Just when you thought it was safe to enter a show again, Gordon Andrews, husband, father of three and owner of G&S Carpet Cleaning, comes at you with this killer Chevy crew cab dually.
Street Trucks
The mini-truck movement never really died. It just went quiet for a minute while other trends took the spotlight. Now it’s back in full force, and events like the 3rd Annual Kickin’ It at Kentucky Splash Presented by Minitruckin Magazine are proving the culture is not only alive—it’s evolving harder than ever.
To say Tom Long has an interest in cars is to say the Pope has an interest in religion. Long has always been a “car guy,” just like the rest of us. Having owned several specialty vehicles over the years, he still has a ’32 Ford sedan street rod that has seen many miles from coast to coast. But Long had a real urge to own something with the extra shot of adrenaline that comes from potent power under the hood. As his son Matt’s interest in cars grew, Long decided a project that involved both father and son would be just the ticket.
Boughn started looking for a new truck, and when he saw a shiny red ʼ99 Chevy Sportside Extended Cab pickup at his local dealership, he knew it was the one. He purchased the truck and drove it home, but as with any true hot rodder, this was only the start of his adventure. On the way home he already had the finished truck pictured in his mind, and he worked toward that goal.
When Billy Durant approached Louis Chevrolet about designing a new automobile, Chevrolet was a famous race car driver whose exploits in the Indianapolis 500 were legendary. The year was 1911 and Durant, who could see the writing on the wall for his horse-drawn buggy business, figured who better to design an all-new, high-performance vehicle than a successful driver. Chevrolet, a company that was founded by racers and has produced some of the best high-performance vehicles ever to hit the pavement, has once again gone where no other manufacturer has dared to venture. With truck sales making up nearly 50 percent of their sales volume each year, Chevy wanted to create a Flagship vehicle for their pickup line. It had to be a totally new idea in pickups. But what was to be the angle? Luckily, someone at Chevy figured that since the Corvette holds that title for the autos, maybe the new truck should be equally as high performance. With that, the new Chevrolet Silverado Coolside II was born.
Columbus brought the heat—literally and figuratively. At this year’s Goodguys Nationals, the metal was shiny, the builds were wild, and the vendor midway was packed with gearheads showing off the next big things. We walked the aisles, kicked tires, talked shop, and came away with a short list of standout products we think deserve your attention. Whether you’re wrenching on a street truck, building a corner-carving pro-tourer, or chasing big boost, here are some of the best parts we spotted.
Let’s be honest—there was a time when trucks were the stuff you parked behind the show field, used to haul parts, or maybe pulled your “real” hot rod to the event. What once might have been considered second-tier to muscle cars and traditional hot rods is now front and center, with classic pickups, slammed cruisers, high-horsepower haulers, and fully reimagined showstoppers filling the Ohio Expo Center grounds.
If you’re stuffing big power into a classic muscle car, restomod, or street bruiser, don’t let your transmission be the weak link. The SuperMatic 4L75-E REMAN from Chevrolet Performance is the no-nonsense, overbuilt four-speed automatic your LS-powered project has been begging for—and Gandrud Performance Parts has them in stock and moving fast.
Some of the greatest feelings in life come with a rise in rpm, a dropped clutch and tests of traction stretching the boundaries of our physiology. These are the emotions many of us cherish, and while many factors can evoke such emotions, the single most influential force behind these kinetic kicks is torque (which is then equated into horsepower).
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.
