Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i Street Trucks

“HAVING A TRUCK THAT SOUNDS AND DRIVES AS GOOD AS THIS ONE DEMANDS AN AMAZING COAT OF COLOR AND SMOOTHED DOWN CLASSIC BODY PANELS.” BUILDING A TRUCK CAN BE A LOT LIKE GOING TO WAR WITH ALL THE GENERATIONS THAT CAME BEFORE AND AFTER YOUR FINISHED PRODUCT. Hundreds of shops around the country use their skills, minds and available soldiers in their own particular way to wage war with opinionated opposition. Their tools are their weapons and national events are the proving grounds where they battle it out. It’s always nice to bring home a trophy that shows you’re doing mental damage to your competition, but in the case of Ariel Paxon of Stuart, Florida, the ultimate goal is to promote his custom fab shop and continue the dream…

YEAR AFTER YEAR, WE SEE A WAVE OF NEW CUSTOM BUILDS FLOOD THE INDUSTRY, AND IT’S OUR JOB TO DOCUMENT HIGH-DOLLAR DESIGNS THAT MOST OF US CAN NEVER DREAM OF, AS WELL AS THE BASIC BUDGET PROJECTS THAT WE CAN ALL RELATE TO. Our goal is to get you motivated so you can make next year’s Awards list by finishing that project you have sitting in your driveway. From lifted and lowered to mini and full size, we have an award for them all. We choose the winners for most of the categories—but the Truck of the Year is chosen by you. The options are limited to trucks that have appeared on the cover of Street Trucks only, and the voting system is online each year for you to select…

POP QUIZ! Do you know when and why the first wheel was introduced? The answer: The first wheel rolled in 3,500 B.C. in Mesopotamia for something as simple as the wheelbarrow, and it was used by the Egyptians for ramps and levers to help them construct the pyramids. It wasn’t until 300 years later when the wheel was used for chariots and other forms of transportation. Time travel to present day, and it’s easy to see that wheels have come a long way—and Bob Sage, president of Wheelsmith in Corona, California, knows something about them. “THE COMPANY’S AUTHENTIC APPROACH AND CONSISTENCY OVER THE YEARS HAS MADE A LARGE IMPACT IN THE WORLD OF WHEELS.” Bob started in wheel manufacturing more than 30 years ago. In 1992, he decided it was…

GENERALLY, TRUCK TRENDS ARE UNPREDICTABLE AND CYCLE QUICKLY THROUGH THE RANKS OF THE TOP INDUSTRY BUILDERS AND BALLERS. F-100 bump-sides and pro-touring, patina-paneled C10s are just a few recent examples of popular projects that the average Joe wouldn’t think to produce until they see a fully completed custom gracing the pages of national publications or influential social media channels. These ideas and completed concepts come from the mindset of being unique with the goal of making a statement at massive events like SEMA, LST and Texas Heatwave. With that said, I think it’s safe to say we all see the next major trend hurling down the pipeline like a 6-foot surfer named Bodhi riding a 15-foot wave off Bells Beach during the 50-year storm. (That was a “Point Break” reference…

HAVING BEEN AN ARTIST SINCE HER CHILDHOOD, YAMASHA “MASHA” NEPOMNYASCHAYA-BEREZOVSKAYA CAN REMEMBER DOING VARIOUS FORMS OF ART AS EARLY AS 3 YEARS OLD. Many years later at 28, it is easy to see that she is leaving her mark in the automotive art world. “I was the first artist to launch moto-art movement in the Ukraine, I wanted to show that art has another side than just what people already knew here,” she says. That is often not understood by many people in the Ukraine, but Masha is working to change that and make it better known every single day. Preferring a photorealism style, she creates most of her work on canvas. Painting images of everything from retro-cars to custom motorcycles and hotrods, she has not always been focused on…

MANY PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY HAVE THIS BIG, GLAMOROUS PICTURE OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BUILD A CUSTOM TRUCK FOR THE SEMA SHOW. As we’ve mentioned before, it’s not exactly a walk in the park or what everyone thinks it is, and it’s a much larger undertaking than many are capable of living up to. But that didn’t scare Jack Frith, owner of Fiction Fab, and Oscar Quinterro away. This insane full-custom K5 Blazer build began back in January 2018 when Oscar reached out to Jack with a digital rendering and asked if they could possibly meet the deadline of SEMA 2018. The two sat down and discussed a game plan to make it happen. On Feb. 1, the K5 was dropped off at Fiction Fab. Now, to…

