FREE SUBSCRIPTION: This is becoming one of our favorite sections. Real trucks, purpose-built on a paycheck budget. If you'd like to submit your truck for Reality Trucks, send your name, hometown and state and description of your truck, along with high-resolution photos, to dteditor@dieseltechmag.com. Remember, if your truck is published, you get a free one-year subscription to Diesel Tech.
NEPHI GIBSON
REXBURG, ID
Originally a theft recovery, Nephi transformed this work truck from an all-black Harley Davidson Super Duty to what you see here. The truck was painted around an R/C truck Nephi had bought his son as a Christmas gift. The 2004 6.0L Power Stroke features a 6-inch lift with 35s on custom alloys, fender flares and a scooped hood. Nephi took the truck to Bully Dog for a dual exhaust, PMT and air intake. Next came transmission upgrades, ported heads with studs, a Banks intercooler and a larger turbo. The truck's interior has orange accents with orange and black leather seats from the Extreme F650 shop. The bed is Rhino-lined with a black hard tonneau cover. Nephi says the best part is the recognition his electrical company, Nephi's Electric, gets from the truck.
NICK AMBRIATI
SYRACUSE, NY
Nick is a true diesel enthusiast. Aside from owning this '07 LBZ Duramax, Nick also owns DieselTowingResource.com. Under the hood of his LBZ lies an S&B intake, blocked intake resonator, Hypertech Live Data and tuning courtesy of a DiabloSport Predator. A 4-inch MBRP exhaust system handles the rest of the work. On the outside, Nick has 285 BF Goodrich A/Ts on 16x8 Teflon American Racing Mojave wheels, Westin running boards and full-wrap brush guard, two PIAA 510-series lights and two PIAA 520s, HID low and high beams and fog lights (with an all-on headlight mod), and a DeeZee tool box. The interior features a touch-screen navigation system and an Escalade amp. The truck also has a Cognito leveling kit with Bilstien 5100 shocks, AirRide air bags and Automoter Cobalt boost and egt gauges.
COLTON SMALL
BRUSBY, MT
Everything's big in Montana, and that includes Colton's Dodge. This '07 Ram 3500 with the 5.9L Cummins has a 5-inch turbo-back exhaust with 6-inch MBRP Smokers, a K&N intake, Edge Insight and DiabloSport Predator tuning. Making the truck live large are 37-inch Pro Comp Xtreme All-Terrains on 20-inch Moto Metals, all beneath a 6-inch BDS Long Arm lift with Skyjacker Soft Ride coil-overs. Colton, a college student, says his truck was put together by Renegade Offroad in Bozeman, MT, and that he's saving up for a built transmission before he adds more horsepower. Good luck with that on a student budget.
ETHAN SPARKS
LENOIR, NC
Ethan's LB7 Duramax runs as good as it looks, thanks to tuning from a PPE Xcelerator programmer, 5-inch MBRP exhaust (straight piped with no muffler) and an AFE Stage II air intake. Its 18-inch Prova alloy wheels are wrapped in 33x12.50 Nitto all-terrain tires. Ethan says he loved the 1,151-hp Blue Angel truck on the cover of our June issue. You're starting with the exact same truck, Ethan.