HardCore Thumpin Part 1

Travis Mattern of Beavertown, Pennsylvania, is one of those guys who still has the only truck he's ever owned. In 1987 (about the same time he got his driver's license), Travis bought this '83 Toyota for $5000. As he says, "First, I put on 33s, then went to 36s and later to 44s and all-show. After that, I dropped it down to 36s, ran it hard, blew the motor, and rebult it as it is here."

This time around, Travis had one main goal. He says, "I wanted to be the first person to have a truck that is hydraulically adjustable and only has one frame." So he took the Toy down to its chassis and, once all of the parts were located and/or fabricated, Travis began reassembling the truck only seven days before these photos were taken.

For the foundation, Travis got a second Toyota front axle and prepped it for the rear with 5.29 gears and hydraulic steering. Then he mated the pigs to the frame with a hydraulic wishbone four-link system. Materials include 3/8-inch-plate steel, 100 feet of chromoly welded to the OEM frame, link bars made of 1 1/4-inch stock and Heim ends, dual Carrera coil-over shocks at each corner, and 2-inch-wide pistons on 24-inch hydraulic cylinders with 18 inches of hydraulic travel. According to Travis, this all ads up to 18 inches of solid lift, 18 inches of hydraulic lift, and 3 inches of home-made body lift.