Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i Street Trucks

THE GENERAL CONSENSUS ABOUT OWNING A TRUCK IS TO BUY A NEW ONE THAT’S PROBLEM-FREE, AND THEN TRADE IT IN A FEW YEARS LATER. I’m sure this strategy was formulated by auto manufacturers who have brainwashed everyone into thinking that this is the way it has to be. It’s so ingrained in our culture that most of us adhere to this plan and buy a new vehicle every five or six years no questions asked. This bugs the hell out of me for several reasons. First of all, it’s very wasteful. I’m not some kind of radical environmentalist, but I don’t see a reason to create extra waste. We live in a world that feeds off of the consumer’s perceived need to have the latest thing, but is that really…

RUGGED RUBBER THE TERRAIN CONTACT A/T is Continental Tires’ debut all-terrain tire and features new TractionPlus technology to provide off-road traction and durability with wet traction and a quiet, comfortable on-road ride. Available in 15 LT metric sizes from 16- to 20-inch wheel diameters, this tire’s open pattern, large and stable blocks and gripping teeth make it an ideal choice for all-season, on- and off-road performance for light trucks. Continental Tire • 800.847.3349 • Continentaltire.com MANUAL LUBRICATION FORMULATED with Synerlec technology, Royal Purple’s Synchromax extends life in manual transmissions by creating a high-strength ionic bond with metal surfaces for oil film strength to decrease the amount of metal-to-metal contact. Synchromax promises increased lubricity under high temperatures as well as corrosion and oxidation protection, improving shifting and reducing gear noise while…

E ALL HAVE BENCHMARK MOMENTS IN OUR LIVES THAT LEAVE AN INDELIBLE MARK ON OUR PERSONAL HISTORY. Usually it’s a momentous occasion—like the birth of a child—that we’ll always remember. For Manuel Zavala of Houston, Texas, one of those moments was the day, 10 years ago, when he started his construction company. Like many beginning small business owners, he didn’t have a ton of cash to sling around, so he picked up a rusty ’85 Chevrolet C-10 for $1,000 to tool from worksite to worksite. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done and started his business off on solid footing. Soon the one truck became two, and the next thing he knew, his business was off and running. As the years went by, that ’85 stayed in his…

Dave Kindig Street Trucks: Dave, thanks for calling back so soon. Didn’t mean to catch you right in the middle of filming. How’d it go today? Dave Kindig: You know, I like to say that I hold the world record for the longest colonoscopy. I’ve had a camera up my ass for about 36 months now. ST Wow! So when you guys are in filming mode, how many days during the week are the cameras rolling? DK Three to five all year. ST Productivity-wise, does that affect your daily routine at all, or have you already found the right balance to get work done? DK When we get down to the end of the seasons, there are usually easy days that we focus on continuity or to…

MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE AMAZED TO SEE WHAT SOME SHOWPIECE VEHICLES LOOKED LIKE BEFORE SOMEONE GOT THE INSPIRATION TO DUMP A TON OF CASH AND TIME INTO THEM. “Amazed” might not even be a strong enough word. Dumbfounded? Flabbergasted? Astonished, even? Boil them all up into a special blend, and whatever you come up with, there has to be a perfect word that better conveys that feeling we’re trying to get across. We got to thinking about this when Mike Burns, the owner of this exquisite ’55 Chevy truck, sent us a photo of what this pickup looked like back when it still belonged to his father. Up until a week ago (as of this writing), the only version of this truck that we knew existed was the one photographed…

“THE ’56 FORD IS THE FIRST NOTEWORTHY CUSTOM TRUCK EVER DONE BY THE FAMOUS RAT FINK DESIGNER.” SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S GALPIN MOTORS, HOME TO THE WORLD-FAMOUS GALPIN AUTO SPORTS (GAS), RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS FOUND THE FAMED, LONG-LOST ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH CUSTOM ’56 FORD F-100 PICKUP. The ’56 Ford is the first noteworthy custom truck ever done by the famous Rat Fink designer. It was used as advertising for Roth’s pinstriping business and featured a Packard V-8 engine, Roth’s signature red flame pinstripes, a mural on the tonneau cover and chrome-plated parts. The truck had been stored in a barn in Oklahoma for more than 30 years. While Galpin plans to completely restore the truck, it can currently be seen in the condition it was found for…

 STREET TRUCKS DIE-HARDS OUGHT TO BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT WE LOVE A BIT OF FLASH FROM TIME TO TIME. Whether it’s mirror-finished billets, exotic leather interiors or a hundred different colors full of candy and flake, showmanship is a favorite dimension of the custom truck game. Among the limitless directions in which a build can be modified, certain qualities pull a bit more weight than others. However, no matter what your personal taste and style preference, brand loyalties, polished vs. patina’d, etc. just about everyone can agree that clean is king. There’s a good reason cleanliness is next to godliness, and few places is this demonstrated as well as in the custom truck world. For any automotive genre, when a build is done with proper attention to detail,…

