Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 i Street Trucks

WE ALL COME INTO THE TRUCK WORLD WITH OUR OWN UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT’S COOL AND WHAT’S NOT. But throughout the years, it’s easy to find yourself falling into a slump of just liking the next big thing and following trends instead of setting them yourself. It’s why fresh blood in the scene is so badly needed; it infuses the culture with new ideas and takes on concepts that the rest of us never would’ve considered. It’s an important and necessary part of the custom truck community, and it helps us evolve. Kaylie Davis of Fruita, Colorado, has been a part of the scene for a while now, but mostly peripherally. Her husband, Willie Davis, owner of Big Willie’s Garage, builds many different types of rides, and along the way…

FEW THINGS ARE MORE SACRED TO A GUY THAN HIS TRUCK.One exception, though, is the actual badge his truck wears.Brand loyalty isn’t a new concept, and neither is family tradition.Todd Williams knows this firsthand because his father and grandfather were true blue Ford enthusiasts. The term “enthusiast” doesn’t even begin to describe their passion for anything bearing FoMoCo stamping, as Todd is quick to point out.“These men that I grew up admiring drove nothing but Ford trucks their entire lives. I am the third generation of a very loyal Ford family.” Before our story goes any further, Todd revealed something about himself,“I actually started my teenage years as a diehard Chevy guy.”Let’s just allow that to sink in for a second.What remains unknown is how Todd’s dad and gramps felt…

CHEVROLET RECENTLY TOOK the wraps off a new special edition performance model of the popular Tahoe full-size SUVs, and Street Trucks was there to get the first shots. The ’18 Tahoe RST (Rally Sport Truck) is compelling as a standalone halo model, but it also reveals GM’s direction in the full-size body-on-frame performance truck market. “The RST is designed for customers who want a street performance look without sacrificing capability or refinement, along with the option of increased performance as well,” said Sandor Piszar, Chevrolet truck marketing director. THE RST IS POWERED BY A NORMALLY aspirated version of GM’s 6.2L L86 power plant, offering 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. The L86 features direct fuel injection, as-needed cylinder deactivation and continuously variable valve timing. It’s…

THE FORBIDDEN FANTASY family, hands down, has created a rad show for everyone to enjoy year after year. In 2016, Brian Goude and his staff from Forbidden Fantasy Show & Shine presented by VIAIR changed the location of their well-known show from Lake Parris, California, to Laughlin, Nevada. After a successful first year, the location at Avi Casino became the new home of the Forbidden Fantasy Show (FFF). Friends and family come from all over the world—Australia, Canada and even Japan—just to experience the event that’s been going for 20 years and counting for themselves. Friday, March 31, 2017, at 1 p.m., the gates opened for roll-in to a few hundred eager mini-truckers. Day in and day out, people like Derek Marlatt from Negative Camber, Maxx Metcalfe from Art of…

Ford Fantasy CHRIS AYALA’S FORD F-100 EASILY LOOKS AS GOOD AS THE DAY IT DROVE OFF THE LOT IN 1967, THOUGH IT TOOK JUST AS MUCH WORK AS WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT TO GET IT WHERE IT IS TODAY. Growing up with a diehard Ford owner for a father, Chris started looking for an F-100 five years ago. He bought four other trucks that turned out to be too far gone before finding the Ford he was looking for. A one-owner truck previously, Chris and his neighbor, Basil, spent the next three years restoring it to get the F-100 looking just right. The ’67 houses a Ford 302-ci V-8 engine, C-4 transmission with shift kit and 9-inch with posi and 3.70 gears, along with a host of upgrades to…

DATSUN MINI-TRUCK WINS CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE NO, THIS ISN’T A HEADLINE FROM THEONION.COM—IT’S LEGIT! From the Concours d’Elegance of Texas: “This 1972 Datsun 521 (a pickup from Nissan’s Heritage Hall that is affectionately known as Sweet Pea) was honored as a Class Winner in the Truck Category at the recent Concours d’Elegance of Texas (COT). The Concours featured a truck class, which is not common in classic car shows. “Nissan was a premier sponsor for this sixth annual COT, which was held at the Richard Greene Linear Park in Arlington, Texas. “This year’s Concours d’Elegance of Texas featured 125 of the finest motorcars in America, many seldom seen publicly. It was a great opportunity to see mechanical sophistication, elegance and the best in automotive style—all traits embodied to some extent by…

YOU CAN’T SWING a dead cat without hitting a truck with airbags nowadays, and body-drops are just as common. But the one mod that almost everyone wants to do, yet is rarely actually performed, is a chop top. Why? Because it’s difficult, daunting even. It’s a quick way to ruin a truck, because if you make a wrong cut or two, then you’ve got a vehicle that’s destined either for the scrap yard or life as a permanent convertible. But when it’s done right, it’s amazing. Nick Sinioris at Hubcap’s Hot Rod Design in Phoenix is a master of metalwork. A quick tour around his shop reveals the amazing stuff he’s capable of doing, and if you’re lucky enough to see his tools, then you’ll know he has the gear…

BORN FROM A love of burnouts and street trucks of all shapes and sizes, the California Truck Invasion (CTI) answered the call for a venue where truck owners could show off their builds and have a little fun in the process. Originally titled Sunday Funday, this show created a safe place for truck lovers to flaunt their rides at a time when customized late-model trucks were showing off at parking lot meets and drawing negative attention, including from the law. With the show a success and setting social media on fire, Saul Rubio and Fabian De La Torre moved forward to make the show even bigger in 2016, changing the name to California Truck Invasion and relocating the event to its new home at the National Orange Show Events Center…

