I posted this on Mini Truckin's forum. I know there are alot of guys here that have static dropped trucks. I mainly wrote this for MT, but I would like to know what you guys have to say about it.


I was going through some old mags the other day and came across the July 2009 issue of Mini Truckin. On the cover is Ernie Macias' '92 Mitsu dubbed "High School Truck", (by the way I love this truck). The first time a static dropped truck has been on the cover since June 1998. Also on the cover it reads, "Back 2 Basics - Static dropped trucks are back". But are they? In the past few years I've only seen 3 trucks in MT that are static dropped. This includes features and show coverage. I personally love static dropped trucks, but I think that is because I started getting interested mini trucks back in the early 90's. Back when bags weren't around. Now, I have nothin against bagged trucks, been on that debate of baggin' my truck with myself for a year now. It is currently static dropped.

Back to the subject, I don't think static dropped trucks are back. I haven't seen one grace the pages of Mini Truckin since. With bagged trucks being so popular and more extreme when it comes to the amount of custom work that goes into them. It's hard for a static dropped truck to compete with that. There maybe guys out there that have a static dropped truck for their daily ride, but nothing that will be in magazines. Not with the extravagant amount of thought, detail, work, & sweat that goes into a bagged mini. With people coming out with bagged trucks more extreme than ever, and with clubs having rules that trucks have to be bagged and sometimes body dropped to be even considered, it gets even harder for a clean static dropped mini to get noticed.

Now, I have nothin against Mini Truckin. You guys are doing a fantastic job, even in this economy. I also have nothin against any clubs, you guys are part of the reason why this sport and lifestyle keeps going. I just wanted to give my 2 cents on this subject. And feel free to leave yours and maybe prove me wrong.


Thanks for reading this,

David

 

You know how we do down here Dave. Nah, Nah.

 

Oh, I know. You guys have some sweet trucks in Hawaii! I'm mainly talking about what you see in Mini Truckin.

 

i'm frustrated at the fact that only bagged trucks are all over the magazines. i'm actually tired of trailer queen bagged to the max trucks tuckin 20+ inch rims that probably can't even make a right turn at a stop sign. if it's functional and dude drives it everyday, that's what i want to see. even if it's bagged, but i would prefer to see static dropped trucks. the whole point of a pickp(even a mini) is for hauling. show me some pics of everyday minis with a 3 or 4 wheeler or crotch rocket in the back. and i'm not talkin just sittin in there for a show. i mean driving down the road. whatever color ratchet straps holding it down. pictures of minis with refrigerators, new motors, etc. functional trucks. show me a mini that needs the airbags because the sh!t he's haulin is too heavy for the leaf springs that used to be on the truck. i'm done lol.

 

last time i saw bags on load was semi trucks lol.

I hope Bernie builds his to be functional. I'd hate to see trailer queens....

 

guys use bags on the super duty fords a lot to help with loads. yeah, i hate trailer queens.

 

i wouldn't count on any of my rides being functional... lol





i don't think static trucks are back, because they never left. i've been seeing them since i was little. they just don't dominate the shows, and in turn the mags, like they used to. and i'm really glad. i think it would be really boring if every truck was still static, just like i think it'd be really scary if every bagged truck was still monoleafed... the scene needs to evolve to grow.

i completely understand that the mags want to show "trailer queens". I have more respect for the truck that gets driven over trailered any day, but look thru any hot rod mag (except maybe Ol' skool rodz mag), and you're more than likely gunna see a car that is trailered to the shows it attends. it's hard to put a truck with chips in the paint on the cover over a truck that is in perfect condition. also i think the guy who dumps $5,000 into his suspension setup should get a little more recognition than the guy that installed a $40 set of drop blocks, and cut coils/loosened torsions. a 4-link setup is a little more interesting to look at than a block of aluminum .

i still enjoy static trucks, and consider it more "hardcore" to roll a static daily than a bagged daily. not a 2-3" drop, but a big drop that makes you get stuck everywhere. my s-10 is dropped 5", and i've gotten stuck in my frontyard before. still in my opinion it's better to have the option of lifting the truck instead of getting stuck in every entrance you attempt to turn into.

to me, the fun of building a slammed mini isn't just being low. it's the fabrication that's fun. it only takes a couple hours and basic hand tools to static drop a truck... but i suppose it would take some time to fab the time machine needed to go back to the 90's and get a static dropped truck on the cover of a magazine.... then you'd have all kinds of other mags, and maybe a couple government agencies interested in your project...

 

i agree on both sides. the mags show trucks that are extreme. bagged setups, some of the time, incorporate extreme modifications. they also bring out creativity. static trucks just seem more ordinary. now i prefer to shred corners and rip down mountain roads, so i love static trucks, but i also want a show truck and the more gadgets it has, the more attention its gonna grab. im sure if someone did a full custom interior with fiberglass and sheetmetal with a sound system and bright, eye-catching colors, it would be cover worthy. bottom line, money

 

I understand the sport has to evolve. But lets face it, static trucks don't get the recognition bagged trucks do in mags anymore. In a way I do agree with you about the cost into suspension, but I don't agree with (and I don't know if this happens) the trucks that get more attention just cause the guy had more money to burn. But, on the other hand money does mean you can do more to the truck and get cooler things.

