If you’re all about the ground-hugging fullsize trucks then you know who Jake McKiddie of Phat Phabz is, and you’ve probably heard the name Carlos Herrera tossed around a bit. Not familiar with the name? Well have no fear, we’ll help you remedy that – you’ve probably seen this truck before, you just don’t recognize the new makeover. Shown previously at the SEMA Show wearing a little different look (original grey color with similar graphic scheme), Carlos wanted to wow the crowds even more so with an “top-secret” rebuild of his 2008 GMC Sierra 1500 that he wanted performed underwear’s and kept a surprise. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here; let’s rewind a bit and tell you how it all started. Carlos has had a life-long automotive passion that started at a very early age. The gateway drug for Carlos and his friends growing up was the lowrider scene of New Mexico. Picture a ’78 Regal with hydraulics, triple gold Daytons, custom paint etc. and this is what originally drew Carlos in to the crazy world of customs. But once he got his first taste of a ‘bagged and body-dropped truck back in 1997 it was all downhill from there. Bryan “Moonie” Moon was showing off his red Toyota pickup and Carlos knew from that day forward that custom trucks would be his addiction.

Carlos-24Carlos-23 Photos: Grant Cox Photography | Words: Jason Ballard & Mike Alexander

Once the truck bug had bit Carlos, there was no turning back. Working in the oil fields, trucks have always been a way of life and more of a “work tool” rather than a custom canvas, but after his eyes were opened it was game on. When Carlos first picked up the GMC his good friends Scotty Folk and Adam Lovette had a couple of beverages and next thing they knew the truck was ‘bagged that weekend. They lay’d out the frame on a set of 24-inch Intro Twisted Vista II billet wheels. Not content with simply laying 24s with a stock truck for the most part, some tweaks were made and the truck was quickly laying frame tucking massive 24/26-inch billets, which at the time this was huge. This is where the tale took a turn and Carlos jumped right on into the deep end with a full custom build.

At this point with work, family and the daily grind taking up 99% of his time, Carlos called upon fellow Severed Ties member, Jake McKiddie of Phat Phabz to help finish up the build. Since Jake is no stranger to cutting up new fullsize trucks the blueprints were drawn up and overnight a plan was hatched to build one of the baddest trucks to date and debut it out in Las Vegas at SEMA. If there is one quote that Carlos lives by it begins with the word zero and ends with given (we’ll let you figure out the rest). So Jake worked day and night to set the fullsize GMC up for the proper stance including a full bodydrop tucking giant billets, optimal ride height for cruising the streets of Eunice, New Mexico, and of course the full McKiddie Edition treatment.

Carlos-04Carlos-03

When it came time for body modifications Carlos had some slick ideas up his sleeve. He called upon the sheetmetal masters at Grant Kustoms for a one-off roll pan and matching front bumper to set his truck apart from the rest. The GMC then received a killer deep black with custom tribal graphics by friends Ike Ray and Cole Stevens. The truck was previously completed for SEMA so a full color change and wheel change was in store to shock the world for this exclusive Slam’d Mag debut. Carlos clearly isn’t your average truck guy, and his goal when making the debut to the world was to send a statement loud and clear that he’s not messing around. For the interior, the red Katzkin leather remained and the dash and door panels were also painted red to give the interior a killer “redrum” type attitude. When we first saw laid eyes on the rebuild we were blown away with the seemingly overnight transformation.

Carlos-21Carlos-10

During the rebuild Jake and Carlos discussed going bigger with the wheels and after a quick meeting a set of custom 28×10-inch Intro Spyder wheels were selected, but another trick they through into the mix was a 5-lug conversion to once again set this build above the rest. Remember, to be the boss you gotta pay the cost. After 20 years in the game Carlos says he still goes hard every year to make a solid contribution to the scene we all enjoy and if this rebuild wasn’t enough, Carlos is also currently wrapping up a daily driver build – you know, a “simple” bodied ’84 C10 on 22-inch billets that we might get a glimpse of soon. Stay tuned as we’re sure we haven’t seen the last of getting “Herrerad” just yet!

Slam’d Mag | Behind The Scenes Video Feature:

Slam’d Specs

Owner: Carlos Herrera
Vehicle: 2008 GMC Sierra 1500
Hometown: Eunice, NM
Club: Severed Ties

Wheels/Tires:
28×10 Intro Spyders polished billet with blasted insets
Dcenti 295/25ZR28 tires
Full 5-lug conversion

Carlos-05Chassis/Suspension:
Custom boxed stock floor bodydrop
Front Suspension: Ekstensive front kit, 2600 Air Lift ‘bags, custom tubular control arms
Rear Suspension: McKiddie Edition custom link setup, F9000 Firestone ‘bags
Complete AccuAir management
Performed by: Jake at Phat Phabrikationz

Body/Paint:
Grant Kustoms custom front bumper and matching rollpan
Plastics smoothed and painted to match
Custom Cali-style tribal graphics
Painted by: Ike Ray and Cole Stevens

Interior/Stereo:
Painted dash and door panels
Shaved headrests, Katzkin red leather, painted plastics
Severed Ties billet steering wheel
Factory 8-inch screen / Bose System
Performed by: Curtis Enochs

Engine/Performance:
2008 Chevy 5.3L
Optima battery
K&N intake
Tubbed for 28s
Painted and detailed

Special Thanks From Owner:
“A very special thanks to my mom first and foremost, then Jake Mckiddie for the fab work, Ike Ray for the quick color change, Intro wheels for the new wheel design, Scotty Folk and Moonie for their inspiration, Grant Cox, Sean French, Mike Alexander, my club Severed Ties, Don Julio tequila, and everyone who helped along the way.”


Check Out The Full Slam’d Gallery HERE: