Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Street Trucks

Many of us have family members and loved ones who don’t understand why we spend so much time and money customizing trucks. Most are nonplussed when we take perfectly fine, well-running vehicles and risk damaging them through modification. We’ve probably even wondered about this ourselves. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s removed a functioning piece from a working truck and wondered whether or not I could get it operational again once I’d finished putting everything back together. Just imagine how those who aren’t in the know feel when they see us do these things. The amount of money we spend on customizing can be confusing to outsiders as well. Sometimes we make personal sacrifices, like going on a ramen diet, in order to save cash for parts. I’m…

The custom car industry and automotive world as a whole suffered a loss in the death of customizing legend George Barris. Known for some of the most famous movie cars—among them the ’66 TV Batmobile, the Munster’s Koach and the Beverly Hillbillies hot rod—to novelty builds like the Bathtub Buggy, George Barris was clearly The King of Kustomizers. We find what is perhaps our favorite creation in the custom Kopper Kart, which started life as a ’56 Chevy, but other commissions like Bob Hope’s golf carts prove that no vehicle was safe from George’s creative eye. With a passion for model aircraft that led to model cars, a ’25 Buick in need of repair, and eventually his first full custom and first commercial customer, George’s life path seems to have…

“KEEP IN MIND THAT, AS A TRUCK GUY, ALBERT HAD BEEN DREAMING OF ONE DAY GETTING THE KEYS TO GRANDPA’S F-100 AND GIVING IT SOME CUSTOM FLAVOR.” YOU SEE A TRUCK LIKE THIS AND JUST HAVE TO THINK: WHERE DID I GO WRONG WITH MY LIFE? But then maybe the better question would be: where did Albert Vowell go so right with his? As it turns out, the answer to that is steeped in a deep, rich family history that spans decades. It was 1963, Albert’s great-granddad had just picked up his newest farmhand, a Ford F-100 long-bed, fresh off the lot. It had taken a lot of man-hours to save up for the purchase, but since a work truck is an extension of one’s self, he wanted…

A TRUCK IS MUCH MORE THAN, WELL, A TRUCK. It can be transportation, it can be a tool, it can be shelter, and it can be a lifelong friend—especially when it has held all of the previous positions with its owner and his family. The story of Tom Patton and his ’61 GMC started out the same way as it did for many of us with classic trucks, as someone else’s stalled project. At the time (we’re talking 1980), Tom really wanted a boat, but realized that a newer tow vehicle was out of his budget. So, the search was on for something that could get a boat from his home to the nearest dock, without digging too deeply into the coffers. Young Tom was no stranger to turning a…

SOURCE •  Nfamus Air Suspension 817.473.6669 Nfamusmetal.com Now that the 1999-2006 Silverado and Sierra are three body styles old, you can actually pick one up for a decent price. Since you don’t have to fork out as much to get one, you’ll have more funds to spend on things to make your truck cool. Because some of these trucks are as much as 16 years old, many shops have had plenty of time to perfect kits that get them on the ground, which you can install in the luxury of your own driveway or garage. Nfamus Air Suspension has been in the biz for many years and offers a full line of products for these trucks, including front and rear kits. If you have some experience, you can…

The Goodguys’ traveling car show recently made its annual stop at the Texas Motor Speedway, which is located in Fort Worth, Texas. The three-day show, now in its 23 rd  year, is open to all vehicles 1972 and older on Friday and Saturday. On the K&N Filers All American Sunday portion of the show, it’s open to all vehicles that are American made or powered. While some of the last few shows have had less than perfect weather, this year the temperature was in the mid-80s, which was great for strolling through the 2,300 registered street rods, trucks, classics and muscle cars. This show always lures a huge turnout of truck owners vying for the coveted spot of LMC Truck Parts & Accessories Truck of the Year, Late Finalist.…

Getting voltage from a distributor to a spark plug is a key action required for the operation of gas engines. Home mechanics often neglect to run spark plug wires safely, but making sure they’re properly installed can prevent problems later. Not only can improper installation hinder performance, but a burnt wire can start a fire. The wires on our 383-ci Chevy small-block engine hadn’t been run properly. We’d thought that simple wire dividers would do the trick, but we were wrong. After putting some miles on the engine, the wires became damaged by contact with our headers and heat coming from the engine. Though we love our Hedman headers, they do make for some tight clearances for the wires, but there are ways to work around this situation. For starters,…

