These days, the higher the truck, the closer to God. While the truck scene today is all about lifted suspensions, big tires, and bold, aggressive looks, yesteryear’s cool factor was all about mini trucks. These compact trucks were the perfect blank canvases for builders looking to make a statement.
The mini truck scene was huge in the late 1980s and continued through the 1990s, with customs slammed to the ground with wild paint schemes and matching themes. It was like a Lowrider with a bed; the crazier the exterior, the louder the bass meant, the hotter the ride.
Kenneth McCay and his friend Shawn Marsh both grew up in the mini truck era, so when Kenneth saw the announcement of the new Ford Maverick, he immediately knew it was the blank canvas for his next build. “As soon as I saw it advertised, I envisioned it customized into an old-school mini truck. I placed an order right away, as they weren’t even available at the dealerships yet,” he confesses. “The base model would decrease the initial cost and allow quicker delivery. I planned on tearing out the interior and making major modifi cations, so paying for upgrades didn’t make much sense! This is the smallest truck currently available in the lineup.”
Because the 2022 model year was the first year available, nothing like it had been done before, which is why he knew he needed help from his friend Shawn to make it as great as he could to be the first to have this modern-day mini truck. “I used to build mini trucks as a kid back in the ’90s, but back then, I didn’t have the means to do what I can do now. Many old-school mini truckers have grown up and now have the cash to buy or build what they wanted as a teen.”
However, Kenneth was challenged by the fact that there were absolutely no aftermarket parts for the Maverick. He had to get creative, so he rounded up a few of his buddies and went to the State Fair of Texas, where the Maverick was on display and he knew he’d get to see one up close and in person. “We literally took a tape measure and climbed underneath to look at the suspension,” he details. “The car model/sales rep looked at us like we were crazy!”
Of course, he would hit a few other roadblocks during the process, with wheels being one of them. The wheel lug pattern was hard to find custom wheels for and while doing his rough measurements, he realized there wasn’t a lot of space in the undercarriage to work with. When choosing what companies to go with for aftermarket parts and mods, he went with vendors that were excited about the build and could get him what he needed the quickest.
“The sound system, custom paint job, the ragtop that I cut into it, the wheels – I’m honestly happy with all of the mods.” To christen his new baby, Shawn got a custom license plate that says “1LowMav” so he just stuck with that when it came time to name it.
Although there weren’t any parts for 1LowMav on the market at the time of the build, Shawn was still able to get it all done in about three months’ time but has since added even more parts to it since it was first completed back in December 2021. “It pretty much came out exactly how I envisioned it – but it’s gotten a lot more attention than I ever expected. Love it or hate it… people look!”
TECH SPECS
2022 FORD MAVERICK
WHEELS / TIRES
• 22” JTX Forged custom wheels
• 225/30R22 Venom Power Ragnarok Zero tires
EXTERIOR
• Buster’s Paint & Body – custom paint & graphics
• BAKFlip bed cover
• Legacy – 35×35 sliding ragtop
• Air Designs fender flares
• My World Fabrication, Shawn Brockway – custom engine cover & sheet metal fabrication work
• MRT no drill hood struts
AUDIO
• NTX Audio Innovations – Rockford Fosgate Audio & fully customized install
• (4) 15” subwoofers
• (3) 6 1/2 components
• (2) 4-channel amplifiers
• (2) Subwoofer amplifiers
SUSPENSION
• NTX All Terrain and Adam Buster suspension work
• Chassis Tech air suspension
PERFORMANCE
BC Raceworks exhaust, intake, intercooler, and tune