PHIL CHOLETTE OF PHILBUILT DESIGNS DID A FANTASTIC JOB WITH THESE TROPHIES, AND WE’RE PROUD TO DISPLAY HIS NAME ON THE BACK. HE IS KNOWN FOR SOME OF THE COOLEST TROPHIES IN THE INDUSTRY, INCLUDING DESIGNS FOR LONE STAR THROWDOWN AND SO MANY MORE. PHIL STARTS HIS DESIGNS ON THE COMPUTER AS A 3-D MODEL. ONCE THEY ARE PERFECT AND APPROVED BY THE CUSTOMER—US IN THIS CASE—THEY ARE SENT TO THE MACHINES AND THE METAL STARTS FLYING. THE BASE OF THE AWARD IS CUT AND SMOOTHED BEFORE COLOR IS ADDED FOR DIMENSION. NEXT ARE THE POSTS THAT HOLD THE FRONT FACEPLATE. THEY ARE CUT AND ANODIZED TO ADD SOME ADDITIONAL COLOR TO THE DESIGN. THE FINAL STEP IS TO SHAVE SOME ALUMINUM FOR THE FACEPLATE WITH THE WINNER’S INFORMATION. WE…

FOR ITS FIRST YEAR IN THE BOOKS, RELAXIN IN THE PARK HAD A HUGE FOLLOWING. The hype and promotion leading up to the show created endless excitement for the show to come. On the weekend of May 18-19, cruising and posted-up trucks of all types flowed nonstop into Arnold, Missouri. Constant live online feeds discussing the show, the many sponsors involved and the countless pre-registered vehicles coming in from many states away definitely set some category records. The original venue was flooded with water in the weeks prior to the event, but the show staff acted quickly and found a new spot, which worked out great. Relaxin attracted vehicles of many genres, but one of the largest was mini-trucks. Show staff and their friends, who have been in the game…

THE DREAM TO OWN A HIGH-CALIBER CUSTOM SHOW TRUCK NATURALLY RUNS THROUGH THE BLOOD OF SO MANY PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD. Their unbiased addiction is not based on where they were born or the genetics in their family tree. Personally, I am the only one in my gene pool who has the drive to build, own or even notice a custom-built street truck. Guys and gals like me are born with the knack, and its origin can’t be pinpointed or explained. So, when we see another hard-working family man spending his available free time and expendable spending money building a killer street machine, we just have to learn more about his story. In this case, Roberto Rodriguez (a.k.a. Tito) is the man in the spotlight, and his wife, Felicia,…

IN A WORLD OF LAID-OUT PICKUPS, SOMETIMES A BUILD COMES ALONG THAT REALLY GRABS OUR ATTENTION. Uncommonly built platforms are one of the most enjoyable features we have a chance to shoot not only because of the eye candy they provide, but because we gain an opportunity to show the world something truly unique. This 1992 Isuzu is so clean you could eat off of it. That being said, however, when Jeremie Leblanc of Gonzales, Louisiana, set out to save the Rodeo from the junkyard, many words described the small SUV—but unique would probably not be one of them. Jeremie has been in the scene a long time. One of the highlights of his “glory days” was when his Integra-T hit print in 1999 in Mini-Truckin’ magazine, classic graphics and…

REPAIR WELDING DURING ROAD TRIPS. Complete installations in the countryside. Perform welding operations at exposed locations. Until recently, this type of work involved costly and time-consuming preparations. Long mains leads or big, heavy generators are now no longer necessary because the Fronius AccuPocket 150/400 ushers in a new and unprecedented era of mobile welding. It is the world’s first-ever SMAW (Stick Metal Arc Welding) system with a high-performing lithium-ion rechargeable battery and a low overall weight of only 31 pounds, giving users unprecedented freedom of movement in Stick and TIG welding. The ActiveCharger battery charging system supplied with the AccuPocket is specially tailored to the requirements of the welding system and is based on Fronius’ proven Active Inverter Technology. An intelligent control system using AccuBoost Technology ensures that the battery…

