People find their inspirations for a build from many places, but I've never heard anyone say they got their inspiration from a television commercial. Jamie Cutler is that guy. After watching a commercial for a Pontiac G6 and seeing the incredibly awesome sunroof, he knew he had to have one, and his Ford Ranger Splash was the perfect candidate for a transplant.
When you first see Jamie's truck, you'll notice many things about it. You'll notice it's slammed, and that it's clean, but then you'll notice the roof. This is definitely a point were Jamie has most people beat. Unless you're cruising with a topless Pamela Anderson sticking out of your rag top, you're not going to get more attention than Jamie's roof. Getting the sunroof, however, wasn't all that easy. "After watching the new G6 commercial, I first made sure one would fit, then called a ton of dealerships; they weren't willing to sell one," said Jamie. At this point, most people would have given up, and figured it was too good to be true, but not Jamie. "I talked to my buddy, Shawn, who worked at a dealership. He made some calls and got hung up on because they didn't want to see it used on a custom vehicle. So, he fabricated a story about a body shop that needed one because a tree had fallen on a G6," explained Jamie. It sounded easy enough, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Somebody at Pontiac thought they were smarter than that, so they asked for a VIN number to match the story. Fortunately for Jamie, Shawn simply walked into the showroom and snagged one off of a showroom car and the problem was solved.
We wonderderd, was it worth all of the trouble? "Absolutely, the worst headaches came from the loss of money due to some shop not coming through on body-dropping the truck for me, and instead, running off with my money," said Jamie. The best part for Jamie would be cruising the truck after five years of building it. There's no better way to represent for his club, Cali-Style, than this. Let's just hope the CEO from Pontiac isn't reading this, because remember, nobody likes a fibber.
THE LOWDOWN
Rolling Attire
Wheels (Front/Rear): 18-inch Niche F-16's
Backspace (Front/Rear): +45
Tires (Front/Rear): 215/35R18 Kumho
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Air
Front suspension: 3-inch dropped I-beams with custom bag mounts
Rear suspension: Reverse triangulated four-link
Airbag/cylinder type and size: (Front): 2,600
(Rear): 9,000 sleave 'bags
Control arms: 3-inch dropped, Belltech I-beams
Shocks: Toxic
Valves: Manifold block
Compressors: Two Thomas compressors
Air line: All steel braided
Air accessories: Dakota Digital gaugesFrame mods: Rear notch
Performed by: Scott Carls
City/state: Laurel, Maryland
Body Modifications
Shaved: Emblems, door handles, cowl, antenna, third brake light, roof seams, back of cab, taillights, and tailgate handle
Body-dropped: 4-1/2 inches by Paul Davis from Arbutus, Maryland
Front end: 3-inch cowl hood by Cervinis
Back end: Custom-steel roll pan
Taillights: Chevy Monte Carlo third brake lights were mounted vertically
Misc.: '05 Pontiac G6 four glass panel power sunroof, rear lexan window with license-plate box
Performed by: Jordan Cramer and Jaime Cutler
City/state: Bowie, Maryland
Paint
Brand and colors: DuPont Electric Blue Pearl
Performed by: Dave Parsons
City/state: Crofton, Maryland
Interior
Seats: Mazda Miata
Material: Blue and silver tweed
Dash: Shaved and reformed, blue and silver tweed
Door panels: Blue and silver tweed
Center console: Custom fiberglass, painted to match exterior
Flooring: Silver tweed
Headliner: Blue tweed
Performed by: Jamie Cutler
City/state: Jessup, Maryland
Stereo
Head unit: JVC KD-AV7010
Mids and highs: 6x9 inch two-way speakers in the doors
Video: 7-inch touch-screen panel
Custom fabrication: Custom fiberglass speaker box, painted to match the exterior
Performed by: Jaime Cutler
City/state: Jessup, Maryland
Engine/Performance
Intake: Cold air intake, BBK throttle body
Header/exhaust: Pace Setter
Battery: Optima yellowtop
Location: Bed
Inner fenders: Molded trailer fenders
Detail work: Smoothed and painted firewall, powdercoated block
Misc.: Powdercoated valve covers, brackets, intake, oil pan
Powdercoating: AFI Powder Coating, Laurel, Maryland
Bodywork on firewall: Mary Reese, from Pasadena, Maryland
Painted engine bay: Steve Smith, Arnold, Maryland
Special Thanks (from owner):
To my wife Keri, for her support during the build and understanding all of the long hours spent working on the truck. To my daughter Kerstin, for being my sidekick and my biggest critic, Jordan Marty, Steve, Mickey, Matt, Ronnie for all of the time spent turning wrenches and laying mud. Also, to the rest of the Cali-Style crew for motivation, Shawn for tracking down all of the parts for the sunroof, and anyone who had a part in helping to build my truck.