
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured

MEN AT WORK
Is it us, or does it seem that Jim Bell and his crew at Kenne Bell turn out hot trucks at truly astounding rates? In the past, they have built such a wide variety of trucks and SUVs that it’s hard to count them all. But when you consider all their other projects, such as their ’05 Mustang, the ’04 Focus and the ’04 Escape, it seems they have been busier than a one-armed paper hanger (whatever that means). One of their latest projects is this ’04 Ford F-150. As with most all of the other Kenne Bell projects, it started out as a new vehicle and was destined to be displayed in its SEMA booth.

A FAMILY AFFAIR
In the summer of 1977, a young couple expecting a son decided to purchase a new family vehicle, one that would provide ample room, safety and the ability to handle their love of camping and the outdoors. After deciding on a Chevrolet, the couple headed out and purchased a new ’78 two-wheel-drive Blazer from a dealer in Knoxville, Tennessee. Optioned out nicely for the time, the Blazer was equipped with A/C, a 400-inch small block, an automatic transmission, power disc brakes and a factory tach-equipped instrument cluster.
After driving the Blazer for several years, the couple decided to present it to their son, Travis Griffin, as a 16th birthday present. He drove the Blazer to and from high school, and then was given the opportunity to have the Blazer painted for graduation.

Custom Meets Prefab
If you have spent any amount of time working on street machines, you are well aware that “bolt-on” parts do not always bolt right on. Still, it’s often a lot easier to modify those parts than to fabricate your own. The same holds true for such items as rollcages. Nobody pretends that a prefab cage is going to drop right into place without having to trim a single tube. That’s mainly because the economies of scale dictate that manufacturers make a single design fit as many cars as possible. Unfortunately, a cage that fits many cars probably fits no car perfectly.
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Snake-Bitten
What Do You Do When You Want the Power and Performance of a Dodge Viper but Need the Utility and Space of a Quad-Cab Pickup?
Author
Chris Tobin
Story & Photography
Well, you can buy a Dodge Viper and you can buy a Dodge Ram pickup, or you could buy a Dodge Ram SRT-10. The Ram SRT-10 is a limited-edition pickup that Dodge built as a regular cab from 2004 to 2006 and in a Quad Cab from 2005 to 2006. These trucks appear to be the result of some aggressive engineering, combining the racing pedigree of the Viper with a pickup truck, resulting in outstanding performance—and it works!
The Viper Trucks: Performance and Popularity
The Viper trucks, as they are affectionately called, are strong performers in straight-line acceleration and carving tight turns. Tim McKenna is one of the proud few to get his hands on one of these super-trucks. His truck was a great-looking silver one. However, like most truck enthusiasts, he was not completely satisfied with the truck in its stock form and wanted to make a few improvements. McKenna started by upgrading the sound system, so he took his truck to a local stereo shop to have a Kenwood Excelon KVT-817DVD in-dash DVD receiver with fold-out LCD monitor installed in the dash. To complement the receiver, McKenna upgraded the factory speakers and added two amplifiers to power the new speakers.
Customizing the Dodge Ram SRT-10
After completing this minor upgrade, McKenna moved on to a bit of customizing. He wanted his Ram to stand out, so he took the truck to West Coast Customs. He turned his new truck over to the WCC crew with these instructions: “Do your thing!”
West Coast Customs’ Enhancements
The WCC treatment turned out to be relatively minor, at least by West Coast Customs standards, yet the crew yielded a stunning and unique pickup. Like any custom truck, stock wheels just wouldn’t do, so the WCC team installed a set of 22×9-inch Asanti AF-120 forged three-piece wheels with a brushed center and chrome lip. Sticky Pirelli Scorpion Zero 305/40ZR22 tires were mounted at all four corners to make sure the big truck handles extremely well navigating tight corners and through the twisties. As you can see by the smokey burnouts, even the big Pirellis are no match for the power of the Viper V-10.
Paint and Body Modifications
With the wheels chosen, the team then turned their attention to the body, and since McKenna handed the truck over to WCC with a blank slate, the team thought it wise to give the truck the right paint to really set it off. They chose to leave the factory silver finish on the lower half, then added a metalflake red to the top half, which made for a striking appearance. The split runs the length of the truck and is accented by white-gold leaf and custom pinstriping. Additional white-gold leaf and pinstriping was done on the hood, to make McKenna’s truck that much more unique. The team painted Viper logos on the sides of the hood cowl, while a WCC crest with an intimidating ram is painted on the top of the cowl. To secure the bed and provide better fuel economy, WCC installed a power-rolling BedLocker tonneau cover.
Performance Enhancements
As if the Viper engine was not powerful enough, a set of Gibson headers were installed, along with a Gibson after-cat dual-outlet exhaust. The new exhaust components give the truck a unique raspy sound and improves the exhaust flow to provide extra horsepower. The factory Dodge automatic transmission was left in stock condition, as were the high-performance SRT four-wheel disc brakes.
Interior Customization
Moving from the outside to the interior, the upholstery team at West Coast Customs also had their way with the truck. They reupholstered the seats using dark gray leather with red suede inserts and red stitching. The broad red and black stripes give the seats a racy look, and all four of the headrests feature the WCC/Ram crest embroidered in red to really stand out. The upholstery team also covered the headliner with red suede to match the seat inserts and completed the interior with custom-embroidered floormats.
A Never-Ending Project
Like most truck enthusiasts, McKenna wanted more from his truck. After a trip to WCC, it came out far more personalized than when it went in. It’s a great look for a great truck, and one that’s never going to be completely finished, because after these photos were shot, MeKenna turned to the experts at Speaker Works to add a killer stereo. Now this is one Viper that won’t hesitate to strike, and when doing so, it will be music to the ears!
ARTICLE SOURCES
West Coast Customs
2101 W. Empire Ave.
Burbank CA, 91504
(818) 237-1287









