SEMA Show 2023 Unveiling the Automotive Industry’s Pinnacle
January 24, 2024 by BRANDON BURRELL
The Largest Automotive Event in the World
When it comes to automotive events, you’ll find nothing larger or more recognized than the SEMA Show. While most people perceive this event to be a car-and-truck show, it isn’t. It’s an industry-only trade show designed for aftermarket manufacturers, distributors, and related companies to network and show off the latest and greatest parts.
Are most of these parts installed on top-notch vehicles? Yes. Are there more high-end builds than any other automotive event? Yes. So, in a way, you can say it’s a “show” but on a totally different level.
Each year people from all over the world travel to Las Vegas the first week of November to attend this event, and this was the 60th year they have done so. SEMA organizers recorded more than 130,000 attendees with 70,000-plus buyers and 3,000-plus media personal, all from over 140 countries. While the size of the crowd was massive, the size of the venue was even more impressive: With over a million square feet indoors plus all the massive outdoor areas, attendees had literally no way to see every vehicle.
Engaged Media, the parent company of Street Trucks magazine and our sister titles, sent the editorial team to SEMA so that we could give our readers the best truck coverage possible. The company also hosted a booth in the Central Hall, right in the middle of Hot Rod Alley. In the booth, we debuted our Sergeant Square C10 build you’ve seen for several months throughout the build process, which was done to benefit Mission 22. The booth stayed packed from opening to closing each day as attendees stopped by to salute the Sergeant in person.
We also debuted our Project Stockish, a ’23 Sierra build you’ve also seen on these pages. It starred in the Dropstars Wheels booth after making its way from North Carolina to Las Vegas to represent the wheel company as well as Street Trucks.
To get you the best print and digital coverage in the world, we packed our most comfortable shoes and stocked up on plenty of water and energy drinks to prepare for the miles we would walk each day as we tracked down the best trucks and the newest products.
This is one event we refuse to miss. And because it’s open only to the automotive industry, it’s a must for us that we attend to bring you as much coverage as possible. Follow our social media pages as well as the Motortopia YouTube channel for even more content from the show!
OBS Truck Door Handles: Part Three Unveiled
November 27, 2023 by MARK OJA
Replacing Inner and Outer Door Handles
There is nothing more frustrating than a broken door handle! The inside door handle on a OBS is a frequently used component that wears out and breaks over time. Worn out door pins and bushings can also lead to premature inner handles breaking.
The outer door handle can show signs of wear and tear, too. As it is crucial for accessing the vehicle, a faulty outer door handle can be quite inconvenient. Our shop dually has a broken driver-side handle. It still functions, but it is really annoying.
LMC truck supplied a new handle complete with clips. So let’s go through the process of replacing the inner and outer door handles on your OBS. There is a trick to getting this done easily without disconnecting all the inner panel wiring and rod , so follow along and restore functionality and enhance the overall appearance of your truck. Let’s do it!
INNER DOOR HANDLE
OUTER DOOR HANDLE
SOURCES
LMC Truck
800-562-8782
www.lmctruck.com
Hot Rod Power Tour’s Epic 29th Annual Southeast Adventure
November 21, 2023 by BRANDON BURRELL
Event Cruises Through the Southeast US
When it comes to iconic automotive events across the country, the Hot Rod Power Tour is probably one of the largest and most well-known. This year’s event marked the 29th annual event and worked its way throughout the Southeast US.
But before we get into this year’s event, let’s go back to where it all started. Back in late 1994, the editors of Hot Rod Magazine wanted to draw attention to several of its events known as the Hot Rod Power Festival Series. They decided that instead of flying to all the various cities where the events were happening, why not drive their hot rods and custom vehicles from city to city?
Being this was before the internet was what it is today, they advertised this trip in the magazines and had no clue if it would be a flop or a massive event. Much to their surprise, on the kickoff date of May 13, 1995, the first leg of the trip left from the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and had 200 vehicles while supporters stood on the streets cheering them on. Moving to the second annual event in 1996, the traffic jam was so large that it was covered as a news event locally as it left the Petersen Automotive Museum again. The goal for the Power Tour was to give enthusiasts a chance to drive their show vehicles and not just have them sit at a car show.
Fast forward to this year’s event, which started at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 12, 2023, for its 29th annual event, the turnout was the largest it has ever been with more than 6,000 participants. While last year’s tour was covered by Street Trucks staff members, this was my first time ever doing the trip. This tour has always been on my bucket list, but it was either too far away for me to make it, it fell the same dates as other plans, or I couldn’t get off work that long and make the trip, so I had never been able to do it—until this year.
I had planned to drive one of my vehicles, but when I found out a group of local friends were making the long haul trip, which hits all five locations along the route for the week-long event, it made more sense for me to hop in and play passenger princess so I could take photos and video for you guys throughout the week instead of holding a steering wheel for the 1,400-mile trip. Don’t worry, there was no iced lattes or cake pops involved, but plenty of energy drinks and gas station junk food were consumed throughout the week.
