Building a Crew Cab Driver

In a world of custom truck builds, having something that stands out is getting harder to accomplish. The right mix of clean and custom can only go so far, so something extra is needed to make that happen. When it comes to the OBS world of GM trucks, standard cabs are still a dime a dozen, and extended cabs are right behind them. But for the crew cabs, finding one lying on the ground is pretty rare. Fortunately for Chad Wheeler from West Union, Ohio, all he has to do to see one of these rare versions of the OBS is walk into his garage. Chad has been around custom vehicles since the day he was born. His dad was a true car guy, so going to shows and building custom vehicles as a young kid is all he can remember.

Most of the vehicles Chad was around in the early days were 1930s street rods. That was his dad’s vehicle era of choice, so Chad learned early on how to modify and maintain them. He admits that he still has a love for these cars today. When Chad turned 16, his dad bought him a ‘90 Chevy S-10. With tinkering on vehicles in his blood, you know that truck didn’t stay stock for long. It quickly got the standard mods for that time era—lowered, roll pan, and a booming system. It wasn’t long before the truck was sitting on air. Chad truly learned how to handle his own modifications with this truck,
especially welding.

Unfortunately, an accident took the truck out, but not for long. Chad decided it was the perfect time to teach himself how to bodydrop a truck and push this S-10 to the next level. Having his dad beside him to help him learn and bring the old-school knowledge was a huge help during this process. Once the truck was done, it was time to hit as many truck shows as possible. Just like most of us, he got bored quickly, so Chad sold the truck and dabbled in the muscle car world for a bit, but he started missing trucks, so he picked up a cat eye Silverado to tinker on. Realizing he was happier without a car payment, that truck was sold, and a beater truck was his new daily so he could save money. That only lasted a couple of months before Chad found this ‘97 Chevy crew cab C-1500. It was already lowered and was a clean slate for the most part, so he knew it was a good start. A few changes were made to make it his own, and just like his past track record, he decided to sell it. This time it went to a good friend, Del Sargent, who also made some changes to make it his own. He enjoyed it for a while before Chad talked him into selling it back to him.

Once Chad had the truck back, the first thing he did was swap in a 6.0L LS with a 4L80e to get it back on the road and driving better than stock. Before the engine was installed, it was sent to Extreme Automatics in Amelia, Ohio, to get it upgraded. The bottom end was swapped for one out of an ‘08 LS. A new BTR Stage 4 cam and valve springs were installed, and a Holley intake was added. The Speed Engineering headers feed to the custom 2.5-inch Borla exhaust while the Champion aluminum radiator and dual fans keep things cool. The custom intake and tons of bead-rolled sheetmetal make the engine bay look as good as it performs now. BlueCat handled the custom computer tuning while Double D Powdercoating made sure all the accessories looked good before assembly.

We all know when projects sit, ideas come about, and things snowball quickly. The truck was disassembled for paint, so it was the perfect time to do a stock-floor bodydrop and install new Stone Fab front suspension with Air Lift 2600-lb bags, and rear Firestone F9000 bags and a parallel 4-link. It’s all controlled by an Accuair e-Level air management system, dual Viair 480C compressors, and a 5-gallon air tank. The rear end was narrowed, and Power Slot rotors were added to the front, while the braking system was swapped to hydroboost. For rollers, Chad opted for Intro Dakota wheels wrapped in Nitto NT420V tires.

With the chassis work wrapped up and after the frame was painted, it was time to get the body looking just as good. With some back and forth trying to find the right guy to handle the job, the truck wound up sitting for a bit. Chad eventually got with Nathan Johnson and Jason Gardner to completely strip the body to bare metal and add some body mods. The body line was added to the back of the cab, a full tailgate combo was also added, and the taillights were shaved. The cab lights and antenna were also shaved. Once the body was laser-straight, PPG Ocean Blue Metallic paint was sprayed, and the bed, bottom of the body, and engine bay were treated with Line-X. The body was then reassembled.

While the exterior was being worked on, Chad sent the interior to Auto Kustoms in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, to get a full makeover. The stock seats were modified by removing the headrests and armrests before they were wrapped with distressed vinyl. All other panels, including the dash, were also wrapped in matching vinyl. Blue stitching was used throughout to match the paint. A first-gen Escalade center console was added, and a slew of Kicker Audio components were installed. Dakota Digital VHX gauges and a Billet Specialties steering wheel tie it all together.

Once the truck was completed, it was time to hit the show circuit hard. For the first few shows, Chad trailered it around to keep that new car smell it had. But Chad quickly put the truck to the use it was built for—driving to shows. With a truck that GM didn’t build in a 1500 platform to be transformed into one of the most detailed versions on the road, you’d think he would be scared to drive it, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Chad has racked up around 18,000 miles on it, driving it all over the country, proving when you build it right, you can use a custom truck the same way a brand-new, stock one can be used.

Truck Specs

Owner

Chad Wheeler
1997 Chevy C1500 Crew Cab
West Union, OH
Negative Camber

ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN

2004 Chevy 6.0L V-8
Rotating assembly from ‘08 engine
BTR Stage 4 cam and valve springs
BTR valve springs
Shaved .030
Mild intake porting
Holley Sniper sheetmetal intake and Sniper 92mm throttle body
Factory LS1 injectors
Speed Engineering 1.75-inch Shorty Headers
Custom 2.5-inch exhaust
Borla mufflers
TSP 2-piece valve covers
ICT Billet accessory brackets
Sanden 508 A/C compressor
Champion aluminum radiator
Derale dual electric fans
Custom intake with S&B filter
MSD plug wires
4L80e transmission
3.73 gears
Detroit Truetrac
Engine work by Extreme Automatics, Amelia, OH
Tuned by BlueCat
Double D Powdercoating

Chassis & Suspension

Stock-floor bodydrop
C-notch
Stone Fab front control arms
Raised UCA mounts
Air Lift 2600-lb front bags
Firestone F9000 rear bags
Parallel 4-link
ThorBros watts link
Bilstein shocks
Dual Viair 480C compressors
5-gallon air tank
Accuair e-Level
3D-printed clamps for all lines
Work by Chad Wheeler

WHEELS & TIRES

22×8.5 and 22×10 Intro Dakota wheels
265/35-22 and 285/35-22 Nitto NT420V tires

BODY & PAINT

Factory GMC grille with billet inserts
Aftermarket clear headlights
Factory smooth front bumper
Body line added to back of cab
Full rear skin combo with shaved taillights
LED strip taillights
Shaved antenna hole and cab lights
Bed floor raised to clear suspension
Fully bead-rolled bed floor
Bed liner by Line-X of Southern Ohio
PPG Ocean Blue Metallic
Paint by Owner, Nathan Johnson, and Jason Gardner

INTERIOR

Modified stock seats
Distressed Buck, Whiskey, and Saddle vinyl
Blue stitching
Vinyl-wrapped dash and panels
Dakota Digital VHX gauges
Billet Specialties BLVD03 steering wheel
First-gen Escalade center console
Kenwood DMX4707 head unit
Kicker 6.5-inch KS Series components
Two 10-inch L7T shallow-mount subs
Kicker KXMA 900.5 amp
Interior by Auto Kustoms, Harrodsburg, KY