Letters to the Editor - Paper Cuts - February 2005

  |   paper Cuts adam Essex Sketch Another Youngin'
Adam Essex is a 13-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, and an avid reader of Mini Truckin'. He plans to build a truck worthy of these very pages one day, but for now, he spends his time and custom-focus on his drawings. It seems that everyone these days draws better than us. Mini Truckin' Memories
Out on the streets where no cops go
The crowd of custom mini-trucks begins to grow
The music pounds as the trucks scrape the ground
The sparks fly high as the trucks drag by
I say to myself, "I can't wait to drag mine!

"As the night gets old, the air grows cold
So, the clubs roll to subtract reflectors from the road
Slowly the trucks come to a halt
To be aired out on the asphalt
These memories are like no others,
Because we're all mini-truck brothers

Lourn Frandsen
Orville, Alabama Hey Lourn,
That describes an awesome weekend cruise night for every one of us. You did an excellent job capturing some of our most favorable memories in your poem and put words to an experience that binds us all together. Thanks for reading, and keep up the creative writing and mini-truck building.   |   paper Cuts fixer Upper Fixer-Upper
Dear MT,
I have been reading your magazine for more than a year now and have yet to start a project of my own. Since my finances are very limited, I've been planning it out and want to go about things the right way first so I don't make any costly mistakes. I'm a proficient welder (by far, not a fabricator), and I am comfortable doing some minor body and suspension mods myself. My buddy has an old junker work truck for sale, which I think has the potential to be quite the little project. My concern is whether it's worth it to get a fixer-upper for my first project, or would you recommend just buying a good used truck that I can drive and learn on over time? Please help. Any suggestions are much appreciated.
Shawn Plum
Elmira, New York Hey Shawn,
Those are very wise questions and bring up excellent points. This is purely just opinion-based feedback from our own experience over the years, but will probably serve to answer your questions. We've seen many people buy trucks, new or used, off the lot, and after a few trial-and-error situations (either with their own hands or those of a shop), most of the original truck no longer exists. You've obviously noticed the scope of a full feature build to include crazy ground-hugging body and suspension mods, full exterior makeovers and paint, engine mods and beautification, and full interiors, with no stone left unturned. This type of buildup not only takes patience, time, and money, but talent and planning are other factors that some forget to account for. This being said, it would probably be much cheaper to buy the junker since the whole truck will end up being modified anyway. As long as you have a plan of attack and tackle the mods in the appropriate order, we're sure that old fixer-upper will be one badass mini in no time.

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