You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a
First Impression
Written by John O'Neil
Photos by John O'Neil
Usually when you see a truck that is perfectly
laid out, shaved and packed with a ton of
mods you automatically assume that it was
done by a well known shop with at least a
decade of experience under its belt. After all,
there aren't too many green fabricators that
can bust out a complete custom vehicle in a
matter of a few years that absolutely knocks
everyone back on their heels. Well, let me
introduce you to 21-year-old Robbie Azevedo
of Pacific Coast Customs, who reeks of green
- money that is - that will floor you with his
abilities, imagination and creativity. Growing
up around cars is something that a ton of us
can relate to, but then there're those kids that
are lucky enough to literally grow up around
cars. Robbie's father has owned a wrecking
yard for many years, which not only served as
a playground for Robbie and his brother, but
also a treasure chest of ideas to pull from. His
latest creation is one that he and his father
had talked about for years. First, let's get
some common misconceptions out of the way.
This is not a chopped SSR, and it's not, God
forbid, a PT Cruiser; while that may sound
stupid, our 21-year-old role model has heard
those accusations several times. That brings
up a decent question, though, why can't you
immediately place this vehicle like you can
with most period pieces? The answer is pretty
simple: 'cause Robbie didn't want you to. The
project started with a '48 Chevy panel truck, a
body style that his father had collected over
the years. It was completely ripped apart and
the stock frame was sent back out to the junk
pile. An S-10 frame was pulled in along with a
rear end and a KP Components 4-link. The
4-link was bolted into place along with a set of
Slam Specialties 'bags out back, and a set of
Air Ride Technologies CoolRide control arms
was used up front. Once the chassis was
rolling on Budnik 20 and 22-inch wheels,
Robbie took the time to completely smooth the
frame and everything attached to it. Between
the front frame rails an all-aluminum LS1 was
mounted and topped with a polished
MagnaCharger, which is pulled with a one-off
belt drive by Street & Performance. Once the
block was mounted, it was dressed up using
one-off PCC valve covers by Street &
Performance, a custom PCC air cleaner and a
slew of billet. A custom set of headers was
bent and mated to 2.5-inch Flowmaster pipes
and two 50-series Flowmaster mufflers. When
it came time to place the '48 shell over the
frame rails, Robbie had plenty of ideas rolling
around his head. The first on the long list of
body mods was to chop the top off and
section the entire length of the truck in the
rear quarter panels. After shaving the whole
backside, the rear was pie wedged 3.5 inches
and the rear fenders were sectioned and
raised. Up front the fenders received the
same treatment and were stuffed with a set of
Mini Cooper headlights. To compensate for
the chop, glass from a '54 Chevy was sunk
into the firewall and the entire hood line was
re-created. The five factory grille bars were
thrown out and a new grille was created to
match the highly modified lower bumper from
a '54 Bel Air. Once the body had finally taken
shape it was body-dropped 2.5 inches over
the frame rails, laying the sectioned running
boards flat on the ground. In order to visualize
a paint scheme for the truck, Robbie turned to
Joe Iacono who helped put his art direction
into a digital rendering. Once the paint had
been laid out digitally it was time to put the
real deal into motion. Creative Images in Lodi,
California, sprayed the entire truck with
Dupont Hot Hues Alabaster, then taped off the
graphic separation and laid down Hot Hues
Tango. The bumpers and grille were shot with
Hot Hues Psycho Silver, and then John Neal
came through using a custom mix of Hot Hues
green and striped the truck from head to tail.
The interior is a mix of metal work, paint and a
whole lot of classic hot rod influence with a
little technology twist. A set of Nissan Altima
bucket seats was reskinned by Dan Most with
alabaster leather and dyed alligator inserts.
The leather was carried over the door panels,
kick panels and floor as well with alligator
accents throughout the cockpit. In the center
console sits a Castle-Tek PC unit that helps
control the DVD navigation as well as the
impressive stereo setup throughout the cab
and rear compartment. Five Kicker amps
totaling 5,000 watts reside in the rear
compartment with three pairs of mid-bass
speakers floating over them. Behind each of
the Nissan seats is a 12-inch L7 Kicker sub
which sandwich a 15-inch L7 sub. To finish it
off a set of component speakers were
installed in the kick panels as well as the
motorized rear compartment lid. In the two
years that it took Robbie to build this
incredible vehicle he has accomplished more
than just creating another show truck. He has
without a doubt placed his mark on the custom
map and, if this is the level of workmanship
that we can expect from Pacific Coast
Customs, then we'll look forward to every
future mark that Robbie leaves.
