At age 30, Alan Sensing can trace the beginnings of his automotive enthusiasm back more than half his life to middle school, which was when he first began noticing custom rides. A modified '96 Ranger got him started in the hobby, but the desire for a head-turning magazine-quality custom truck got stronger every year. Currently as the body shop manager for Quality Collision in Forest Park, Georgia, Alan decided to make his dream a reality. And it happened in an instant!

Dime Piece
Owner: Seth Prestidge
Ride: '99 GMC Sonoma
Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA
Club: Acrophobic Images

Off The Beaten Path
Gold Rush Car Show is located in what's known as the City of Gold. What started out as a small car show back in the '80s, and has turned into a huge success. The show is put on once a year, during the same weekend as the Oroville, California, Feather Fiesta days (May 10th). A huge parade and many events go on at the same time. All the money raised goes to a local non-profit organization to help with the community. Everyone involved happily donates his or her time to make this an event worth coming back to. More than 250 trophies were awarded to the judges' favorite picks.

Time to head back to the dirty, dirty. It's been a couple of years since I've been down to the good ol' dirty South, but man I miss it! Many of my closest friends from out of state reside in the few states surrounding the area, and having won Show of the Year, what better excuse to go out and stretch my legs, than check out one of Mississippi's biggest and best shows?

Relaxed Atmosphere. Nothing else needs to be written, as this describes the type of show. The entire day went off without a hitch, except the mad riots that broke out when the 50-cent tacos sold out, but more on that later. From cover trucks to future cover trucks, the vehicles that lined the rows were exceptional, to say the least. The host club, Relaxed Atmosphere, is known for high quality rides; so delivering an average show just isn't in their cards. Not only were there top-quality trucks on hand, but also the host location, K&N Engineering, brought out its own array of sponsored vehicles, including full-blown dragsters and off-road trucks. Kinetic Batteries also didn't disappoint us, bringing out some impressive vehicles showcasing its products. Tons of vendors were on hand to sell clothing and hand out stickers.

Building a truck usually includes a suspension mod, whether in the form of a static-drop or with airbags, for a ground-scraping stance. When we decided to lower our '07 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab, we took the moderate approach to bring the truck closer to Earth. We contacted Belltech and told them we wanted our truck as low as possible but with a better than factory ride. We were told that this could be achieved rather easily by using Belltech suspension components. So, to bring the Colorado down a total of 5 inches in the front, Belltech's 2-inch drop ball joints were used with its 3-inch adjustable coilovers. In the rear, all that was needed was Belltech's 3-inch lowering leaf springs with a set of performance shocks-valved specifically for the Colorado.

Hard Luck Of The Month
Justin Sharadin has run into some bad luck, as of late, when it comes to his '97 Sonoma. On a rainy Saturday morning in April, he was on his his way home from a friend's house, then somehow found himself driving off the road into a field. However, that wasn't the worst part: as he tried to recover and stop the truck, out of nowhere a ditch hit his truck head on. Then, as a kick in the nuts, when he tried to get it covered the insurance company said, "Go pound sand." To sum everything up: his '97 Sonoma is totaled, Justin is looking for another insurance company, and he's searching for a new ride. Justin told us he plans on getting another S-10 or Sonoma, and he hopes to be minitruckin' again by summer.

For those who have been fortunate enough to attend West Coast runs, the past few years have been a very trying time. River runs are basically a thing of the past, even though they were always wildly popular. The Severed Ties Texas chapter decided enough was enough, and since they were already two years into their own show, Tex Mex, what better way to accomplish their dream than a change of venue? That's exactly what Severed Ties did. Tex Mex '08 proved that runs are not only still very popular, but can still work without all of the problems that surfaced in the past.

August
6th Annual Ludikrs Show
August 17
Rialto, CA
Presented by Master Image Customs, hosted by Xtreme Lowz, and produced by Ludikrs Kustomz. This will be held at the Rialto Municipal Airport in Rialto. For more information, log onto myspace.com/ludikrsshow website, or send an e-mail to ludikrsshow@hotmail.com.
NOTE - CANCELLED

Dime Rollin'
Meet Brad from Cullman, Alabama. He sent us this update on his '87 Chevy S-10. During the past year, he got it 'bagged using Slam Specialties airbags all the way around, a Street Scraper four-link kit in the back, an Air-Zenith compressor, SMC valves, and a 5-gallon tank. To spruce up the exterior, Brad threw on a set of 18-inch wheels, a Phantom grille, Street Scene mirrors, clear lights, and a roll pan. His future plans are to body-drop it, add suicide doors, and finish shaving up the body.

