Inside was where the real challenge began. I had several specific design ideas for the interior and I presented sketches to my good friend, electronics wizard, Mike Ohren. Mike is a seasoned professional capable of creating whatever flights of fancy his customers dream up. He reviewed my drawings, added a few twists of his own, and began the install in his well-equipped shop in Jacksonville, Florida. Only the basic shell of the dashboard was retained, and with the Dakota Digital dash replacing the stock Chevy gauges and a new center console, the work transformed the look even further.
The stereo is a combination of Blaupunkt and Metra/Tsunami components arranged in the new MDF/fiberglass center console that runs between the black leather and tweed Honda bucket seats. The Blaupunkt Travel Pilot GPS navigation screen resides at the top of the stack, followed by the Dakota Digital air suspension control module, the Blaupunkt Chicago CD/DVD head unit, and the relocated heater and air-conditioning controls. Between the seats are the remotes for the radio and navigation-the Tsunami 2-Farad capacitor with digital readout-and the control modules for the StreetGlow neon and strobe units. The row of lighted switches controls the StreetGlow driving lights, underbody orange neon, lights in the hood scoop, and electric Quick Time open-exhaust cutouts. The floating center armrest holds the window controls.
Being custom-built, the door panels received individual fiberglass enclosures for the pair of slim Blaupunkt 10-inch subs and separated component sets with built-in crossovers. We added a second set of tweeters to the dash and a second pair of component sets in the door pillars for rear-fill. Behind the bucket seats, the slanted sub-enclosure holds the second pair of Blaupunkt 10-inch subs and the pair of Blaupunkt amps that powers the system.
Once the basics were in place, lots of extras were added just for fun. The Pioneer XM radio, mounted above the Donnelly self-dimming rearview mirror, provides commercial-free sounds when I want a change from the Blaupunkt 10-CD carousel player mounted in the glove compartment. In addition to the 7-inch retractable screen in the Chicago head unit, an additional pair of Blaupunkt monitors was mounted in each of the sun visors. An Accele color camera mounted in the tailgate plays through all three screens and keeps a close eye on the competition.
To highlight all the components we used Tangelo Pearl paint and StreetGlow's orange Hot Wirez. Since a low profile is an essential part of any custom truck, Red's Hydraulics in Miami handled the upgrade to the Caprice suspension, installing the Chassis Tech airbags, a pair of Viair 450 compressors, and twin 3 1/2-gallon reserve tanks using SMC valves and 3/8-inch lines. The system not only lowers the Stepside, but also operates from the remote and can surprise a "too-curious" spectator from about 300 feet away!
Custom trucks need custom paint, and the House of Kolor Tangelo Pearl and Black created an eye-catching combination, guaranteeing the truck would never travel anywhere unnoticed. Larry Rankin of J-Bar Enterprises in Altamonte Springs, Florida, carefully blocked the fiberglass body and sprayed the paint. Equally eye-catching are the KMC "SS" rims, 20- (front) and 22-inch (rear) that are a perfect match for the Super Stepside logo. Dunlop 35- and 30 series Z-rated tires add style and improves handling.