Mike and Jennifer Sutton are no strangers to owning full-custom vehicles. Their love for all things custom comes from growing up around street rods and building their own vehicles from stock, run-of-the-mill commuters to full-blown Best of Show winners. The first build of this '00 Chevy Silverado was 'bagged, shaved, and flamed, but after rolling it to shows for a few years, Mike and Jennifer decided to completely rip apart their baby and build a truck that would represent the epitome of a modern street rod - if for no other reason than to show others that it was completely possible.
GO-EZ Customs in Placentia, California, took on the task of body-dropping the truck and updating the rear suspension setup. The rear framerails were cut, and a GO-EZ monster notch was welded into place, along with a KP Components six-link controlled with Firestone 'bags. Once the truck was laying frame with the new components, Art and Jeremy sectioned the body mounts and dropped the truck nearly 3 inches so the rockers sat flush on the ground.
The Silverado was then sent to Foreign Auto Body in Gardena, California, for a full shave job. The cab seams, door handles, gas door, stake pockets, taillights, third brake light, and tailgate handle were all deleted. A Sir Michaels roll pan was added, and using Grant Kustoms panels, the bed was perfectly molded to the cab. The taillights were replaced with round LED lights, which were recessed into the rear, while up front, the '00 nose was discarded and updated with '03 metal. A Reflexxions cowl-induction hood, Street Scene SS bumper, and front grille, as well as side mirrors, were added to complete the exterior transformation.
Beneath the hood, a complete renovation was ready to happen. The factory 4.8L was outfitted with Gibson headers and a 3-inch exhaust and then topped with a polished Magnuson LS1 Street Rod blower. A custom shift kit from Level 10 was mated to the transmission and controlled with a Lokar shifter within the custom center console. A full set of Street & Performance billet pulleys were used up front, along with Flex-a-lite electric fans and a custom aluminum coolant tank the was welded up by JC at School House Customs.
Steve Deman of Chino, California, then began adding his artistic touch to the metal canvas. Using a custom-mix of PPG paints, Steve sprayed the bottom portion Silver and then added Yellow to the top of the truck. Gold leaf was used between the pigments to help separate the two tones.The yellow was brought inside the cab as well and sprayed over the vintage Chevy dash and custom center console, which is also home to the MIC gauges and switches.
To finish it, Mike dropped the truck off at Stitchcraft in Huntington Beach, California. The crew used Enduratex Tuscan Rust and Brushed Gold vinyl to cover the two Cerullo bucket seats and laid down Bently Brown carpet over the floor pan. The Tuscan Rust vinyl also made its way onto the door panels and custom speaker box that sits in place of the rear seat. Stuffed into the box are two 15-inch MA Audio subs surrounded by 10 additional MA Audio 5-1/2-inch speakers. Two MA Audio amps, with a total output of 3,200 watts, were installed to power the 12-pack of speakers, and a Pioneer head unit was used to control the tunes.