Double Deuced

Rolling down low through the town of Glendora, California, a bright and graphic-enhanced object appears in the distance. Its exact colors, stance, and rocking style are not clearly evident, but as the object rumbles closer, sunlight dances on the spokes of the massive 22-inch rollers and the true detail present on this ride becomes more visible.

Once the truck drags to a stop, local 19-year-old, Glendora-resident Danny Cardona emerges from the cockpit and depletes all the air out of the airbags, stuffing most of the 22-inch Oasis Titan chrome wheels and Dunlop tires up into the wheelwells. What an awesome sight to see, especially since five years ago 17-inch wheels were considered radical.

Danny had to have a whole lot of cutting, welding, notching, and relocating performed on Double Deuced to get those 22-inch Oasis rollers to tuck as far up as they do, and to accomplish this lofty feat, he turned to the suspension experts at Devious Customs in Ontario, California. The owner of Devious Customs, Jeff Davy, took Double Deuced into his shop and proceeded to cut, notch, shave, relocate, weld, and grind until the truck laid flat and the fender lips covered as much of those 22-inch hoops as possible.

Miles of red and gray tweed combined with a ton of billet aluminum trim and a smoothed and Ferrari Red-coated dash creates a feeding frenzy for the eyeballs.

Laying the chassis of Double Deuced flat on the Glendora soil is an adjustable suspension system, fabricated and installed by the folks at Devious Customs. Up front, the 'rails hit the ground hard thanks to Firestone 26C airbags installed into the factory spring pockets. In order to get the truck to turn with those oversized wheels shoehorned under the fenders, larger 'bags had to be installed for maximum lift.

Moving to the rear, the Devious Customs crew boxed and step-notched the rear framerails for strength and clearance and made custom 'bag mounts for the Firestone 224C 2600 airbags to lift and dump the tail end. A Devious Customs handbuilt four-link setup replaces the stock leaf springs for incredibly smooth ride quality.

To plumb the fast air suspension, two Thomas 317 compressors were installed along with a pair of 3-gallon air tanks and Devious 1/2-inch ported valves and 1/2-inch air line. The battery was relocated to the inside of the bed to make extra room for the double dubs up front.

After all the fenderwells were removed for clearance and the suspension was a switch-hitting masterpiece, Jeff Davy muscled the 22x9-inch Oasis Titan wheels mounted on Dunlop P285/30ZR22 tires back up onto the stock lugs, torqued them down, dropped the jack, and depleted the airbags for a sight that made jaws hit the floor. Double Deuced was resting 'rail and tucking one of the biggest wheels on the market today. Now that Danny's ultimate goal of laying the frame on 22s was achieved, it was time to pour more performance into the stock 5.7L Vortec 350ci engine.

A peek under the hood reveals a bit of performance to go along with all the show gleam in the form of a set of JBA Headers and a Flowmaster three-chamber exhaust system.

A Powermaster 200-watt alternator takes care of powering the massive audio system, while flamed billet valve covers, flamed breathers, and a polished air intake system combined with miles of Ferrari Red paint create an amazing feast for the eyeballs. After the engine received a combination of performance and show detail, Danny felt it was time to give Double Deuced a clean shave, fresh paint, and one sick set of graphics.

When building a double-throw-down, take-no-prisoners custom show truck, it helps to know a few folks in the paint and body business. Danny got lucky on this front. Professional painter Ron Hamblin from Truckwerkz in Pomona, California, shaved the door handles, the gas filler door, the tailgate handle, the stock taillights, and molded in a Sir Michaels steel roll pan with tribal-flamed taillights.

After the bodywork was signed, sealed, and delivered, Ron coated it from nose to tail in PPG Ferrari Red, color-sanded and buffed it out, and reassembled it with a full chrome front end, using a chrome smooth front bumper, a billet grille, and Bow Tie inserts along with clear headlights and corner lenses. A match-painted smooth Gaylord tonneau cover was mounted atop the bed to bring the whole look together.

Once the truck was 'bagged, rocking 22-inch wheels and rubber, and adorned with a sick, bright-red hue, it was delivered to well-known painter Larry Fator, owner of Quiksilver in San Dimas, California, for a wicked set of Fine Bright Silver tribal flames, coated over the top with Platinum Pearl Silver. The wildfire spreads down the hood and sides and into the bed region. Pinstriped in One Shot Reflex Blue, these hot licks come alive over the top of the red base and are finished off perfectly with Magenta pinstriped tips.

Danny Cardona has cooked up one radical custom Bow Tie with a wicked stance, kick-tail paint and bodywork, and 22-inch rollers. Double Deuced is one of the nicest fullsize show trucks on the scene today, packed with exceptional detail and superb craftsmanship. Danny would like to thank his club Severed Ties for their support during the truck's construction. Friends Chad Lucas and Jason Woods' hard work and effort in helping to complete Double Deuced are much appreciated. Look for Double Deuced to be dragging 'rail and tucking mad rim at a truck show near you this summer.