Everyone's got a day job that they grind away at Monday through Friday. And if you're in retail, then you're probably working the weekends, too. So why would anyone want a second job? The answer to that is simple, money. Most people would probably take on more work for a little extra cash and bigger tax write-off if it were something fun to do.
Forty-one year old Rick Bottom of Mendota, Illinois had it figured out six years ago when he did his first custom truck for Alcoa Wheels. Rick took that truck to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. SEMA is a company that helps manufacturers like Alcoa Wheels promote themselves. Every year, around Thanksgiving time, hundreds of manufacturers display their products in Las Vegas for the big event. It's just like the electronics show, CES, except the theme of the show is focused on automotive parts such as wheels, tires, performance accesories, interior parts and more.
The first Dodge truck Rick built for Alcoa was so successful that he has been asked to show his work six consecutive years in their booth. It was this first truck that also enabled him to build a small business catered to customizing automobiles.
Rick's 8 to 5 job is concrete. Whether its a basement, driveway, or wall, this concrete specialist builds just about anything you could possibly dream concrete could be used for. This was a job he started when he was 16 years old. Although he loved what he was doing he knew his real passion was for fixing up trucks. It is a passion that carried over to recent years enabling him to start Custom Motorsports.
Central Illinois isn't exactly the hotbed of truck customizers, but according to Rick there's no need to relocate. "One guy told me I need to move to Orange County (California). I asked him, 'Why would I want to do that?' Heck, if I move there, then I'm just another guy doing trucks. Here, at least I'm semi-famous," Rick says with a big grin.
This year's truck creation is a 2000 Ford F-350 double cab dually. Not only is that a lot to say in one sentence, it's a massive, long truck. Ford officially lists the truck as 262 inches; that's darned near 22 feet long. Try making a U-turn in that, it's nearly three lanes across all by itself.
When Rick got the truck, the first thing he did was strip it completely. Everything came out or off. The object was to change the color and the only way to do it right is to go to such extremes. The paint work was completed by Tony Espinoza, who is part of the Custom Motorsports crew. Though the Mandarin Copper paint appears to be a custom color, it is actually a shade available on the 2001 Ford Rangers. Highlighting the paint are Raspberry Flames burning over the front and running down the sides. It's all very eye-catching, especially when you don't see something like this everyday.
Speaking of uncommon modifications. The truck went through a 13-inch suspension drop. This is a long way, but according to Rick, the truck rides like a Lincoln. "So many other guys create vehicles that only get trailered or they're just plain no good to drive. Custom Motorsports always makes a truck that you could drive anywhere and love every minute," Rick says.
To accomplish the task, airbags were placed on all four corners to support the suspension and allow for a full 8-inches of adjustment. Dual compressors and dual tanks make it work.
Out front, the billet grill combined with the custom bumper (a modified standard F-Series steel bumper) really create a "power mouth" visual. The truck lives up to that "power mouth" visual with a Kenny Bell Supercharger mounted atop the big V10 engine. The factory hood was swapped for a more attractive and functional fiberglass/carbon fiber hood by Pro Finish. Pushing the truck's 7000 pounds is a Gear Vendors overdrive unit that puts another final drive at the end of the factory drive, yielding eight forward gears. The result is a truck that can hit 91 miles per hour in the quarter mile.