Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i Street Trucks

ONE THING I’ve learned in life is that you appreciate things more if they aren’t handed to you. If you have to work for something, or even if you have to put some labor into something that has been given to you, you’ll have more pride in yourself and your accomplishments. It can be awesome to have cool things handed to you, but you’ll never know how tough it can be to get them if you’ve never experienced the feeling of wanting something so badly that you’ll make personal sacrifices to get them. I remember back when I was in high school I had a classmate who seemed to have it all. He owned a sweet mid-’80s Chevy El Camino in Hugger Orange with black stripes. Of course, I was…

KILLER RACK Flaming River has designed a direct-fit rack-and-pinion conversion system for the 1967-72 Chevrolet C-10 pickup with a cradle mounting assembly that bolts into the original mounting locations of the steering box and idler arm assembly for easy installation. The kit includes a column shift or floor shift tilt steering column with GM 4.25-inch wiring connector, mounting hardware, universal joints and shafts, rack-and-pinion cradle system, power steering pump and pulley, aluminum mounting reservoir and billet swivel floor mount. Flaming River • 800.648.8022 • Flamingriver.com COLD, HARD PERFORMANCE AIRAID MXP air intake systems direct airflow to reduce restriction for increased power and offer better efficiency, a performance gain it has now made available for the ’15 Ford F-150 V-8 and EcoBoost models. Installation of the AIRAID intake 400-293 compared to…

We all love normal atmospheric pressure. At 14.7 psi, it’s the perfect arrangement for humans and animals alike; it’s easy and natural to breathe and gives us all of the power we need. You can also say the same about the engine in your truck. In most cases, modern vehicles come off the assembly line with some form of a naturally aspirated power plant. The combination works just fine for the vast majority of drivers. But that’s not us. Since we’re always looking for smart ways to gain more horsepower, one of the best approaches is supercharging. It’s a device designed to grab Mother Nature by the scruff of the neck and shake her silly. Supercharging dramatically ups the ante on the pressure and quantity on your intake charge, thereby…

HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED HOW MUCH YOU HEAR THE WORD “NO” WHEN YOU’RE LOW ON DOUGH? Money makes the world go ’round, and when you have none of it, well, you’re stuck going nowhere. You ain’t going any place just because you’ve got a pretty face (especially when you’re a lowly, scruffy mini-trucker), and when all your funds are tied up in a ground-up build, you’d better get used to the confines of your own home. Yes, it’s a self-inflicted condition, but it still sucks to be broke. Ramen noodles and mom’s home cookin’ that’s what building a show truck tastes like. Just ask Dustin Puzey. He knows. He’s seen with his own green eyes how a stack of bills (C-notes) can magically turn into… a stack of bills (the…

“THE NEW RIDGELINE IS, ONCE AGAIN, A UNIBODY VEHICLE WITH A FULLY INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION AND A TRANSVERSE-MOUNTED ENGINE.” WHEN HONDA INTRODUCED THE FIRST GEN RIDGELINE A DECADE AGO, IT PITCHED IT AS THE THINKING PERSON’S PICKUP TRUCK, ONE DESIGNED AROUND CAPABILITY RATHER THAN TRADITIONAL HARDWARE. The company figured out how much the average ½-ton pickup owner actually tows and hauls and came up with a clean-sheet design that would give buyers just the capacity they needed. They abandoned typical ladder-frame construction and built the Ridgeline largely from existing parts (many from the Pilot SUV), with unibody construction, a fully independent suspension, transverse-mounted engine and all-wheel drive. The result was a vehicle that drove like a car and hauled like a truck, but it was an unconventional vehicle competing…

“ONCE TODD COULD DRIVE THE TRUCK DOWN THE ARKANSAS HIGHWAYS, HE FINALLY TRULY ENJOYED HIS MASTERPIECE . ” THE MOMENT TODD HEARD THAT HIS DAD RAY PEARCE, OWNER OF R&R STREET RODS, GOT A SWEET LITTLE ’55 CHEVY PICKUP ON A TRADE DEAL FOR SOME LAND, HE INSTANTLY SET HIS SIGHTS ON OWNING THE TRUCK. It didn't take him long to compile a list of must-haves for the ’55. The truck’s blue paint and small back window were the top two items he wanted to change. Todd got his wish to alter the cab and the color when the truck was involved in a small fender bender. He took the truck to the guys at R&R Street Rods to review the damage. The plan was to…

If you don’t know by now, the Roadster Shop builds topnotch products for most popular classic vehicles. This includes Revo suspension components and Fast Track full chassis for those who want ultimate Pro-Touring performance. These systems were designed with modern technology to allow older vehicles to outperform modern sports cars. For anyone who wants to go head-to-head on an autocross course, these products are great. On the other hand, it leaves a gap in coverage for those who want to gain style points rather than shave seconds off lap times. If you plan to build a cruiser C-10 or full show truck, you don’t need to have the ultimate race-style products to achieve a killer stance. Seeing this gap in coverage on suspension systems, the guys at the Roadster Shop…