CONTINUING THE PROGRESS on our ’79 Chevy square-body C-10, we’ve turned our attention to the interior. We’ve already covered the suspension, brakes, steering and engine; now, it’s time to monitor the engine with a fresh set of instruments. The gauges are probably the most important items inside the truck, for the driver anyway. There are a few factors to take into consideration when selecting a new set of gauges. Of course, they need to accurately monitor the basics, but they also need to look good. When searching for the perfect balance between form and function, we came across Auto Meter Products. Auto Meter recently released a new American Muscle six-piece gauge kit designed to fit 1973-83 Chevy trucks, Blazers and Suburbans. The American Muscle line of gauges, with its brushed…

THOUGH CLASSIC PICKUPS have bold bodylines and real style, they don’t always have the best components underneath. Back in the day, these trucks were workhorses built to get the job done. Comfort wasn’t a priority; hauling loads was the primary goal. Trucks were more likely to travel unpaved roads and were given a higher stance to cope. Nowadays, most of these classic pickups have been taken out of service, but we customizers enjoy giving them a new life. Getting these trucks to go low isn’t too difficult, but it can be a pain to drive one that still has most of its original components. Things like modern ride quality and power steering are features to which we’ve grown accustomed. If you’ve ever driven an old truck, you know what we’re…

JULY JULY 7-9 COLUMBUS, OH—GOODGUYS 20 TH  PPG NATIONALS—At the Ohio Expo Center, 717 E. 17th Ave. For more info, log on to Good-guys.com. JULY 8-9 MILLINGTON, TN—14 TH  RELAXED ALL STAR EVENT—At Centennial Park. All proceeds will be donated to Youth Villages. Show is open to all cars and trucks. Look for the show on Facebook for more details. JULY 21-23 AUSTIN, TX—TEXAS HEATWAVE—At the Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane in Austin, TX. Log on to Heatwaveshow.com for more info. JULY 28-30 PUYALLUP, WA—GOODGUYS 30 TH  PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONALS—At the Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Avenue SW. For more info, log on to Good-guys.com. AUGUST AUGUST 4-6 CARLISLE, PA—CARLISLE TRUCK NATIONALS—At the Carlisle Fairgrounds. A little bit of everything: lowered minis, lifted…

ROCK BOTTOM THIS 100% BOLT-IN chassis will slam your F-100 and give you a 4.5-inch ride height at a reasonable, low price. The modern quality ride comes courtesy of forged Pro Spindles, Strange adjustable billet coil-overs or ’bags with external shocks, and power rack-and-pinion steering. The SPEC series chassis for 1967-72 Ford F series pickups feature triangulated rear four-bar and front eccentric-mounted tubular upper control arms and fabricated lower control arms to ease alignment. The frame features all factory body mounts, bumper mounts and core support mounts, as well as engine and transmission mounts to your truck’s specifications. Roadster Shop 847.949.7637 Roadstershop.com FULL-BODIED THROTTLE JEGS BILLET ALUMINUM 92mm and 102mm LS throttle bodies promise to improve horsepower, drivability and overall engine efficiency .With augmented bore sizes for amplified…

THE INTERNET IS A WEIRD PLACE.With all the “entertainment” websites out there, a guy can get sucked into the computer screen for hours without even noticing what time it is.Well, same goes for avid classic vehicle hunters.Searching classified ads for that perfect project truck or hard-to-find parts can become an addiction that must be fed multiple times on a daily basis.Sometimes the hours of scrolling and trolling don’t amount to much, but then there are days when you strike pure gold. These are the moments that keep guys like Jeff Baum (better known to his pals as Jeffro) clicking through endless pages of listings. Although it may seem like a waste of time, there are some of us who consider keyboard shopping the virtual equivalent of walking the rows at…

IN ALL FAIRNESS TO HER HUSBAND, ANA HERRERA MUST HAVE KNOWN WHAT SHE WAS DOING. She had been “hating” on her husband JC’s truck for a while now, telling him that he was spending too much time on it, and saying things like, “It’d be nice if I had a truck.” Yeah, she knew. You don’t just go around saying that you’d love to own a Sonic Blue Ford Lightning. That’s just too specific to be a joke. Of course, JC played along and took it all in stride, but deep down he knew that Ana’s jokes were more like hints. As Ana tells it, “I never thought it would happen, until we came across [a Lightning] with some body damage in November of 2014. We jumped at the opportunity.”…

LIVING IN A TOWN WITHOUT MUCH OF A LOWERED TRUCK SCENE CAN BE A BIT DISHEARTENING. The local cruise spots are filled with muscle cars and imports, and the very best you can hope for as far as trucks go is a bunch of high-schoolers in their parents’ stock trucks hanging out at Taco Bell on a Thursday night. Don’t ask why we’re being so specific; just trust us on this one. Abe Silva bought his ’03 Dodge Ram brand-new off the lot to do regular ol’ truck things, more specifically, to tow his show car. Since he didn’t have much of a local influence, it was relatively easy to avoid the temptation to modify his truck—for a while anyway. The problem started when Abe wanted to check out what…

EARNING A DRIVER’S LICENSE AND GETTING A FIRST TRUCK IS A RITE OF PASSAGE FOR MANY 16-YEAR-OLDS. A first truck isn’t just any truck, either, it’s special, and is often the truck by which all others are measured. Steve Richey’s dad, Jim, gave him his first truck when Steve was just 14. It was a ’68 Chevrolet C-10 in need of attention. Along with the truck, Steve’s dad presented him with a small Craftsman handheld toolbox filled with wrenches. Steve and Jim worked together for two years to get the truck ready for Steve’s 16th birthday. “The truck had to be completely rebuilt to drive when I was 16,” remembers Steve. “It was a great father/son project.” Steve drove that C-10 throughout high school, racking up the memories that make…