BLOOD, SWEAT & GEARS | ’87 Chevy Suburban with Twin 70mm turbos named Snooki!

The history of Snooki is a tale of trials and tribulations that started from the very beginning, and up until now, that only tells half of the story. Almost everyone has seen the incredible artwork Josh Rowan creates at Rowan Conceptz, and if you haven’t, we implore you to head online and check it out. To Josh’s friends and family, it was no surprise that when he finally decided to start building a custom truck inspired by his artwork, it would be over the top to say the least.

While living in Miami, Josh got a phone call from his dad asking if he could afford to feed a big-block Chevy a high-octane diet on a regular basis. Josh thought to himself, “There is no way I can afford that right now,” although his answer was an emphatic “Yes!” Around eight hours after that call, Josh watched as a very beat up 1-ton Chevy Suburban came barreling down the road.

With a foundation in place, they decided to drop the truck 6 inches to give it a slammed look before temporarily rattle-canning the exterior panels with dollar-store gray primer. After a fun weekend spent with his dad, Josh dreamed of dragging frame all the way home. After separating from his wife, Josh made the tough decision to sleep in this Suburban for a few months just to be around his kids and pay his bills. Eventually, he decided to leave Miami and head back to South Georgia for some self-care and to focus for his kids.

Soon after arriving back in Georgia, the worst thing possible happened—the engine blew up! Thank God for family, right? Josh’s amazing mom stepped up and loaned him enough money to buy a 468c.i. big block. That’s when dad stepped in and asked the ultimate question: “You wanna cut it up?” Naturally, Josh said, “Hell yes!” and immediately started searching for parts.

“I found a flipped 96 Impala SS we could use for the front clip and rearend, so I bought it,” he recalled.

Finally, in 2019, life straightened out a bit and Josh eventually remarried his love, Trish. Rowan Conceptz was headed to a new level of workload, and Josh just knew it was the time to rebuild. First and foremost, the decision to body drop the ‘burb was made and, with the help of Mike Rowan and John Spence, it was executed flawlessly. For the rear axle, the crew dropped in a Ford 9-inch rearend to make room for the massive 20×16 American Racing Torque Thrust staggered fit wheels.

To bring this wild story up to date, Josh added a ’99 Chevy V-8 496c.i. big block with twin 70mm turbos screaming through the hood. Now sporting a bad ass Pro Street body drop look, Josh knew it wouldn’t be long until Snooki made her show debut. Eventually that debut would happen at Battle in Bama, and jaws were dropping all weekend.

Josh would like to thank his wife Trisha Rowan, Lil Josh, Marlee, Bob Grant, Mike Losh, Ben Osbourne, Ronnie Pelham, John Spence, Jonathan Wolfe, Fran Rowan, Mike Rowan and Doug Wales.

[divider]TRUCK SPECS[/divider]

 Owner 

Josh and Trisha Rowen
Truck: ’87 Chevy Suburban
Name: Snooki
Location: Adel, Georgia
Club: Xtreme Lowz

Engine

• 1999 Chevy V-8 496c.i. big block
• Twin 70mm turbos
• Comp Cams camshaft
• Aluminum heads
• Edlebrock Air Gap intake manifold
• Mighty Demon carburetor
• Flowmaster exhaust
• MSD ignition
• 1999 Turbo400 transmission by Godly Transmission
• B&M transbrake
• TCI torque converter – 2800 stall

Chassis/Suspension

• 1996 Impala SS frame with 129.5-inch wheelbase
• Stock-floor body drop
• Narrowed Ford 9-inch rearend from ‘75 Lincoln Continental
• Chevy Impala disc brake conversion
• Rear wheel tubs
• Four-link rear suspension
• Full air-ride front and rear with RE7 bags
• Chevy Imapla power steering swap

Wheels/Tires

• 20×8 and 20×16 American Racing Torque Thrust wheels
• 5.25-inch backspace in front, 3-inch in rear
• 245-45-20 Kumho ECSTA tires

Exterior

• Dupont Paint Color: Hugger Orange
• Bob Grant roll pan
• Shaved drip rails, emblems, door handles
• Swapped tailgate to barn doors
• Painter: Doug Wales, a.k.a. Painter Doug

Interior

• 1960 Belair dash swap
• Billet Specialties steering wheel

Future planned upgrades

6.0-liter swap with a mild cam, 4L80 transmission, slosh tubs and full custom interior.