A well-accessorized truck really catches people's eyes. Like a beautiful woman dressed in the right outfit, with the perfect earrings, and nail polish to complement, a truck featuring the right paint coordinated to other toys is like a match made in heaven. HTS Innovative Design had a truck and boat combo featured in these very pages in the not too distant past, and sought to one-up itself with the next project it produced. What arose from inspiration was a trio of flamed-up toys to suit any occasion that presented itself. The temptation to stare was just too great.
Up front is a heavy-duty six-wheeler to haul the family or the toys. Beginning with an '06 GMC 3500 HD, HTS rolled the long wheelbase hauler into its Simi Valley, California, work bay and put it up on a lift. Once there, Doug Dobson got busy with the air tools and removed just about every piece of the suspension that he knew he didn't want on the Crew Cab. Replacing those components is a pair of McGaughy's 2-inch drop spindles and a complete Air Ride Technologies front Strong Arms system featuring ShockWaves and 1/2-ton torsion bars. For the rear suspension, you will no longer find leaf springs. Instead, an Air Ride Technologies Air Bar HD four-link setup is employed with massive airbags that can handle the load this truck is designed for. BigRed valves, 1/2-inch airlines, dual Air-Zenith compressors, and a 5-gallon air tank round out the rest of the suspension package. The rolling affair consists of 22-inch Brentz Smoothy wheels and 265/40R22 Toyo Proxes.
Motor-vation for this beast is a 6.6L Duramax turbo V-8. Although no slouch right from the factory, HTS sought to improve on an already killer package. Horsepower equates to more air in and more air out, so breathing duties were increased by using an Advanced Flow Engineering (aFe) cold-air intake. Showing the burned fumes the exit is a stainless RBP exhaust running from the turbo back. Instead of running the piping out the rear corner as most truck owners would, Doug chose to turn the big black ceramic RBP tip out the side and in front of the passenger dual rear wheels. An extra 100 hp was programmed into the factory ECM with some creative computer work by RBP. Dousing all four rear tires with smoke is just a heavy right foot away.
Turning people's heads on the streets requires a smooth visual appeal. Doug Dobson loves flames as exampled in a couple of his last trucks, the chopper, boat, and even some choice tattoo work on his body. Factory Summit White might be the humble beginnings of the dualie's skin, but a trip through Jerk Design's paint booth made it otherwise. Hailing from Simi Valley, California, owner Jerry dropped paint-matched handles in all four doors and the tailgate. Then, he proceeded to lay down a triple set of flames intertwining their way from the nose to the fattened rear fenders. Negative white flames striped in light blue give way to silver flames outlined in black and blue licks bordered in orange. Although the lack of additional body modifications might raise snooty noses by some, this Sierra was honored by SEMA for its pyro-styled coverings and matching interior-styling cues.
Like having a little brother, Doug Dobson's dualie paint scheme gave rise to the miniaturized version on the Xtreme Cycle Design's chopper skin. Both vehicles are rolling on big shiny rolling stock with gobs of power being released from big time motors. | 
As if the chopper and truck weren't cool enough, Doug also has at his disposal an Eliminator 26 Daytona. With matching blue and gray flames over white, it's the perfect on water companion and rounds out his trifecta nicely. A booming sound system by Audio Concepts is barley audible over the howl of a 750hp Teague 540ci engine. |
Blue piping over factory gray leather seating would be fairly cool in most cases, but the added blue suede rising up into an inferno over white leather takes the cake. | |