Keyless
Flaming River Industries introduces an OEM-based keyless electronic ignition system that delivers convenience and security for all vehicles-modern as well as street rods, muscle cars, and light trucks. The system uses a small security fob that interfaces with on-board electronic circuitry to identify the user and release the vehicle's start and accessory circuits. A lithium watch battery powers the compact, keyless fob. The security fob activates when the driver is within close proximity to the vehicle, allowing the system to power up. To start the vehicle, the driver pushes the illuminated start button, which is installed wherever convenient. In event of loss of battery power in the starter fob, simply place the fob adjacent to the starter button, then microwave codes from the card will activate the system and allow it to start the vehicle. Walking away from the vehicle shuts off the ignition. For more information, call (800) 648-8022, or visit flamingriver.com.

A few months ago, my wife Sandi told me that she wanted to go to the Paso Robles show that had recently been moved to Santa Maria. She has attended this show for the last three years, so it really came as no surprise. We have a '69 Chevelle station wagon that is used for a daily driver, but it isn't a show-worthy piece by any means. It needed an overhaul if it was going to be seen by the "kustom kar kulture."

MT Graffiti

Things are finally starting to calm down as I settle into the new Associate Editor position. The time has come for me to start on the journey of writing my very own column, so welcome to "The Grind." Since this is my first column here at MT, I figure I might as well introduce myself. A couple months ago, Editor Mike Alexander somewhat introduced me as he said goodbye to Ernie Macias in the July Issue of MT, but I'm sure you would like to know more about who I am and what I am about.

Hello, and welcome to the very first edition of The Hot Seat. Each month, we are going to take a person that has been a vital part, a mentor, or made some significant impact on the scene, then expose him or her, and make them blush for your reading enjoyment. So sit back, light a match, do a courtesy flush, and enjoy this month's installment of The Hot Seat with the President of Low Rollers and Show Promoter of End of Summer Bash, Phil Fowler.

Those people who have been in the scene for a number of years remember attending single-day events on a regular basis. Back then, that's what a majority of the shows were like, but these days having a one-day event usually means a minor event with limited attendance. However, Corey Hingle has successfully shot that notion out of the water by holding one of the most insane events of 2007: Big Easy Motorfest 4.

Ah, the great state of Iowa. Known for its great, um ... corn? Well, they have great professional sports teams. In fact, I can't think of anything interesting in Iowa, except for Cody Paulus' '89 Mazda. Putting the King of Pop to shame, Cody has reworked this dawg four different times with three different 'bag setups since high school.

Every time a show changes location, show goers are a little apprehensive about how good the show is going to be. Well, if you are one of the people who stayed home, you missed out big time. With more than 500 vehicles in show and more than 4,500 spectators walking through the gates, Gator Drag was still one of the biggest shows of the South. There was an amazing amount of participants; considering there was a competing show only a few miles away.

Hard Luck Of The Month
Leon Stollings of Palm Coast, Florida learned the importance of checking his work-the hard way. He installed new 'bags and air lines in the front of his Dakota. When he was done, he jumped into his truck to roll it out of the garage and wash it. Well, he soon found out that he forgot to check one thing: his brakes. Leon must have removed the brake lines from the calipers when changing out the 'bags and forgot to bleed them upon reinstallation. So, when he was backing out and found that he had no brakes, it was too late to do anything-except hit a dirt hillside in order to stop before rolling into traffic. And for that, we are sure that Leon will never forget to bleed his brakes again.

This month, we present a bevy of hot new suspensions and components designed for most any minitruck. Every product featured is built with the utmost quality by a reputable company. In addition to the suspension kits, we also included some popular aftermarket accessories that will complement any suspension setup. Enough said. Enjoy the guide!

Brian "Izzy" Crane is an eager minitrucker, who got into this pastime to do more than party and play. For the most part, Izzy was a typical young minitrucker. He was the sort of enthusiast who couldn't wait to get to a show, set up his ride, and help others, so he could begin to soak up anything and everything about building custom rides. What we learned, however, was Izzy was mature far beyond his age.

Toyota Power From The Pros
LC Engineering is proud to announce the release of a new budget turbo kit for the 22R/RE motor. They used the Steedspeed CNC-machined manifold as a foundation, then added a custom-spec T3/T4 ball-bearing turbocharger, Tial wastegate, stainless steel downpipe, and all of the supporting hardware, like oil feed and drain hoses, fittings, silicone connectors, and piping to the throttle body. The manifold was coated with a 1,200-degree graphite gray ceramic coating, and the downpipe and wastegate blow-down tube were both coated with 1,200-degree shiny silver ceramic. This kit is best suited for use with out LCE Pro fuel injection kits and aftermarket injectors. Kits are offered in either high- or low-boost applications, depending on your needs. For more information, call (877) 505-2503, or check out lcengineering.com