Known for enhancing and modifying, Shelby American has worked with sports cars from Ford Mustangs, like the Shelby GT 350, to the legendary AC Cobra, created from an AC Ace. Ever since Shelby American enhanced the 2011-14 Ford SVT Raptors, however, enthusiasts have eagerly awaited more truck enhancements. Recently Shelby American unveiled the all-new Shelby F-150 truck. With more than 45 enhancements, the ’16 Shelby F-150 offers an optional supercharger and custom-tuned performance suspension as it aims to reach that perfect balance between power and handling. The supercharger boasts 700 hp with an oversized cold air intake, billet aluminum high-flow throttle body, aluminum heat exchanger, higher flowing fuel injectors and updated calibration. Muscle car enthusiasts are sure to be pleased with a dual exhaust system with a roar said to…

EASY ACCESS Hedman billet aluminum oil filter relocation kits are available in a multiple port configuration and in both single and double oil filter setups. Whether you relocate your oil filter off of the engine block and mount it for ease of access or are negating clearance issues in an engine swap, these kits feature large -12 AN fittings that make them suitable for almost every engine application. CNC-machined in the USA from 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum, clear anodized for wear resistance and engraved with flow direction labels, each kit includes a billet oil filter bypass adapter, remote filter base, aluminum AN fittings and high-pressure/high-temperature Gates oil lines. Hedman Performance Group • 562.921.0404 • Hedmanperformancegroup.com FACE THE MUSIC Pioneer’s in-dash multimedia DVD receivers don’t just play Spotify, Pandora and satellite radio.…

“I WANTED TO LEARN ALL THE ASPECTS THAT GO INTO CREATING AN UNFORGETTABLE CUSTOM VEHICLE.” –Robb Pearson EVERY NOW AND THEN, WE GET SMACKED UPSIDE THE HEAD WITH A STUNNING BLOW THAT COMES COMPLETELY FROM THE SHADOWS. Sometimes this kind of thing happens in the literal sense, but we’re not talking about getting mixed up in a squabble outside of the neighborhood bar. What we’re looking at here is the surprise swing to the gut that life dishes out from time to time. You can plan all you want, but there’s just no defense strong or fast enough to deflect these kinds of attacks. It’s rare that you sense them coming before they strike, but for the most part, these sucker…

“WHEN BUILDING A SHOW TRUCK YOU WANT THE BEST OF THE BEST, INCLUDING ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY.” SOURCE •  Auto Meter 866.248.6356 Autometer.com For those who don’t know, we at PCH Rods have been wrenching on a ’72 C-10 that’s also known as the C-10R. The truck is all business and a fierce competitor on the autocross circuit. To get the best lap times, everything on the truck serves a purpose, and we demand a lot from each part. The C-10R is not just a stylish truck, it was purpose built to attack the track. When building a show truck you want the best of the best, including accuracy and reliability. For a race truck like our C-10R, we want a system that can provide…

NOT EVERYONE HAS THE TIME OR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE THINGS THEY TRULY WANT TO DO IN LIFE. Chalk it up to hectic work schedules, too many responsibilities, or a simple lack of ambition. Some interpret their dreams as being some far off, imaginary place that they’ll never reach no matter how hard they try, but in reality, that distant land is more reachable than most people think. There’s no secret passage or foolproof shortcut that we know, but a fresh perspective and positive outlook can turn mysterious, seeming impossibilities into real-life, tangible outcomes. You don’t even need to break out the Visa and charge a session with life coach Tony Robbins. No, finding the path to the place or object you’ve only seen in your sleep is just…

SOURCES •  Line-X Linex.com •  UnderCover Undercoverinfo.com For as long as I’ve owned trucks I’ve had to use them to haul loads, not just as showpieces. When I purchased my used ’10 GMC Sierra, the factory GM mat was the only bed protection. I was lucky that there were just a few minor dings and scratches; things could have been a lot worse. Fortunately, there are many options available to cover truck beds that offer protection and look good. When I decided to replace the factory mat in my Sierra, I turned to Line-X, the industry leaders in spray-on protective coatings. With more than 20 years of experience developing and applying protective coatings, covering applications from military to custom automotive products, Line-X was the obvious choice for a quality bedliner.…

Crowning Glory We have to call this ’64 Ford F-100 Gene Pacheco’s crowning glory when the 2004 Crown Victoria suspension modification is just the tip of the modification iceberg. The suspension swap allowed disc brakes and power steering to be added for a smoother ride. Coils lower the truck, while a C4 automatic transmission has a B&M floor shifter gracing the interior. Under the hood is all chrome featuring a 351-ci Ford Windsor with a Holly four-barrel carburetor. While the interior is totally modern—with back-up camera, carpet removed, 4,000-watt sound system, all-leather two-tone tan and black upholstery, chrome steering column and chrome glove box ash tray—the wheels are a throw back to a past era, featuring 16-inch steelies with bullet center caps and chrome trim rings. The truck bed alone…

