crowd, we decided to convert the Isuzu to right-hand drive, which ultimately lead to chopping the front clip 3 more inches so we could ditch the ugly 4-wheel-drive sheet metal.”

This was only the beginning for the Callahans, however. A ton of drastic changes were made, as well as a handful of subtle, yet striking modifications. Look to the custom one-off wrap-around dash, radiused bed corners and the excessive sheet metal work under the hood for examples of the detail-oriented pride this couple took in crafting their latest build.

When the dust finally settled, there was one last box to be checked off Ashley’s list: finding an appropriate name for her freshly built beauty. “Parvo” stuck as a fitting name for the truck. (For those who don’t know, Canine Parvovirus is a contagious illness that afflicts dogs.) “I was hoping everyone would see that our Isuzu was one sick pup,” Ashley says. If you haven’t concluded what you think about this Isuzu as a whole yet, sick is exactly 115% smack on the money.

This isn’t the last you’ll hear from the Callahans—mark those words. With their shared drive to push the bar higher, it’s only a matter of time before they lock themselves in the garage with a brand-new challenge. ST

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNERS

Ashley Callahan
1988 Isuzu P’up
Stanford, Kentucky

ENGINE

• 2.3L Isuzu
• Pace Setter headers
• Coffin muffler
• Flowmaster exhaust
• Five-speed transmission
• Motor painted to match exterior color
• Sheet metal details under hood

SUSPENSION

• Michigan Metal Works control arms
• Front and rear narrowed 3 inches
• Two Viair 480 compressors
• Slam Specialties SS-6 airbags
• 3/4 frame built from 2×3 square and round tubing

WHEELS & TIRES

• 20-inch KMC Brodie
• 245/35/20 Toyo

BODY & PAINT

• Stock floor 1 ½-inch bodydrop into the rockers
• PPG Electric Blue, Sierra Silver and Nissan Charcoal
• Body shaved of all unnecessary objects
• Color-matched frame
• Matching spray-on bed liner

INTERIOR

• Toyota T100 60/40 bench seat
• One-off hand-shaped wrap- around dash
• Dakota Digital instrument panel
• Dakota Odyssey air gauges
• Custom door and kick panels, back wall panel two-tone wrapped
• Ididit steering column with Billet steering wheel
• Pioneer head unit

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