APRIL APRIL 1-3 DEL MAR, CA—GOODGUYS 16 TH  MEGUIAR’S DEL MAR NATIONALS—At the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. For more info, log on to Good-guys.com. APRIL 1-3 LAUGHLIN, NV—FORBIDDEN FANTASY SHOW ‘N’ SHINE—At the Avi Hotel and Casino, 10000 Aha Macav Pkwy. Log on to Forbiddenfantasyshow.com for details. APRIL 8-10 MORRISTOWN, TN—LAY’D OUT AT THE PARK— At Cherokee Park, 3075 Floyd Hall Dr. Bands, bikini contest and tons of trucks. Log on to Facebook.com/laydoutatthepark/ for more details. 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. Top 50 handmade trophies and more…

DODGE HAS announced its plans for the ’17 Ram Power Wagon, and with plans this big you better hold onto your seat as we try to run through them all in a few paragraphs. With the ’17 Ram Power Wagon, Ram aims to take the title of off-road truck leader to match the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s title of best fuel economy and the Ram heavy duty truck line’s best-in-class towing. The ’17 Power Wagon will feature a 6.4L Hemi 16-valve V-8 engine as a powerhouse that promises to supply 410 hp at 5,600 rpm and a peak torque rating of 429 lb-ft with an engine calibration designed to enhance off-road maneuverability and finesse. With a 66 RFE six-speed automatic transmission, front and rear electric locking differentials ensure true four-wheel drive…

CHANCES ARE YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNEW WHO OWNED THIS TRUCK BEFORE YOU STARTED READING THIS ARTICLE. It’s not like Dino Battilana is shy about his builds, nor should he be. If you spend even a little time hanging out on the web and love Chevy trucks, you’ve seen one of Dino’s many rides. Much like Pavlov’s dogs at the sound of a bell, you can bet that we drool whenever Dino tells us he has something new to show off. So you can imagine how stoked we were when we spotted this ’63 crew cab dually. You don’t just go cruising Craigslist and pick out one of these trucks (although it almost seems like Dino does). The truth is Dino was just doing Dino things when he found it, which…

AS THE CHEVROLET 1967–72 C-10 TRUCKS CONTINUE TO BE ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CHOICES FOR CUSTOM TRUCK BUILDERS, IT’S NO EASY TASK TO BUILD ONE THAT STANDS OUT FROM ITS PEERS. Nevertheless, Brad McKinnon from Victoria, British Columbia, had an idea brewing for a project that could possibly bring a breath of fresh air into to the C-10 world. Brad, who wanted to build a custom 1967-72 C-10 since he was in high school, had finally acquired a 4x4 C-10 short-bed as a project, but it had been neglected for many years and rust had eaten away most of the sheet metal. In a search for more parts to rebuild his beat-up 4x4, he came across a ’69 Chevy K5 Blazer that he intended to use as a donor…

AUTO SHOWS TYPICALLY SHOWCASE ALL OF THE NEWEST VEHICLES BY THE WORLD’S TOP MANUFACTURERS. Though numerous auto shows take place all over the country, the manufacturers really come out swinging at the North American International Auto Show held in Detroit. This year was particularly exciting due to several new truck concepts highlighted at the show. We were already expecting some of them, but others hit us completely by surprise. Rather than talk a little bit about everything that was on offer, we’ve decided to highlight the especially hot new concepts on display. These potential rides really grabbed our attention.…

“THE 2017 RAPTOR GETS A STRONGER FRAME, A NEW TORQUE-ON-DEMAND TRANSFER CASE AND FORD’S TERRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH FINE-TUNES THE DRIVELINE AND STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR EACH OF SIX DRIVER-SELECTABLE MODES.” WE’VE BEEN EAGERLY AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW ’17 FORD F-150 RAPTOR SINCE WE SAW IT AT THE DETROIT SHOW LAST YEAR (THOUGH WE KNEW IT WOULD BE A LONG, LONG WAIT BECAUSE THE RAPTOR WON’T GO ON SALE UNTIL THIS FALL). So we were pleasantly surprised to find this gem waiting for us at this year’s Detroit show, a family-size crew-cab version of the Raptor. The Raptor SuperCrew rides a 145-inch wheelbase, 1 foot longer than that of the extended-cab Raptor, with a 5-foot 5-inch bed out back. Four forward-hinged doors provide access to the…

