3-Month Thrash

For most of us, seeing cool cars and trucks as a kid can shape what kind of gearhead we will become. Whether it’s classics, customs, or exotics, we all have an early memory of seeing a vehicle drive by and we point and say, “That’s mine!” For Mario Addison, growing up in the part of Birmingham, Alabama known as Vice Hill, he had seen several “old schools”, as we know them as now, rolling around the block on a regular basis. He knew early on he had to have one of these cars when he was older.

If Mario’s name sounds familiar, you would be right. He is a decorated NFL player, and even though he played for a few teams in his 12-year career after his college days playing for Troy University, he is most recognizable for his time with the Carolina Panthers. After a dozen years of playing time, he knew it was time to retire and move back to Alabama. Even as a dominating defensive player, Mario always knew that one day he wanted to own his very own custom auto shop. Playing in the NFL for so many years allowed Mario the ability to play around with several vehicles, most of them being the old school cars he loved growing up. He has built a few full-out customs over the years, including the Monte Carlo he had back in high school, which now has a supercharged LS3 and a 5th Gen Camaro interior in it. Now that he is retired from the NFL, he has even more time to be a gearhead. Mario started his shop, Built by Yo, where he wrenches on his own rides and those of his friends too.

In the middle of 2024, Mario had a conversation with Eddy Cebreco from Auto Metal Direct. Eddy told him to come out to SEMA to check out how big the custom automotive industry is. While most of us would take that as going to visit the show as a spectator, Mario took it as a challenge to bring a vehicle to what we all know as the Superbowl of the automotive world.

Knowing he had to do something over-the-top to stand out at SEMA, Mario opted to tear into his 1982 Chevy K30. For most people, years of work go into building a vehicle for SEMA, but unfortunately Mario only had three months to decide on the look he was after, get the parts ordered, and get the truck put together. Years of training and practice in football taught him how to focus on the end result and make things happen. He got together with his shop manager, Will Davis, and set a game plan into motion.

Knowing the truck had to have a massive presence, the first thing Mario did was drop the frame for the truck off with Rob down at Plan B Fab to build a custom chassis with 16 inches of lift, a custom 4-link, and a ton of Prismatic Illusion Purple powdercoating and polished overlays. Fox 2.5 reservoir coilovers and Ruthless Fabrication triple bypass shocks were used to make it ride good, while Ruthless Fab dual steering stabilizers were used to make it steer as smooth as stock. The axles were swapped for 2017 Ford F-350 units, and the rear of the truck was converted to a dually to add even more presence. For rolling attire, 30×8.5-inch Forgiato ‘Wade’ wheels were selected and wrapped in 42×13.50-30 Fury Country Hunter tires. To make this custom chassis work stand out at night, a total of twenty-six Infinite off-road rock lights were wired in.

Once the chassis was done and the truck was transported back to Mario, it was time to get the body right. He reached out to Auto Metal Direct to get some new sheetmetal as well as all those small parts that need to be replaced on a vehicle this old, like the grille and bumpers. With the truck being a dually now, a standard fleetside bed wouldn’t work anymore. To remedy the issue, Mario picked up a custom Bradford Built flatbed. This gives the truck a totally different look. Once the body was straightened as much as possible, the Silverado silver paint was sprayed in-house. To finish off the exterior, custom boat decking was added by Wake Cumberland Watersports on the floor of the new flatbed.

Once the chassis and body were done, it was time to put a drivetrain in that would move this beast quickly down the road. To accomplish this, Mario chose a 2019 Chevy LT4 and 10L90 10-speed transmission. Knowing he still wanted more power than that, the factory supercharger was swapped out for a Gen 5 Whipple 3.0L blower. The Entropy radiator, CVF front serpentine setup, Speed Engineering headers, Walbro 525 pump in the custom fuel cell, and the Racetronix fuel pressure regulator make sure it functions right. The Speed Engineering billet valve covers make it look good. Will Davis made sure every part of the swap meshed and operated well.

You can’t build a truck of this caliber and not have a full custom interior. For that, Mario took the truck to his go-to interior shop, Ultimate Audio in Lexington, South Carolina. Shawn Arnold and his crew made quick work of this truck to make sure it would make it for its SEMA 2024 deadline. The Ultimate Audio team built a custom dash and console with a Kenwood head unit and Dakota Digital gauges to give the interior a one-off look. They also built all-new door panels that house two 6.5-inch JL Audio speakers in each door and a custom sub box stuffed with two JL Audio 10TW3 subs that fit behind the modified 5th Gen Camaro SS seats. All interior panels were wrapped in purple vinyl, while the purple carpet and purple suede starlight headliner tie it all together. The new steering wheel was a perfect match to the Forgiato wheels, and added a nice centerpiece to the interior.

Even though the short three-month timeframe would be extremely tight for most people, Mario and Will knocked it out in barely enough time. Long days and even longer nights in the shop made things work out. The truck debuted at the 2024 SEMA show and was front and center on the bridge between the Central and South Halls. The very next week, Mario had the truck, along with another one of his C10s, parked in the AMD booth at Dino’s Git Down, which was where I met up with him to take the photos seen here.

Once the truck was back home, it was time to dial in those last few details that Mario didn’t have time to do before the cross-country trip. This K30 is one of Mario’s personal favorites, and will be seen at shows all over the country. Having his own shop and over 50 personal vehicles allows him to play with a wide variety of styles and levels of builds to rotate out at various events.

OWNER

Mario Addison / Built by Yo
1982 Chevy K30
Birmingham, AL

Engine & Powertrain

2019 Chevrolet LT4
10L90 transmission
Custom engine mounts
Speed Engineering headers
Custom exhaust with Borla Pro XS mufflers
Gen 5 Whipple 3.0L
Entropy radiator
CVF front drive
Walbro 525 fuel pump
Racetronix fuel pressure regulator
Speedway Motors transmission cooler
SCS drop transfer case
Motion Raceworks catch can
Speed Engineering billet valve covers
Engine work by Will Davis

Chassis & Suspension

Custom chassis
16-inch lift
Custom 4-link
Fox 2.5 reservoir coilovers
Ruthless Fab triple bypass shocks, dual steering stabilizers, and 2017 F-350 axles front and rear
Custom fuel cell
Illusion Purple powdercoating with polished overlays
Twenty-six Infinite Offroad rock lights
Chassis and suspension by Plan B Fab

Wheel, Tires & Brakes

30×8.5-inch Forgiato ‘Wade’ wheels
42×13.50-30 Fury Country Hunter tires
Stock Ford F-350 brakes

Exterior & Paint

GM Silverado Silver paint
AMD sheetmetal, grille, and bumpers
Octane Lighting headlights
Bradford Built flatbed
Custom boat decking on bed by Wake Cumberland Watersports

Interior

5th Gen Camaro bucket seats
Custom dash
Dakota Digital gauges
Forgiato billet steering wheel
Kenwood head unit
Custom door panels with two 6.5-inch JL Audio speakers
Custom console
Two JL Audio 10TW3 subs behind seats
Starlight suede headliner
Purple vinyl and carpet
Interior and audio by Ultimate Audio, Lexington, SC