The pages of Truckin' are filled with custom trucks that were built by talented body and paint technicians who were looking to show off their skills and provide a calling card for their business. But what if your business is painting airplanes? This is precisely the case for Kent and Debbie Pielemeier of Upland, California. Because of his profession, Kent is used to thinking on a slightly grander scale. His stretched Crew Cab dualie appeared in the Feb. '95 issue of Truckin', "Heavy Haulers," and his son Doug's killer black Blazer is on the Oct. '01 cover of Mini Truckin'. Because Doug's Blazer is a full-blown custom, Kent felt it necessary to build a tow vehicle for the long hauls to shows and came across this '97 dualie. The new vehicle would serve double-duty since the family also recently purchased a '30 Scarab offshore boat that was also receiving the full custom treatment. The simple project soon became a large one when it was decided that since the truck would be attending some of the country's premier shows, it may as well be show-ready too.
The first order of business was to get the Crew Cab flyin' at a lower level. Ron Hamblin of Trukwerks in Pomona, California, began up front by pulling the stock spindles and coils to make room for a pair of Firestone 2600C airbags. Belltech 3-inch dropped spindles hold everything together, and Belltech shocks help smooth out the bumps. The rear features a monster bridge notch that has been massively reinforced and another pair of 2600C airbags and Belltech shocks. The 3/8-inch air lines run to the three compressors and the four 3-gallon air tanks, two of which are located under the front doors and two of which are under the bed where the spare tire once resided. Kent chose KMC Slam wheels in the usual 16x6 sizing, and Cooper Lifeliner 225/60R16 tires make contact with the river-bound highway. This suspension setup allows Kent to drag frame at the shows but still provide a solid tow for the Scarab and the Blazer.
Because a lot of long-distance towing was in mind, it was decided that the 454 big-block needed a little warming over. The stock block was punched out to 468 inches, was balanced and blueprinted, and was fitted with an Isky RV cam by Dennis at D&R machine in Corona, California. D&R also ported and polished the stock heads and intake manifold before the engine was reassembled using the stock components. Many of the accessories were polished or chromed, including the alternator and the A/C compressor, and the stock valve covers were painted purple to match the truck. The areas surrounding the engine were painted as flawlessly as the exterior, and the right-side inner fender features a hand-fabricated cover to conceal the ABS and the computer. Kent also fabbed the polished air intake tube that is capped with an AIRAID filter. The exhaust chosen was a 3-inch stainless system with dual Flowmasters that exit in front of the rear axle.
Kent and his crew got busy when the truck became ready for bodywork and paint. There were a lot of subtle changes that Kent wanted to make before laying down the killer House of Kolor paintjob. For starters, the stock '97 Chevy front end was scrapped for a 2000 Denali clip, but that was just the beginning of the front-end mods. An '00 Silverado bumper was used, but the top section that was made of plastic was scrapped, and Kent hand-fabricated a section made entirely of new steel. The stock valance had a 3-inch section removed from it before it met Kent's standards and was installed on the truck. Working toward the rear of the truck, a smooth cowl was installed and the antenna mount was shaved, as were the four door handles. Those of you who have never noticed that the Crew Cabs are missing the upper body line on the small area between the rear doors and the bed won't notice it here either. Kent fabricated the line into the rear of the cab so his truck would have a clean line from the front to the rear of the vehicle. The third brake light was shaved, and a flush-mounted LED light was molded into place. The bed was smoothed over by first filling the stake holes and the tailgate handle, then scrapping the rear bumper for a molded-in steel roll pan. Behind the license plate is an industrial-strength receiver for solid towing. The stock taillights were also removed and filled with Cadillac DeVille taillights and bezels. Finally, a Gaylord's lid was placed over the bed.
When the dualie body had reached perfection, it was rolled into Kent's booth where the lower portion of the truck was covered in House of Kolor Sunset pearl and the top in Passion Purple. Subtle graphics separate the two colors and were shot in Tru Blue and Pink pearl.
The interior of Kent's ride needed to be functional and comfortable due to the amount of hours travelling to truck shows or to the river. He did, however, want to perform a few tricks that would catch the eyes of the show judges. The dash bezel, the door handle bezels, and the column cover were removed and smoothed before being painted purple to match the exterior.
A sprinkling of polished aluminum adorns the dash, including the leather-wrapped billet steering wheel. While the left side of the dash is plenty flashy, it's the right side that really grabs your attention. In place of the glovebox and passenger-side airbag sits a flush-mounted monster 12-inch Accele monitor. The headrests also feature 6-inch Accele monitors for the rear passengers' viewing pleasure, which is provided by the DVD-capable Sony PlayStation 2 located under the passenger seat. A Clarion DXZ615 flip-face head unit was chosen to liven up the center of the dash and controls the two Audiobahn amps and two Audiobahn capacitors located in the center of the rear cab wall. On either side of the amps, the two 10-inch Crystal Mobilesound subs are mounted in the enclosures, custom-built by Kent. Six-inch Crystal mids along with a tweeter and crossover were located in each door. Kent credits Chad Breton of Elite Audio in Upland for the masterful job wiring up the complex system.
Although Kent has grown accustomed to tackling large projects, such as painting airplanes, he and Doug manage to outdo themselves with each project. With the Crew Cab and the Blazer already on the show circuit and the Scarab nearly completed, we asked Kent what the next project on the horizon was. He told us that his daughter Laura was turning 16 soon and already had her eye on a Tahoe. The game plan? "We're gonna go big on this one." We already knew that, Kent.