Shakedown Tour

We Did It—and It Was EPIC!

We Did It—and It Was EPIC!

THEY SAID WE WERE CRAZY. They said it would never work. A cross-country road trip with freshly built SEMA trucks and no empty trailers to save them? Were we insane? No, it actually turned out we were simply looking for a challenge that only the elite truck builders could enter. The crazy ones were the guys who committed to competing in this game show of gears and gasoline in the first place.

Building a truck cool enough to park and show off at SEMA was tough enough, but to add a 2,000-mile road trip to your task list was simply another level of loony. The Street Trucks team watched the struggle and documented it so you could keep up as well. Unfortunately, some unforeseeable factors and your basic run-of-the-mill bad luck stopped some builders dead in their tracks, but perseverance and a will to win drove the guys who did make it to the finish line.

Logistics and preparation are the key to pulling off a daunting aspiration like this one, and we had Nicole Hamilton and Chris Stafford keeping tabs on all the activities. Along with support from some amazing companies like Belltech Suspension, SCT Performance, Quicktrick Alignment, Laid Back Apparel, Midland Radio and a few others helped keep the focus on the long road ahead. It was a handful of work, but Nicole coordinated our stops along the way. Bayou Garage and Painless Wiring were integral parts of the planning process and amazing hosts when we landed at their shops during our journey.

Our official winner for the 2019 Shakedown to SEMA is an easy one to choose. Chris Stafford from Stafford’s Garage lost many nights of sleep in preparation for this challenge. Even with a useless LS engine a week before we departed, the Burley Woods Chevy C10 crew drove themselves all the way to the Las Vegas Convention Center without any major incidents. Their journey was impressive to watch and exiting to be a part of.

So, who wants to take on this challenge next year? Follow along as we take you back through the complete tour—and let us know if you’re interested in competing in 2020!

Jeffrey Eatley is the man behind the marketing at Bayou. Once he put out a call for local trucks to show their support, they came out in style. What’s better than a show and shine at night beneath the stars, right?

Our trip started in Florida with a direct path to Louisiana for our first official tour stop. This killer Ford met us at the hotel and took part in the first part of the drive. Check out our Instagram highlights to hear this rust rod rumble. It sounds amazing!

Bayou Garage has a massive service center with five giant bays, so the crew can handle anything you throw at them. The showroom is just as nice, and we can’t convey just how cool they truly are.

Stuart Daigle from Kustomz Ink Klothing showed up with his apparel trailer and sweet looking bagged Tahoe. We plan to feature this unique truck soon, so stay tuned. Check out their clothing at www.kikstore.com.

The first stop on our four-part journey was at Bayou Garage in Lafayette, Louisiana. Bayou Garage is a full-service auto repair shop with an impressive building and an amazing crew. They offer fleet services, general repairs and full custom work to anyone looking for quality mechanics. This team of wrench turners is always growing with the community of Lafayette, and they have goals to be a premier partner with the fine folks in their area. They also have a killer Youtube Channel, so go subscribe at www. youtube.com/bayougarage.

Painless has remained the leader in automotive wiring and electrical products for 30 years through engineering and innovation, not corner-cutting and imitation. What started out as a single idea about a simplified way to wire a street rod has evolved into what is today a multifaceted company with 66 employees in a modern 45,000-square-foot facility manufacturing more than 500 products for show cars, dragsters, rock crawlers and everything in between.

Two of the most iconic landmarks were part of our journey. Route 66 is a stretch of road I’ve wanted to travel my entire life, and who hasn’t heard of the continental divide? I guess those history lessons in school actually were useful after all!

As we toured this impressive facility, Andrew pointed out all the details that make this company so special. A perfect process engineered through trial and error has brought this brand to a level that’s unstoppable. It’s truly impressive to say the least!

Before we jumped back on the road, Chris and Joe did a final inspection to make sure everything was copacetic. Cody Stoute from Popeye’s Rod Shop was ready to roll too with Chris Ortego’s badass COE in tow. With no issues, we were back at it!

The third part of the trip was the most scenic to say the least. New Mexico and Arizona have some of the most amazing views as far as the eye can see. Just look at that landscape!

An in-house R&D department keeps Painless Wiring ahead of the curve, and a nearly perfect inventory management system ensures you get the right harness for your important project. We can’t recommend this company enough if you need to rewire you classic truck. We will also be doing a tech install on our project Raven C10 in the near future, so stay tuned.

The first test of this truck’s roadworthiness was finally here. The Burley Woods 1963 Chevy C10 built by Stafford’s Garage had not seen a single mile of cement before Chris Stafford and truck owner Joe Slade made the march. The time and effort these guys put into this build was going to be tested in ways most wouldn’t dare to try.

Stop number two was a fascinating one to say the least. We had the honor of receiving VIP treatment from Andrew at Painless Wiring with a behind-the-scenes tour for the whole Shakedown crew. With the trailers parked and the cameras out, it was time to see how they make magic from madness.

After a night of sleep and some much-needed grub, we hit the road for the second stretch to Las Vegas. This part of the process brought us through Louisiana and into Texas on our way to stop number two.