Check out our coverage from the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show!

SEMA 2023: 1956 Ford F600 Crew Cab KINGPIN by Classic Car Studio

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Some artists work with clay, oil, acrylic, and others with wood. At Classic Car Studio in Brentwood, Missouri they employ a team of artists who work in sheet metal. Using welders, cutters, grinders and similar tools, they transform ordinary cars into custom creations that defy expectations.

There were so many people crowded around Classic Car Studio’s 1956 Ford F600 crew cab pickup at the 2023 SEMA Show that I could barely get any pictures of the truck! Nicknamed “Kingpin” the truck is a full custom build by CCS.
The original cab was cut and extended into a crew cab with suicide rear doors. In the build videos on YouTube, you can see the crew fabricating the sheet metal for the roof, cab and other panels using bead rollers and body hammers, using time-honored techniques. Every panel on the truck from the front bumper to rear bumper has been massaged in some way, from the custom roll pan to the hand-formed fender flares.

The chassis is all custom built in house, with the exception of the Porterbuilt front subframe. It includes AirLift bags with AccuAir air management.

Under the hood is a 24V Cummins diesel engine from D&J Precision Machine, coupled to a Firepunk 48RE transmission and a custom GM 14-bolt differential with 3.42 gears.

While trucks aren’t typically known for comfort, KINGPIN is a very comfortable place to be. The custom-stitched interior uses Relicate leather for the seats and interior pieces. Behind everything, SoundSkins dampening cuts down on road noise.

Driver amenities include a Sparc Industries steering wheel and a full complement of Dakota Digital gauges. The electrical for the truck was completely redone with a Highway 22 Plus universal wiring system from American Autowire.

The exterior is finished in BASF Glasurit “Area 51” blue, which was originally offered on the current generation of F150 pickup. I like that they went with an OEM Ford color for the ’56, even though it’s not a color from the era.

There are so many custom touches on this truck, it’s hard to count them all. My favorite thing about the truck is the unique shape of the wood in the truck bed. I’ve truly never seen another custom truck like this before, and it really showcases the kind of creativity that CCS is capable of.

The fabrication shown in their videos is top notch, and really stands out, even among a sea of other amazing cars and trucks at SEMA. I can’t wait to see what Classic Car Studio comes up with next!

SEMA 2023: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro ARDUOUS by Tyler Nelson

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Based on how many amazing cars are at the SEMA Show, you might think that restoring a classic car is easy. Just order the parts and put it together! But the truth is that when it comes to parts and labor, it costs a lot to get quality work. If you ask Tyler Nelson of Revision Rods & Rides, he might say that building a car is an arduous process.

His 1968 Chevrolet Camaro is nicknamed “Arduous,” which is defined as: involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring. I think that is an accurate description of the work that goes into building a top-tier car for SEMA.

With any project, there are always unforseen problems and challenges. Parts don’t fit, dealing with back orders and shipping delays, things break during removal and installation, and introducing custom-made parts adds a whole world of new challenges. Such is the case with this 1968 Camaro. At his shop in Rapid City, South Dakota, this Camaro was completely taken apart and rebuilt using new parts and plenty of upgrades as well.

The Camaro’s original chassis has been replaced with an Art Morrison chassis with a fully independent rear suspension. Under the hood is a GM Performance LT376/535 crate engine producing 535 horsepower, coupled to a GM 8L90E 8-speed transmission. The engine is hidden beneath a custom made air intake and engine cover that were fabricated for this car, giving it that show car look when the custom built hood is open. Everything from the fender liners to the radiator support was custom made for this car, then painted to match the exterior body color, which is a custom mixed BASF Refinish blue with accent stripes.

The interior is completely custom with the dashboard, center console and door panels made out of aluminum and wrapped in two-tone Hydes leather. While I am not generally a fan of white seats, I think that the contrasting gray and white interior looks really sharp for this car.

The car also features tons of one-off machined parts. Look closely and you will see a hexagon pattern, which is repeated in the front grille, the brake reservoir cover, the machined AC vents, the hood cowl vents, the speaker grilles in the rear dash and even the inserts of the front bucket seats. Even the gauge cluster has a subtle 6-sided surround to it.

