OWNER: Travis "Shady" Shade
RIDE: '99 Chevy Blazer
LOCATION: Manchester, Maryland
CLUB: No Regrets
We all know being a minitrucker takes a lot of dedication. You need to be a hardcore enthusiast to build a truck and drive it, but Travis Shade from Maryland, showed us that you need to be really hardcore to be an East-Coast dragger. "I had an '88 S-10 that I got a ticket for. It wasn't fun, but I was able to get it signed off," said Travis. You see, in the state of Maryland, if you get popped for a modified vehicle, you have to take it through inspection in order to get the ticket signed off. And Travis would know, he had one before. Sounds like a big hassle, doesn't it?
Regardless of all that nonsense, Shady, as he's called by his friends, has continued to build himself a really nice ride. Shady has worked on his '99 Chevy Blazer every winter since he purchased it in 2000. Like many guys, his Blazer has seen quite a few changes. It's been blue with graphics, it's been static dropped, it's been partially 'bagged, and recently it's been body-dropped. But it's always changing. It's Shady's nature to mess with stuff to pass the winter months.
Shady has been working with cars since he was a kid. He started by building model cars, but once he got a real car, it only got worse. Shady believes that with the support of friends and family, anything is possible. "My biggest fan was my dad. He was also my biggest inspiration. He passed away in 2004, but no matter how much he thought I was wasting my money on stuff at first, he soon realized I loved doing what I was doing. He would always tell people, 'You have to see what Travis built,'" Shady told us.
While a lot of other people will concentrate on one thing at a time, Shady jumps all over the place. "I like to multi-task, so while the filler is drying, I'll fiberglass something or weld on something else. I'll be all over the place," he confided.
Shady built most of the truck himself, over the winter months. We asked, if he had any regrets about this build, and if so, would he do anything different? "Nothing. Not at all; despite the long nights and hundreds of dollars in kerosene to heat the garage, it was all worth it," he insisted. We think that's a good attitude to have and hope he remembers that the next time the fuzz pulls him over.
THE LOWDOWN
Rolling Attire
Wheels (Front/Rear): 20x8.5 Boss 301
Tires (Front/Rear): 245/35r20 Sumitomo
Chassis Modifications
Suspension Type: Air
Front Suspension: 'Bags And Spindles
Rear Suspension: Suicidedoors.Com Four-Link
Airbag/Cylinder Type And Size(Front/Rear): Airlift Gen-2 2500
Control Arms: Pie-Cut The Stock Uppers, Notched The Lowers
Spindles/Springs: Belltech 2-Inch Lowered Spindles
Valves: E-Air Valves
Compressor(S): Viair 450
Air/Hydro Accessories: Two 5-Gallon Tanks
Frame Mods: 8-Inch Suicidedoors.Com Blazer Notch
Frame Material: 3/16-Inch Plate
Brakes: Removed Abs System, Installed 8-Inch Dualdiaphragm Booster
Performed By: Travis "Shady" Shade
City/State: Manchester, Maryland
Body Modifications
Shaved: Door Handles, Roof Rack, Third Brake Light, Tailgate Keyhole
Body-Dropped: Traditional 4-3/4 Inches
Back End: S-10 Lower Bed Corners And Roll Pan To Smooth Out The Rear
Exterior Bolt-Ons: Ram Air II Hood With Molded Top For Intake Clearance
Misc.: The Rear End Is All S-10 Truck Metal From The Roll Pan To The Corners
Performed By: Travis "Shady" Shade
City/State: Manchester, Maryland
Paint
Brand And Colors: PPG Sunset Pearlescent From The '06 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Style: Solid
Performed By: Hampstead Auto Body
City/State: Manchester, Maryland
Interior
Seats: Wrapped In Tweed
Material: Gray Tweed With Suede Inserts By DMA Upholstery
Dash: Fiberglassed And Painted To Match The Outside
Door Panels: Fiberglassed And Painted
Flooring: Tweed
Headliner: Wrapped In Gray Tweed
Gauges: Blue Carbon Fiber Overlay
Misc.: Fiberglassed Rear Panels For Speakers
Performed By: Travis "Shady" Shade
City/State: Manchester, Maryland
Stereo
Head Unit: Panasonic
Mids And Highs: Audiobahn
Amplifier For Mids And Highs: Audiobahn 6004
Subwoofers: Audibahn Alum 10-Inch
Amplifier For Subwoofers: Audiobahn 1500HCT
Video: Fahrenheit 7-Inch Screens, Myron And Davis DVD Player
Custom Fabrication: Dash, Doors, Sub Box And Rear Panels All Painted
Performed By: Travis "Shady" Shade
City/State: Manchester, Maryland
Special Thanks (from owner):
Thanks to Hampstead Auto Body, www.getbored.biz, Brent for saying "Just body-drop it," everyone who helped out with an idea for something, and good ol' mom for use of the garage.