Super Dodge Ram

Float Like a Butterfly Sting Like a Super Bee

We posted this feature back in March before we started our Best Custom Truck series. We've added a lot of new readers since the site relaunch and there are probably quite a few who missed this vehicle built by Drive Customs. For those of you that already read the story and saw the pics—something this cool deserves another look, doesn't it? See the videos at the bottom of the page. —Ben Oh

Originally a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Rumble Bee, a special edition 5.7L HEMI in bright Solar Yellow with a ground effects package, 20” wheels, stripe and number plate #4787, this transformed “Super Bee” is owned by Meredith Rounds. The custom truck started as a small sound quality project vehicle. But the customization went way beyond the audio to a myriad of cosmetic and performance modifications, thanks to Jesse Sprister of Drive Customs. Meredith is not exactly a client of his. She happens to be his girlfriend. But that wasn’t the only reason she supported the expansion of the project. She dove into it along with Jesse. Soon, the truck would get a Gaylord’s TL tonneau cover, Sir Michael’s steel roll pan and an SRT-10 hood. The locks on the tonneau cover and the tail gate handle were shaved, and the spare tire hole was filled for a smooth appearance. To further differentiate this truck from regular Dodge Rams, Jesse fabricated a solid rear ground effects piece that sits below the roll pan. A McGaughy’s 2”/4” drop, chrome 22” Boss wheels wrapped in Falken tires and rear-exit exhaust mimic the old school muscle car look.



Paint

Based on the Commemorative Edition Dodge SRT-10 Viper truck, the paint on the Dodge consists of a Solar Yellow base with Chrysler Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl fanged racing stripes outlined in a silver metallic hand pinstripe. The door handles and antenna base were painted yellow to match the body of the truck, but the mirrors were left black so as to blend in with the tinted windows. The headlights were replaced with ones with clear reflectors, and the stock tail lights and third brake light were smoked for a more aggressive appearance. Accents like the aluminum gas door, one-off bumper and hood grill inserts and custom exhaust trim tie in nicely with the truck’s overall color scheme of yellow, black and silver.



Converting to Super Bee

After reassembly, it was decided that the truck would no longer be a Rumble Bee, but rather a Super Bee, a throwback to the Mopars of the 60’s and 70’s. Playing off of this idea, Jesse and his business partner at Drive Customs, Jay Oliphant, created a compound motorized iPod compartment within the radio bezel featuring an acrylic window engraved with the words “Super Bee” and back lit with yellow LEDs. The underside of the tonneau cover was  upholstered  in   black suede with the same “Super Bee” font  embroidered in bright yellow. The fanged stripes on the hood received “Super Bee” decals and the front fenders had the original HEMI badge replaced with two brand new Super Bee emblems.



Audio and Electronics

The sound system consists of CDT Audio and Kenwood electronics. Two CDT Audio ES-1000SQ 10” subwoofers are in a custom box wrapped in yellow suede and graphite vinyl. Graphite vinyl teardrop inserts and painted yellow trim rings give the box character and set the scheme of the interior. The new CDT Audio amplifiers power the entire setup.



The doors feature CDT Audio ES-07 7” mid-woofers in the stock locations, painted yellow trim rings and lower inserts and a touch of yellow suede just above the armrest. ES-03 3” mid-drivers are set into the dash with TW-19 19 mm tweeters in pods directly next to them. The CS-02 center channels fire toward both the driver and the passenger, providing ideal imaging. All of the dash pods were custom made by Jay and were wrapped in graphite vinyl with painted yellow trims. Completing the upstage is a set of DRT-26 1" tweeters located in the A-pillars.



ES-300CC 3-way crossovers and ES- 500US blending modules sit under both seats in custom pods covered in yellow suede and graphite vinyl. An AudioControl DQS equalizer can be found in the under seat storage compartment with a trim also wrapped in graphite vinyl. An acrylic insert engraved with the Drive Customs logo covers the equalizer and is back lit with yellow LEDs.



The source for the system is a Kenwood 8120 double-DIN  unit  that is complete with back-up camera, Bluetooth, navigation and iPod.  Jesse custom programmed the Kenwood deck to open and close the iPod compartment located in the dash bezel. Wiring consists of Stinger and Scosche, while Hushmat and Cascade provide much needed sound deadening. In addition, a Stinger 1  farad capacitor and Kinetik 80 amp power supply allow the stereo to perform without draining the truck’s battery or requiring engine power.



