The clock was winding down at a rapid clip when we faced the fact that we had no truck picked out for this month's cover of Sport Truck and just a week left in our production schedule. We needed a miracle to occur if we were going to make our deadline, and we needed it fast. Miracles don't come easy when few trucks we pass on the street possess the look, style, and performance of a cover truck, so you can imagine our horror when trying to find and photograph one at the last minute. Thankfully, a close-knit group of friends and truck customizers came together for the cause of putting together a truck worthy of the Sport Truck cover and did so in last-minute buzzer-beater fashion. This truck was literally assembled, painted, and detailed by some outstanding folks in just under a week. Here's how everything went down.
The drama unfolded after we called Marcel Venable of Venable Koncepts/Huntington Beach Line-X because we had previously spied an incredible, albeit half-finished, Chevy sitting in his shop for several weeks. The prospect of scooping the other mags on a truck with as much style as this one was enticing enough, but the trouble was, the truck wasn't finished. After explaining our predicament and that this particular truck was close to being ready for the cover, but not quite (it was sitting on stock wheels and tires and with a stock-looking engine compartment), he hung up the phone with us and then jumped on his cell phone again to do what he does best: circle the wagons and get project trucks handled. Within a matter of days his shop was teeming with friends and builders - including the truck's owner, Jared Fullmer, the talented fabricator who crafted the custom chassis and air suspension that lays this standard-cab show-stopper on the pavement - all working together in harmony to finish this truck under the gun. Chris Coddington came through in huge style and got the ball rolling by whipping up a custom set of 22-inch billet rollers in just three days, and Toyo tires let us raid its warehouse to find some ultra-skinny rubber. This meant the truck was now driveable but nowhere near ready for photos. With just three days left, the crew soldiered on, with Jared driving four hours down from Fresno to help out.
We ignored the fact that Jared's fullsize had a weak V-6 under the hood after STS Performance owner Jay Larossa stopped by the shop and added his power pulleys, air intake, and a full JBA exhaust system. Meanwhile, Marcel, Jeremy Cook, and several others spit-shined the truck's powdercoated chassis and custom-built a set of front inner fenderwells. Thankfully, Stitchcraft Interiors had already come through with the upholstery work ahead of time, so the plush suede interior only needed a fresh detailing. Steve Deman of Kolor Kings had originally painted the truck with slippery-looking candy and metalflake graphics over a blue basecoat and came back into the fray to put the finishing touches on the truck by color-matching the engine compartment, including the new inner fenders, just a few hours before our scheduled photo shoot.
It was a nonstop customizing free-for-all featuring a host of industry players and good friends that culminated in a late-night photo shoot and bench-racing session inside of Marcel's shop. The truck came out fantastic even though its completion was rushed, and it stands as a seamless blend of different styles. We dig the lowrider-style graphics and huge rollers and fully expect Jared's truck to inspire a grip of trucks to follow in his footsteps. Your eyes do not deceive you, either. Jared's truck was also the inspiration for the V-6 power upgrade, pinstriping, and fender how-to tech articles also featured in this issue. We'd like to thank everyone involved who busted their collective arse to put this truck on the cover and on the map for all to see.