"Hey, man. I didn't want 'bags." Those distinctive and almost derogatory words came from a self-proclaimed truck enthusiast named Mike Soliz of Orange, Texas. We met up with him at Gator Drag in Louisiana and he brought up a compelling point. After a few minutes of chatting he said: "Tons of your readers have static drops. Why not run something other than a 'bagged truck?" Upon further inspection, we agreed his truck was clean, sported a killer interior, and met all of the necessary requirements to be in the magazine. We told him it was a go and a raging Mack truck couldn't of wiped the smile off his face.
Not just another 2004 Silverado with wheels, Mike's Chevy has an interior that was touched top-to-bottom and front-to-back. Mike has the luxury of owning a truck accessory shop in Orange called Distinctive Ridez and specializes in making trucks always look their best. First on the modifications list was the removal, smoothing, and painting of the dash. House of Kolor Kandy Tangerine now adorns the plastic dash, smoothed door panels, and A-pillars. The factory Chevrolet seats were covered in Katzkin orange and silver leather covers, and even the headliner is orange leather with flames embossed into the material. Before reinstalling the painted dash, Mike added Nu Image flamed gauges, a billet and leather steering wheel, and several billet and diamond-plate pieces to finish things off. Adding some tunes to all of that custom treatment are lows from Audiobahn and Kicker, with Sony aftermarket units giving the highs some volume. A JVC head unit sends signals to Boss amps that power two 10-inch Audiobahn flamed-basket subwoofers mounted in the center console and two Kicker Solobaric 10-inch subs mounted in a box under the back seat. An 8-inch Boss monitor gives the rear occupants some added entertainment for the long hauls. Distinctive Ridez performed all of the necessary tasks involved in the interior revamping process
In order to have a complete truck to show, Mike understood the value of adding some significant bolt-ons to the exterior of his Chevy. First on the list were a Street Scene Equipment SS-style front bumper, Street Scene Equipment mirrors, and a Carriage Works billet grille. In the rear, the team at Distinctive Ridez added a Sir Michael's roll pan and shaved the tailgate handle. With the mods in place, the truck was delivered to Tony's Kustoms and Collision of Port Arthur, Texas, where the House of Kolor Kandy Tangerine orange flames were masked and sprayed. Multicolor pinstriping adds nice contrast and the drop-shadowing provides depth. Smoked taillights completed the exterior package.
Opting not to airbag his truck, Mike had his crew at Distinctive Ridez bolt on a DJM lowering kit using front control arms and a rear flip kit with notch to give the Silverado a 4/6 drop. Under each fender are chrome Double-G 5 wheels measuring 22x9-1/2 inches with Wanli 265/35R22 tires on each chrome hoop. Under the flamed hood is a painted 4.3L V-6 with a MAC intake, JBA headers, and a JBA performance exhaust.
Mike's truck is a clean example of a truck with minor but important modifications added to it. No 'bags, no problem. Just touch every corner like Mike did.