Dino's Chevy Truck Show to be bigger than Goodguys?   How many "Pre-shows" or warm-ups get their own show poster? And one done by ProblemChildKustoms.com no doubt? How should I know?!   I do know that Dino Battilana and his Chevy truck buddies, including new friends from http://67-72chevytrucks.com put on a show before Goodguys that brings in some great looking trucks and cars too. I even sneak my Ford powered roadster in there sometimes to hang with the "Chevy Only" crowd. To see what makes Dino tick... dig his Dropped Custom Chevy C10 Dually. So just a few pictures to share... This is Dino's latest finished build... As I said about Dino's last Dually (he sold it already)... He's got a knack for building trucks just enough to make them unique and highly desireable. Why steel wheels and caps? Minimal chrome? Simple, but ultra clean small block Chevy under the hood? Maybe because you've never seen a truck like that laying frame? Or ever? Dino's the master custom Chevy C10 builder! (more pics of this truck down below!)   Here's what's up next!   Another 60's C10... another dually and to stay...

1987 GMC Jimmy "Square Peg" at 2013 SEMA Show   This is the 7th installment of Best of SEMA Show 2013... One more custom truck that might be the cleanest Jimmy you've ever seen!     Laid out in the Painless Performance booth, feast your eyes on Mike and Sarah Losh's "Square Peg" Jimmy. To really appreciate this truck, look back on where it came from. How about starting with a 1987 GMC JIMMY 4x4, then with tons of patience and help from a few SEMA sponsors converting that into a 2WD, frame laying out on the ground LS powered custom hauler!   Here's the before pictures:     A solid old truck to start with, but the transformation is IMPRESSIVE!!   As beautiful as this truck is from the outside, the inside was a plush work of art... nothing less for Mike's beautiful bride, right? I especially like how the plaid interior fabric's a throwback to the original interior found in the 4x4. Those kinds of subtle-cool touches set this truck apart. That's a Painless Performance compact fuse panel hiding in the glove box.     Square Peg. Yes, in...

1954 COE with 450HP Cummins at 2013 SEMA Show   This is the 6th installment of Best of SEMA Show 2013... Why not something totally unexpected?     First of all, what the heck is this? Well, if you're not familiar with Welderup, then this custom 1954 GMC COE (stands for cab over engine) might come as a bit of a shock. Then again, if this is shocking to you... you probably haven't ever been to SEMA!   Trucks like this... Yes TRUCKS... hammered on the ground rocking engines with grunt-enough to to rip your neighbor's Dodge a brand-new-one... That's really what SEMA showcases most! Filthy as the VIP salon of "Glitter's" in Las Vegas, over-the-top power and excess. Yep. WE LOVE THAT!     Plus, COE's are just cool. My buddy Rob built a long bed COE shown here in a keyless ignition how-to. I rode in Rob's COE. It cruises low and comfortable on air, A/C on, with plenty of power from a gutsy small block Chevy. Rob's COE turns heads like this one does, even without the bright green Cummins diesel out back!     Here it is... a...

Custom and Deadly 1940 Ford Truck at 2013 SEMA Show   Another SEMA 2013 Hot Rod and this one's KOSMIC!   Looks like I'm on a 1940 Ford Hot Rod kick for SEMA Show 2013. Picking some of my favorite hot rods, it just so happens that one's the 1940 Ford from Chaotic Customs (and #2 in my best of) and the other's the "Kosmic Outcast" 1940 Ford Pickup, aka: "Intergalactic Weapon of Destruction!"  (at least that's what the show card said!!)     I didn't get a chance to talk with the owners or builders on this terrific custom hot rod, but I had to post pictures... if you can stand out in the shadow of the HUGE Ford display, then you've really stepped up, don't you think? Hats off to the builders at Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle!     Luckily, the show card tells part of the story... Besides proclaiming this the Intergalactic Weapon of Destruction, we learned the blown beast up front is a 1959 Oldsmobile 371 Rocket. And no, it's not hooked to an old lady's automatic... it's hooked to a 5 speed TKO600! I totally dig...

Streched and Custom 1940 Ford Truck at 2013 SEMA Show   Once again, is SEMA known for Hot Rods? Ahhh... maybe it's time we changed our minds! I've got a couple more hot rods from SEMA Show 2013 to share with you! This one's from our friends at Chaotic Customs in Kansas. Owners Chris and Karma Carlson hooked up with NAPA Auto Parts and Martin Senour Paints to have the freshly done hot rod pickup in their SEMA booth. A wise choice!     We ran through the details on how truck owner Mike Young had his eye on 1949-1951 Chevy Fleetlines but Chris knew of a fairly clean 1940 Ford pickup. When Mike saw the 1940 Ford, Mike said confidently, "You can't drink it pretty!" (turns out that wasn't quite true...)   The story's your typical "barn find" truck out of Mulvane, Kansas that was... was going to be a nice driver. "It got out of hand..."     When you review all the build pictures, you'll start to see all the customizing work done by Chris totaling 200 body mods. After trying some body work myself, I'm most impressed on how...

Chaotic Customs SEMA Build - 1940 Ford Pickup   Pictures and words by Karma Carlson   Want to see the finished truck at SEMA 2013? 1940 Ford Hot Rod Pickup at SEMA   It all started with a hole in the hood of a 1929 Model A roadster. Mike Young brought his roadster to Chris & Karma Carlson at Chaotic Customs in Mulvane, KS, to have the hole in his hood repaired after removing a blower motor. The repair turned into a complete rebuild of the car and a friendship was formed between the Youngs and the Carlsons. After driving the roadster, Mike discovered his wife, Glenna, was not a roadster chick. Roadsters in the Kansas heat and wind were not her cup of tea. They decided to build an enclosed car so that Glenna would enjoy riding longer distances to car shows. Mike knew Chaotic Customs was the shop for the job.   Learn more about Chaotic Customs painting skills in this Metal Flake on a budget Painting How-to   Mike had his eye on 1949-1951 Chevy Fleetlines but Chris had a line on a 1940 Ford pickup....

