Table of contents for July 2016 in 8 Lug

HEAVY HAULER Available in three different product lines, the North American Powertrain Components 68RFE transmission provides smooth shifts, maximum reliability, and high performance to owners of the ’07½-to-’14 Ram Heavy Duty. The company offers three different transmissions, including the Tow Series, 450 Series, and fully built Race HD Series. A far-reaching set of proprietary upgrades provides a boost in reliability for each transmission. North American Powertrain Components 866-456-4498 • napc.ca INSTA-CLEAN You just spent a fortune on your custom paintjob. Are you seriously going to let grime, bird waste, and bug guts ruin that nice finish? For quick touch-ups in between full washes, check out Mothers Waterless Wash & Wax. The company’s product encapsulates dirt and lifts it away, meaning you can spray it directly on your truck and wipe…

The term “black and white” can refer to many things. For some, it is a way to explain something simple. For others, it means order and structure. In the worlds of photography and film, it is used to emphasize light and shadow. Black and white are opposites—two colors used in classical contrast. But when black and white are used as a color scheme for a truck build, all the components must be in harmony or one color will dominate instead of being complementary. Curtis Hicks was going for that exact effect with this ’11 Ram 2500 Mega Cab. He used only black and white throughout his truck and had the two colors play off each other to highlight both light and shadow. Hicks used that contrast to his advantage to…

There’s no denying the enduring popularity of trucks. Enthusiasts were enamored with T-Buckets and open-wheel hot rods in the ’30s and ’40s. Lead sled customs were the rage from the ’50s to the ’70s, and imports had a surge during the ’80s and ’90s. Throughout it all, cool custom trucks have been equal partners with each passing trend. It’s probably because of their dual nature, as functional trucks can earn a living during the week and, with a quick bath, pick up a trophy or a time slip on the weekend. Lifted trucks have become the next progression of the truckin’ fascination with their go-anywhere suspension and high-performance engines, boasting stump-pulling torque and surprisingly good mileage. About the only thing missing is a show scene that caters to our favorite…

Detailing products are something we all use. They keep our trucks shined up and looking good. However, if you’ve been down the detailing aisle at the local auto parts store or big-box retailer lately, you’ll know just how many different variations of the same thing there are. How exactly do you know which one to pick? In an effort to help clear up some of the confusion, we headed to our local Pep Boys and O’Reilly Auto Parts stores and bought a sample of each tire shine spray and aerosol on the shelves. Why tire shine, you ask? Simply put, it’s the detailing product people use the most and know the least about. It’s also a test that’s easily repeatable with definitive visual results. So follow along as we help…

Johnny Oates always trod on a different path. Growing up in a small town in eastern Texas, he constantly went against the grain. When teachers told him to analyze a problem, he would look at it in a wholly different way. When everyone said “get a lifted truck,” he decided to make things a bit more interesting. When it came time to purchase a truck, the adult-aged Johnny did what most high-schoolers do—he went looking for something that was cheap and in need of love. A friend in Waco, Texas, found a ’97 GMC C3500 dualie he knew Johnny would like sitting in a repo lot. Johnny, a resident of Natchitoches, Louisiana, paid the asking price, sight unseen. When he arrived at the lot and actually saw the truck, he…

Pipeline work is one of the toughest gigs on both man and machine, making it the ultimate test of agility, durability, reliability, and power. When owner and president of Texas Pipeline Construction Eden Gonzales went looking for the finest ride he could not only enjoy but also rely on in the field, he turned to the brand-new ’15 GMC Sierra Denali 2500HD and the capable crew at Complete Customs of West Texas to make it his own. Having always been a Denali fan (owning one from each generation), Eden couldn’t think of anything better to have by his side in the field than the brand-new Sierra. With its standard 6.6L turbo V-8, it definitely packs just the right amount of punch and oozes reliability that one could only hope for…

When building a custom truck, nothing creates a more lasting impression than paint. Although we have featured many trucks in 8-Lug with factory paintjobs, the ones that always catch our eye (and often make the cover) are the trucks with owners who have gone that extra mile, personalizing their vehicle with a custom paintjob. Commercial firms have been painting cars and trucks for decades, and there’s no doubt they can get your vehicle all one color. However, show truck owners quite often opt for something considerably more personal. Either way, it’s not a step to be taken lightly, since it can be a costly upgrade. The results, however, are almost always worth the effort. We sat down with Paul Holman, owner of Visual FX in St. Augustine, Florida, a painter…

SUPER DUTY TRAILER REVERSE GUIDANCE Did you know about this cool new feature on the ’17 Ford Super Duty called Trailer Reverse Guidance? We’re talking multiple camera views available: tailgate, for helping with backing up; sideview cameras for viewing the trailer as its angle changes; stoplamp camera for viewing the cargo box when hooking up gooseneck and fifthwheel trailers; and even a camera that you can place at the back of the trailer for even easier eyeballing when backing up. There are two patents pending for the Super Duty’s trailering and camera system—this includes a steering wheel icon to help guide drivers about which direction to turn the wheel to back up the trailer. CHEVY SILVERADO GETS TRAILERING CAMERA Looks like there’s a trailering-camera war going down, but we consumers…

Growing up in a family in which both Mom and Dad already have lifted trucks is not only an advantage, it also points you in the right direction when it’s time for a truck of your own. Twenty-one-year-old Brinton Roberts, a firefighter from Beaufort, South Carolina, has always been interested in trucks. He started early—really early. He had his first fourwheeler at age five and got his first truck, a Ford Ranger, when he was eight! Lots of changes have happened since then—especially when you take into consideration this ’99 Ford F-250 is actually his eighth truck! When the search began for his latest ride, Brinton heard of an older gentleman in Aiken, South Carolina, who owned an F-250 and was looking to downsize. Brinton had an ’01 F-150 at…

Thirty-three-year-old Randy Wilson of Miami, Florida, always had a passion for big trucks. With hobbies like mudding and ruining lawns, you almost have to have something big and powerful. When Randy ventured over to a Ford dealership near Ft. Lauderdale, he instantly fell in love with an ’08 Ford F-250 Lariat 4x4. It didn’t take long before he began putting miles on his new rig, making sure it was completely broken in. “I certainly didn’t buy a truck to keep it clean,” Randy tells us with a smile. “It’s here to get dirty.” Deciding his truck needed a bit more power and accessories, Randy did his homework and contacted Jordan at Wicked Customs in Naples, Florida. Together, they decided to go with a theme of Randy’s choice. As a hard-core…

Thomas Smalley had always envisioned a custom heavyduty front bumper on his ’99 Ford F-250, but spending more than a grand on even a cheap one blew out his college-student budget. That all changed when the Oakland, Oregon, Super Duty owner discovered MOVE Bumpers, which offered a DIY, buildyour-own bumper kit that would allow him to apply the welding skills he was acquiring. The day after the bumper kit arrived, Smalley had it built and installed, and it looked every bit as nice as a preassembled custom bumper costing nearly three times as much. That cost savings and simplicity comes from MOVE’s unique approach, which eliminates the final assembly and finishing process common to other heavyduty custom-bumper installations. Lewistown, Montana-based MOVE uses its 3D design technologies, CNC machine, and metal-forming…