After the first day checking in and waiting in long lines to get into the racetrack and check out the vendors and tons of custom vehicles, there was some cool “run what you brung” autocross passes. All that was needed was a helmet and a valid driver’s license. There was also plenty of drag races by normal participants down pit row as well, through the event staff closely monitored the passes.
Once back to the hotel, it was like a typical car show hotel with folding chairs, adult beverages, and plenty of car talk. The crazy part is that it wasn’t just one or two hotels, but it was every hotel anywhere near the show venue. Back up to early the next morning, the event promotors had lined out a back road route that, for the most part, kept vehicles off the interstates and running through small town USA where, just like the very first year back in 1995, crowds stood along intersections and in front of businesses, waving and cheering as the rides passed by. With this many vehicles, it was hours of cool vehicles driving through.
Every day of the event was more backroads and small towns. This gave the trip a little more of a close-knit feeling than it would on a big highway. Every gas station had plenty of cool rides filling up and people grabbing snacks. One of the coolest parts to me was all the kids standing in the crowds taking photos and waving. To see the next generation of gearheads’ eyes lighting up when something cool rolled by is what keeps us pushing to bring you (and the next age group of readers) the best magazine we can to keep this hobby of ours going.
The second day of the event was a drive from Atlanta to Columbia, South Carolina, which was held at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. This location also had plenty of vendors, bands, and events throughout the day.
The third day, we left Columbia and went to Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina, where the lines to get in were even longer. We opted to pull off to the side of the road near the entrance and watch the ever-growing lines of hot rods and cool trucks roll in before we pulled inside.
Wednesday morning, we were up bright and early again to head to the zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina. Here they were letting participants run down the official drag strip, which, if you came with a group of people, let you safely race a buddy and see who got to take home bragging rights.
Thursday morning, we left Concord and headed up the mountain to the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. This was probably one of the most scenic routes of the week as it went through several small mountain towns, several with just one red light. After a week of perfect weather and zero issues, one of our crew lost his brakes but managed to safely get stopped at a gas station where a quick bleed of the front brakes and topping off the brake fluid got us back on the road. Random people at the gas station asked if they could help of if they could loan us tools. To me, that level of camaraderie is what this event was all about. Strangers from all over the country that were there for the same reason we were, stopped to help.
Once to the final stop of the week, a quick pass through the venue and it was time for the trip back home. Throughout the week, there were stations to get your pass stamped at each venue so on the last day, you could get the Long-Haul plaque and certificate that you made the weeklong journey. That was a bucked list checkmark for sure!
If you ever have a chance to make one of these events, even if it’s just for one or two of the stops they make, do it! Even with this under my belt, I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Unleashing Perfection: The Extraordinary ’79 Unibody Chevy Pickup by Ricky Holly
June 21, 2023 by John Mata Jr.
Ricky Holly’s Incredible ’79 Unibody Chevy Pickup
Ricky Holly is a name that we’ve all grown accustomed to hearing over the years. He’s been turning out the craziest vintage Chevy trucks that have only gotten better. You’ve seen his builds at the biggest shows across the country. You’ve seen his trucks on the covers and pages of the industry’s leading publications. You’ve seen pictures and videos of his creations posted and shared across all social media platforms. At this point, you have also most definitely been inundated with the praise surrounding his latest project—this ’79 Unibody Chevy pickup that has been the buzz of the custom pickup community since its grand unveiling at SEMA ’22. If for some reason you don’t already have every square inch of this truck ingrained in your memory bank, let’s get reacquainted with all its glory.
While it is rather difficult to look at this truck and select one characteristic to claim as its most notable, we’d have to say that the unibody design is the most eye-catching. His ultimate goal was to have this particular modification blend right in with the truck’s natural styling, but it does shine bright as a huge accomplishment to keen eyes.
BLAZER PLUS A SQUARE
To get this effect just right, Ricky entrusted the job to his longtime go-to paint and body shop, Alamo Customs in Alvin, Texas. Together, Ricky and the team at Alamo have produced some of the baddest classic Chevy truck projects out there, and this one might just sit at the top of the heap. The guys successfully fused the body of a ’79 Blazer with that of an ’85 Squarebody C10 pickup to create the well-proportioned unibody shell.
With that major portion of bodywork completed, the guys at Alamo then started creating more one-off touches to make Ricky’s truck, which gained the name Lolita around this point, that much more unique. At the front, a custom grille with motorized headlight panels was fabricated. At the rear, the guys came up with a tricked-out tailgate and bumper that elevate the truck’s subtle yet highly sophisticated restyling. United Pacific was sourced to provide fresh headlights, taillights, and mirrors for cleanliness sake, but it was ultimately the way these parts were painted that really changed things up.
TRICK PAINT
Custom-mixed PPG maroon and tan colors were stirred up to serve as the main two-tone paint scheme, which was to be broken up by replacement body molding from Mar-K. It was actually the other colors and effects used on the truck that made an equally if not more impactful impression. Both bumpers along with the side mirrors are not, in fact, brushed metal. The guys used paint to get the exact color and finish they had in mind, as there was no chance of running any piece of chrome on this truck per Ricky’s request. If you’ve been attempting to analyze the grain to figure out what type of wood was used for the flooring inside the full-custom bed, you might be surprised to know that it is also just paint—no planks. Actually, all of the wood trim found all throughout the truck has been specially painted to mimic the appearance of actual exotic lumber.
