- TRUCKIN.COM [5 4 ] OCTOBER 2019 -
MAZDAWG
The gas door was shaved and the handles were replaced with Mazda Miata handles
Jeff learned about in an old issue of Mini Truckin’. A Toyota front bumper was added and
cut and sectioned and then lengthened to meet the bodylines. The tailgate handle was
flipped from the outside to the inside of the tailgate. An airplane gas door was installed
and Cadillac taillights were added to the rear end. A tag bracket was built and mounted
to the bed. The 4x4 fender flare holes were welded up and shaved in the bed and on the
fenders. A Raptor bedliner was added to the raised bed floor. For the paint, Jeff contacted
Gary Timms from King’s Kustomizing in Easley, South Carolina, to add the Grabber Blue
paintjob he knew would make his Mazda stand out among the sea of minis.
In the rear, the bedliner was coated in the same paint to match the exterior. When it
came time to get the interior done, Jeff and friend Travis Kay built the speaker boxes and
then installed the stereo. The head unit was relocated from the original location behind
the shifter to underneath the A/C vents for better access. The B-pillars were shaved to
smooth them out. A Budnik steering wheel was installed to add some polish to the cabin.
Jeff’s favorite addition to his Mazda was the glovebox: He shipped the glovebox door to
Sean Mahaney to sign and send back. “Sean was always a step ahead of everyone in the
mini-truckin culture,” Jeff adds. “He was my hero.”
Building MazDawg, Jeff met a ton of great people and made some exceptional
friends along the way. His creation and build has done so much better than Jeff could
have ever imagined. He wishes to thank his wife, Brandi, and their daughter, Lindi, for all
their patience and support while he worked late nights and spent his hard-earned money
making sure MazDawg came out perfectly.