Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so the saying goes. When it comes to Keith Darnell's and Matt Cantrell's 1993 1-ton Chevy, beauty is what everyone sees. As a tribute to the gorgeous Dayna DeLux, this truck epitomizes all things beautiful. Originally set out to haul Matt's '73 Camaro drag car, his busy life left no time for racing and so this truck was turned into one awesome daily driver.
Both Keith and Matt became interested in building cars and trucks at an early age, Keith mainly working on Jeeps, and Matt on hot rod cars. The two hooked up about 5 years ago when Keith was looking for someone to partner up with to put his ideas into motion. "It just worked out the way it was supposed to," Keith said of the way they ended up working together.
Matt wasn't intimidated to dive into any project. Now, operating out of the back of Matt's Allstate Transmission shop, both Hell Razor Customs and Texas Automasters work together to produce high-end restoration and customizing projects. Keith comes up with the concept and gets all of the parts together, and Matt makes it happen. Between these two and airbrush artist Sergio Garcia, it's a one-stop shop.
For Keith and Matt, choosing the Chevy was an easy decision. It was a great foundation for a project truck. Having already been dropped, little work was needed before they started on the aesthetics and airbrush work. Starting with the suspension, they came up with the perfect combination of an air ride combo consisting of Slam Specialties 8-inch 'bags, Monroe shocks, and Belltech 2-inch drop spindles in the front, and Firestone 'bags and Monroe shock in the rear. To top off the killer stance, they added a larger turbo which spools up a healthy 9 pounds of boost to make this sweet riding truck haul ass.
The duo then moved onto the bodywork, replacing the front end with that of a 2000 Cadillac Escalade's and added Cadillac DeVille frenched taillights in the rear. As for the interior, they also chose to use the seats, dash, door panels, and center console from the Escalade. The last step before adding the truck's airbrushed identity was a new paintjob. Matt and Keith chose a Cadillac Arrival Blue Metallic that really pops and lends itself as a great canvas for Sergio's artwork.
Ready for airbrushing, the idea for the design was an easy one. Having been a longtime fan of Dayna's, Matt, Keith, and Sergio thought her to be the perfect subject for a hood mural. Amazingly enough, they were able to get in contact with Ms. DeLux and pitch the idea to her. She was more than excited to get involved. Usually working with hot rod cars and having already posed on the cover of this magazine made being involved with a sport truck a no-brainer for Dayna. After Sergio worked his airbrush magic, they were excited when she offered to do a photo shoot with the truck as well. Looking hot as ever, the shoot went great. "She is as sweet as she is beautiful," said Keith.
When it comes to building insane cars, Keith and Matt know what they're doing. From choosing the vehicle, suspension mods, paint, theme--you name it--they clearly have a grasp on good taste. With five years of working together under their belts and a lot more to come, we are sure to see a lot more of them. As for Dayna, we hope to see a lot more of her too.