CHASSIS FABRICATION |||||||||||||||| The original Ford rails are boxed their entire length and include additional cross members and is "C" notched in the rear. Up front, Ride Tech RidePro digital air suspension, Strong Arm control arms, adjustable Shock waves, and a Flaming River rack and pinion cradle system integrate into a second generation Camaro front sub-frame. In the rear there is a Chevy truck 12 bolt with Poses leafs with RideTech Air over leaf bags and QA1 adjustable aluminum shocks. The gas tank is a CPP 20 gallon aluminum unit relocated to the rear of the frame. There are CPP sway bars front and rear. For stopping power we added modern C5 Corvette inspired spindles and bearing assemblies sporting 13 inch drilled and slotted rotors in the front. In the rear is C5 Corvette 12 inch drilled and slotted rotors. An E-Brake electric brake system holds everything in place and can serve as a security feature. The result is a solid foundation capable of "smooth" modern performance and handling. This truck cruises California Freeways at 70mph with ease.
BODY MODIFICATIONS |||||||||||||||| Built originally at the San Jose, California Plant, the truck is “all steel”. The build began with a super clean cab, one of the cleanest I've seen. The running boards, rear fenders, and entire bed assembly are all new steel. The body has many subtle modifications, which need to be seen in person to appreciate. Nothing too wild, just smooth and clean. All trim is shaved and all seams filled, the door jams are modernized (no old school locks) with double-catch Bear claw units, key-less remote entry, and one-piece side glass. The bed is custom made by Dan Carpenter from North Carolina (he does incredible work); three inches wider than stock (stock width beds just look too small in my opinion), no stake pockets, tapered side post, custom roll pan, widened smooth tail gate, four-inch widened inner wheel-wells, and the bed floor is raised four inches. The bed wood is stained a dark mahogany to match the stainless three spoke Grant steering wheel.
CUSTOM INTERIOR |||||||||||||||| The entire truck has been modernized; 21-circuit wiring harness, new AutoMeter gauges, Flaming River tilt steering column, Southern Air heat/ac system with billet controls, power windows, new tinted glass, and a modern audio system (USB, Pandora, XM radio, CD, and BlueTooth) with four six inch speakers and a 10 inch Kicker sub-woofer. The Flaming River tilt column is also polished stainless. The real stand-out on this truck is the custom leather interior. Frank Lopez and his son Frank Jr., out of Temecula, CA, spent four months hand building and fitting each panel before covering everything in yards of Napa leather and Mercedes square-weave carpet. Indirect LED lighting and a tasteful amount of polished billet trim create contrast within the cab.
EXTERIOR AND PAINT |||||||||||||||| Modern LED headlamps easily light the way at night. LED Halos provide a stylish look and ensure your presence during daytime drives. Four LED tail light/turn signals make sure those behind you "see you" day or night. Paint is House of Color Platinum pear metallic and Sunset orange pearl metallic. Seven coats of base color were applied and three coats of clear. The body was then blocked before adding the final clear "flow" coat, which was also blocked and then buffed to a luxurious luster. The paint work looks very nice and the colors "explode" with vibrance in the sun. The stripping, by Dennis Ricklefs, is white gold leaf, which is hand-turned and bordered with orange and blue stripes. The truck has a presence and makes a visual statement with class and style.
DRIVE TRAIN |||||||||||||||| The drive train is a reliable 290 hp Chevrolet crate engine with Edelbrock Pro-Flo3 XT EFI, turbo 350 transmission with all the right accessories. A custom three row aluminum radiator with a Spal fan module keeps it cool. Typical California freeway traffic with outside temps cresting 100 degrees and the water temp barely exceeds 200 degrees. The engine compartment is nicely detailed; most everything is painted body color with accents of polished chrome and aluminum. This combination is easy to keep clean, easy to work on, easy to get replacement parts, looks good, and will provide years of dependable performance. Android tablet with Edelbrock E-tune software is also included.
THE STANCE |||||||||||||||| The truck sits right while parked yet retains a smooth firm ride thanks to Ride Tech air ride suspension. The wheels are American Torq-Thrust M series; the front are 17 x 9 and the rear are 17 x 10.5. Tires are Yokohama S-drives 255-40-17 front and the rears are Nitto NT450 275-50-17.
I have an extensive build list/sheet and some build pictures, which I will be happy to share upon request. If you have questions then feel free to ask.
POSSIBLE TRADE ||||||||||||||||| I am open to a trade plus cash. I am looking for a COE (Cab over engine) project. I prefer something not finished at this time. Year and body style for the COE project is also open; I like a variety of years and body styles.
