With so many hot custom trucks on the road and show circuit these days, it is getting increasingly difficult to come up with new designs and fresh ideas. You can still have a hot truck with some smoking modifications, but sometimes that just isn't enough. Well, instead of trying to come up with a hot new truck, how about an insane place to live and still have a raging ride? Johnny Ellsworth is one such enthusiast. Johnny has a banging, smooth '04 Cadillac Escalade that might seem not so exciting at first, but our boy Johnny here is a resident of Alaska. For those of you not in the know, Alaska is way up north where sometimes light is scarce, as well as the road quality, and don't even mention the temperature drop.
With no one to turn to locally, Johnny set his sights far south of his frozen homeland to the balmy sands of Arizona, and the home of Rick Dore Kustoms. Johnny was looking to have a smooth exterior with some tire-ripping horsepower and an interior to be proud of. With plan in hand, Rick Dore Kustoms set its sights on creating this one-of-a-kind Caddy. Beginning with the power section of the equation, a Paxton Novi centrifugal supercharger with polished everything was bolted to the factory 6.0L engine. To ensure smooth operation of the newly acquired horsepower, a Paxton intercooler was mounted inline with the intake charge of the huffer set to enhance peak performance levels. Moving the exhaust to the rear of this all-wheel-drive menace is the responsibility of a completely polished, stainless after-cat exhaust from Billy Boat. Finishing the underhood detailing are polished billet accessory covers. All 475 ponies were ready to gallop, but this Escalade sat like a 4x4.
The crew at Rick Dore Kustoms knew they couldn't let the Cadillac sit so high in the air, so they called up the suspension pros at DJM in Gardena, California. DJM sent one of its all-wheel-drive lowering kits, and once installed by Rick Dore's crew, it brought the nose-bleed height down a respectable 3 inches in front and 4 inches in the rear. Since the suspension was being disassembled for the drop, it made for easy work of installing a complete Baer brake system. Buttoning up the chassis work is a four-play of 22-inch Cezanne wheels by Ilan encased by SUV-rated tires from Toyo measuring P305/40R22. With a healthy stance and gobs of power, it was finally time to tend to the smooth exterior Johnny was salivating to have.