I guess what I'm saying is, static trucks aren't back cause they're not show trucks anymore. They're daily drivers. Also, I think its dumb how I have to bag and possibly body drop my truck to compete with everyone else. I know its not about the trophies, its about the friendships and building our trucks the way we want 'em. But you can't tell me that no one out there does not want at least one trophy.

 

i really don't want any trophies for any of my vehicles. my pickup is the trophy itself, and i just need to "polish" it the best i can. i'll win my trophies bass fishing. lol

 

well its time for me to chime in. i have undoubtably the lowest coil spring frame truck on the site. and am about tied for lowest static overall with SD. i have had my truck in 2 shows. one everybody just walked past it, or asked me when im gonna bag it. and tried to tell me i should crank the torsions more until i do. i tried to explain that the frame is already less than 2" at the crossmember to the dirt. and that i even have a factory body drop (less than 1/2" pinch to frame gap). but they all have either $1000-1500 to drop on a basic bag kit, a bolt on setup for their s10 or are just effin retarded. just because there are guys out there who have badass show trucks doesnt mean they even understand how it was put together. or that every bagged truck is any good. some are downright unsafe.

we as a site, are pretty smart. alot more so than alot of the people who are out there at shows to a degree. so, if you like bags...do it right. if you want a show truck, build one. if you like static dropped trucks, atleast get it super low so you can rag on the bagged guys for being able to sissy down the road at full lock. i sure do. lol. what im saying is that no vehicle magazine will make money showing off daily drivers. people dont wanna see that. they want to see shiney stuff or high dollar stuff. gives them ideas or crap to drool over.

i prefer my trucks really low, stock or satin paint (stock til i need to repaint usually), and simple. no big stereo. steel wheels. usable. they are alot of fun that way. i consider my build style part old vw and part rat rod (the satin half, not the rusty half lol).

 

i didnt know they went anywhere


but i dont read the mag's n stuff, unless it pops up on a forum i frequent then i dont see it.


so i think of stuff in style as stuff i see driving around. 90% is static.




i think the natural progression of things is to get bags to get even more stupid lower then your already stupid low height. so naturally bags means you can drive it static low, but drag it.

 

I don't consider it VW. I just consider it going the original ways of the minitrucks

 

I've never been a big fan of trailer queens myself. It shows what can be done, but maybe not what SHOULD be done. Experimenting can be a good and bad thing.

As long as the truck is safe and usable, I'm into it. I won't drop my truck too much basically because it's a daily driver, I go 36 miles each way to work, and I need it to be safe and reliable. I had a 2000 Civic EX a couple years ago that was super super low, I mean maybe 3" from the ground. It drove like CRAP. It bounced all over the road, was horrible in the rain, and every bump felt like the whole front end was gonna break loose and fly into the next car over. I swapped a guy out for stock springs / struts straight across. The thing had the coilovers all the way down, the rears were cut stock springs. When I took them out I didn't even have to compress the springs, they were loose on the strut.

I've had my share of lowered vehicles, even a '66 Mustang with a 2"/3" drop (it was my weekend road racer / commuter), but when it's scary to drive I can't deal. It's gotta be safe and usable, bottom line.

 

My idea of original mini trucks....

 

like a static drop, u cant get sideways in a bagged truck,

 

i say vw style as in body is mostly stock, with the big ugly extra crap taken off. mirrors, bumpers, mudflaps, ect. original paint. nothing flashy. but loooow. like "how do you turn that?!" haha. think how the older vws are done. not the 95+ kinda stuff. the most reworked part of my yota is the valve cover visually and the inner fender hammering hours-wise. ill have plenty of work into my console when its done by that wont really be seen since its gonna look like i pulled it from something else as it is.

to word it simply: bagged truck driving past you = cool. bagged truck at a show = eh. hahaha

 

i personally like bagged trucks instead of static, mainly because bagged you can change heights with a press of a button, aswell being super fun to mess around with. But i only like it when its done right, i freakin hate hack crap.

I think static is cool too, but i don't like the idea of being super low, cause all you doing is making it worse ride than bags.

 

But I'm not talking bout pros & cons of bagged or static. I'm talkin bout when the sport first started it was all static trucks. And how static trucks can't compete with bagged trucks in the show world anymore.

 

well, if you did them like a street rod with 4links, coilovers, polished parts, ect they might be able to. but the level of work put into a magazine or show bagged truck (just talking about finished trucks, no UCs) its hard to beat that with a simple clean daily. eventually i may bag mine but it will still just be low all the time. just a set of RE5s. i dont need mad lift. lol. but i would like to drag it.