2004 Chevy 2500 HD - Big Boys Toys

What separates the men from the boys is the price of their toys. Nothing is more rewarding than rolling up to your favorite lake or river destination with an eye-catching custom truck and pulling an all-out aquatic hot rod set up for high-speed H2O fun. This is a reality Dean Sears of Moorpark, California, knows all too well as the title holder to the flame-licked, sky-scraping Chevy HD and custom Conquest powerboat stretching across these pages. As the proprietor and operator of Sport Trucks by Dean in Moorpark, California, Mr. Sears is no stranger to killer rides and earns his bread and butter making others' customizing dreams come true. When Dean is not going wild with the welder or putting rides in the air or on the ground, he and his family are turning heads on the ramp and the water with this sizzling custom setup.

Starting with the tow rig, Dean marched down to his local Bow Tie merchant and picked up an '04 Chevy 2500 HD 4x4 drenched in arrest-me red. With just a few miles on the odometer and dealer plates still in check, Dean put the truck up on the rack and cranked the stance up 10 inches with a California Super Trucks suspension lift. Capping off the Chevy's fresh nosebleed altitude are 20x10-inch Billet Specialties Chicayne 8 spools stuffed into Toyo 38x15.50-20 Open Country Mud-Terrains. For excess towing capabilities, the rear suspension was fitted with Deaver military leaves and Firestone AirFlex rear load 'bags that keep things firm when the boat is hooked. Up front, ride control is regulated by Fox 2.0 reservoir shocks that provide smooth cruising when Dean takes this custom setup down the highway. Now that this cranked-up river limo was standing tall, it was time to toss some custom love onto the exterior.

To set the smooth exterior scenery, Dean began with the addition of a Street Scene Chevy SS-style front bumper and completed the facial attractions with Trenz billet grille inserts. At the tail end, the factory rear bumper was pitched to the trash and replaced with a smoothed and paint-matched Street Scene SS-style rear bumper. With the simple alterations made, the truck was hauled to Soncy Road Body Shop in Amarillo, Texas, where owner Mark Warrich flowed a little traditional hot rod flair on the factory basecoat. The Escalade door handle buckets were color coded to blend into the retina-burning backdrop, and a traditional set of hot licks were taped out over the hood, fenders, and front doors to add an artful blaze to the contemporary mix. Once the burn patterns were mapped out, the flames were ignited with House of Kolor White, Sunset, and Tangelo pearls and highlighted with Process Blue pinstriping. With a rocking retro inferno crackling over the factory topcoat, Mark sealed the fiery blaze in with PPG clear and cut and buffed the truck for maximum shine. After the HD's sizzling paintwork was laid down, the truck was shipped back to Cali for interior and audio tricks.