Chevrolet Advance Design Series - Custom Hauler Another sweet ride for sale at the LA Roadster Show. (click to see pictures full size)   If you haven't been around MyRideisMe.com much, I'll let you know, I usually don't feature cars for sale. I mean, if it's "My Ride is Me" then why you selling it? Also, I don't typically get into bikes. Like to look at them, love the way they sound... just not my bag. But... this old Chevy truck spoke to me!   As part of the universal "ACME Services" this truck does it all. From Used Tires to Bail Bonds to Speed Equipment. I'm sorta guessing that this is a 1953 Chevy truck by the "Est 1953" on the door. The Chevrolet "Advance Design" series as they were called from 1947 until 1955 had some pretty small changes year to year. Did I get it right? Wing  or vent windows in the door didnt' appear until 1951 and push-button door handles (like this truck has) didn't appear until 1952. 1953 showed a change to the hood lettering for 3100, 3600 and so on based on load...

1964 Chevy C10 Dually - Dino's Dually (Click to see any picture full size -- want any of these for a desktop screensaver? leave a comment)   Dino builds bad Chevy C10 custom trucks. This one's no different as one of five C10's he owns right now. I posted one teaser image and was holding out posting the rest until the NEW version of MyRideisMe.com was out. Well here it is! And here's the rest of the pictures...   I'm hoping for the same crazed reaction to these photos as the one we saw after posting Dino's truck on Facebook.   You like? Here's what it started as! See more build pics including the custom fenders   Want to see more of this AMAZING Custom C10? I spent quite a bit of time editing the pics I took. Dino's a good friend and I knew he'd like some different looks... which one of these do you like better? In that cool evening light, I get lucky and snap some good ones here and there!   Looking under the hood, Dino keeps it pretty sanitary. The truck came with a...

1964 Chevy C10 Dually - Dino's Dually Build Here's what it started as! (Skip to see the Finished Truck! 29 Additional Photos) I'll let Dino tell the story of this build. When it's done, you'll agree, this is the baddest C10 Dually ever.   "I found this truck on craiglist and watched it for a few months and finally pulled the trigger. After helping my friend dbomb on his short bed, it got me fiending for another project. This 1964 C10 dually work truck was a friend of mine's that he drove for 30 years in the appliance install biz. He sold it a few years back and it just resurfaced.   My plans are to bag it with a pancake front cross member, Nate built me some arms for it and a center trailing arm support and a huge notch for the rear with the p/b hinges. I'll also install a big back window. The truck came with a new 350 crate motor and a turbo 400. I've been gathering parts for a week or so and have almost every thing I need to get it done... not...

Mike Ryan and his Freightliner Drifting! 10,000 lbs and over 3000 ft-lbs of torque. This was one of the highlights of the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. Follow along as Mike get's her sideways at Spring Mountain Ranch. (Click to see any picture full size) If you listen closely, you can hear Chad Reynolds from Bangshift.com quietly whimpering in the passenger seat as they use every bit of the track drifting out of this turn. I had to share this one too: The aftermath of one of the smokiest burnouts ever. Laying on the ground, now in powder form is the handmade Michelin X-1 tires abused regularly by Mike and his Freightliner. Overkill with a side of crazy. I love it. Last thing... Here's a video of Mike Ryan warming up for a Formula Drift event with drift champion Samuel Hubinette. Worth a watch as Mike works the bugs out and gives a Make-a-wish child the ride of his life. [youtube]http://youtu.be/Iw0e6aBfNiI[/youtube] How can you not like and share this? See all of the 2012 Optima Invitational Stories & Pictures...

Top 25 and Can Tow the Other Cars! (Click to see any picture full size) I give you a bitch'n five-pack of race inspired (ok, they're pretty much full on race cars except for the Blazer) of 70s Chevy C10 trucks! As I said, the Optima Invitational was a diverse event, filled with the coolest and fastest cars from SEMA, and not just late model Camaros and Mustangs. I've seen some great looking C10's bagged and laying frame in Arizona, but I haven't seen any that could hold their own at the local SCCA autocross! In a social media experiment (or maybe I just don't have much info) I'll try and get the owners to fill-in the details on their trucks. I've got some Facebook or email contacts, so wish me luck! -UPDATE! Got info from Rob MacGregor and Curt Hill. Pictured up top and right here is Phil Gerber's 1970 Chevrolet C10: Phil yank'n and bank'n on the autocross Phil drove to a #12 finish and was the "Top Truck" in the competition. Congratulations on some skilled driving and a great looking truck! Next, pictured above and with his...

1965 Dodge D200 Crew Cab at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Rugged and stylish with BRUTAL torque and room for the kids and toys! That's the ICON 1965 Dodge D200 Crew cab truck found at the Optima Batteries booth at the 2012 SEMA Show. This truck rocks! From every angle, this Dodge D200 is striking! I've been a fan of Dodge D200 trucks since I saw this at Goodguys a few years back: Dad's Old 1965 Dodge D200. While not a crew cab, it's a great looking custom truck. Sneaking a peak at the build card, this is the ICON D200 Reformer. I don't know about "reform" it makes me want to be bad! The D200 crew cab body rides on a 2006 Dodge 3500 truck chassis and runs the Cummins diesel, but with a little help from the Banks crew to the tune of 975 ft-lbs of torque! That's riding on a Kore Baja Chase suspension with 37" BFG's and Hutchison bead lock wheels. Inside, it's just as trick. I had to look this up,...