SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1541562
NO FENDERS, NO PROBLEM Derickk Peña’s Chevy Silverado Pre-Runner Story and Photos by Dan Sanchez, DS Media Showing off a luxury pre-runner with no hood or fenders is no problem for Derickk Peña, owner of Voltage & Stitch Designs in Upland, CA. The truck is part of the Terra-Crew team, and even without the hood and fenders, it showcases the truck’s fantastic workmanship, completed by two fabrication houses that collaborated with him on this particular project. The Chevy Silverado originally belonged to Izzy Mavorach, owner of Izzy Fabrication. Izzy is a friend of mine, and this was his truck from high school,” says Peña. “He had already been working on the chassis and frame for some time, and when I bought it from him, the truck was just a chassis, cab, with the suspension on it.” Peña got Izzy Fabrication to continue working on the truck, getting most of the chassis and drivetrain work completed. “Then I took the truck to R3 Fabrication in Lake Havasu, Arizona, where the last 20 percent was completed,” said Peña. “This included the plumbing and all the other small details to get it running. Then we took it to Independence Electric to wire the entire truck, and this is the truck’s current state.” While the process sounds simple, it has actually taken Peña more than four and a half years to get it to this point. “This is my third pre-runner that I’ve owned, but it’s one of the best,” added Peña. The major components of the Silverado are all from Izzy Fabrication, which specializes in 2007-2013 Chevy Silverado trucks. The major components of the truck, from the roll-cage, front and rear chassis sections, and major suspension pieces, are all from Izzy Fabrication. Up front, the custom billet J-arms are controlled by King 4.0 bypass and 3.0 coil-over shocks. This gives the front suspension 20” of travel. At the rear, the billet four-link and trailing arms also use King 4.0 bypass and 3.0 coil-overs, providing 26” of wheel travel. “It’s basically a Trophy Truck drivetrain, including the Camburg rear end with 4” housing and 36-spline axles,” says Peña. With the truck weighing around 7,000 lbs, Peña opted for a stroked 416 cubic-inch LS motor with a Magnuson supercharger, to produce 645 rear-wheel horsepower and 799 lbs.ft of torque from the latest dyno pull. Putting the power to the ground comes from a modified 4L80E automatic transmission built by Maximum Transmissions in Victorville, CA. The exhaust was custom-built by Izzy Fabrication, and a set of DVM oil coolers and radiator keeps the fluids cool and the engine under control. A Holley EFI system controls the engine and drivetrain, all visible from a 7-inch screen set inside the Fiberwekx dash. The full roll-cage, built by Izzy Fabrication, is polyurethane-coated and fits around custom door panels covered in vinyl by Peña and his team at Voltage & Stitch Designs. A set of Sparco racing seats and harnesses not only looks great in the truck, but also adds a measure of safety. Peña also got a Sparco baby seat that is not available in the US, but makes for a matching set for when he wants to take his child with him for a ride in the desert. “My dad was big into Hot Rods and Muscle Cars, so I wanted to make sure I had a clean interior in all my builds,” says Peña. “I didn’t want this to be like other pre-runner trucks with sheet metal dashes and door panels. I wanted the interior to look great and provide more comfort.” He also added a Vintage Air AC/Heater unit, as well as a Lowrance GPS System and Rugged Radio comms, all nicely placed on the dash. Additional amenities in the truck’s interior include a Rockford Fosgate sound system, a Switch Pros control panel that operates the multiple Baja Designs LED lighting systems up front and at the rear of the truck. In the center of the dash, there is a phrase that says “Too Easy” on it. This came from one of Peña’s friends who passed away from cancer. “It’s a tribute to him as we would take a good off-road trail ride together, and at the end, he would always say it was too easy.” Although the truck is show quality, Peña plans to get it very dirty and use it as a pre-runner for racing his Class 1 buggy, which he hopes to race soon in Baja. Peña and his Silverado are a prime example of the epitome of a desert off-road enthusiast, willing to go far and beyond the limits of a factory-built vehicle and into the realm of a hardcore pre-runner that looks great and performs even better. SJ