Tony Galnares’ 2019 Chevy Silverado SWB

TONY is no stranger to the custom truck scene.  It all started when he was a little kid, when the local truck guys invited him to hang out with them at the neighborhood Sonic Drive-In.

As Tony grew older, the truck scene got bigger and better. Coming from the state of Texas where the truck game is at its full speed, he knew he had to have his own custom truck one day.  Tony found a job in Alabama that he could not pass up, but this took him away from his Texas truck scene.  He kept going to shows both locally and out of state and checking out the latest truck trends. One great local show he went to was Battle in Bama in Mobile, Alabama. That’s where he met Erick from the Team Billet Truck Club in Houston. Erick soon became one of Tony’s best friends and a mentor in the truck scene. Tony enjoyed hanging out with everyone from the Texas chapter of Team Billet because of how humble and easy to get along they were, especially when he could relate to their Texas truck scene.

As the years went by, Tony was finally ready to build a custom truck, but he wasn’t sure what year or model to begin this journey with. When talking to his brother Carlos, he told him, “You know what? The time has come! We need to start building trucks for the both of us soon.”

Seeing his truck was an unbelievable experience and it was proof that his dreams had come to life!

Since Scrapin’ the Coast in Biloxi, Mississippi, was coming up, they both made plans to head down and check out the truck show. With the show only about 45 minutes from where Tony lived, he made plans to meet with his good friend Sean Randall. Tony had been talking to Sean about the shop that built his bodydropped Chevy—Phat Phabz. Since Phat Phabz was going to be at the show, Sean could introduce him to Jake McKiddie, the owner.

When they finally made it to Scrapin’, the first thing they did was to go meet Jake. It did not take long for Tony and Jake to start making plans for his project to be built at his shop. This is when the mic dropped. Tony told him that the truck he wanted built was a brand-new Chevy 2019 single cab and his brother’s truck would be a 2019 GMC Sierra single cab.  Jake was ecstatic at this idea because the single cabs at the time had not been brought state side yet. Tony wanted a 2019 Chevy single cab bodydropped on 28-inch Intro wheels, and Carlos wanted his done up the same way. Jake was the perfect guy for this task.

Soon after the show, Tony went to his local Chevrolet dealership, and after a long talk and a lot of phone calls, he was finally able to order a single cab. He could not wait to surprise Jake with a text of him standing next to his brand-new Chevy Silverado. Jake was excited to hear about Tony’s news, and the two made plans to get the truck to his shop as soon as possible. What Tony did not know was that Jake had a surprise up his own sleeve for Tony.  His truck was picked to showcase at the 2019 SEMA show.

During the time while his truck was being transformed, Tony was able to build some good friendships with the members of Team Billet. After a few meetings with the club, Tony found he would also be a Team Billet club member and represent them with his truck at SEMA.

The time had come for Tony to see his truck in person three months later at the 2019 SEMA show. Seeing his truck was an unbelievable experience and it was proof that his dreams had come to life! He had many emotions going through his head, knowing he was the only one in the world to own a Chevy Silverado single cab truck laying rocker like the one sitting in front of him.

Tony would like to thank everyone who made this build possible—first and foremost his wife and family for their unconditional support. Also, to his brother for joining him in this adventure. Last but not least, to all his Team Billet members for their welcoming and support from all over the country.

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TRUCK SPECS

 Engine & Drivetrain

• 4.3L Ecotec3 V-6
• Custom cat-back exhaust by 405 Muffler in OKC
• 6-speed automatic transmission

Chassis & Suspension

• Full Phat Phabz chassis,
• Powdercoated gloss black and silver by Affordable Coating Solutions
• 2500-lb air bags from Lowrider Depot
• Accuair 5-gallon CVT e-Level
• Fox Racing front and rear shocks
• Parallel 4-link
• Narrowed rear axle with machine work through Moser Engineering

Wheels & Tires

• Intro 331s  28×9 (f), 28×12(r)
• Lionhart 262/25/28 (f), 325/35/28 (r)

Body & Paint

• Raised bed floor
• Color-matched bumpers
• Rear bumper “hitch notch” and rear steps shaved
• Shaved fuel door
• All chrome brushed and rose gold candy
• All paint work by Myers Bodyworks in Moore, OK

Interior & Stereo

• Black carpet by Curt’s Creations
• Stock touchscreen stereo

 

Photos by Grant Cox