Ford Fever in the Smokies
September 30, 2025
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
PHAT ’53
Join Jeff Schwierman in his quest for the prestigious F-100 Truck of the Year award as he breathes new life into a ’53 Ford F-100. From the ground-up build on a Fat Man Fabrications chassis to the powerful Ford Racing 351W engine, every detail of this custom pickup is crafted to perfection. Follow along as Schwierman and his team reshape the classic truck into a true showstopper, setting new standards for classic Ford truck enthusiasts.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Dieselsite Deep Transmission Pan and Filter
At The Auto Builder, we’re always on the lookout for products made by real enthusiasts—folks who don’t just sell parts, they live them. That’s why we like the team at DIESELSITE. They don’t just talk the talk—they walk the walk. These guys live and breathe diesel, and they know firsthand the problems truck owners face. They take a hard look at factory OEM designs and make them better. Period.
SUBTLE STANDOUT
From the low-key approach applied to this ’55 Chevy, it’s obvious that Jack and Gail Jenkins’ reasons for building it were based around applied craftsmanship, when you take into account the subtle style it displays. While the bodywork and paint are flawless, there’s little sign of the modifications beneath it, or the effort that went into them.
Spotlighter
CANDY LEXUS
A True Sports and Show Sedan, Done Differently
The Lexus IS300 is not only stylish in its outside appearance, but because of its acceptance as a true sports sedan by most tuner enthusiasts, it’s a desirable starting base for creating a potent street performer. This RWD Lexus is factory-fitted with the rugged 2JZ-GE 3.0L DOHC inline V-6 engine, as used in Toyota Supra models in past years and updated with VVT-i Variable Valve Timing. It also features double wishbone front and rear suspension systems, as equipped from the Toyota factory. A limited-slip differential option helps put the power to the ground, and the edgy Lexus body produces an impressive 0.29 coefficient of drag. This is definitely a slippery package with both good looks and ample performance.
Author
Jim Maxwell
Words & Photos
Cheyne Gross and His Vision
20-year-old Cheyne Gross thought so too, so he bought this ’01 IS300 used a few years back, and slowly started its transformation from stock to show winner. It all started when a friend of his took him to an Extreme Autofest car show, and that’s when the urge hit him to build a legitimate trophy magnet. Shortly afterwards, Cheyne and his girlfriend Alanah made plans for the required modifications to impress the judges.
Customizing the Body: One-of-a-Kind Wide-Body Design
While the stock IS300 body is already considered edgy in appearance with its short front and rear overhangs, factory clear taillights and wedge styling, the idea came to further improve the body. In stock form, the car has a crisp and unique character line that runs the length of the car. In spite of that, the feeling was that something was missing, so a new styling cue was added. The decision was also made to shave off the door handles and fit an aluminum fuel filler door. But more mods would be needed if this car was to be a head-turner on the hotly competitive Cali show circuit.
After studying the basic body shape of the IS300, the judgment was made to resist any notion of purchasing a simple over-the-counter bolt-on or molded-in kit, so a one-of-a-kind wide-body addition was created from scratch.
M1 Auto Body and the Unique Transformation
The staff at M1 Auto Body in El Monte, California handled the project, and it took two months to complete this work, using foam and fiberglass and lots of precise attention to detail. An authentic Altezza roof spoiler was imported and added, along with vented side skirts. The rear of the car is now 2.5-inches wider per side, and each front fender was augmented by two inches, leaving lots of room for wider rolling stock. Cheyne loves the color red, and after looking at several different color options, girlfriend Alanah picked the Candy Apple Red hue from the House of Kolor paint chip book. This classic hot rod color added a great deal to the classy look of this Lexus.
Upgraded Wheels, Suspension, and Braking
The stock wheels/tires were replaced with a set of 19-inch M1 9-spoke MOMOs, 8.5-inch up front and 9-inch out back, wrapped in 235×35-19 rubber. Brakes were upgraded with drilled and slotted rotors, and a set of L-Sportline progressive-rate coils and shocks were added, lowering the car two inches in the rear and 1.5 inches up front. Cornering capabilities were further improved through the use of Cusco front/rear sway bars with several suspension components being chromed for added attention to detail.
Turbocharging the 2JZ-GE Engine
In standard form, the VVT-i-equipped I6 2JZ-GE engine provides 215 hp and 218 lb-ft of torque, good enough for a top speed of 143 mph. Using an 86mm bore, 86mm stroke and 10.5 compression ratio double-overhead camshaft, the four-valves-per-cylinder engine delivers smooth and silky low and mid-range torque. Even so, Cheyne felt he could use more ponies, so a major upgrade was in order.
The chosen method for an increase in power came via a forced induction system, supplied from Swift Racing Technologies, incorporating a single turbocharger/intercooler arrangement.
Detailed Turbo System Components
SRT’s kit includes a divided ductile iron cast turbo exhaust manifold, SRT spec’d GT Series turbo, Turbonetics Racegate wastegate, Blitz Super Sound Dual Drive blow-off valve, 22.5x12x3-inch front mount Garrett Intercooler, Lucas 440cc injectors, Walbro 255lph high-pressure in-tank fuel pump, AFE high-flow lifetime cone filter with built in velocity stack, and a 3-inch mandrel bent downpipe with a built-in Hi-Flow Catalytic Converter.
All related hardware comes with the SRT system, and for this application, the Stage II kit was used. A GReddy E-Manage programmable fuel management system was added, and is a universal piggy-back-type unit, which taps into the factory ECU wiring and utilizes the existing sensors. A Haltech F10X Standalone Fuel Computer and 3Bar Map Sensor were used and the system has a max boost of 11 psi, good for 375 hp.
Interior Upgrades and ICE Modifications
Lots of attention was given to the interior as well, including a full upholstery job by Kreative Auto Interior and Planet Stereo ICE. The area where the glove box was once located received a custom fiberglass box to house a Sony PS2 system, and two XO Vision 5.6-inch LCD color monitors were fitted to the back of the seat headrests. The trunk area was upgraded with a one-off fiberglass enclosure that houses three Audiobahn 12-inch woofers, two A8000T Audiobahn amps and a single Audiobahn 1-farad capacitor.
Accolades and Future Plans
Special thanks goes out to all the sponsors of the car as well as Meguiar’s car care products for helping keep the Candy Lexus always looking its best. The beauty has won trophies at every outing, including “Best Lexus,” “Best Luxury” and “Best Paint” at major events and numerous “Best of Show” awards at the local shows. Future plans are Top Secret, and that’s not Cheyne and Alanah saying they won’t tell; it’s the Japanese Performance Engineering Service that supplies all those radical parts that the drifters are using on their rides.
