Street Trucks September 2016

I’M NO NEWCOMER TO TRUCKS, AND THROUGHOUT MY TRAVELS IN THE SCENE I’VE LEARNED QUITE A FEW LESSONS THAT WILL STAY WITH ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. When I started my career as an automotive photojournalist, I was on a single-minded quest to seek out the sickest trucks in the world. Travelling around the country to locate and shoot the absolute best trucks in their home settings was (and still is) an exciting adventure. The thing was, I got so caught up in the trucks that I wasn’t able to see past them. Because I was mesmerized by their appearance, I lost touch with the most important component in the scene, the people. Though it’s awesome to have the opportunity to shoot amazing trucks, they’re really just the…

WE’RE REALLY digging the styling of the new RAM Power Wagon, which has an old school flair thanks to its 1978-80 macho Power Wagon-esque styling cues. The ’17 RAM Power Wagon gets all-new exterior and interior enhancements to match its off-road prowess. Based on the RAM 2500 heavy duty 4x4 crew cab, the Power Wagon still features myriad off-road-tackling features, including a link suspension with more than 2 inches of lift, locking diffs and a 12,000-pound winch, which give it quite an advantage over other trucks in its class. Engineering efforts include a best-in-class 410-hp, 6.4L Hemi V-8 engine. Shifting duties are handled effortlessly by the 66RFE six-speed automatic transmission, which connects to a part-time manual Borg Warner BW 44-47 transfer case. Hill-Descent Control gives drivers the ability to control…

“PINSTRIPE CHRIS” Dunlop is at it again with another what-if creation. This time around, he’s conjured up this ’69 C-20 dually roadster. Chris explains his concept: “You could start with a C-10—they’re more readily available—and modify from there. I would go with scratch-made dually flares to match the C-10 style. The body could even be put on a later model dually chassis and worked from there. The windshield frame would be chopped so that the glass is revealed on the top edge, and since I imagine it as a true roadster, there would be no door glass. Shaved handles/emblems/ bumpers, front and rear roll pans are standard fare and necessary to smooth things out ... I would use the space in the bed as the location for the power plant,…

TORSION BAR ('TÔR SHƏN| BÄR): Although it has fallen out of favor with manufacturers in recent years, the front torsion bar suspension was a long-time staple for GM, Ford and Dodge vehicles, as well as most Japanese mini-trucks. Consisting of long steel bars with adjusters on one end, the other end is usually attached to the lower control arms. As the suspension cycles, the torsion bars twist, acting as springs. The cool thing about torsion bars is that if you want to raise or drop your truck a couple of inches, all you have to do is adjust the torsion adjuster key to either increase or release tension on the bars. To really do it right, you could reindex the torsion bars to maintain the factory ride. These days, a…

MAX FUEL DELIVERY HOLLEY has announced the release of the new VR series of fuel pumps, fuel pressure regulators and fuel filters. Its VR1 and VR2 fuel pumps promise to provide enough fuel for almost any application. To support the level of fuel flow maintained by the VR series pumps, Holley’s matching VR series fuel pressure regulators are precision machined from 6061-T6 billet aluminum for strength and durability and anodized for corrosion resistance. To complete the fuel system, Holley’s VR series billet fuel filters are rated to flow up to 460 gph and are available with 10, 40 and 100-micron elements for use as pre- and post-pump filtration. Holley Performance Products • 866.464.6553 Holley.com DIGITALLY MASTERED JL AUDIO has introduced its TwK 88 and TwK D8 digital signal processors…

“CHEAP WHEELS AND TIRES SUGGEST THE OWNER CUT CORNERS EVERYWHERE ELSE. WHERE THE TRUCK MEETS THE ROAD, IT’S IMPORTANT NOT TO SCRIMP.” FOR TRUCK ENTHUSIASTS, DREAMS START WITH A KEY. Standing at the dealership, surrounded by a sea of identical trucks—factory stock and bland—your imagination begins to wander as you dream of how your truck will be different, how it will stand out from the crowd. Twenty-two-year-old Hamburg, Arkansas, resident Michael Kilcrease felt this way in November 2014 when he was handed the keys to his brand-new ’15 F-350 Super Duty 4x4. But, this wasn’t his first rodeo. Thanks to his father, Kilcrease has been involved with customizing trucks for almost six years and has a number of previous builds under his belt, such as an F-150, both…