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Custom Truck on a Budget

48-Hour Budget Birthday Build Up

Tyler's 1994 GMC Sonoma Times are tough, that’s no surprise. These days, one might find it hard to keep your truck running on a budget let alone tricking it out the Stylin' way. But they never met Stylin' Trucks' Operations Manager Steve Mashek.

A self-proclaimed bargain hunter, Steve wanted to do something special for his son Tyler’s upcoming birthday.

Steve, left, and his son TylerA little more than a year ago, Tyler had purchased a 1994 Chevy S10 that he worked hard on to rebuild. Unfortunately, Tyler was involved in a wreck that totaled his ride, throwing all his tedious work out the window. Looking for parts to restore the S10, the Masheks stumbled upon a seasoned 1994 GMC Sonoma. And with a new oil pump and a little engine work, Tyler was on the road again.

"The only gifts he could think of asking for were either a Ferrari or to have his truck lowered so that it looked a little better," Steve said of Tyler's birthday request. "Since the Ferrari was out, I was planning on lowering the truck and making a few other low cost upgrades using parts off of his old truck."

Steve wanted to surprise Tyler with the revamped Sonoma during his birthday party. Only one problem: It was Thursday and the party was on Saturday, only two days away. That, coupled with his budget constraints would have caused some complications.

The Build Crew, working on the truckBut once the truck experts around the Stylin' Trucks headquarters caught word of Steve's project, they were more than willing to lend a helping hand. Caved up in the back of the warehouse, the dedicated crew were on a mission to transform the Sonoma into a strong cruising machine.

As the hours went by, the seemingly daunting task morphed into a smooth operation. The sales staff worked its way from the suspension and shocks to the carpet and seats. Grabbing input from all areas of expertise, Steve came up with more than enough Stylin' ideas.

This truck was in for a workout. New carpet, a windshield replacement (thank you, Advanced Auto Glass) and shaved emblems, to name a few improvements.

Here's a highlight of some of the upgrades:

EXTERIOR

Street Scene Cal-Vu Mirrors
Street Scene Cal-Vu Mirrors
Elegante Euro Tail Lights
Elegante Euro Tail Lights

INTERIOR

Cal Trend Sport Seat Covers
Cal Trend Sport Seat Covers
Sony XPLOD Speakers
Sony XPLOD 4" x 6" 4-Way Speakers
Lloyd Design Corp. Floor Mats
Lloyd Design Corp. Floor Mats

SUSPENSION AND WHEELS
The Sonoma was lowered 4/4 with DJM Lowering Spindles, Lowering Coils, Lowering Blocks and Calmax Super Shocks.

DJM Coil Springs
DJM Lowering Coil Springs
Calmax Super Shocks
CalMax Super Shocks
DJM Lowering Spindles
DJM Lowering Spindles
DJM Lowering Blocks
DJM Lowering Blocks

PERFORMANCE

  • MPG Plus Spark Plug Wires
  • E3 Spark Plug
  • K&N Drop-in Filter
  • Thrush Welded Muffler

After an exhaustive 48 hours, the truck’s transformation was complete. What was a beater turned out to be a cool ride. What about the total costs? It must have been an arm and a leg. Not really! Just under $1,400. Now that's a budget.

The finished product

Customized GMC Sonoma Customized GMC Sonoma

Stylin' Sales Manager, Steve, talks about the Cal Trend seat covers in his son's truck.

So, what was Tyler’s reaction when he laid eyes on his new truck?

The first thing I noticed was the truck itself (obviously)," he said. "But then I looked at it and realized the paint actually looked nice."

Most importantly, Tyler noticed the suspension. "As I began inspecting details, my eyes went to the wheel wells. I realized there was very little space. And then I noticed how close to the ground the truck was riding," he said. "The 4/4 drop totally blew me away and looks great, even with the stock wheels. I think this was probably the most exciting part."

