The Mini Truckin’ lifestyle is enjoying a comeback thanks in part to the Blue Oval’s newest and smallest truck, the 2022 Ford Maverick. Old school mini-truckers saw the potential, and images and memories of their Rangers, S10s, Tacomas, and Hardbodies came flooding back. One fine example of a modern mini truck we found on the Maverick Truck Club forum not only has those classic, iconic old-school graphics, but was also slammed down to the rockers thanks to a custom airbag suspension setup.
When Kenneth McCay saw the Maverick and placed his order, the intent was always to turn it into the mini-truck you see before you. “I put 70 miles on it before driving straight to my buddy’s shop,” McCay told us. He also had an airbag suspension setup in mind, “Airbags are the way to go,” he explained when we asked if he thought about doing coilovers instead of the air suspension; “I never considered any other route.” At first, the Maverick rode on larger wheels, but, “I got tired of my buddies making fun of it not laying out, so I had to go with smaller wheels and tires,” McCay added.
The 2022 Maverick XL rides on a custom made Chassis Tech air suspension system and raised strut towers. This was handled by NTX All Terrain, which also handled the wheel and tire setup, including a set of 20-inch MSR 087 wheels. The fenders required a bit of flare, so a set of Air Designs fender flares were also added to help keep the tires tucked and under the body.
The roof features a 35 by 35 inch sliding ragtop from Legacy and, once all of the body and sheet metal work by My World Fabrication was completed, it was shot with new paint and custom graphics by Buster’s Paint and Body. The Ecoboost 2.4 turbocharged I-4 has a custom air intake and exhaust system all handmade by BC Raceworks, while My World Fabrication created a custom engine cover for some extra style under the hood. That hood is raised by a set of MRT No Drill Hood Struts to not only reduce the effort of lifting it, but also to keep it open so the world can marvel at the custom work under it.
Inside, the Maverick is a true mini truckin’ design with a wild and custom Alpine Audio installation by NTX Audio Innovations. It features four 12-inch subwoofers, two 10-inch subs, six 6.5-inch component speakers, and two 5 channel amplifiers backed up by a pair of sub amps. You’ll find most of these larger audio components and amplifiers under the Retrax bed cover, because if McCay can’t have a dancing bed mini-truck like the Nissan he’s built, then he’s going to fill it with audio equipment.
Now that it’s complete, how has the reaction been from old and new fans of the Mini Truckin’ lifestyle? “It definitely gets mixed reactions,” McCay told us, “Love it or hate it, it gets your attention. A lot of people don’t understand the mini-truckin’ style theme and graphics.”
Even so, other Maverick owners have been impressed with the time, work, and dedication of his build. “The Maverick community is really supportive and loves it, overall,” said McCay. “I’ve made a few friends and traded tips and tricks that make this all work.” Will the Maverick encourage more modern Mini-Truck builds in the future? We hope so and encourage anyone who wants to know how to do it right to take Kenneth McCay’s Maverick XL as an excellent example of bringing old-school to a modern truck, Maverick or otherwise.
Images provided by the owner, Kenneth McCay.
Keyword: A Slammed and Bagged 2022 Ford Maverick XL Makes an Awesome Mini Truck