In the short time the Scion xB has been in the American market, it has become one of the most popular imports from Japan, which has led to its explosion in the custom car industry. For David Hickman, the Scion xB was a cool little boxy vehicle that he, just like a lot of other custom auto enthusiasts, welcomed with open arms, wrenches, blow torches, Sawzalls, sand paper, and spray guns!

Once David had his hands on a 2005 Scion xB, he delved right into customizing his new ride. Being a 20+ year vet of modifying various autos, David is not the least bit timid when it comes to cutting up perfectly good stock vehicles! To kick things off David wanted his xB to be pavement level which is accomplished with EasyStreet air struts in the front and EasyStreet bags and brackets in the rear. Now this wicked mini-suv, imported from another land, lays down nicely over a set of Boyd 18x8-inch Smoothie II wheels with Kumho 215/35/18 rubber providing the traction.

The next item on David's list was to modify the stock body. David and a few of his Scinergy club members shaved all the factory badges and Putco billet grille inserts were bolted into place. A StreetBeat Customs 40-inch by 70-inch sliding ragtop was worked into the roofline to let the sun shine in when David cruises the highways in his home state of Georgia. However, the most noticeable thing about this Scion is the Black Sand Pearl paint topped off with a set of hot rod flames. The flames consist of House of Kolor Majik Blue that fades into Passion Purple with Reflex Blue providing a nice pinstripe outline.

With the Scion's exterior complete, David decided to spend a little time upgrading the interior. David did a lot of the work, but also enlisted the help of Gibbs Auto Interiors of Jonesboro, Georgia. All the plastic interior parts were painted and pinstriped to match the outside and a set of Autometer gauges from XBgauges.com were installed. A Billet Specialties steering wheel replaces the stock steering device and a Boomerang custom center console with a TRD short shifter, topped with a McSkulley knob, sits snugly between the bucket seats. A Katzkin black and blue two-tone theme covers the interior parts with custom flamed door inserts, and floor mats. A blue suede headliner and A,B,C pillars finish the interior. Blue StreetGlow neon and LED lighting set the interior off in the evening hours at automotive shows and cruise-ins.

David, along with a little help from Soundproof Car Stereo in Douglasville, Georgia, also made sure to stuff his mini-suv with a plethora of audio visual goodies. An Alpine in-dash LCD screen double din DVD head unit is the base upon which the rest of the A/V system would evolve. A custom fiberglass subwoofer enclosure was constructed for the rear storage area that contains two 10-inch Type-R Alpine subs and a 4-channel Alpine amp, the finishing of the subwoofer box/amp mount is painted to match the exterior along with a little hot rod pinstriping. Alpine 7-inch LCD monitors were installed in each front seat headrest and the stock speakers were replaced with 6.5-inch Alpine component Type-R speakers. One of the most interesting modifications is the mounting location of the two Alpine mono-amps which are mounted in the rear side windows.

Under the hood, the Toyota 1NZ 1.5L four cylinder engine remains stock, but with a few performance and visual upgrades. On the performance side of things, a cold air intake was bolted into place along with a custom header, Optima redtop battery, lighten crank pulley, and a Borla exhaust system. The engine cover was painted to match the exterior body paint and Bill Odem was hired to paint a "Varga Style" pinup girl which is a tradition dating back to World War II.

After 2½ years, 25-thousand bones, a handful of favors, and a few busted knuckles, David has accomplished his goal - he now owns a hot... I mean... box rod!

Shout Out: "Special thanks to my loving wife, my family, and all the club members of Scinergy across the nation!" -David Hickman