More electronics in the truck include a Clifford 3.3x alarm with remote start. Since they had the tonneau cover lock shaved, Jesse created a lock-out mechanism and used a 40 lb actuator to release the tonneau. Just simply press a button on the Clifford remote and the tonneau cover pops just like a trunk. Also programmed into the remote is a control for the iPod and equalizer LEDs. One press of the function and auxiliary buttons turns them on and another turns them off. Finally, they can control the opening and closing of the iPod tray via the remote.

Seats

The seats in the truck are outfitted in a custom leather kit by Katzkins, featuring soft graphite Tuscany leather with yellow stitching and Super Bee logos on the
seat backs. Drive Customs added yellow suede inserts for an even more unique look. The factory headliner and visors were upholstered in grey suede that matches the stock color. Lastly, SRT-10 pedals and an SRT-10 Yellow Fever Edition steering wheel with radio controls, carbon fiber leather and yellow stitching complete the interior modifications.



Engine

Under the hood, the engine’s original HEMI hat was modified to fit snugly over the inlet tube that attaches to the throttle body spacer and was painted yellow with silver lettering. In addition, Jesse fabricated an air scoop modeled after the Volant ram air attachment that fastens to the intake box. It also received a touch of yellow and black to tie elements of the engine compartment together. Billet accessories will be added to finish off the look.





Drive Customs thanks:

•Cut and Buff
Kevin Brown
Jason Rose of Meguiars

•Paint and Body Work
Classic Coach Werks in Atascadero, CA
Russ Scamara and crew
http://www.classiccoachwerks.com

•Sign/Logo work
Linson Signs
Kevin and Frank Linson
http://www.linsonsigns.com/

Exterior mod list:

Black billet antenna and black antenna cap
Boss 304 22" chrome wheels
Clear-cornered headlights
Customized rear ground effects
Debadged
Drive Customs logo on back window
Dupli-Color yellow caliper paint
Falken STZ-04 305/40/22 tires
Fanged racing stripes with silver metallic hand pinstripe
Filled passenger side exhaust cut-out
Filled spare tire hole
Gaylord's TL tonneau cover with Speedstur wing
Limo tint on rear and 20% on side windows
Lower bumper grill and matching hood grill insert
McGaughy’s 2"/4" drop
MUTH signal mirrors
Painted door handles and antenna base
Rear wheel well liners
Removed door moldings
Rhino lining under the rails
Shaved tailgate handle
Sir Michael's roll pan welded to truck
Smoked tail lights and third brake light
SRT-10 hood
Super Bee decals on hood
Super Bee emblems on fenders

Interior mod list:
Auto dim rear view mirror
Color-matched trim pieces on dash bezel, dash pods and doors
Factory color-matched suede headliner & visors
Homelink overhead computer
Katzkins Tuscany leather with yellow stitching, Super Bee logos and yellow suede inserts
SRT-10 Yellow Fever steering wheel with radio controls
SRT-10 pedals
Upholstered tonneau cover in black suede with Super Bee embroidered insert
Yellow suede door inserts

Performance & Engine List:

Aeroturbine 3030 muffler
Flex-a-lite 180 Black Magic X-treme electric fan
Helix Power Tower Plus throttle body spacer
Rear exit dual-tipped exhaust with custom aluminum trim
Painted HEMI hat with silver lettering
Superchips Flashpaq 3815
Volant CAI with customized SRT-10 Ram Air Scoop

Audio and Electronics:

AudioControl DQS equalizer
BOYO license plate rear-view camera

-CDT Audio 10" GOLD ES-1000SQ subwoofers
-CDT SQA-4100 CDT Audio amplifiers
-CDT Audio GOLD ES-07 7" mid-woofers in doors
-CDT Audio GOLD ES-03 3" mid-drivers in dash
-CDT Audio DRT-26 1" tweeters and TW-19 19 mm tweeters
-CDT Audio CS-02 center channel
-CDT Audio ES-300CC 3-way crossover
-CDT Audio ES-500US blending module

Clifford 3.3x alarm with remote start, tonneau cover and iPod control
Crossover pods under seats wrapped in yellow suede and graphite vinyl
Custom box wrapped in yellow suede and graphite vinyl with painted trim rings
Custom compound motorized iPod holder integrated into dash bezel

Hushmat and Cascade throughout
Kenwood 8120 with Navigation, iPod and Bluetooth
Kinetik HC2000 battery and 80A power supply
Acrylic Drive Customs logo in equalizer compartment with yellow LEDs
Acrylic Super Bee logo in iPod window with yellow LEDs
Remote locks for tonneau cover
Stinger 1 farad capacitor
Stinger and Scosche wiring

Drive Customs
3566 S. Higuera #207
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
E-mail: drivecustoms@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.drivecustoms.com
805-541-4455

Photos by Carl Edwards