SECTIONING (sek-shan-ing): One extreme approach to building a custom truck, sectioning comes from the same tradition as chopping and channeling. Sectioning refers to the process of changing the profile of a vehicle by editing a section of its body. Most frequently a horizontal section is cut out of the body and removed. The two remaining pieces are welded back together to create a custom look, reducing the truck’s height to make it radically lower. Less frequently the same technique can be used to lengthen, shorten or increase the height of the body.…

In stock trim, the 2005-16 F-250 4x4 is a good work truck. If you opt for the factory FX4 package, you’ll also get skid plates for the transfer case, fuel tank, hill descent control and Rancho shocks. However, it’s still a work truck and rides like a heavy service vehicle on pavement and off. A Carli Suspension lift not only raises the stance of your rig, it improves function and ride in all driving conditions. The smoother ride and bolder look don’t sacrifice any of the truck’s work capacity, they just make it more fun and comfortable to drive. Carli offers both components and full kits. The two basic lift heights are 2.5 inches and 4.5 inches. We stopped in and followed along while the Carli crew upgraded a new…

BROTHERHOOD, IT’S ONE OF THE STRONGEST BONDS KNOWN TO MANKIND. Brothers share a connection and, when they get along and share similar interests, the memories made can be priceless. At the end of the day, it’s all about family. The Reyna brothers out of Georgetown, Texas are led by oldest brother and ringleader Milo Reyna. The brothers design and build custom trucks together as a family from Milo’s home shop. Brother Daniel Reyna is an extremely accomplished artist, drafting all of the renderings to create the concept for each custom truck they build. Brothers Chris and Art swing the wrenches, sand, grind, weld and fabricate metal to turn once-stock haulers into low-rolling, rim-tucking, head-turning pieces of art. The house specialty on the Reyna family build menu are 1973-87 Chevrolet C-10…

DARRELL REESE IS A DYED-IN-THE-WOOL MOPAR GUY. He’s owned a wide variety of project vehicles, including a ’69 Coronet, ’71 Dart, ’74 Dodge truck and a ’93 Dakota rock crawler—all of them at various stages of customization and capability. Like many gearheads, he was always tinkering with his cars and trucks. His collection kept growing, but none of the rides truly satisfied him or his wife Keely. Reese’s automotive aspirations and collection began to overwhelm the couple’s home in Junction City, Ohio; so, Keely encouraged him to acknowledge his gearhead disease and try to focus on one project vehicle that would make the couple happy. Reese chose the ’85 Dodge W350 seen here. He’s owned it for quite some time, having found it in the woods while driving through West…

“WHAT STARTED OUT AS A FATHER-AND-SON PROJECT WHEN HE WAS 14 YEARS OLD HAS TURNED INTO AN AMAZING TRUCK THAT’S WORTHY OF A LOT OF PRAISE.” THINK ABOUT YOUR FIRST TRUCK FOR A MINUTE. Was it a beat up hunk of garbage or brand new off the lot? Once you had the truck, did you run out, copy of Street Trucks in hand, ready to customize your ride? And if you did, did you make a few mistakes along the way? That’s a lot to think about, but most people who get a truck for their first vehicle don’t always make the best decisions. It makes sense; we’re young, dumb and excited about our first car or truck, so slapping on some crappy sticker…

Cutting Parts With Freaking Laser Beams Two years ago we were building customer jobs and selling parts as usual. The company I used to create laser-cut parts got really busy that summer. Up until then, I could drop off a template and pick up my parts sometimes as soon as one week later. The parts were very reasonably priced and most of the time the company didn’t even charge me to convert the templates into CAD files, but when they were busy my parts would sit in the queue for a few weeks. If I had a CAD file in hand, though, they could machine them much more quickly. I soon realized that my best option for speedy parts turnaround was to get a copy of AutoCAD and start designing…

JANUARY 2016 JANUARY 10 SUNRISE, FL—10 TH  ANNUAL OPEN CAR & TRUCK SHOW—At the Ed Morse Sawgrass Automall. 40 Best of Show awards, food, door prizes, DJ, 50/50 raffle and more. For more info, log on to Renegadecorvetteclub.com. MARCH MARCH4-6 SCOTTSDALE, AZ—GOODGUYS 7 TH  SPRING NATIONALS—Held at WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 North Pima Rd. Log on to Good-guys.com for details. MARCH 19-20 PLEASANTON, CA—GOODGUYS 34 TH  ALL AMERICAN GET-TOGETHER—Held at Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Ave. Log on to Good-guys.com for details. APRIL APRIL 15-17 RALEIGH, NC—GOODGUYS 2 ND  NORTH CAROLINA NATIONALS—Held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Rd. Log on to Good-guys.com for details. APRIL 23-24 MAGGIE VALLEY, NC—22 ND  ANNUAL SOUTHEASTERN MINI TRUCKIN’ NATIONALS— At the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.…