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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
THE GRILLEMEISTER
Those who longed for their engines to look as they did back in the old days of multiple-carb setups were out of luck. Cool as they were to look at, there are lots of reasons why the multi-carb setup fell out of favor, and most of them had to do with the fact that they were a bear to sync. The advent of the four-barrel carb was the death for these systems, though the purists among us prayed for a breakthrough. Thanks to Ken Farrell and his company, Retro Tek, those prayers have been answered. Farrell started off converting old mechanical fuel injection systems (Hilborn & Enderle) when the first aftermarket EFI systems became available. His new system, which uses the latest in EFI mated together with the classic Stromburg 97 design, came about when Farrell saw that there was interest in the benefits of EFI, but he also knew that they were lacking in the looks department. The idea was simple take the best aspects of both and add them together.
Rugged Baby Buggy Bumpers
Serious off-roading is rough on equipment. Only the toughest gear will stand up to the hardcore bashing and thrashing of rockcrawling, mudding and desert running. Even the toughest equipment, however will not last forever under these conditions. Once a part or component has been hammered on enough times, it must be replaced. Fortunately, with the rapid evolution of off-road engineering, the replacement is often much stronger and will withstand more abuse. In the case of the 1985 Toyota 4-runner in our story, we are replacing it’s fourth front bumper. Yeah, this rig has seen some serious trails from Moab to the Rubicon over the past ten years.
STAR CARS: A Family and Its Speedstar
Dale was working on a unique rod project when his father went to a Goodguys event and saw Bobby Alloway Speedstar’s new Rat’s Glass Speedstar body and Alloway frame package. Joe knew it was the look Dale was trying to accomplish, so he purchased the makings of a Alloway Speedstar street rod and traded it to Dale for his unfinished car. Joe and Dale then went to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, and saw a beautiful orange Speedstar that Alan Johnson had just finished. They were impressed with the roadster’s craftsmanship and attention to detail, so Dale decided to take his custom Speedstar build to Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama, to help him finish it. Dale’s intention was to build the roadster for outdoor car events, because the last rod he built was never driven, it was strictly an indoor show car. This time he wanted a rod that was exceptional, and a driver.
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?
