The guys at Lingenfelter Performance Engineering have made incredible progress in the past 48 hours, but they've also moved into the most time intensive part of the builds: custom-made rear racks for the back of the trucks. For the Hot Rod magazine truck, a rack is being built to mount a CRAFTSMAN toolbox. The rack will allow it to be tucked up against the front of the bed for driving and to keep most of the bed free for storage. The box will slide on a track to the tailgate for easy access to all of your tools at the race track or wherever you'll need them. We can see ourselves using this toolbox in the shop as well!
The Diesel Power magazine truck is getting an even more intricate bed rack. It will incorporate two CRAFTSMAN boxes - one on each side - and a pair of LCD TVs. And the entire assembly will raise and lower with the press of a button!
Both trucks were also fitted with new shoes. The Hot Rod truck has been lowered with a Western Chassis 2/5-inch drop and Black American Racing 22-inch wheels were wrapped with General Grabber UHP 305/40R22s all the way around. These look awesome, the 5-spoke wheel design has a hot rod flavor and the tires will provide great grip in all weather.
The Diesel Power truck went in the opposite direction with a 6.5-inch BDS suspension lift. It's also wearing General tires, but these are 35x12.50R17LT Grabbers for off-road traction while maintaining on-road manners. The wheels for this truck are Weld Racing wheels.
The Hot Rod truck also received a splash of good-looking appearance items from Street Scene. A front bumper cover was painted to match the truck and a set of Street Scenes grill inserts were installed for a performance look.
While we continue the thrash to complete these trucks, we want you to get involved by going to the CRAFTSMAN Facebook page to vote for the truck that's your favorite. Play the memory challenge game as part of the CRAFTSMAN Ultimate Truck Buildout Sweepstakes each day through November 4 and enter to win a $50 CRAFTSMAN gift cards as well as CRAFTSMAN 53-piece Mechanics Tool Sets.
The Hot Rod magazine truck came back from Graphik Concepts over the weekend with its CRAFTSMAN logo and graphics. The team at Lingenfelter wasted no time in installing the Street Scenes bumper cover and grill inserts to give the truck a clean, sporty look in the front.
The foundation for the bed of the Hot Rod truck is a Bed Tred from Bed Rug. This is a 5-piece kit that installs with hook and loop fasteners, providing a non-skid surface. It's a 1/4 inch thick with a layer of waterproof closed-cell foam to protect the bed from moisture and abrasive.
The Lingenfelter crew is building a hydraulic rack for the bed of the Diesel Power truck which will hold two CRAFTSMAN toolboxes and a pair of LCD TVs. Now we'll be able to keep up with the race on TV while wrenching on our cars!
The tires for the Diesel Power Truck are General Grabbers mounted on Weld Racing wheels. The Grabbers measure 35x12.50 for a nice boost in ride height, but still allow us to tow. Between these big meats and a 6.5-inch lift, this truck definitely sits right.
At the opposite end of the style spectrum, the Hot Rod truck received 22-inch American Racing wheels with General Grabber UHP 305/40R22 tires. The drop on the truck is advertised as a 2/5-inch drop, but we think it lowered it a bit more. It's a ride height that helps the appearance, but retains the ride quality and utility of the truck.