2001 GMC Sierra

Most truck owners strive to build a hot ride that they can roll around in. Those dreams usually include a certain amount of modifications or colors, the right stance, killer wheels, and maybe the ability to nab a trophy or two at the local shows. For Edgardo "Eddy" Diaz, enjoying the hobby and getting his truck in a magazine were his motivating desires. After beginning-and not completing-another truck, Eddy knew he had to step up his game if he was going to fulfill his fantasy of a magazine-worthy feature article. Hence, this '01 fully flaked GMC.

After the previous truck did not get anywhere near completion, Eddy sold it and used the money to purchase a new vehicle for his wife, Meisy. But, in a twist that would alter their next couple of years together, Meisy handed Eddy the keys to the '01 GMC-it was her truck! With Meisy happily driving her new car, Eddy was free to tear headlong into a fresh truck project. After blowing apart the factory suspension, Belltech 2-inch drop spindles were matched by Firestone 2600 airbags up front, and then a two-link replaced the leaf springs out back. After fitting another pair of Firestone 'bags over the rear axle with a bridge notch, David Rojas plumbed the system with copper airline and 1/2-inch valves. Twenty-two-inch VCT Capone wheels and low-profile Kumho rubber were bolted onto each corner with detailed and painted stock brakes peering through. A barely touched 4.3L V-6 pushes the low-slung truck down the road.

Eddy knew darn well that a stock body wasn't going to get far in a custom truck magazine, so he dropped his GMC off with Alex Tamez from Big Boy Rides in Houston, Texas. Alex set out to clean up the truck's lines by shaving the door handles, tailgate handle, and adding a roll pan to the rear in place of the bumper. An '03 front bumper and grille were swapped on and filled with polished billet grilles, both top and bottom. The plain GM-applied exterior color wasn't suitable, so colors from PPG's Vibrance Collection were chosen in O-So-Orange, Aquamarine, and Key Lime. Coupland Signs in La Porte, Texas, did the final airbrushing of the swoops, which are filled with reptilian scales and sinister eyes that stare down the competition. The stock taillights and third brake light were painted over to blend with the scheme and a billet antenna finished the array.

The '01 grille and bumper were tossed aside for their '03 counterparts, then stuffed with shiny billet grilles.

Alligator hide slithers and slathers itself across the interior in the dark company of black carpet and a custom-painted dash.

After finishing the re-coloring of the GMC's skin, Coupland Signs airbrushed plenty of details over the new hue, and then they slid some 'gator scales and beady eyes in there for good measure.