Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2017 i Street Trucks

WHETHER YOU’VE GOT an AccuAir air ride management system or are planning on installing one, one thing that many struggle with is where to place the controller. Keeping it on your lap can get old after a while, and we all know what happens when it’s laying on your bench seat and you have to make a sudden stop. Going fishing for the controller while sitting in traffic isn’t ideal. Of course, many of us have come up with ways to keep our AccuAir controllers within arm’s reach, and sometimes those ideas are pretty trick. Other times, they could use some improvement. Somewhere between building something completely from scratch on your own and paying a shop to build something for you lays the CTP Concepts AccuAir controller housing. Travis Pruis…

BACK IN 2008, TERRY AND SARA ROSE (ALONG WITH SARA’S DAD) PURCHASED A DECENT BUT WELL-WORN ’68 CHEVY C-10 AS A FAMILY PROJECT AND AS A BIT OF A CELEBRATION FOR A FEW RECENT MILESTONES. They had just moved back to Tennessee to be closer to family, their first son, Tyler, was turning one, and they were expecting the birth of their younger son, Colton, at any moment. Life was great, and what better way to celebrate than to spend some quality time together in the garage? Well, as anyone with young kids can attest, they tend to take up a lot of time—in a good way, of course. Nevertheless, that C-10 ended up taking a back seat to a couple of baby seats, and although the truck got as…

THERE ARE FEW PROUDER MOMENTS IN THE LIFE OF A FATHER THAN WHEN HIS SON FIRST PICKS UP A TOOL, SHOWS AN INTEREST IN THINGS MECHANICAL, OR DRAGS HOME A DERELICT VEHICLE TO MAKE IT HIS FIRST PROJECT TRUCK. There are no finer moments than sharing wisdom, advice, skills, tools and garage space with your son, side by side, under the hood of a truck. Life skills are learned, bonds are formed, and in the case of Steve Flokstra and his son, Todd, a successful restoration shop and parts business is started. Todd took a keen interest in Dodge trucks when he was a little boy. “At the age of 10,” Todd explains. “I bought my first truck to start customizing it.” It was a ’46 Dodge pickup, and when…

Chevy C-30 Mashup THIS ’75 CHEVROLET DUALLY C-30 CAMPER SPECIAL BELONGS TO CHRIS STOUGHTON OF TEXAS. Chris put this build together in his own shop during the last three years. He did most of the work himself, making the long list of modifications all the more impressive. The engine remains a stock 454-ci TBI, with an added 400 automatic transmission out of an ’89 GMC Suburban donor. A York 210 on-board air compression system allows Chris to get the most out of his build. The suspension has also been upgraded in the form of an AccuAir E-Level system, with 3,800-pound bags housed at all four corners. A Thorbros heavy-duty 4-link with Watts link now fits the rear, while the front of this ’75 features modified upper and lower A-arms, as…

FORD IS REINVENTING THE WAY DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES WHILE ON THE ROAD, OFFERING NEW WAYS TO WIRELESSLY STREAM LIVE TV AND LISTEN TO MUSIC IN ITS NEWEST SUVS. These new features are a result of shifting trends toward streaming services, such as television shows, movies, music, podcasts and more. For example, one in three U.S. consumers currently listen to streaming music, according to trade association IFPI, with Generation Z and Millennials streaming at a more frequent rate. In the all-new Expedition, coming this fall, an available Wi-Fi hotspot supports as many as 10 devices at once—up to 50 feet from the vehicle—while an available dual-headrest rear-seat entertainment system provides a next-generation video experience that allows passengers to watch live TV via SlingPlayer on either of two video screens.…

SMOOTH OPERATOR THESE HOOD HINGES from All American Billet promise to add function and fashion to your 1967-72 Chevy truck. Machined from 6061-T6 aluminum with larger bearings, stainless steel gas springs and hardware, these hinges are engineered to operate smoothly and to last. Available plain, with holes or slotted, as well as machined or polished, or as part of the company’s exclusive Silverline series, these hinges are the perfect way to add some sick style to your engine compartment. All American Billet • 844.245.5381 Allamericanbillet.com LEAVE ’EM HANGING BELLTECH SPORT TRUCKS has announced its release of a lifting hanger for 2015 and newer Ford F-150 trucks. Made to be paired with Belltech’s 6446 flip kit for F-150 models, all of the required components needed for installation are included. The kit…

THE SEMA CRUNCH IS REAL, AND NO ONE KNOWS THAT MORE THAN SEAN O’HARA AND HIS TEAM AT STREET DIESEL PERFORMANCE (SDP), WHICH HAS BEEN BUILDING IMPRESSIVE SEMA SHOW TRUCKS FOR AMERICAN FORCE WHEELS SINCE 2012. For the 2016 SEMA Show, the crew built a true monster, a ’17 Ford F-450 6.7L crew cab long-bed dually. The idea behind the project was to build an eye-catching truck that would showcase the American Force wheels, Toyo tires and RIZE Industries suspension. While the body has lots of custom touches and sponsor logos, it looks very clean and they don’t detract from the impressive rolling stock and suspension. ONE MONTH BUILD The SEMA crunch gets even more real when you’re dealing with an all-new vehicle. The Ford Super Duty line got a…

Having grown in size and popularity every year since its start in 2012, Lonestar Throwdown (LST) is one of the most anticipated shows of the year for truck and auto enthusiasts alike. LST takes over the city of Conroe, Texas, the last weekend in February each year (Feb. 24-26, 2017). It started with a more humble (by comparison) show size of a few hundred cars, since the LST staff actually made the decision to cut down the amount of cars they let into the show from 2016. An astounding 2,500-plus vehicles showed up last year, making for a spectacular show, but it was also a little overwhelming for show-goers and staff. Cutting the number of vehicles down slightly to 2,000 with an additional 100 vendors on the fairgrounds, promoters Lonnie…

