Drive May 2026

Letter from the GUEST Editor - Joe Greeves I’m honored to have been asked by Chris Hamilton to serve as guest editor for this April issue of DRIVE. Chris and I go back a couple of decades, and when he landed the editorial role at Street Trucks, I couldn’t have been happier. I was born in New Jersey a long time ago, graduated from Rutgers in 1961 with an English degree, and then joined the Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant in 1962. I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1987. I’ve always loved writing, and in the 1970s I decided to try my hand at photojournalism. Magazines needed pictures, so I taught myself photography through correspondence courses and ended up teaching it part-time at the local community college. Back then,…

1995-99 DASH PANEL ASSEMBLIES New 1995–99 Dash Panel Assemblies for Chevy and GMC trucks and SUVs, offering an economical solution to replace unsightly cracked dash panels. These new dash assemblies are developed using heat-resistant thermoplastic compounds to help resist shrinking and fading. Each dash panel comes complete with a new plastic shell riveted to a zinc-plated metal frame, just as original. Panels are painted gray using paint mixed with an ultraviolet inhibitor to help prevent damage from sunlight exposure. Dash panels are ready to be prepped and painted to match your interior using ColorBond. Designed for proper fitment on 1995–98 Chevy & GMC Trucks; 1995–99 Chevy Tahoe and Suburban; and 1995–99 GMC Yukon and Suburban. lmctruck.com 1-800-562-8782 BILLET SPECIALTIES TEC 9 WHEELS The Tec 9 wheel delivers timeless muscle-car style…

Have you been wracking your brain to make your S-10 or Ranger look different from the thousands that have gone before? Are you wondering what you can do to your Isuzu or Toyota to make a passionate automotive statement, and maybe wind up on the pages of your favorite magazine? Since personalizing your ride is every customizer’s mission and uniqueness is the goal, here’s a suggestion. Start with a clean sheet of white paper, sketch a fresh concept, give it the looks of something you’ve never seen before (maybe like a Corvette pickup), then find an easy way to build it. And oh yes, make it affordable. Combining goals of cutting edge style, simplified construction, and a budget-sensitive approach is no easy task but it can be done. The Super…

WHILE CAR SHOWS COME AND GO, THERE IS ONE LEGENDARY EVENT THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY. Well known to drivers in the Sunshine State, the show is equally famous not only throughout the U.S. but also admired and attended by enthusiasts around the world. The reason is simple. Held over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, the Daytona Turkey Run gives showgoers more automotive fun than the next several big shows combined. Currently attracting nearly 7,000 vehicles to the infield at the Daytona International Speedway, this gigantic event evolved from a very humble beginning. The origin of the show is credited to Stu Sarjeant and his five-year-old son, Tim, who, in 1973, attempted to enter their 1923 Ford T-Bucket in the Ormond Beach Gaslight Parade. Unfortunately, their…

WE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN THE CREATION PROCESS BEHIND THE CUSTOM TRUCKS WE FEATURE. We learned that building a feature vehicle is invariably a team effort, with the owner providing either talent or direction, then often relying on industry specialists for specific skills. Assembling a modern chassis, selecting a modern powertrain, and wrapping the package with classic sheetmetal means the finished product will have vintage looks and gratifying road manners. Who doesn’t like a trophy winner that can comfortably cruise the interstates? From Port Orange, Florida, Tom Taxon is a retired mechanical engineer and an avid enthusiast who understands these modern, feature-building concepts very well. Over the years, he’s had a collection of interesting customs, and it was time for something new. A shiny red 1949 Chevy 3100 pickup caught…

IF YOU’RE A REGULAR READER OF THIS MAGAZINE, YOU KNOW THAT A VEHICLE OFTEN ASSUMES A LIFE OF ITS OWN. Far more than just simple transportation, a cool custom truck invariably leads to a wide circle of friends from the show circuit, mechanic friends who are acquired during garage sessions and a collection of family members who enjoy it as much as the owner. A prime example is Joe Henke’s 1950 F-1. Although Joe teaches industrial air compressor maintenance for a living, he’s been an active automotive enthusiast his whole life. He learned the basics from his dad, Tom Henke, while growing up in the family auto mechanic business. As it turns out, he’s also been involved with this F-1 for most of his life as well. His grandfather bought…