He continued, "The amount of detail that went into it was just incredible. I still can't even fathom how Dad did all this work in so little time. The inside totally blew me away...the seat covers and actual carpet on the floor."

"Hearing how much work went into this was incredible. I am so grateful for the friends, family, and the guys at Stylin' Trucks who made all of this possible."

Tyler thought that having a nice, custom truck again would be a distant memory. Now that he has one, Tyler said he would continue to work on the Sonoma in hopes of making it a show truck.

"The next thing that I really want to do to the truck is get a set of wheels and a roll-pan, to really set it off and make it look even better," he said.

 
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Here's the total inventory of the 48-Hour Birthday Bash Build-up for the 1994 GMC Sonoma


EXTERIOR
• Shaved Emblems (In House)
- Jim Sacco
: Cost Free, used heat gun and pulled them off
 
• Pulled Bed Liner
- Joe Wagner and Ken Pierson
: Cost Free, found that the bed was cut to install fuel pump, should have just pulled the bed
 
• Claybar, Buff and Polish Paint (In House) about 5 hours
- Jim Sacco
 : Cost Free, had the supplies
 
• Tinted Windows
- Joe Wagner and Drew Brichford 2 Hours
 : Cost Under $50
 
• Install Grille Insert (Carriage Works)
- Jason Mattson pulled the shell cleaned and installed a used insert, painted the shell with red touch up paint.
: Cost Under $10 for paint and materials, insert was free since I had it from another truck, insert would have been $125.00
 
• Painted stock front bumper cover and air dam black to blend in better with the black and red theme
- Jason taped it off, scuffed it up and painted it with the gloss black, then clear coated
: Cost Under $10 for paint and materials
 
• Painted rear bumper caps and bumper with the black and red theme
- Jason taped it off, scuffed it up and painted it with the gloss black, then clear coated
: Cost Under $10 for paint and materials
 
• Euro Tails (TYC)
- Jim Sacco & Ken installed
: Cost Under $100
 
• Sport Mirror Install  (Street Scene)
- Jim and Jason painted with Duplicolor touch up spray installed in about an hour
: Cost Under $100
 
• Windshield Replacement
- Advanced Auto Glass Installed (Video coming soon)
: Cost Under $200
 
Suspension and Wheels
 • Lowered Truck 4/4 DJM Lowering Spindles, Lowering Coils, Lowering Blocks and Shocks
- Jason, Ken and Andy Lung completed in under 4 hours
: Cost Under $350.00 but had spindles so $200.00

• Alignment
- Local Shop
: Costs under $75.00
 
INTERIOR
• Stereo and Speaker upgrade (Sony dash speakers  plus JVC and MTX used from other truck)
- Jason and Steve completed except dash speakers.
: Cost under $75.00 for dash speakers the rest was used from the other truck
 
• Carpet
- Used from other truck
: Under $150
 
• Floor Mats
- Lloyd
: Under $100.00
 
• Seat Covers Cal Trend Sport Seat Covers
- Kristy Moyer installed in about 30 minutes
: Cost Under $250
 
• Billet Shifter Custom Brass Knuckle Style -Discontinued
- Installed in minutes from other truck
: Cost Under $100
 
• Billet Antenna  Shorty 110015
- Steve - have from old truck never used
: Under $25 
 
PERFORMANCE
• Thrush Muffler and Clamps
- Steve - have from old truck never used
: Under $50
 
• K&N Drop in Filter 
- Steve - have from old truck never used
: Under $50
 
• E3 Plugs 
- Steve - have from old truck never used
: Under $25
 
• MPG Plus Spark Plug Wires 
- Steve - have from old truck never used
: Under $75
1 Comments for "48-hour birthday bash"

    Article Comments
wmr1074:
October 06, 2009 05:15:51 PM

Hats off to a Dad who took the time to make his sons B-Day special. I'm sure he will remember this the rest of his life. Sadly my son is only six so I have a long time to wait till I can help him on his first custom truck!!! -Bill R.

1

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