I promise it was harmless. I simply called my buddy Justin Veit, of Insane Kustoms, in Phoenix and asked him if he knew anyone with a cool, cover-quality blue Dodge Ram. He was a good guy to call, after all, I've photographed six of his previous builds, including last year's issue 8 cover, and I figured he might have a lead on something worthy. He thought about it and said, "No, why?" When I told him I had this crazy idea to do a red, white, and blue themed cover for our July issue and I needed a blue Dodge, he immediately replied, "Give me a week and I'll call you back." Six days later, my phone rang and I heard, "OK man, I just left the Dodge dealership with a 2010 Ram, what do you want to do with it?" I thought, uh, was this a practical joke or was he for real? My next thought and the next words I spoke were, "Are you sure you can pull this off by our ship-to-the-printer deadline?" Exactly five weeks after he drove off the lot with a new Ram, I was in Phoenix shooting his new truck and completing a patriotic red, white, and now, blue cover. Building a truck with 27 miles on the odometer in five weeks sounds like a paradox to us, but when you eat, sleep, and breathe custom trucks, nothing is impossible.
Starting with a white 2010 Dodge Ram, Justin drove the truck straight to Metal Asylum Kustom Finishes, in Glendale, Arizona, where shop owner Chad Anderson promised the truck would meet the five-week deadline. Working around the clock, Chad stripped the Ram down to a bare carcass and got to work prepping the body for color. Out back, Chad welded in a sheetmetal roll pan that incorporates the rear body line, shaved the large Ram emblem from the tailgate, filled the hood squirters, and added a Mopar body kit along the rockers.
Justin knew the truck needed to be blue, but he wanted it to still be a custom color, so he and Chad used a Nissan 350Z blue as inspiration and mixed a little of this and a little of that to create what you see here. On the top half of the truck, a darker version of the Nissan blue is broken up by a black graphic with a lighter shade of candy blue making up the bottom half of the Ram. Bugs Seagul, also from Metal Asylum, pinstriped the black graphic in baby blue and a subtle purple pinstripe adds character to the body and serves as the divider color of the two different blues. A Leer 800 series tonneau cover caps off the bed, which is protected by a Mopar BedRug, and is fitted with ANZO USA LED tail lights for added style and safety. The grille shell has been sprayed black and the grille's crossbars have been cut to make room for a sweet T-Rex one-piece mesh grille. ANZO USA projector headlights flank the grille and the two front end parts provide the Ram with a unique look that is anything but stock.
Metal Asylum was also responsible for the suspension, as Chad opened up his toolbox and got to work removing the stock components from the brand-new Dodge. Up front, Airbagit upper and lower adjustable Air Arms were bolted onto McGaughy's 2-inch drop spindles, and fitted with Airbagit DeNominator-II 2600 airbags. Out back, Airbagit 3800 airbags were bolted onto the factory five-link suspension using custom Airbagit billet spacers and a McGaughy's trac bar relocator keeps the axle true with the air out. Airbagit shocks keep the Dodge comfortable on the highways and an Airbagit Air-Engine controls the air management for the 'bags. Tucking under each fender, elegant Gianelle Santorini wheels, size 26x10 inches, are wrapped in 305/30R26 Nitto NT420S tires. Adding the perfect touch, Giovanna Koko Kuture Lipstick bezels were painted candy blue to match the body and complement the matte black wheels. The look is understated class with a touch of custom—just what the guys were hoping for.
Up front, black ANZO USA projector...
Up front, black ANZO USA projector headlights flank a one-piece T-Rex mesh grille that was painted black by Metal Asylum.
Looking both elegant and sinister,...
Looking both elegant and sinister, 26-inch Gianelle Santorini matte black wheels feature blue-painted Koko Kuture rings and are wrapped in Nitto NT420S tires.