The drip rails have been shaved and the glass is flush mounted, giving the car a more modern look. It rides on Billet Specialties wheels.
The car was a Top 12 finalist in the Battle of the Builders at the 2023 SEMA Show, and a Top 3 finalist in the Hot Rod category. Arduous has received plenty of recognition including Meguiar’s Magnificent Masterpiece and GM IRON Builder of the Year finalist at the GoodGuys Heartland Nationals in 2024.

This car was truly a labor of love for the clients, Mary & Clayton Graham who own this beautiful Camaro. It really was a treat seeing it in person at the SEMA Show. Congratulations on your well-deserved success! I can’t wait to see what comes next from the talented team at Revision Rods & Rides.

SEMA 2023: 1969 Dodge Charger TUSK by Ringbrothers

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One of the most prominent custom car builders at the SEMA Show are the Ringbrothers, Mike and Jim Ring from Wisconsin. They show up not once in a while, but every year consistently with multiple wild custom builds that take advantage of composite materials, 3D printing, CNC machining, and some truly unique design ideas. The Ringbrothers have captured numerous top awards including the overall winner at Battle of the Builders in 2022. For 2023, they returned to the SEMA Show with a completely resto-modded 1969 Dodge Charger nicknamed “TUSK.”

The car is a complete re-imagining of the classic Charger with modern materials and performance. It is not to be confused with the ’69 Charger “Defector” that the Ringbrothers built in 2020. The “TUSK” Charger has a beautiful black and gold paint scheme that really looks great. The paint is BASF’s Glasurit Waterborne and the color is GM WA8555 Black.

Under the hood is an all-aluminum supercharged 426 / 7.0L Hemi V8 “Hellephant” crate motor producing 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb-ft of torque. Just 100 units of this engine were produced as a crate motor. Coupled to that is a Bowler Performance TREMEC T-56 Magnum six-speed manual gearbox with the classic “pistol grip” shifter that the Charger is known for.

The original B-body chassis has been replaced by a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis. This not only provides a lower stance, it completely strengthens and upgrades the car’s performance and handling to modern standards.

Other improvements include an independent rear suspension, Baer Brakes Extreme 6S six-piston calipers. The car rides on a set of Ringbrothers “TUSK” Edition HRE Wheels which measure 19×10.5 in the front and 20×13 in the rear. The wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires for maximum grip in the corners.


At this point, people have come to expect the very best work from the Ringbrothers. They say that more than 5,000 man hours of labor went into this car. From the sheet metal to the paint work to the engine bay and interior, “TUSK” is a full custom built car done to the very highest standard possible – as only they can do it.

SEMA 2023: 1969 Chevrolet “Carbon Camaro” Convertible by Finale Speed

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For years, Chris Jacobs co-hosted Overhaulin’ and other shows including “Long Lost Family” on TLC. His passion for cars is well-known to his fans, who have seen him host numerous specials on networks like Velocity and Discovery.

His latest venture is the creative director for Oklahoma-based Finale Speed. The startup was founded in 2022 by JD Rudisill, who has assembled a team of veterans in the automotive world.
Finale Speed made waves in the automotive industry with the introduction of their fully carbon fiber 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, which was a sensation. The car was displayed at SEMA and Barrett-Jackson and was featured on an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. Following that, Finale Speed announced the availability of a full carbon fiber 1970 Dodge Charger as well.

Now in 2023, the latest announcement from Finale Speed came at the Dynamat booth: they will be offering a 1969 Camaro Convertible as well. All of these cars are available with a full carbon fiber body sitting atop a Roadster Shop chassis. The carbon fiber body has 32 unique pieces and shaves approximately 750 lbs off the weight of the car.
Customers have the option to purchase a body and rolling chassis for $199,000, or they can spec a fully-built car from Finale Speed for $349,000.

