Readers' Custom Trucks - Readers' Rides - June 2006

Part Of The Family
In April of 1990, Darrell Reilly of Jackson, New York, met his future wife and bought the '89 Toyota 4x4 you see here. After sixteen years and a laundry list of modifications that include over 7 inches of lift, 38-inch Mickey Thompsons, and a custom removable top, Darrell has no plans of ever selling his Toyota.

Sweet 16
Chris Hernandez is a lucky guy. The Pemboke Pines, Florida, native received this '03 Quad Cab as a 16th birthday present from his parents, and it didn't take long before the customization began. Matching 22-inch Boze wheels, white racing stripes, and a 3/5 lowering kit give it the look, and an AIRAID intake system and Flowmaster exhaust give it sound and performance.

Twice The Fun
Baltimore resident Tyrone Thompson had already completed several body mods on his '99 Durango, including a Stull grille and SunCoast Creations hood, but he wanted some more performance. While shopping online for engine upgrades for his '99 Durango, Tyrone came across a red '01 Durango that already had most of the modifications he wanted, including a Paxton Novi 1000 blower. Now he's the owner of two Dodges, both of which are packed with audio upgrades.

Hand-Me-Down
This 1970 GMC is currently in the hands of 19-year-old Brandon Clark. The truck was bought new by Brandon's grandfather, who gave the truck to Brandon's dad as a wedding present. The three restored the truck over a two-year period and gave it factory VW red paint and lowered it two inches over 17-inch Coddington wheels to spice things up. It's got a 400ci small-block with Sanderson headers, a turbo 400, and a 12-bolt rear end...a stout drivetrain that's more than up to the task of towing their boat to the lake each summer.

Best Envelope Ever
Specialist Brian McCrea is the proud owner of this '99 Chevy S-10 that sports an Air Ride suspension, Xenon body kit, and a Gaylord's Speedbumps hard tonneau cover. The factory 4-cylinder wasn't lighting up the tires like Brian wanted, so he bent up his own exhaust and fabbed an intake too. Brian also threw on some underdrive pulleys and removed the A/C to free up some power. Future mods include bigger plumbing for the air suspension and a candy paint job. Just be sure to call us when your truck looks like the envelope you sent in, Brian.

Towing In Style
Chuck Chaplinski, from Middle River, Minnesota, built this 2005 F-350 6x6. In addition to the obvious body and chassis modifications necessary to run an extra set of drive wheels, Chuck added some goodies from Banks to help him tow his huge fifth-wheel trailer. All his hard work netted him "Best in Class" and "Best Engineered" trophies at last year's Sweet Temptationz Spring Bash.

Grocery Getter
Eldon Tate owns Custom Auto in Purcell, Oklahoma, where he sprayed his '01 Super Crew with PPG Bright Blue Pearl over white with a custom-mixed purple stripe, a color scheme planned out by his wife, Kristi. Finishing touches include the 3/4 lowering kit and 20-inch Helo Explode wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich T/As.