PRO-TOURING PICKUP CHASSIS TCI ENGINEERING RECENTLY RELEASED ITS NEW PRO-TOURING PICKUP CHASSIS MADE TO FIT 1948-1956 FORD F-100 AND 1955-1959 CHEVY PICKUPS. The 8-inch tall main frame rails follow the original frame profile and utilizes over-the-counter brakes, ball joints, and rack and pinion so replacements are readily available. This new Pro-Touring IFS is designed to provide the ultimate in handling, weight savings, strength and ground clearance, along with a broad range of alignment adjustments. Three adjustments on the axle brackets give you the capacity to change the ride height in 1-inch increments. You also have the ability to fine tune the ride height further with the RideTech Million Mile Warranty adjustable coilovers. TOTAL COST INVOLVED ENGINEERING, INC. www.totalcostinvolved.com800-984-6250 BUILT TO SPEC ROADSTER SHOP SPEC SERIES KITS FOR 1960-87 CHEVY C10…

IF YOU’RE A REGULAR READER OF THIS MAGAZINE, YOU KNOW THAT A VEHICLE OFTEN ASSUMES A LIFE OF ITS OWN. Far more than just simple transportation, a cool custom truck invariably leads to a wide circle of friends from the show circuit, mechanic friends who are acquired during garage sessions and a collection of family members who enjoy it as much as the owner. A prime example is Joe Henke’s 1950 F-1. Although Joe teaches industrial air compressor maintenance for a living, he’s been an active automotive enthusiast his whole life. He learned the basics from his dad, Tom Henke, while growing up in the family auto mechanic business. As it turns out, he’s also been involved with this F-1 for most of his life as well. His grandfather bought…

REGRETS. We all have them. At one point or another, most of us have had to make the tough decision to let one of our prized possessions go to another home. When it comes to selling or trading off a vehicle, the ability to see it every now and then can be a comforting or rather painful scenario—it can easily go both ways. The remedy to either situation is usually finding another car, truck or project to occupy the free time, even though you’ll always wonder and hope that your past possession is being treated as well as it deserves. Kevin LeJeune, of Welsh, Louisiana, knows this “empty-garage” feeling all too well. He has built and let go of two C10 pickup trucks in the past—a ’72 and a ’67.…

INTRODUCING STREET TRUCKS’ NEW ARTIST SERIES At Street Trucks magazine, we have always found that it’s not just the cars that make the publication what it is. It’s the fans, it’s the readers, it’s the enthusiasts, it’s the owners, it’s the builders—and the passion they have for the truck/automotive world. That passion creates the family we are now. Though not on purpose, one branch of our car culture has often been overlooked: the artists. In the past, the rich history of hot rod art spread some of the car culture’s first wild ideas before renderings or even photographs of the latest cutting-edge builds reached other states around the nation. As time went by, builds began to evolve with the times like the art did, but for some people it became…

ALL TRUCK SEASON OPENER Feb. 8, 2020 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 13700 SW 16th Ave. Ocala, FL 34473 www.alltruckseasonopener.com SPARKS IN THE OZARKS Oct. 4-6 River Ranch Resort 101 River Road Noel, MO 64854 SLAMFEST Oct. 13-14 Florida State Fairgrounds 4800 US Highway 301 North Tampa, FL 33610 LAST RESORT Oct. 18-20 Louisiana Oil & Gas State Park 100 Rue de l’Acadie Jennings, LA 70546 www.lastresortshow.com SEMA 2019 Nov. 5-8 Las Vegas Convention Center 3150 Paradise Road Las Vegas, NV 89109 www.semashow.com CONVOY SHOWDOWN Nov. 10 Texas Motor Speedway 3545 Lone Star Circle Fort Worth, TX 76177 TURKEY DRAG Dec. 6-8 Wind Point Park 6553 State Park Road 55 Lone Oak, TX 75453 www.turkeydrag.com SEVERED IN THE SOUTHWEST Dec. 7 Castles N’ Coasters 9445 N. Metro Parkway E.…