“A COMFORTABLE FITMENT ONLY MADE UP HALF OF THE EQUATION FOR CREATING MORE ROOM, HOWEVER. OTTO DRIVES HIS VEHICLES AS THEY WERE INTENDED TO BE DRIVEN—HARD.” WHEN YOU’RE OUT AT THE AUTO PARTS STORE DO YOU EVER TRY TO MATCH UP THE GUY IN THE SHOP TO ONE OF THE CUSTOMIZED VEHICLES PARKED OUTSIDE? All obvious giveaways aside (a dude wearing a Camaro hat or someone buying one of those “pee on Chevy” window decals), there are sometimes clues that can help make the right connection. Before we catch any flack about being creepy, shifty individuals who can’t mind their own damn business, it’s just an all-too-natural thing to do when you’re standing in a checkout line that’s seven deep with customers who all need to know which…

So you just bought a brand-new, full-size GM truck and you can’t wait to hit the pavement. If you’ve seen other new trucks laid out, you know that the mod boasts a powerful shock factor. If that’s the look you’re gunning for, you probably want to know how to achieve it. We’ve got your solution. Michigan Metal Works (MMW) has been building suspension parts for a long time, and the company is well-known for its flat-plate-style control arms. We’ve worked with the company in the past on other projects, so we called them first this time around. MMW rep Taylor told us that there are some small changes in the frame and front suspension design of the 2014-present Chevy and GMC trucks. Fortunately for us, MMW has a kit for…

“THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO LOOK AT IS THE QUALITY OF THE WELDS. THEY’LL TELL YOU THE DIRECTION THE GUY WAS GOING WITH THE PROJECT.” BUYING A PROJECT TRUCK THAT’S ALREADY MODIFIED CAN EITHER SAVE YOU A LOT OF MONEY OR CAUSE YOU A LOT OF HEADACHE AND COST MORE MONEY THAN YOU WERE PREPARED TO SPEND. You never really know for sure what’s up with a truck until you tear into it, so how can you prepare yourself to make the best decision possible when you’ve decided to tackle someone else’s forgotten dream? We were recently at American Customs & Classics in Hollister, California, to see what owners Richard Dean and John Oliveira were working on, and after talking for a while, we asked what people…

Four-wheel-drive truck owners are known for maximizing their rides to the fullest. Whether they’re hardcore trail riding, deep mud bogging, doing construction work or even displaying their truck at a show, 4WDs do it all. Our particular project truck was purchased as a daily driver, to tow a show vehicle and motorcycles, and to haul landscaping supplies. The owner wanted to change the stance and height of the truck, add a little more presence to it and make it more nimble if he decided to take it off paved roads. This truck already received towing upgrades that we covered in the March 2016 issue (“Towing Improved,” pg. 108 ), which included rear helper airbags, onboard air and a rear sway bar; so, it would be necessary to work around…

WHEN YOU’RE IN SWIFT CAR & TRUCK CLUB, DRIVING SOMETHING AWESOME IS MANDATORY. It’s in the contract, part of the job description. So when Victor Hernandez Jr. of Houston, Texas, set out to build his latest creation, he already knew what he was in for. There was no way that he was going to be able to get away with having a “stock-n-drop” truck, even if he did already own an outside-of-the-box ’07 Toyota Tundra CrewMax. As far as trucks go, Tundras aren’t exactly what most people think of when they imagine something slammed, and that’s exactly what appealed to Victor. He knew that there wouldn’t be many full-sized Toyotas at local shows, and with what he had in mind, there definitely wouldn’t be any of the same caliber. Victor…

LAST AUGUST, TRUCK enthusiasts in the Midwest once again enjoyed the Slamily Reunion in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The sixth annual event primarily run by Keg Media has grown from a small get-together for builders to a full 400-plus-vehicle show welcoming many out-of-state attendees. This show gets bigger and better every year, with multiple builds from SEMA 2015 in attendance as well as many up-and-coming builds, show trucks lifted and lowered and a growing number of car and bike builds. It’s safe to say that this show is on its way to becoming a Midwestern tradition. In a pleasant contrast from last year’s brutally hot temperatures on the blacktop, the weather in Ft. Smith stayed pretty mellow and enjoyable. Light showers at the beginning of the weekend didn’t prevent plenty…

“A TWO-TONE PAINT JOB IN COMPLEMENTARY SHADES HIGHLIGHTS THE ICONIC SHAPE OF THIS ’40S TRUCK, WHILE 19-INCH DUALLY BILLET WHEELS, CUSTOM-MADE BED AND 1940 FORD LIGHTS KEEP IT LOOKING CLEAN.” Ford Flashback JEFF Benavides’s ’40 Ford cab-over-engine (COE) is something out of a dream, staying true to Ford design and ’40s style while incorporating modern performance and flair. Starting life as a part of the Coca-Cola Co. fleet, Michael Luddon began the build in Arizona before Jeff purchased it and completed the work himself throughout the course of six years. A two-tone paint job in complementary shades highlights the iconic shape of this ’40s truck, while 19-inch dually billet wheels, custom-made bed and 1940 Ford lights keep it looking clean. Drop spindles and ’bags keep this step side…