Just like the rest of Ricky’s previous high-profile Chevy truck builds, this custom unibody was slated to drive at the lowest altitude possible. Another Texas business, Acme Chassis Factory in South Houston, was contacted to create a custom frame for the build that would deliver on the low-slung appearance along with excellent ride quality. To assist in creating that ride quality, nothing but top shelf air-ride components were ordered from Slam Specialties ‘bags, Air Lift air management parts, Seamless air tanks, and more. While the pandemic did slow the delivery of certain items, DRU Custom Builds of Pasadena, Texas, was on-hand patiently waiting to piece and plumb the suspension system together as the parts steadily flowed in.
From the Snowden seats covered in Apex leather, the custom dash, flooring, door panels, and center console, the interior landscape has been kept very high-end at every turn.
The all-important decision of which wheel to run is always a tough decision for Ricky. He knew the roundabout size he could get away with once the chassis was in place, and he usually tends to gravitate toward smooth, timeless designs. Well, he most definitely chose a winner once again with the set of 22×8.5 and 24×12 Raceline Newport wheels he picked for this project. The hoops have been brushed, and the spoke centers have been treated to a splash of color that really spices up the exterior color palette.
UNDER THE HOOD
Ricky was interested in rooting down a big, powerful engine that he could really mash on when he gets the urge, which happens way more often than you’d realize. To make the most of the available space under the hood, LT Swap King in Crosby, Texas, was contacted to help lock down a supercharged 2018 LT4 from a ZL1 Camaro. This was the perfect powerplant for the situation, and once it was mounted, wired up, and outfitted with a Brian Tooley Racing camshaft, Sanderson headers, and a Magnaflow exhaust system, Ricky was looking at 750hp. This is an ideal horsepower count for the type of driving he likes to get down on at the track.
If you’ve paid attention over the years, all of Ricky’s trucks are designed and built to operate just as good as they look. To finish out the engine transplant, an amazing collection of panels and vents were fabricated and painted to elevate the whole vibe of the engine compartment, which is more posh and luxurious than should even be allowed under the cover of a hood.
AWARD-WINNING INTERIOR
The next phase of the build is what actually earned the truck an award at last year’s SEMA show. Chris Pate at MTI (Mobile Toys Inc.) in College Station, Texas, poured his heart and soul into the creation of this Chevy’s cab space. From the Snowden seats covered in Apex leather, the custom dash, flooring, door panels, and center console, the interior landscape has been kept very high-end at every turn. Other noteworthy amenities include Dakota Digital gauges, a well-rounded sound system, Vintage Air A/C, a one-off Raceline steering wheel, and plenty of invaluable style and craftsmanship. All of this was good enough to take home Best Truck Interior honors at the largest automotive event on the planet!
To circle back to what was said at the beginning of this story, it’s incredibly hard to crown one single facet of this truck as most notable. This truck might just be a milestone for classic Chevy truck builds as a whole. While Ricky Holly is used to owning super high-quality pickups, this one has to feel a tad bit different. As always, his best truck is always the next one to come, so we are anxiously awaiting seeing what on Earth he could possibly top this build with. Until then, we’ll go ahead and leave the bar right where Ricky and his most trusted shops and fabricators have left it.
Truck Specs
Owner
Ricky Holly
1979 Chevy Blazer
Houston
Holly Boyz
Engine & Drivetrain
Shop: LT Swap King, Crosby, TX
2018 Supercharged LT4 V-8
Brian Tooley Racing stage 2 camshaft
Sanderson headers
Magnaflow 2.5-inch exhaust system
2018 10L90 transmission
One-off paneling under the hood
Chassis & Suspension
Acme Chassis Factory, South Houston, TX
Custom-made frame
Custom fuel tank
Slam Specialties ‘bags, Air Lift air management, dual Viair compressors, Seamless air tanks and other air components installed by DRU Custom Builds (Drops ‘R Us), Pasadena, TX
Wheels, Tires & Brakes
22×8.5 and 24×12 Raceline Newport wheels
Lionhart tires
Wilwood 14- and 13-inch brakes (front and rear) and master cylinder
Body & Paint
Shop: Alamo Customs, Alvin, TX
Custom mix PPG maroon and tan paint
Made from a Blazer to a unibody truck
Mar-K bed flooring and body molding
Custom grille and headlight panels
United Pacific Industries headlights and mirrors
Mirror, bumpers and bed floor painted for effect
Custom wrapped details by Pixelwerks, Houston
Interior & Sound
Chris Pate @ Mobile Toys Inc. (MTI), College Station, TX
Snowden seats covered in tan Apex Leather
Dakota Digital gauges
Raceline steering wheel
Custom dash, floor, and center console
Sony receiver
Gladen/Mosconi audio components
Vintage Air A/C
Ididit steering column
