Bryan Reitz's dad, Ray, has worked in the autobody business forever. He wanted to share with Bryan his passion for molding an automobile to his will. So, they both rolled up their sleeves and spent two years building this '02 Chevrolet Silverado displayed on these pages. You may have seen this truck before, or maybe not. It's been shown at events, mostly in Bryan's home state of Texas, for about a year. A lot of work went into this truck, and not just bolt-on modifications. A respectable amount of fabrication was done, as well, and some of the work was done with a little help from some other local experts.
Let's start with the audio and video. Orange fiberglass enclosures dominate the interior of the truck in the form of a customized center console that smoothly flows into the back seats. The HVAC controls were relocated to the center console, as was the head unit, which was replaced by the Power Acoustik PTID-4004 audio/video head unit. Four PowerBass midwoofers protrude from the driver and passenger sides of the center console. Follow that console to the back of the cab and you can't miss the subwoofers and amplifiers hanging from their orange wall. Four V-Max subs from Cerwin-Vega bristle from that wall, framed by a straight line of four Power Acoustik SPL amps (two rated at 840 watts, the other pair at 1,800 watts). The 'glassed, orange, front door panels each contain a set of the PowerBass component speakers, ensconced in a small oval of brown ostrich leather. The rear suicide doors are also paneled in orange fiberglass and a strip of ostrich leather, but don't harbor any audio goodies. The front seats' headrests do, though, with a 7-inch monitor from Power Acoustik in each. Orange splashes across the dashboard, as well, and a large, 10.5-inch screen anchors the center of the dash. The seats and BAD Rockster steering wheel are lined by more ostrich leather, as is the headliner. All of the leather work was handled by Advanced Auto Trim in The Woodlands, Texas.
The truck's two-toned orange and silver exterior shares the bold citrus color of the interior, thanks to Kustom Werx in Conroe, Texas, and Maxwell Designs in The Woodlands, which painted the cool, blue flame beltline. Ray and Bryan worked the body into tip-top aftermarket condition. They shaved the door handles, tailgate, gas door, and bed cover locks, and replaced the rear bumper with a molded roll pan. The grille shell was painted silver and surrounds a billet grille, HID headlamps replaced the factory lights, while '03 Chevy taillights bumped the originals. An Affordable Bedliner sprayed the good stuff onto the smoothed cargo box, which is kept under wraps with a poppable hard tonneau.
The folks at Ekstensive Metalworks in Houston took care of the suspension, 'bagging it, and throwing on a set of 22-inch MB Motoring wheels and Hankook Ventus 305/45R22 tires. The inner fenders were modified-heck, they were removed-to fit the wheels and tires without tubbing. The factory V-8 was modded by some Superchips action, an air intake, a MagnaFlow exhaust, and an Interstate battery. Plus, some of the surfaces were painted orange and silver to match the body.
This was Bryan's first effort, which was marked by the opportunity to spend time with his dad, as they built the truck together, and meeting new friends on the show circuit (not to mention nosy magazine editors). Let's hope we spot the next Team Reitz pickup at the truck runs in Texas.