Mike Self August 25, 2023 Buyer’s Guides
Defiance is often looked upon with disdain from those who don’t quite fully understand that it’s just how some people work—no offense intended. Rules are merely suggestions for those who just can’t fall in line, and the conventions of the mainstream are to be avoided at all costs. We think the social media crowd calls this “disrupting,” depending on the context, of course.
When it comes to building trucks that are out of the norm, Defiant Motorsports seems to fit every variation of this description. Shop owner Graham Adams and his mighty crew can build anything under the sun from mild to wild, but it’s the latter that really gets their excitement going, almost as much as the weekly paycheck! You have to have the thirst, the drive, and the attitude that nothing can stop you—as long as you put in the work—to be able to churn out a Defiant ride.
The latest to roll out of the shop is this amazing ’64 C60. Built as a shop hauler, it’s already attracting more attention than many of the rides it’s meant to carry! When aired up, the rig almost looks like it could have always looked this way, but once you get to staring (which can’t be helped), the differences between this and any other C60 before it become more obvious. Getting the truck to this stage has taken 1.5 years to date, with the majority of the work going into the chassis and drivetrain.
The foundation of the truck is the fully reinforced and modified custom frame, which was upgraded with an independent front suspension and air ride all around. And as tempting as it would have been to bolt on some shiny aluminum wheels, you just can’t beat the look of the original 22.5-inch wheels. Well, almost, because the custom-adapted 10-lug center caps sure do add the perfect finishing touch to the rolling stock, which also include Toyo M122 commercial duty tires.
Power-wise, it just made sense to go with a torque-heavy diesel, so a heavily upgraded 5.9L Cummins was mated to an Allison 6-speed by using a Destroked adapter kit and standalone harness for an easy, plug-n-play solution. And since the C60 was meant to hit some long-distance shows (such as Lone Star Throwdown), it was equipped with a 45-gallon aluminum fuel cell to cut down on extra stops along the way.
The foundation of the truck is the fully reinforced and modified custom frame, which was upgraded with an independent front suspension and air ride all around.
And, of course, the most important part of any long-distance hauler—the interior—had to be up to snuff in order to stay safe and comfortable at all times. To that end, a custom leather-wrapped bench seat from Snowden was a logical choice, with a Billet Specialties steering wheel sitting just before the Intellitronix instrumentation and providing full control of the truck. Finally, a custom center console was fabricated to house the A/C controls, shift lever, and air-ride switches.
“…the custom-adapted 10-lug center caps sure do add the perfect finishing touch to the rolling stock, which also include Toyo M122 commercial duty tires.”
With the guys just finishing the truck, it has already seen plenty of duty, both near and far from the shop’s Monroe, Georgia, home base. Whether it’s rolling solo or with the loaded ex-NASCAR sleeper trailer in tow, this thing is bad in all the best ways. So what’s the lesson here? It’s good to be Defiant!
Graham Adams/Defiant Motorsports
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