BULLETPROOF
April 25, 2024
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’88 Blown GMC
In Hawaiian, “wiki wiki” can mean “hurry” or “fast,” depending on its use and interpretation.
New Zealand-born transplant Kim Greenwell’s Kahului, Maui-based black-on-black, 1988 GMC Sierra 1500 is definitely “wiki wiki” with its 500-plus-horsepower, Whipple-supercharged 383 small-block stroker. Greenwell’s basic intent was to build a stock-bodied hot rod pickup that he could use to advertise his automotive repair business, Kiwi Car Care. “I was looking for a nice, straight, rust-free truck that I could paint black,” says the Kahului automotive repair shop owner. “This truck was perfect. It was low mileage, and the price was right. But the brown color definitely had to go!” That’s not the only thing that got changed. “I kept the outside of the truck as stock as possible, but under the hood it’s a true sleeper.”
LED BRAKE LIGHTS
Regular maintenance is rarely stressed enough, and trailer safety is often a direct result of a good preventative-maintenance schedule. Just like changing the oil in your tow rig, it’s easy to suffer from the “out of sight, out of mind” syndrome.
DINNER WITH BARRY
Originally published in the November 2000 issue of Street Rod Builder, this candid conversation with legendary hot rod builder Barry Lobeck captures the humor, honesty and unmistakable personality behind some of the industry’s most influential creations. More than 25 years later, Lobeck’s thoughts on traditional styling, proper stance and the
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: DYNAMAT XTREME RACE BOND
Available exclusively through SRI Performance, Race Bond is a fast-bonding crash-repair material designed to help crews make strong, durable trackside repairs and get damaged race cars back into the action. It is quick, versatile, and built to survive the heat, vibration, and punishment that would make ordinary repair tape wave
TRI-FIVE FEVER TAKES OVER BOWLING GREEN
For three days, Bowling Green, Kentucky, became the center of the Tri-Five Chevy universe as the 11th Annual Tri-Five Nationals rolled into Beech Bend Raceway Park, August 13–15, 2026.
Presented by Classic Performance Products, the annual gathering brought together an incredible assortment of 1955, 1956, and 1957 Chevrolets from
THE NATS EXPERIENCE
There are car shows, and then there’s the Nats. If you’ve been there, you know exactly what we mean. For four days, the Kentucky Exposition Center becomes its own hot rod city—more than 10,000 street rods, customs, classics, muscle cars, and trucks filling seemingly every available piece of pavement, with
Standout Builds from the 2026 NSRA Street Rod Nationals Builders’ Showcase
The 57th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals rolled into the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, August 6–9, 2026, once again bringing together more than 10,000 street rods, customs, classics, muscle cars, and trucks for four days of horsepower, craftsmanship, and everything that makes this hobby great.
NEW PRODUCT ROUND-UP AT THE NSRA NATS
There’s always something new to discover at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals, and the 57th Annual gathering in Louisville was no exception. From August 6–9, 2026, the Kentucky Exposition Center was packed with thousands of street rods, customs, trucks, muscle cars, and the builders and manufacturers who keep the hobby
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Braille Battery – Drop the Weight. Keep the Power.
Every hot rod builder obsesses over horsepower, suspension geometry, and shaving pounds wherever possible. Yet one of the easiest ways to lose dead weight while improving reliability often gets overlooked—the battery. That’s where Braille Battery comes in.
THE BIG ONE
Extreme weather temperatures and high gasoline prices didn’t keep participants from attending the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, on the weekend of August 3-6, 2006. Street rods from all over the country drove to the Street Rod Mecca, and all 11,664 rods and participants were in for a pleasant
The Trucks of Goodguys Columbus 2026
The Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, has long been a gathering place for some of the finest hot rods, muscle cars, and customs in the country. While the event may not be dedicated specifically to trucks, the pickup presence continues to grow, and the 2026 show proved that
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Derale Severe-Duty Cooling Kit Brings Serious Airflow to GM Trucks
The Derale Severe-Duty Cooling Kit is designed for builders and truck owners who demand more from their vehicles than a factory cooling system was intended to handle. Instead of piecing together individual cooling upgrades, Derale’s kit combines the major components needed for improved thermal management into one complete package. Included
