Tasty Taillights
September 26, 2022
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Sweet Patina
We recently had the opportunity to work on a Levi’s Edition AMC Jeep Renegade—a unique piece of off-road history that has undoubtedly seen its fair share of adventures. The exterior still boasts its original paint, complete with bumps, scrapes, and surface rust that showcase the character that comes with many years of use and enjoyment. Rather than opting for a fresh new repaint, our mission was to preserve its tough, battle-worn patina while adding protection and a nice polished matte finish to show it some love. We wanted to enhance its character, highlighting its scars instead of hiding them, and, with the assistance of Sweet Patina’s products, we accomplished this beautifully. This Jeep didn’t spend its life tucked away in a garage; its paint tells a story, with each scratch, chip, and faded patch serving as a badge of honor. We felt that applying a shiny new paint job would be a disservice to this classic Renegade.
Brizio Street Rods Shines at GNRS 2025
The Grand National Roadster Show 2025 was an all-out horsepower spectacle, packed with jaw-dropping rides and elite craftsmanship. But one booth that truly stole the show? Brizio Street Rods. These guys don’t just build cars—they create rolling masterpieces that blend power, style, and history into one breathtaking package.
YORK ‘93
What began as a Mini-Nats in Rockville, Maryland in 1973, quickly blossomed into a full-fledged National Street Rod Association Regional Event. If you were an East Coast street rodder, the first weekend in June every year was (and still is), NSRA York, simply a must-attend event.
Spotlighter
TRIPLE BYPASS SPECIAL
This ’04 Chevy Silverado is as Serious as a Heart Attack
Author
Bob Carpenter
Story & Photography
Inspiration from Recovery
“In early December,” Gil Palmer told us, “I had a triple bypass operation. I was unable to work or drive. I was bored each day.” On his daily walk he had to go right past his new ’04 Chevy Silverado pickup in the garage. The glimpse at his truck before each walk served as a motivator, and he started imagining things that he could do while he was forced to keep it parked next to his previous project (click here to see Gil’s ’57 Cameo).
Concept and Design
Gil convinced designer Joe Iacono of Pleasanton, California, to stop by, and the two brainstormed awhile. Joe took all the ideas that had been bouncing around in Gil’s mind and threw in a bunch of his own, and within days this talented artist had finished the conceptual drawings. The speed of this part of the process was appropriate, because the rest of it went just as fast.
Paint and Bodywork
After agreeing that the look was perfect, Gil turned to master painter Rick Leos of Autocrafters in Torrance, California. In the span of just four months, Rick had the ’04 completely done and ready to hit the road and the show circuit with 450 horsepower and plenty of good looks.
Suspension and Brakes
As this is a late-model chassis, not much needed to be done as far as beefing it up, but lower rear springs were used from Long Beach Spring Company and the rear shocks were shortened. The truck has 3.83 gears in the rearend, along with Brembo drilled disc brakes.
The frontend benefited from the installation of 2-inch dropped spindles and Brembo drilled rotors. Both the front and rear roll on 20-inch Foose Speedster wheels.
Engine Modifications
The extra power for the engine came from the addition of a Magnason intercooled Radix supercharger and a VaraRam Industries ram air kit. Gibson headers get the spent gases out of the combustion chambers. After that, the exhaust travels through a custom NASCAR-type exhaust that was built by Mesa Muffler in Costa Mesa, California. The transmission was rebuilt and customized by Mike at The Toy Store in Pomona, California.
Interior Upgrades
Inside the truck, Fiber Tech in Huntington Beach used ultra-leather material in dark gray and a perforated light gray for a rich and luxurious feel and look. Chevy S/S white-face gauges were installed, and a Magnuson boost gauge was included. For tunes, Gil had a Kenwood satellite/AM/FM/DVD stereo installed. The cab light was smoked for a cool effect.
Exterior Customizations
The outside of the truck is what everybody sees first, so Gil made sure that it was a stunner, and with the help of Joe Iacono’s artwork, there was a real solid direction to the team’s efforts. Autocrafters handled the mods, shaving the rear tailgate handle from the truck and installing Escalade handles on the doors. A custom grille shell was built and the front and rear bumpers were modified. Rick Leos of Autocrafters sprayed the Spies Hecker Mercedes brilliant silver and gray combination, and then he went wild with the flames. Pinstriping by Chris handled the lines that make or break a custom paint job.
The Final Result
After being so bored while sidelined, Gil Palmer certainly made up for it with some pretty spectacular pieces on his pickup. Gil likes to point out that almost everything on this truck is available from advertisers in this very magazine. And what a potent combination the sum total of these parts created. Gil has a hard time driving this truck without stomping on the gas pedal at least once or twice per outing. We can’t blame him, can you?
