The Chevrolet dualie has been a staple in the use-it-and-abuse-it category of truck ownership for many years. While many of Chevrolet's six-wheeled workhorses have wound up in the hands of folks like Caltrans and city maintenance departments, over the last several years, quite a few of them have been swooped up by custom truck enthusiasts, laid out over big wheels, and decked out with the latest and greatest bling-bling items. Dualie trucks have certain characteristics that separate them from their 1/2-ton counterparts. Wide rear fenders, heavy-duty suspension, dual rear wheels, and an excess of exterior lighting are the features that set dualies apart from other trucks on the road. A dualie has sort of a big-rig feel to it, and nothing can match the feeling of driving a 1-ton crew cab down the highway. In addition to looking cool going down the road, dualies have typically been used for towing. Whether it's a desert toy, street rod, or drag car, dualies have been a key ingredient in motorsports since their introduction. Pulling top fuel drag cars to the line, hot rods from shop to shop, and dirt-slinging sandrails to the dunes, dualies have the guts to haul it all.
This month's cover truck isn't what you would call your standard full-tilt, tire-smoking, frame-laying cover truck. Typically, toy haulers do not get into the pages of Sport Truck magazine all that often. It's not that these trucks aren't that prevalent on the road, but trucks that are used specifically for towing are usually not given the extreme aftermarket treatment. Most enthusiasts might upgrade the tunes, throw on a nice set of dubs, add some helper 'bags out back to help with load capacity, and call it done. Rob Decamp of Huntington Beach, California, will use his '86 Chevy Crew Cab dualie to tow one of his many projects to various shops or pull one of his toys to wherever. This truck has more demand put on it than your average daily driver, and it does everything asked of it, flawlessly...on 'bags.
Rob's hauler may appear to look like a show truck, but the closest it gets to the show would be to drop off one of his many show vehicles. This is a workhorse and is treated as such, which makes it perfect for our real-world Sport Truck issue.
The 411
Owner/hometown: Rob Decamp / Huntington Beach, California
Year/make/model: '86 Chevy Crew Cab dualie
Engine/drivetrain: Chevy 454 V-8 / TH 400 trans / Proform valve covers and air cleaner / Doug Thorley headers / Borla mufflers / Optima RedTop battery
Installers: Venable Koncepts
Wheels/tires: Alcoa 22.5-inch wheels turned down to 22 inches / Nitto Extreme ZR 265/40R22
Suspension: (Front) Contitech 2600 air springs / relocated shock mounts / KYB shocks / (Rear)two-link / Contitech 2600 air springs / KYB shocks / two Viair 480 compressors / six Asco 3/8-inch air valves / two 5-gallon air tanks / Firestone air pressure gauges
Fabricator: Custom Motorsports of Riverside, California
Body Mods: Sir Michaels roll pan / Empire Motor Sports billet grille / Line-X bedliner / rear dualie fenders widened 4 inches
Bodyman: Line-X of Huntington Beach / Allen Hayes of 714 Motorsports
Custom Paint: PPG Concept Red
Painter: Crispin Flores of Century Auto Body / color-sanded and buffed by Serafin Patino of Serafinish Detail
Interior: Stock bench seats wrapped in tan vinyl / rubberized floor mat / Budnik billet steering wheel, wrapped with vinyl / Empire Motor Sports billet dash bezel and shift handle
Upholsterer: 714 Motorsports
Audio/video: Sony Eclipse head unit / Sony Eclipse amp / four Sony Xplod6x9-inch coaxial speakers
Installer: 714 Motorsports
Special Thanks: Marcel Venable of Venable Koncepts / Allen Hayes at 714 Motorsports / Line-X of Huntington Beach / Crispin Flores from Century Auto Body / Serafin Patino at Serafinish Detail