“IN THE SPAN OF SIX MONTHS, THE TRUCK PUT ON JUST 300 MILES BEING SHUFFLED BETWEEN TWO PRIMARY SHOPS: CENTEX DIESEL PERFORMANCE IN NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS, AND SHOWTIME METAL WORKS...” BUILDING A TRUCK CAN BE A STRESSFUL EXPERIENCE, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO BALANCE YOUR FAMILY LIFE, WORK AND THE PRESSURES OF PUTTING TOGETHER A MAJOR PROJECT IN JUST SIX MONTHS. But it’s a very rare few that can say they’ve had a heart attack during the process, particularly when they’re just 25 years old. Before we get into that, let’s delve into the backstory on Tyler Stephens of Magnolia, Texas, and his ’15 Silverado Z71. Tyler has built 12 trucks in the nine years that he’s been legally able to drive, but his passion for the field…

RETRO Manufacturing has shared with us its budding project for SEMA 2016, a ’53 Chevy that will feature a RetroSound System and special House of Kolor motifs along with a host of other goodies to create a one-of-a-kind build fit for arguably the biggest automotive show of the year. The RetroSound System will be one of the focal points of the build and is set to include a Model 2 C radio, R-57 dash speaker, custom-made kick-panels by SpeakerWorks, R-C65N 6.5-inch kick-panel speakers, Quad4 four-channel amplifiers, R-TB8 truck boxes with 8-inch speakers and HPA-1 hidden antenna, all working together for a sound system worthy of the company’s name. Retro’s brand will appear throughout the vehicle, however, from etched wheels to Dynacorn dash and more. House of Kolor will be another…

GETTING NOTICED IN TODAY’S CUSTOM TRUCK WORLD REQUIRES BUILDING SOMETHING UNIQUE WITH QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL APPARENT ON EVERY SURFACE. C-10s are all the rage these days, and from restored cruisers to pavement-crushing customs, they have permeated the show scene. While classic Bow Ties have historically been builders’ trucks of choice, it seems that their Blue Oval brethren might be getting their place in the sun. Why the sudden thaw for classic Ford trucks? The answer is simple really: They’re different and can be made to look every bit as sexy as the Chevys with the right mods, stance and attitude. Enthusiasts have long ignored the 1967-79 Ford F-100 pickups because they chased their Chevrolet counterparts, but the times they are a-changin’. The earlier part of the 1967-72…

FOR PICKUP FANS, THE KING OF THE SHOW WAS NISSAN’S TITAN WARRIOR, A CONCEPT TRUCK THAT SIGNALS THE COMPANY’S WILLINGNESS TO TAKE ON PERFORMANCE-TUNED OFF-ROADERS LIKE THE FORD F-150 RAPTOR AND TOYOTA’S TRD PRO TRUCKS. The Titan Warrior is based on the just-released ’16 Titan XD, the heavy-ish duty version of Nissan’s new full-size pickup. We say “heavy-ish” because the XD offers more capacity than most ½-ton trucks, but not as much as a ¾-ton pickup. The Warrior rides a unique front suspension with custom-built upper and lower control arms, beefier ball joints and a custom sway bar held by relocated brackets. Both ends of the Warrior feature internal bypass shocks with external reservoirs, hydraulic-pressurized bump stops and extended-length axles. The long-travel suspension increases ride height by 3 inches, providing…

Project Wingman’s new altered altitude and shiny Budnik billet wheels looked so great, they made the paint seem lackluster. I needed to do something to add some pizzazz to my truck. I’ve always loved flamed paint jobs, so that’s what I decided to do. I thought it would be cool to show how you can add custom paint over an existing factory color to get a clean, custom look. Throughout my travels, I’ve seen a lot of flamed paint jobs, and you’d probably be surprised by how many styles there are to choose from. Next, I had to decide on the best artist to design the flames and spray my truck. Right off the bat I thought of Ed Williamson from Wichita, Kansas. He’s been a top-notch custom paint artist…

The first car show of the season usually sets the mood for the rest of the year, and we can attest that we’re definitely on the right path for 2016. This past January, Street Trucks was invited to the 67 th  Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS). Held at the L.A. County Fairplex in Pomona, California, GNRS is one of the longest running shows to date. It’s also one of the most prestigious shows in the hot rod industry. The 2016 GNRS attracted hundreds of the world’s most incredible roadsters, hot rods, rat rods, dragsters, lowriders, motorcycles, and our favorite, trucks. This is definitely one of my favorite shows because it has something for everybody. The three-day invitational felt like three separate shows in one, as…

Veteran Performance Deployed overseas, David Gurney knew exactly what he wanted when he told his family to keep an eye out for an eligible squarebody. It wasn’t long before they found this ’86 GM C1500, which he bought while on leave back in 2009. David immediately got to work, giving the GM new life with a 5.3 engine swap—even going so far as to change its stance with a 4/6 drop and adding Coy’s wheels for show. This was where the C1500 stayed, driven for a year before David was deployed once more. It was upon his return, however, that the project really took shape. He knew he wanted to make the ’86 something special while still maintaining his ability to “drive the heck out of it.” He began with…