Bagged & blown 1UZ-FE-powered 1998 Toyota HiLux

Forget what you think you know about mini-trucks. This Summernats Top 60 HiLux is a proper street machine

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Photographers: Ben Hosking

Mini-trucks aren’t Street Machine’s usual fare, and funnily enough, they weren’t Darryl ‘Paz’ Penton’s chosen flavour either, despite the photos before you suggesting otherwise. The Sydneysider admits he was more of an LS Commodore man before he bought this epic, supercharged V8-powered 1998 HiLux.

First published in Street Machine’s Yearbook 2024

“I had an E3 HSV Maloo with a Magnuson 2300-blown LS3 making just under 700hp at the wheels, but I’d go to shows and see all the same old things,” Paz says. “I thought mini-trucks sucked, probably because all the ones I’d seen were half-built hack jobs, but I remember seeing this truck on CarSales, and I realised mini-trucks give you the freedom to build whatever you want, however you want. Purists look at muscle cars at shows and pick them apart, but nobody questions what you do in mini-trucking – sort of like hot rods.”

Despite its origins as a two-door tradie truck, Paz’s slick pick-up, SED47E, can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best street machines around, with mods that recall those on 50s customs. The fabrication, attention to detail, engineering and workmanship on display has landed it in the Summernats Top 60, and it’s won plenty of other gongs through the years.

The ’Lux’s current show-winning form is the result of gradual changes made by Paz as well as several previous owners. Before Paz carried the keys, a young fella named Ryan Williams owned the truck, which was initially known as TUX20S. Ryan had it airbagged by Norm Stewart, renamed the truck VEGAS, got it body-dropped and did the US Toyota Tacoma front-end conversion.

Ryan then sold the HiLux to Matt Lee, who chipped away at the bodywork, added the 22×8.5-inch Intro G-Cube billet wheels, and installed the Eaton M90-blown, 4.0-litre 1UZ V8 and Celica five-speed manual. Still known as VEGAS, the ute was a regular at mini-trucking events, but Matt eventually sold it on to Canberra’s Troy Douros.

A member of the Low Intentions mini-truck club, Douros sent the belly-dragging ’Lux up to Graeme Brewer at Down Town Kustoms in Taree for tube upper control arms on the front, Hoppers Stoppers disc brakes all ’round, and a smoothed firewall. The truck was then given its incredible custom interior fit-out by Josh Backhouse of Trims by Shaun and treated to the lush Sikkens Peppercorn Grey paintjob by Jason Sandner of KINGSLR Torana fame (SM, Nov ’18).

While many can tell the HiLux has had a stack of work done, it takes a bit of mini-truck knowledge to fully understand the extent of the mods. Swapping the American Tacoma front onto an Aussie HiLux is, in street machine parlance, the equivalent of chucking a Dodge Dart nose on your Valiant, and required grafting the new US model’s bodylines into the Aussie front guards. Other metalwork included shaved indicators and antenna, suicide passenger door, sheet-metal firewall and tub, Cadillac tail-lights, and a rollpan and shaved bumperettes for a smooth rear end.

Paz came to own the now-heavily modded truck in November 2019. “The truck was really well-known in the mini-trucking scene, and Troy only did a couple of shows with it once it was done. Then it seemed to spend a few years on CarSales, so it caused a lot of worry in the mini-trucking community as to where it had gone and what the new owner had planned for it once I bought it.”

The Council of Concerned Truckers need not have worried, as Paz spent a few years just enjoying the ute and learning the mini-trucking ways. However, a trip to Summernats sparked the biggest round of work the HiLux had seen in donkey’s years.

“I was so intimidated by the car’s legacy that I was too scared to do anything with it,” Paz says. “But I saw Anthony ‘Saf’ Safar’s blue VK in the Elite Hall at Summernats 35, and that was really my lightbulb moment, after which the truck spent a year off the road getting a complete birthday.”

Paz got straight on the horn to the team at Biggie Scrolls, who had handled all the scroll work on Saf’s ProCharged Blue Meanie tribute (SM, May ’24). “We started sorting out how we could incorporate engraving on my truck, but like all good ideas, it quickly blew out,” Paz laughs. “What started as just doing the blower pulley and radiator ended up being all the wheel lips, numerous interior pieces, the fuel cap, and even the door props for shows. The scroll work on the wheels is directional, so they all spin in the same direction while they’re rolling.”

Other work undertaken included adding a limited-slip HiLux diff, rewiring most of the truck, re-plumbing the fuel system, and touching up some panels that needed love after more than a decade on the road.

It was all done with the aim of making SED47E a true street driver, and Paz is keen to start clocking up kays. “If it’s a sunny Sunday, I’ll drive the truck to work and park it out the front of the shop,” he says. “But my main goal is to drive it down to Summernats 37 and get it into the Top 60 hall again. These trucks are built to drive, so we should be driving them!”

A blown V8, custom bodywork and trim, plenty of engineering in the suspension and chassis, and a true street-driven ethos – this mini-truck certainly reads as a street machine to us.

DARRYL PENTON
1998 TOYOTA HILUX

Paint:Sikkens Peppercorn Grey
ENGINE
Brand:Toyota 4.0L 1UZ-FE V8
Induction:Custom intake and spacer, Plazmaman 90mm throttlebody
ECU:Haltech Platinum Sport 2000
Supercharger:Eaton M90
Internals:Standard
Fuel system:Toyota 7M-GE injectors, Bosch 044 pump, Rocket Industries 50L tank
Cooling:Aluminium radiator, thermo fan
Exhaust:Aftermarket headers, twin 3in exhaust
Ignition:LS1 coils
TRANSMISSION
Gearbox:Toyota W56 five-speed manual
Clutch:Exedy Heavy Duty
Diff:HiLux limited-slip, 3.9:1 final drive
SUSPENSION & BRAKES
Front:Slam Specialties RE-7 airbags, KYB shocks, The Chop Shop tube upper control arms
Rear:Slam Specialties RE-6 airbags, Monroe shocks, custom four-link and Panhard rod
Brakes:Hoppers Stoppers 330mm discs and Falcon calipers (f), Hoppers Stoppers 300mm discs and Camaro calipers (r)
Master cylinder:Wilwood
WHEELS & TYRES
Rims:Intro G-Cube 22×8.5 (f & r)
Rubber:Pirelli P Zero 235/30R22 (f & r)

THANKS
My partner Lauren.

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