TIME SEEMS TO SPEED ALONG, UNTIL ONE DAY YOU WAKE UP, TAKE A LOOK AROUND AND WONDER HOW YOU GOT WHERE YOU ARE. That realization can be scary, but it can also be exhilarating. Danny Macias welcomes the new experiences that life presents as it speeds along. Danny, a lifelong custom truck enthusiast, has built a ’95 GMC with a body drop, but as his life transformed and his family grew, his priorities shifted. His passion for trucks became a family affair, and to suit the needs of his entire family, he traded his beloved GMC for a ’97 Chevy Tahoe. Despite the immaculate quality it now boasts, the Tahoe was far from a finished project when Danny first got it, but he’s never regretted his decision. The completed Tahoe…

MAY MAY 5-6 TORRANCE, CA—EDELBROCK CAR SHOW—At the Edelbrock shop, 2700 California St. Food, live entertainment, shop tours and the eighth annual Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge regional competition. For more info, log on to Edelbrockcarshow.com. MAY 5-7 BRENHAM, TX—TEX MEX ’17—At Overlook Park at Lake Somerville Marina & Campground, 505 Marina Dr. Mini-Trucker Olympics, camping, Top 75 and six Best Ofs. Log on to Facebook.com/texmexcarshow or check out Instagram @texmexcarshow for details. MAY 7 CARSON, CA—RELAXING IN SOCAL—At the StubHub Center. One fully packed day featuring trucks, vans, lowriders, bikes and more. For more info, log on to Relaxinginsocal.com. MAY 18-20 MAY LEBANON, TN—39 TH  ANNUAL F-100 SUPERNATIONALS—At the James E. Ward Agricultural Center. For more info, log on to F100supernationals.com. MAY 26-28 SANTA MARIA, CA—WEST COAST…

SHANE CRAFT, OWNER OF CRAFT AUTOMOTIVE, HAD BEEN PLANNING TO BUILD A SQUARE-BODY DUALLY FOR A WHILE, BUT ONCE THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED ITSELF TO HELP BUDDY CHRIS STAFFORD WITH HIS ’66 C-10 (“THE SHERMAN SPECIAL,” PG. 60, C-10 Builder’s Guide , Summer 2015), Shane decided to alter his plans a bit and go with an earlier C-30 dually that he has named Night Train. Beginning with a dusty ’65 C-30 flatbed farm truck, Shane has already made steady progress and has collected quite a few parts for the build. His wheels of choice are 22-inch American Force Dually Classics with Nitto tires, and the chassis features a custom rear frame section and custom Choppin’ Block control arms. The completed truck will wear a custom-fendered bed for a…

IT ISN’T UNCOMMON FOR AN AFTERMARKET MANUFACTURER TO BUILD A FULLY CUSTOMIZED VEHICLE TO SHOW OFF ITS LATEST WARES. It’s something that happens on a rather grand scale every year at events like SEMA. What is uncommon, however, is building a vintage vehicle with nothing but non-vintage parts (more on that later), and having the founder of an influential paint company gravitate to the project by personally developing brand-new paint colors especially for the build. While that might not be the usual way most truck projects go, it was most certainly the case with RetroManufacturing owner Steve Harrington’s personal ’52 Chevy Advance Design project. A few years ago, in 2014, Steve brought the truck out to SEMA to display in the RetroSound booth. While it was slated to be finished…

WE’VE ALL HEARD OF RESTORED VEHICLES, BUT WHAT DO YOU CALL SOMETHING THAT’S BEEN REBUILT BETTER THAN IT WAS ORIGINALLY MADE? The word is “restomod,” and it’s best applied to Fred and Jane Struckman’s ’36 Ford pickup. The Struckman family lives in the small town of Fulton, Arkansas, and it’s easy to see that the couple enjoys the simpler things in life, like small-town living and antique automobiles. But they don’t like just any old vehicle; they’re specifically drawn to ’30s Ford pickups. Something about the simple lines strikes a chord in the pair, and they finally decided it was time to make one of their very own. Once they located a suitable ’36 Ford, they agreed to make their truck different from any other. Their goal was to keep…

ANYONE WHO’S TURNED A WRENCH ON A CUSTOM TRUCK CAN TELL YOU THAT MAKING A RIDE THAT YOU’RE PROUD TO OWN CAN TAKE YEARS TO ACCOMPLISH. Between tuning the suspension, tweaking the interior and finding the parts to make it all happen, you easily have months of work. The paint and bodywork alone can quickly turn days and weeks into years. So when the RideTech crew decided that they wanted to build a vehicle in 48 hours, the world said they were ridiculous. But not only did they do it, they did it again, and this year, at the 2017 Barrett-Jackson auction (Jan. 14-22, Scottsdale, Arizona) they did it a third time. And boy, it was a doozy. Let’s break down one of the obvious things about this right off…

IF YOU’VE BEEN a Street Trucks enthusiast for a while, we’re sure you’ve heard the term “big brakes” or “big brake kit.” Have you ever thought about what those words mean? Obviously, a larger set of brakes or a rear disc brake swap will draw the eye to the wheel well, but have you ever thought about the performance gains you could achieve by swapping out the stock brake system? We did, so we reached out to Classic Performance Parts (CPP) for help. Since CPP has been building brake systems for classic trucks for about 25 years, we knew the company would have the right kit for our ’79 C-10 project. Sure enough, CPP offers a complete bolt-in kit to upgrade the C-10’s front brakes, swap…