We have featured full carbon fiber muscle cars on Generation High Output in the past, like the 1970 Dodge Charger “Tantrum” by Speedkore that we saw at the 2015 SEMA Show. Finale Speed takes it to the next level by offering a more tailored experience. Whether you want a fully completed car or a body and chassis that you can finish with your own powertrain and interior, they can handle it.
The 2023 SEMA Show car in the Dynamat booth was orangey-copper in color with exposed carbon fiber stripes. The car did not have a finished interior so that the Dynamat sound deadening products were visible. The car rides on a set of Chip Foose 18-inch Coronet wheels.

While I can only dream of owning a car like this, I think it is super cool the way that companies are using technology and materials like carbon fiber to make muscle cars that are stronger, lighter, and faster than ever before!

SEMA 2023: 1976 Chevrolet Impala Wagon by 187 Customs

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If you have turned on a TV at all in the last several years, you have probably heard of Shawn Ellington and 187 Customs. They have been featured numerous times on Street Outlaws and Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings on TV.

Based in Oklahoma, Shawn and his team have built the famous 1969 “Murder Nova” that puts down 4-second times in the 1/8 mile and 6-second times in the quarter mile. But we’re not here to talk about the Murder Nova today.
Instead, we are taking a look at the 1976 Chevrolet Impala wagon that 187 Customs brought to the 2023 SEMA Show. I saw the car at the Corleone Forged wheels booth.

Having attended SEMA for several years, I have noticed some patterns among custom car builders. There is no shortage of custom Camaros, Novas, Corvettes and Mustangs at SEMA. Nobody is building anything from the mid-to-late 1970s, or any station wagons for that matter. So it was really different to see something like this.
The car’s metallic green paint with gold grille and headlight surrounds is certainly eye catching! The car is a certified land yacht, measuring in at 228 inches in length. However, this family station wagon has been completely upgraded by 187 Customs into a modern, high-performance machine.

Under the hood is a 5.3L LS “Ruthless Runt” engine from Texas Speed, with a Holley Terminator X-Max fuel management system controlling Deatschwerks injectors and fuel pump. The engine is coupled to a 4L80E transmission with Circle D torque converter. There is a Dynamic Driveline driveshaft connected to a Quick Performance 9″ rear end.
The car rides on QA1 control arms and coilovers with an Accuair Air suspension system. A set of Wilwood disc brakes hides behind the gold 26-inch Corleone Forged wheels.

This is a unique build that really stood out from the crowd at SEMA.

SEMA 2023: 1961 Chevrolet Impala TymeleSS by Maharaj Customs

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On the surface, the SEMA Show is where people from all corners of the automotive world converge to do business. But we all know why we are really there: to see amazing custom built cars.

Walking the show floow, I came across this incredible 1961 bubble top Chevrolet Impala in the Powerbass Audio booth. The car, which is nicknamed “TymeleSS” was built by Maharaj Customs with custom metal fab by Nickell’s Customs in Lodi, California.
The light minty green custom paint looks fresh and clean, and every inch of chrome was polished to perfection. There are so many custom touches to take in, like the billet hood hinges from Eddie Motorsports.

Under the hood is an LS3 engine with a dual intake setup that produces approximately 600 horsepower. It’s visible through a cutout in the hood that looks absolutely crazy. The car rides on a full custom tube chassis that was made from scratch. It does use Ridetech suspension components and rides on a set of Forgiato wheels.
The white interior really pops thanks to the upholstery by @davescustoms5441 who did the custom seats and carpet. The front bucket seats are 11-way power seats out of a Lexus that have been restyled for this car. An Ididit steering column and custom center console round out the interior.

The audio setup in this car is also very impressive. The stereo was done by Zamz Audio in Visalia, CA using all Powerbass components. There are three XMA 4250 IR 4-channel amps running a pair of L3H horn tweeters and speakers, and a PBX-DSP8 32-bit processor. The bass consists of three XMA 2000.1 Monoblock amps driving three 3XL Powerbass 15-inch subwoofers, all mounted in a custom 2-piece enclosure. This thing will be sounding good at cruise night!
The owner spent 3 years on this full custom build and restoration. Really impressed with this great car from Maharaj Customs!