Crew Cad - Custom Chevy Big Block Crew Cab

The truck features 20-inch...        read full caption The truck features 20-inch Raceline Jaded rims and Michelin Pilot rubber.

The diamond-plate you see...        read full caption The diamond-plate you see in the back is a fuel tank, which the Drew Brothers made up to hold a lot more gas.

Damn, the Caddy front clip...        read full caption Damn, the Caddy front clip is just too sweet.

The heart of the crew cad...        read full caption The heart of the crew cad is an Arizona Speed and Marine fuel-injected 502 that produces 500 hp at 4200 rpm.

A MOMO steering wheel and...        read full caption A MOMO steering wheel and custom console are the only mods you'll find inside.

We’ve all seen custom trucks built by aftermarket companies, and they’re usually assembled with some really cool parts. But what happens to these trucks when they get totaled? Sometimes they’re sold, and that’s the case for the truck you see here. It used to belong to Arizona Speed and Marine a company known for its go-fast goodies. The truck started out as a 1-ton dualie (that’s right: a dualie), but when it got smashed up they decided to sell it off. That’s when the Drew Brothers (Rob and Rich) acquired it and took it to their shop for the rebuild. Once at the shop, they sat and pondered what to do — fix what was broken or change the truck entirely? They decided to go for it so that they wouldn’t have to deal with, “Hey, isn’t that the old Arizona Speed and Marine rig?”

They stripped off all the sheetmetal, took out all of the 1-ton suspension, and basically tore it down to the bare frame. Then they cut the rear of the frame down to alter the wheelbase so that the shortbed to come would fit. Next, 1/2-ton components were put into place, but they didn’t just bolt up the suspension the way it was: They installed a triangulated four-link out back, Chassis Tech 2-inch spindles up front, and Firestone bags on all four corners. Once they bolted up the 20x8.5-inch f and 20x10-inch r Raceline Jaded rims and 245-40-20 f / 275-35-20 r Michelin Pilot rolling stock so that the truck could rest on its feet, the sheetmetal was hung back on. Like we said before, this rig was wrecked, so they had to do some collision-type repair, like welding on a new cab side and bolting on some new doors. After the repairs were completed, the Brothers Drew started in with the custom mods. To begin with, the roof seams and clearance lights were shaved, then the body lines were extended onto the cab corners — it’s a small detail that Chevy left out on the crew cabs. Then the Drew Brothers bolted on the sleeker Caddy front clip and grafted in Caddy taillights to give the truck continuity. The bed also received a Chassis Tech roll pan, a shaved gas door and stake pockets.

After the final block sanding, they wiped the truck with a tack cloth and rolled it into the paint booth, where Rob Drew squirted on the DuPont White and Pewter two-tone. To further enhance the paint, they had Dave Kindig from Kindigit Design come up with the tribal-style graphics.

The mechanics of the truck were already in good shape, thanks to Arizona Speed and Marine, who put together a 502ci rat with its tuned-port injection setup, which pumps out more than 500 hp. It has a 4L80 overdrive trans and a 3.73 posi rear end, which translates into one smooth-running rig.

We don’t know what it is, but some trucks must have plain bad luck, ’cause a few days after we shot the Drew Bros.’ custom, some dirtbag broke into their shop and took the truck for a joy ride!

They got it back with some missing components and a few dents. The Brothers Drew said it would be back better than ever with a custom interior and some new paint. We can’t wait.