Leading this package through the wind is a cowl-induction hood and a Tahoe grille shell fit with billet inserts, a billet Bow Tie, and clear corners. Mark Long and Kenny Dean of Razor Graphics, out of Fredericksburg, were the painters of choice. After covering the recently completed bodywork, stock door handles, and upper bumper cap with the original factory hue, it was time to move on to the graphics for Mark and Kenny, and they didn't disappoint. Individual steel plates were airbrushed, complete with rivets before stripes, and flames were laid out in bold greens, oranges, and pinks. The color adornment is masked around the entire bottom of the truck and the center of the cowl hood in a tear-away fashion. With exterior treatments aplenty, what of the interior?
In Stafford, Virginia, you will find interior specialists by the name of Coachcraft, and it was Grizz at the helm for the interior of Rich's show truck. The interior is a sea of tweed. Gray and blue tweed are stitched harmoniously together, coating the seats, door panels, floor mats, headliner, and pillars. The rough material is also strewn across the handmade center console, the back wall of the cab, and the one-off sub enclosure behind the seat. Anything that does not have tweed on it is either painted or billet. This interior makes a statement for sure. A Colorado Custom flame steering wheel maneuvers this rig, while white-face gauges show the driver pertinent information. To add a cherry to this rolling cake seems hard to do, but the banging sound system comes pretty close. To the forefront of audio bliss is an Alpine flip-face head unit turning digital information into ear-filling sound. Orion 6.5-inch separates fit in the stock door locations, and two 10-inch Orion subwoofers are affixed in a box, beating into the driver and passenger's backs. Adding bleeding decibel screams to the system are Orion amplifiers, and credit goes to Shawn Jacobs for installation time.
Under the cowl-induction hood lies a V-6, but, of course, it couldn't go untouched with all the detailing surrounding the rest of the truck. Right off the bat, your eye will catch the snaking chrome piping that feeds fresh air to the intake through a K&N air filter. Don't miss the billet covers on the A/C piping, and, of course, the shiny metal is crowning the master cylinder and power box as well. In addition, the hood-to-cowl braces that are factory-stamped pieces have been replaced with one-off billet machined items. Since this truck is body-dropped, the seemingly empty engine compartment had to have some of its equipment relocated and wires re-routed to accommodate the intrusion of the front wheels and tires at full tuck.
It took Rich three years to see his plan to fruition, but was is worth the wait? You bet it was. In that time span, Rich has seen quite a few folks lending a hand in building his vision. To those people, Rich would like to give a round of applause. Larry with Boze, Jay at Mac Products, everyone in Rich's truck club Exclusive Styles, Shawn at Eimenheiser Auto Body, Mark and Kenny with Razor Graphics, Tom and Joe at Pro Trucks, Coachcraft's employee Grizz, Shawn Jacobs on audio, Eric and Matt filling in at Kustomwerks, True Billet, and, last but not least, Rich would like to give a big hug to his wife Darlene because we all know how difficult it is to have a relationship and a project.
With the completion of this truck, Rich tells us he is already knee-deep in another project, and it is slated to do some time at Kustomwerks, as we speak. What is it you ask? You'll have to wait and see. For now, flip back through this feature and take another look at this bottom-draggin' machine. You may have overlooked something.