Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

THINGS DON’T ALWAYS GO AS PLANNED, ESPECIALLY IN THE CUSTOM TRUCK WORLD. Mike Cannella, a longtime custom truck enthusiast and loyal Aftermath truck club member, has seen his share of surprises over the years. Having gone through a few full custom builds, he decided that this time around he just wanted a nice clean daily driver to curb that urge of custom that has been nipping at him since he got rid of his last build.

Mike started looking around and found this single cab that fellow Aftermath club member Benny Botello was selling. Mike checked it out and decided that it would make the perfect little cruiser with a few finishing touches, so a deal was struck, and the Texas truck was quickly relocated south. The Florida Aftermath crew wasted no time in seeing what it would take to finish her off right, and this “quick clean daily build” soon turned into a full-blown cover truck style rebuild.

THE TIME WAS NOW, AND HIS DREAM CAME TRUE TO BE ON THE COVER OF THE VERY MAGAZINE THAT HE’S BEEN A FAITHFUL READER OF SINCE DAY ONE.

The ever fateful “while we were there” is partly to blame for a complete frame-off rebuild. Mike is a man of quality. Wanting things to be done just right, he took the reins and hatched a plan with his buddies at Resurrected Fab. The 3/4 frame was torn down and rebuilt, and the complete air-ride system was yanked out and redone to today’s standards. Once the fab work was complete, the frame was doused in an interior color-matched color, and the rest of the suspension was polished to perfection by The Trim Lady. The Florida crew did the work, and Mike spent every weekend for four months straight working with friends to help bring his dream cruiser to life.

THIS TRUCK AND MANY OTHERS PROVE THAT WITH PERSISTENCE AND RESOLVE, CHALLENGES CAN BE OVERCOME BY THOSE WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK, AND THE END RESULT CAN DEFINITELY MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE.

Because things never go as planned and he was pretty deep as it was, a full rebuild deserved all the attention to detail that Mike tends to bring to the table. Once the frame was completely painted and detailed and the updated suspension was back together, the crew turned their sights on painting, polishing and cleaning up the engine bay. A full wire-tuck was done by Shawn Robinson of FLOfab Vegas, and everything was beautifully detailed. With the newly painted engine put back together, the rest of the body could go back on and she was that much closer to seeing the road again.

The rest of the body was massaged by some friends at Dent Demon before Nate and the crew at Detail Spot went crazy bringing out the luster that this paint job by RF Customs deserved. A full paint correction and show-winning ceramic coating did wonders for the look of the aged paint and the overall appeal of this rebuild. Newly polished 26-inch Raceline wheels were bolted back up and she was almost ready for the big dance. With some final interior touches and rewiring from Eric Cryan at Advanced Audio Concepts, Mike was finally happy with the results. It was time. Not just time for daily cruising duties, but time for the dream cover shoot that Mike had dreamed about for more than two decades. The time was now, and his dream came true to be on the cover of the very magazine that he’s been a faithful reader of since day one.

This truck and many others prove that with persistence and resolve, challenges can be overcome by those willing to put in the work, and the end result can definitely make dreams come true. Proud of you buddy, and we know your pops would be, too!

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER
Mike Cannella
2007 GMC Sierra Aftermath
Tamarac, Florida

ENGINE

• 5.3L V-8
• Comp Cams Mother Thumpr cam
• Hedman Headers and custom exhaust with Coffin muffler
• March Serpentine front runner
• MSD spark plug wires
• Engine build and wire tuck by Shawn Robinson of FLOfab Vegas

BRAKES

• Powerstop drilled/slotted rotors
• Painted calipers
• Hydroboost setup

SUSPENSION & CHASSIS

• 3/4 frame stock-floor body drop with mandrel rails
• Custom frame reworked by Resurrected Fab
• Slam Specialties ‘bags
• Fox Shocks
• Control arms by Medicated Metalworks
• Custom stainless fuel cell built by Slammered
• Completely rewired and plumbed
• Viair 444c compressors
• Stainless hardline
• Everything painted to match interior

WHEELS & TIRES

• 26-inch Raceline Sniper 6 billets
• Lexani LX30 295/26 tires

BODY & PAINT

• GMC 2500 HD grille and billet insert
• Shaved handles, gas door, roll pan
• Painted Ford Earth Metallic by RF Customs in Magnolia, Texas
• Dent Demon took care of fixing bodywork
• Detail Spot in Hollywood, Florida, knocked out a full paint correction and ceramic coat to get her shining again
• The Trim Lady in Sebastian, Florida, refinished all of the polished and chrome pieces

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Raceline billet steering wheel to match
• Ultra leather seats and doors
• Pioneer head unit
• Built by Interior by Design
• Audio rewired by Eric Cryan at Advanced Audio Concepts

SPECIAL THANKS FROM OWNER: “Shout out to my girlfriend Kourtney Wilcox for putting up with me being gone so much during the build, and to my pops for giving me the love of automotive. I miss him every single day! Huge thanks to every single person who put in work including Diego, Nick and Sebastian at Resurrected Fab; Dent Demon, Nate and the crew at Detail Spot; The Trim Lady; Eric Cryan at Advanced Audio Concepts; Billet & Acrylic Fantasies; Shawn Robinson at FLOfab; and Black Williams, Rico Rodriguez, Anthony Devaldiva and the whole Aftermath crew for helping make this a reality!”

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