1989
Product of the Year
Bell Tech continued restyling the new C1500 trucks with its smoothie front bumper and roll-pan combinations. The company later became a constant supplier of custom "Cal look" cover trucks for Sport Truck.
1990
Product of the Year
Boyd Coddington quit his job as a machinist in the late '70s and set the custom-wheel world on its ear when he introduced his two-piece billet-aluminum wheels. The Star, Rod Sport, and Pro Sport were available in 14-inch through 17-inch diameters and in polished, gold, or anodized finishes. Another innovative product of 1990 was the home louver-punching kit from Good Times Louvre Co.
1991
Product of the Year
Phantom dualies were all the rage in the early '90s before the advent of large-diameter dualie wheels. Companies like Mickey Thompson and Goodyear offered super-wide tires to fit the single wheels filling up these widebody trucks.
1992
Product of the Year
Capitalizing on the number of show trucks running its carbs, Holley opened the Custom Shop. Now you could buy or rebuild your carbs with powdercoated and chromed parts for the ultimate custom look.
1993
Product of the Year
You'd be hard-pressed to find a Cal-look Chevy that wasn't running Classics by Bernt's smooth wiper cowl.
1994
Product of the Year
When KMC launched its line of dualie wheels, the phantom dualie trend was dealt a serious blow by guys who were willing to drop and roll a real dualie.
1995
Product of the Year
We had a hard time choosing between the Tail Guard because it stopped so many tailgate thefts in the '90s, Sprint By Competition's truly flush-mount fiberglass tonneau cover for its great looks, and Budnik's combo steering wheel and rim packages. In the end though, the trend of matching your steering wheel to the wheels you rolled on trumped the other products in '95 and for years to come. Budnik was also one of the first companies to offer 18s with a matching steering wheel.
1996
Product of the Year
Street Beat Customs' sliding ragtops had been around for years, but the mid '90s really saw open-air movement take off with this VW-inspired mod.
1997
Product of the Year
Steve Warner was on to something when he visited Performance SC in Pacoima, California, to have flush-mount LED lights sunk into the roll pan of his Chevy, replacing the stockers. Little did he know that this story would literally set off a trend that continues even today. We've also got to give an honorable mention to Hotchkis Performance because it put together a complete tuned-handling package for Chevy trucks when the rest of the market was merely lowering these trucks and not really focusing on handling.
1998
Product of the Year
Versus Motorsports clear taillights and corner lights started a trend (albeit an illegal one) that earned thousands of fix-it tickets for sport truckers everywhere.
1999
Product of the Year
Sir Michaels wasn't the first shop to put Caddy lights in a truck, but when it released its installation kit in '99 everyone jumped on the bandwagon. To this day, Caddy lights are still cool even if they are a bit played out.