When we first met Shocker monster truck driver and owner Pat Gerber, we instantly got along with him. It's hard to miss his humility, easy-going personality, and the appreciation he displayed while shooting his vehicles. After thinking about his unique situation-he owns an off-road shop and gets to drive a monster truck for crying out loud-we thought he had it made. However, after finding out this '07 Chevy Suburban 2500 4WD actually belongs to his wife, Randi, we realized his smile was from something else. Pat is married to a woman who understands his need to turn wrenches, get dirty, and go play in the dirt all day. Some guys have all the luck.
Literally driving the huge Chevy every day, Randi has no problem running errands, stopping at the local grocery store, or if need be going off-road to beat a traffic jam. Her Suburban wasn't always this cool, though. We show you the full build-up on page 132, but here is the skinny on the project.
Kyle at K-Daddyz Kustomz applied the DuPont paints to the Chevy.
Before the first wrench was turned, the Chevy was delivered to K-Daddyz Kustomz in Bakersfield, California, where Kyle Gann and his crew began the custom paint scheme. Wanting a truck to represent the Shocker shop, but not be a rolling billboard, Pat and Kyle agreed on a two-tone with lightning-bolt styled yellow graphics separating the two DuPont primary colors. Pat made a quick trip to D'Angelo's Paint & Supply to pick up the DuPont paint and the 'Burban was officially underway. The factory white was used as a basecoat and Kyle applied the DuPont blue to the bottom half incorporating yellow graphics and airbrushed lightning streaks. With the body grabbing attention, it was time for Pat to do what he does best.
Knowing the ins and outs of custom off-road vehicles, Pat and his team at Shocker Motorsports in Bakersfield began the project by tearing the Suburban down to the frame. After several people tried to talk him out of it, Pat went over the edge and decided to take the family hauler body off of the new GMT-900 frame. With every nut and bolt removed from the frame, it was sent off to be powdercoated by Powder Coating USA. His team installed a 12-inch Cognito Motorsports suspension lift incorporating new uni-ball upper control arms, heavy-duty heim joint steering tie rod ends, and heavy-duty idler pivot assembly. A bonus on this kit design, the torsion bars are in the factory location and don't have to be dropped, which keeps everything close to factory specs and helps ground clearance. Fox Racing Shox reservoir shocks were chromed and bolted onto the front and rear of the Chevy.
This is the angle the sand dunes see before Randi launches the Suburban. | 
Those quick-release clear mud flaps keep the Chevy street legal and look good doing it. |  |