Eight years ago, after assisting in the building of numerous
other vehicles, Dupont decided the time had come for him to
spearhead his own project, to mold a vehicle in his own vision.
Being a devout truck fan, he originally started searching for
a 1968 GMC Jimmy. But with those in too short of supply, he
purchased the 86 Wrangler locally.
Dupont drove the bone stock black truck for four years before
launching into his first round of customization. Soon the
truck sported a new turbo-charged 350, new transmission, new
suspension and a tubbed rear-end to accommodate massive new
tires. Proud of his creation, Dupont took it for a cruise.
"The first year I put it together and got it on the road,
I was on the way to the Pony Corral when I saw two trucks
just like mine, Dupont recalled. "Right then and there
I said I was going to do something different. I was kind of
ticked."
Thus began the first of four complete frame off customizations
in four years, each time the time to disassemble was dwarfed
by the time of reconstruction. Starting with chopping the
box and roof, adding a blower to increase power to the 900hp
range and ending just months ago with a totally new custom
themed interior, Dupont performed the majority of the work
himself despite lacking previous experience with such a complicated
build. "I had to have my hands in it and under-stand
it and understand how it all works."
The Bad Taz was born.
"It's a crazy ride and some people may think I'm crazy
too," Dupont explained. "I've never done this before
in my life and it has been a crazy ride. And the Tasmanian
Devil is a crazy mother so I went with that."
Only now, after four years of consecutive complete teardowns
that has left the front end as the lone original piece remaining,
does Dupont finally see himself nearing peace with his vision.
"I've nitpicked it to a point where while there are still
some little things I could still do to it, such as a tonneau
cover, they are things where the truck won't have to come
apart again," an almost relieved Dupont said.
Dupont recalled two big lessons learned during the long build
process. First, regardless of mechanical experience, anything
is attainable for the auto enthusiast with the right attitude.
"You got to be that kind of person who is prepared to
take a chance and never settle," he explained. "If
you want it, go out and get it. Go talk to guys who go to
shows, read books, meet a buddy with a lot of knowledge. It's
all a matter of how much you push and how much you want it."
Second, don't just create a comprehensive vision but persevere
to stay true to it once you begin to chase it. "If you
got a plan or a vision, build it according to your vision
because you may find yourself wasting a lot of time or money
or both," he concluded. "Don't start changing unless
you got money to thow it away. If you change one thing you
have to change three or four things. Then you have to change
three or four things for each of those things."
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