What does it take to build a custom show truck? In Jay Bricker's case, a whole lot of luck and patience. It is hard to believe this '95 Chevy C1500 truck was once the topic of some violent conversations. This truck has been through more hell than a teenager getting caught joy-riding in his mom's car.
Jay and Wendy Bricker of Casa Grande, Arizona, started this project with the best of intentions. In 1998, they purchased the nearly stock truck, with nothing more than a 2/4-inch drop and a very shoddy maroon paintjob. With big hopes for this Chevy, Jay began to remodel the truck to his perfect vision. A 5/6 drop replaced the original aftermarket suspension, while shaved handles, tailgate, and antenna were the newest additions, as well as Cadillac-style taillights and a roll pan.
A Phoenix area shop gave the truck a new paint scheme that included a silver tone with dramatic flames. Black and gray tweed transformed the interior, thanks to The Interior Shop in Phoenix. Just when Jay and Wendy thought their dream truck was about to be finished, a towing company, in an effort to move the truck, ended up ripping the entire roll pan off, which resulted in the rear end being destroyed.
On their way back to the drawing board, Jay and Wendy decided to upgrade to a few more body mods. They shaved the entire rear end and added the ever-popular Cadillac taillights once again. After a fresh coat of Tangelo basecoat, the truck was finally ready for its final stages of work - that is, until a 16-year-old ran a stop sign and sideswiped the truck, nearly killing Jay and severely damaging the truck. Thankful he was still alive, Jay realized this truck had to be better than any other, after all it had been through. Since the truck was not totaled, Jay and Wendy got the help of Grunion Fabrication in Phoenix and The Interior Shop to put the final additions onto the truck. Since money was tight, a strict budget was put into place, and the process got off to a great start.
New items were added to update the look of the truck. Among these items was a complete air-ride suspension, consisting of 2,600-pound Firestone airbags paired with a set of Belltech Nitro-Drop shock absorbers. A set of 20-inch MB Motoring Jump wheels were paired with Nitto rubber and put at all four corners of the truck. Instead of adding a sunroof, Jay and Wendy opted for a Street Beat Customs ragtop. This giant breath of fresh air was pretty much equivalent to a colossal hole in their roof.
Grunion finished up the shave work. The outcome was a completely unique truck that featured everything from a shaved tailgate handle to the cab wall. Grunion also painted the truck its final color, which was a custom-mixed PPG orange with a touch of white pearl. A double billet front bumper, rear roll pan, and Harley-Davidson billet mirrors were also added while at Grunion.
With its new look about to be finished, Jay turned his truck over to Todd Jubert at The Interior Shop to redo the already custom interior. Staying true to the orange theme, Todd chose black and orange tweed as the material of choice, which was used to completely cover the Astro van bucket seats. Additional interior modifications included a custom-painted dash bezel, a Cadillac center console that's fabricated to hold the Air Ride Technologies gauges, and a custom headliner.
The final stage of the truck buildup was to add a 12-volt system. Once again, Todd Jubert of The Interior Shop handled this stage of the project. An Alpine head unit sparked the signal for the rest of the system, including two 8-inch JL Audio woofers, mid-bass speakers, and one amplifier. The entire hefty system was conveniently installed under the rear seat.
With everyone's stamp of approval on the final project, Jay and Wendy both drive this truck every day to and from work, as well as participating in several club shows. This story just proves that determination does pay off, no matter what the situation. We just consider ourselves lucky that we were able to finally photograph this truck, before something else could happen. Judging by the looks of it, we think this custom's luck is changing.