There comes a time when planning or building a project when things can get out of hand. For example, Houston native Rafael Villarreal could have built a body-dropped, show-only ride with insane graphics, but he needed to keep his '07 Chevy Silverado fully functional for daily driving. Rather than a static-dropped daily driver with chrome 20s, Rafael walked the fine line of building a truck that was both functional and custom.
Rafael handed the Silverado off to Chaotic Rods and Customs for the chassis work. Slam Specialties 'bags and McGaughy's drop spindles were used in the front, with a two-link and 'bags fabricated up for the rear. A step notch allows the rear axle to touch asphalt while mounted with 22-inch Intro Vista wheels and 265/35R22 Nankang All-Sport rubber.
Raphael's favorite angle,...
Raphael's favorite angle, the combo skin eliminated many of the distractions from the rear of the truck.
For the body mods and paint, Rafael called upon Alamo Customs, where the stake pockets were shaved and the rear of the bed got a complete new skin, which is likely Rafael's favorite modification. The factory Blue Granite Metallic paint was sprayed on the wiper cowl, the mirror caps, and the freshly prepared bodywork to create a smooth, uninterrupted look. Alamo also flexed their paint and body know-how on the smoothed dash, while Arjona's Upholstery covered the cut-down factory buckets in black leather with gray suede inserts. DK Hypertek, in Pasadena, Texas, finished of the interior with a Panasonic head unit, Planet Audio amplifiers, and Pioneer shallow-mount subs mounted in a custom enclosure built by DK Hypertek.
By keeping things straightforward and sanitary, Raphael has created a ride we'd all be proud to call our own. For all the help along the way, he'd like to thank Jose Galvan, the guys at Alamo, Chaotic, Arjona's, and all of his club members in Aftermath.
A paint-matched Nitrogen bottle,...
A paint-matched Nitrogen bottle, simple notch cover, and a coat of bedliner make for a clean and still-functional bed—just don't plan on dropping the tailgate.