Monster Previa

Photo Credit: Mike Gilbert – www.mikegilbertphotography.com

When we started VSC, one of our first members to join our community told us of his plan to build his Toyota Previa.  It is one build that we have been anticipating since 2004.  I’ve had the pleasure of watching this build through the eyes of another Previa owner so I was being informed on how tough this process was going to be.  One of the biggest hurdle for US Previa owners is that body kits for its Japanese counterpart, the Estima, will not bolt on to the body.  With the Estima being RHD, the sliding door is on the opposite side as well.  That makes putting on a body kit impossible without any custom body work.  In other words, cut up one side so the sliding door will work and then mold the other side so it will fit on a non-door side.  Not only was Shawn going to take on the task of grafting on a JDM Avanzare Interesse Volker body kit, but he was going give the Previa a facelift using 98 Estima Headlights, grill, and lower trim. To top off the front end, he picked up a set of Garson smoked headlamp covers and added Avanzare fog lamps.  We switch it up to the rest of the exterior and Shawn added an Artist Glamor mid-spoiler, OEM rear spoiler, and again from a 98 Estima, a custom smoked taillight set.  Before covering the car with a custom Black and Mercedes Mars red, Glasurit 2-tone paint job, he added an Old Series Garage extended Door Hinge.

With the exterior pretty much setting it off, it was time to address the stance of the van.  Putting together a setup using Universal Air and Silk Road RM/A8 Coilovers, the car sat perfectly.  The wheels that were used to complete it after adding the Silk Road lateral rod were 19×9 and 19×10 Leon Hardiritt Ritters.  The tires are Falken FK452s, 225/35R19 and 235/35R19. 

I got a sneak peak of the interior when I was looking for ideas.  This Previa had a custom red interior with Diamond stitching.  I also noticed the Fabulous steering wheel with a Boss hub.  I’m a big fan of custom interiors with diamond stitching.  This interior complimented the exterior perfectly.  

The engine got basic upgrades but still important to mention.  Once again he went back to Old Series Garage and picked up an oil pan.  After adding the TRD air filter, he had a custom Magnaflow mid-muffler with a Carsound Catalytic converter bolted in.

I gotta say, this would be one Previa that I would love to own in my garage.  This is one van that would be great to drive down the road in.  Just like this feature, it was a long time coming.  I knew Shawn was going to put together a sick Previa in due time.  As soon as I saw the first teaser pics, I was awestruck.  Thank you Shawn for allowing VSC to showcase your build.  It was a great ride as I got to see the ups and downs to your build.

Here is the build thread on VIPStyleCars.com that is almost 40 pages long. My VIP-GT Prestima project  

Building it since 2004

Custom black and Mercedes Mars Red, Glasurit 2-tone paint job

Wheels/Suspension

19×9 19×10+36 Leon Hardiritt Ritter

Falken fk452 225/35R19 235/35r19

UAS/Silk Road RM/A8 coilover setup

Silk Road lateral rod

Interior

Fabulous Steering Wheel

Boss hub

Custom red interior w/diamond stitching

Broadway Mirror

Exterior 

Garson Smoked Headlamp covers

Old Series garage extended door hinge

OEM Spoiler

98 Estima headlight set

98 Estima grill (custom painted black)

98 Estima lower trim

98 Estima taillight set (custom smoked)

Avanzare Interesse Volker body kit

Avanzare fog lamps

Artist Glamor Mid Spoiler

McCulloch 4300k hid kit

other:

TRD air filter

Old Series Garage oil pan guard

Custom exhaust w/Magnaflow Mid-Muffler and Carsound Cat

Tags: Featured

Category: VIP Feature