"This truck is an easy way...
"This truck is an easy way to throw away money and time, but it's also an easy way to boost business." -Mark Whiteskunk
Mark Whiteskunk's Skunkwerks isn't exactly a real shop, rather it's an excuse to turn out sick-ass customs like this '91 GMC Sierra. Mark is an auto body technician by trade and a man obsessed with the details by nature. How else does one craft a sport truck like this one without painstakingly obsessing over such seemingly insignificant details such as the bolts that hold a pair of nitrogen bottle brackets together? The insanity doesn't stop at the tank mounts either. The entire chassis is custom-painted, the inside of the bed received smooth sheetmetal, and the entire stock interior was tossed in the garbage. Basically, Mark threw away much of what you'd consider the stock foundation for this truck and started over. For your information, his tank mounts are topped off not with average ordinary Grade 8 fasteners but with chrome spikes, giving his bed extra trophy-taking points at truck shows.
The man got his first truck when he was just 14 years old and never looked back. A slew of customs followed before he finally purchased this GMC for his wife. It belonged to a local kid who originally had Mark lower it for him. But, after he smacked the ground with the bellhousing and killed the tranny, Mark picked the truck up for the meager sum of $3,500. Mark's wife, Nicole, drove the truck long enough for Mark to fix it up well enough to be photographed for a magazine feature. Eventually though, Mark grew tired of looking at it and stole it back from her, ripping the whole truck apart in preparation for its most auspicious show appearance yet.
First off, the body was separated from the chassis. The chassis was boxed for strength, an adjustable air suspension was added to get the stance correct, and then the whole assembly was smoothed and painted to match the body. The body received even more love from Mark. He shaved all the usual suspects like the door handles and tailgate, but also took it one step further by filling in the factory body seams to totally smooth the truck. Mark also went to work with fresh sheetmetal, forming the radically altered bed innards, which serves to show off not only the graphics but also the trick twin nitrogen tank mounts. The nitrogen tanks power the air suspension, instead of the usual onboard air compressor system. Once installed, they look like a pair of scud missiles in the bed.
Nicole and Mark must be big fans of polished billet aluminum. Why else would they order up the entire Trenz catalog for their Chevy? The Fresno-based fab company's products can be found throughout the interior and engine compartment of this killer ride in the form of mirrors, pedals, and other doodads. The couple also chose a killer set of 18- and 20-inch Billet Specialties rollers, which just about completes the look of the Instigator. Although, the finishing touches have to be the body drop, which allows the rockers to touch down on the pavement when the air is released from the suspension, and the eyeball-scorching paintjob. Mark's painting talents really shine through here because the Tequila Gold and Sour Apple hues really complement each other nicely, especially when broken up by the fax chrome graphic in between.
From front to back, top to bottom, and everywhere in between, Mark has exercised a true custom spirit with this truck. No corner went untouched, and the detail work is amazing. We especially dig touches like the bezel surrounding the Dakota Digital gauges in the custom-fabbed dashboard. It's actually not a bezel at all, rather an airbrushed graphic that incredibly mimics chrome trim. You can't go wrong with the custom-molded fiberglass door panels and center console either. It's details like these that when viewed, along with the chassis, engine compartment, paint, and body, truly set this truck apart from the other cookie-cutter customs out there. It's OCD at its best, and the reason we picked this truck for the cover of Sport Truck.
The 411
Owner/hometown: Mark and Nicole Whiteskunk / Sayre, Oklahoma
Year/make/model: '91 GMC Sierra
Engine/drivetrain: 350 cid / Borla headers / Billet Specialties air cleaner / Flowmaster exhaust system / polished high-rise intake manifold / 700-R4 automatic / B&M Shift Improver Kit / smoothed and painted housing
Installer: Bankston Auto Clinic in Merritt, Oklahoma
Wheels/tires: 18- and 20-inch Billet Specialties Rasp / 245/45ZR18 and 265/45ZR20 Yokohama
Suspension: (Front) DJM lowered control arms / 2,600-pound airbags / (Rear) custom-made cantilever three-link / 2,600-pound airbags / Stainless Steel Brakes disc brake kit / Parker 5/8-inch electric valves / nitrogen cylinders mounted in bed/ 1/2-inch air delivery lines / chassis smoothed, boxed, and painted
Fabricator: Skunkwerx (aka Mark Whiteskunk)
Body Mods: Trenz 30-bar billet grille / smoothie front bumper / shaved mirrors, bumpers, gas door, antenna, body seams, door handles, and tailgate / ram-air hood / relocated fuel-filler door / molded third brake light
Bodywork: Mark Whiteskunk and Classic Cars
Custom Paint: Matrix Tequila Gold and Sour Apple, sprayed by Mark Whiteskunk
Interior: Pontiac Fiero bucket seats / Dakota Digital gauges / hand-fabricated dash, door panels, and center console / Trenz pedals, mirrors, steering column, speaker surrounds, doorsills, doorjamb vents, seatbelt covers, window switches / leather and gator-skin upholstery
Upholsterer: Skip Rowland of Coachworks Interiors in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Audio/video: Pioneer head unit / Memphis Audio 10-inch subwoofers, 6.5-inch component speakers, 6-inch component speakers, and wiring / Soundstream 1000Q amplifier
Installer: Mark Whiteskunk