Constructing a rocker-wrinkling, rim-tucking, brightly colored show truck requires a serious commitment of time, patience, and most of all, cash from the enthusiast building it. Take a look around at any custom truck gathering, and it is quite obvious that these trucks are not built overnight. It takes an enthusiast with a vision of the finished product and the commitment to do whatever it takes to transform that concept from the brain to the highway.
Rito had to have a whole lot of cutting, welding, notching, and relocating performed on Caddellow to get those 22-inch Helo rollers to tuck as far up as they do, and to accomplish this lofty feat, he turned to the suspension experts at Kuts R Us in Visalia, California. The crew at Kuts R Us rolled the truck into their shop and proceeded to cut, notch, shave, relocate, weld, and grind until the truck laid flat and the fender lips covered as much of those 22-inch hoops as possible.
Laying the chassis of this truck flat on the Visalia soil is an adjustable suspension system, fabricated and installed by Rito, a few friends, and the folks at Kuts R Us. Up front, the 'rails hit the ground hard, thanks to Slam airbags installed into the factory spring pockets. In order to get the truck to turn with those oversized wheels shoehorned under the fenders, larger 'bags had to be installed for maximum lift. Moving to the rear, Rito built a back half to accommodate the huge 22-inch Helo wheels. The stock leaf springs were modified via removing the overload spring, relocating the hangers and shackles, and combined with another pair of Slam 'bags, which make for an incredibly smooth ride.
After all the fenderwells were removed for clearance and the suspension was a switch-hitting masterpiece, the 22x9-inch Helo wheels mounted on Dunlop P265/35/22 tires were put back up onto the stock lugs and torqued down. Then, they dropped the jack and depleted the airbags for a sight that made jaws hit the floor. Caddellow was resting 'rail and tucking some big-ass wheels.
Now that Rito's ultimate goal of laying the frame on 22s was achieved, it was time to pour more performance into the stock 5.7L V-8 350ci engine. A peek under the hood reveals a bit of performance to go along with the entire show gleam, in the form of a K&N filter charger and a Flowmaster three-chamber exhaust system. After the engine received a combination of performance and show detail, Rito felt it was time to give his truck a clean shave and fresh paint. The hot rod shop is responsible for the shaved door handles, gas-filler door, tailgate handle, and stock taillights, and they also molded in a steel roll pan with Caddy taillights.
After the bodywork was signed, sealed, and delivered, it was coated from nose to tail with a blend of two different shades of PPG yellow, color-sanded, buffed out, and then reassembled with a full Escalade front end. A paint-matched smooth Gaylord's tonneau cover was mounted atop the bed to bring the whole look together. Once the exterior was complete, Rito wrapped everything on the interior in black vinyl and yellow tweed with a plethora of billet pieces throughout for an ultra-clean interior. And the most sickening part of this whole story is this build took Rito less than a year to complete. Nothing exciting happened, and nothing went sideways. And now that we have told everyone about how nothing happened and the amount of time it took to build, good luck being known as that guy. So, there!
THE 411
Owner/hometown: Rito Valero, Jr. / Visalia, California
Year/make/model: '91 Chevy Silverado Extended Cab
Engine/drivetrain: '91 Chevy 5.7L V-8 / rebuilt transmission with a B&M Shift Improver Kit / driveshaft shortened and balanced / Flowmaster exhaust
Wheels/tires: 22x9.5-inch Helo Skids / Pirelli P265/35R22 Zeros
Suspension: Belltech spindles / modified upper and lower DJM A-arms / modified frame for the stock floor body drop / modified and relocated tranny crossmember / 2x4-inch box tube back half / modified and relocated leaf spring mounts / 3-inch lowering block / Slam Specialties Slam Bags (front and rear) / four Slam Specialties Blitzluft valves / Viair 450 compressor / 302 nitrogen bottle mounted in the bed / tubbed firewall / two-gallon tank for the front / five-gallon tank for the rear
Installers: Rito Valero, Jr., Ricardo, Robert Rodriguez, Kuts R Us
Interior: '99 Chevy Caprice front bucket seats / rear seat and dash was wrapped in black vinyl with yellow tweed inserts / door panels with custom speaker pods / Empire Billet interior billet pieces / bed upholstered in black vinyl with a stainless steel floor
Body and Paint: Escalade hood, grille, and headlights / chopped and sectioned Yukon front bumper / Street Scene side-view mirrors / SnugTop tonneau cover / modified AIM roll pan / shaved body line, door handles, gas door, cab seams, tailgate, and wiper cowl / Cadillac taillights / custom-mixed DuPont yellow
Bodywork: Rito Valero, Jr.
Paintwork: The Hot Rod Shop
Upholsterer: Char
Audio/video: Panasonic AM/FM/CD head unit / two 1-inch dome tweeters / two 5.25-inch mids / two 6.5-inch components / two Pioneer 10-inch subs / Rockford Fosgate 500- and 360-watt amplifiers
Installer: Rito Valero, Jr.
Special Thanks: Tire Order House