Growing up in Salinas, California, Eric Becerra was steeped in custom car culture. Hot rods and lifted trucks are the norm in Salinas, so when Eric set out to build a truck that was cutting edge he gave his '00 Yukon XL the newest electronics, but he also kept some hot-rod styling cues and performance mods that definitely keep it a cut above the fleet-white farm trucks that cruise up and down Main street.
This Yukon wasn't Eric's first custom truck; he had already built an '87 Nissan convertible and a '99 Silverado extended cab, so he had visions of customization long before his newest project was in his hands. In fact, the Yukon wasn't in Eric's garage for 24 hours before it was sent to get 'bagged and have 20s installed. In the quest for a cutting-edge custom, 22s and finally 23s were bolted on, and he decided that first airbag suspension wasn't going to cut it anymore.
Eric turned to Nor-Cal Kustoms in Salinas, where Elias Nunez and Jacob Stone installed DJM spindles, tubular A-arms, and Firestone 2,600lb airbags to tuck the front. The rear received a bridge notch and 2,600lb Firestone bags too, but that's not all. To fit the wheels with the backspacing he wanted, Eric tubbed the wheelwells and had 2 inches taken off each axle. He also installed 4.56 gears and a limited slip, so this big bad cruiser isn't lazy getting off the line.
To help spin those low gears, the Yukon's 5.3L gets some help with an Airaid filter, Granatelli MAF sensor, and a throttle-body spacer. On the exhaust side, the spent gases move through a Flowmaster 3-inch exhaust system that adds some rumble to cruise night. To sort out the engine modifications, the computer received some tweaks courtesy of a Hypertech programmer.
Aside from the stance, the paint is the next thing you'll notice about the Yukon. More Salinas natives were tapped for the bodywork, as Luis Inzunsa prepped the body and installed a Sir Michael's roll pan and Lionel Duran sprayed pearl white ghost flames over PPG Storm Grey to create a custom look that keeps a low profile.
The interior, on the other hand, is less than subtle. All four of the bucket seats went to Monte's Upholstery in Salinas to get draped in Katzkin two-tone suede while the rear seats were ditched in favor of a custom sub enclosure built by Ken Ames at Ames Audio in Livermore, California. The enclosure is painted to match the exterior and houses two Rockford Fosgate amps (an 800 A2 and an A4) and three JL Audio 12W3 subs. Eric controls all that bass at the driver's seat via a Pioneer AVM-7000 head unit and an Audio Control 3.1 equalizer that also dishes out the sound to four 6-inch MB Quart speakers. While he's in the driver's seat Eric has a nice view of a flamed Colorado Customs steering wheel; his custom center console that holds his A/C controls; a Pioneer DVD changer that sends video to the massive 15-inch monitor in the dash; and four 6-inch monitors mounted in the headrest of every seat. Rear seat passengers also have the option of playing a Nintendo Game Cube, but with all that audio power, we'd rather just cruise with the stereo thumping.