When Business Becomes Pleasure

THOSE CAPTIVATED BY THE SOCAL SURF LIFESTYLE TEND TO KEEP IT CLOSE TO THEIR SOUL, EVEN AS THEY GROW OLDER AND GET DISTRACTED BY ALL OF LIFE’S RESPONSIBILITIES. Steve “Revo” Reeves happens to encompass everything one could envy about a California guy who takes full advantage of the rich natural landscape around him. Since he was a kid (he’s 51 now), hitting the beach a few times a week or more has just become a regular routine. That many visits may sound like a lot to someone living outside of the state, but who wouldn’t spend that much time on the sand if they grew up just a few miles from the Huntington Beach shoreline?

“KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED, BECAUSE YOU JUST MIGHT SPOT THIS TRUCK ON YOUR NEXT TRIP TO THE BEACH OR LOCAL CAR SHOW.”

Aside from worshipping the surf, Revo was also sucked into the world of custom rides. Hot rods, trucks, lowriders—it didn’t matter the category because he loved them all. As he made his way through adolescence and landed in adulthood, Revo did his best to carve out a business niche for himself that revolved around his interests. In 1978, he opened Stitchcraft, a custom upholstery shop that specializes in designing and executing some of the finest interiors on some of the meanest cars and trucks on the streets. To this day, he still works with what he loves for a living, but recently he’s been able to incorporate more of his hobbies into his “job.”

“I’m a surfer from way back in the day,” Revo says, “and it’s always an exciting opportunity to incorporate that part of my life with our automotive projects.” The project in question was a ’12 Ram 1500 pickup, and what was planned for it was a mild restyling that covered all of the customizing bases. It was scheduled for a fresh paint treatment, a new set of wheels and tires, a suspension adjustment, a dash of performance upgrades and a fresh interior (naturally). To pull everything together, the Ram was going to bring a beach bum theme to the streets complete with two custom-built and painted surfboards that were intended to experience the tides once these photos were released to the general public. “Mike Bomeau from Aggression Surfboards contributed to the project by shaping one of the boards for me and one for my son, so once this whole magazine photo shoot business is taken care of we can wax up and hit the water.” Slick Vic of Seaside Collision Center in Hermosa Beach, California was brought onboard to give the boards a finishing coat of graphics and paint and to coat the truck with matching hues.

Even though the Ram was being built for leisure, Revo also envisioned that it would double as a capable workhorse. “From the beach to the upholstery supply shops to on-the-job installations and home theater projects—this truck had to be able to handle everything,” Revo told Street Trucks. One board can be easily stowed on top of the cab and the other stashed underneath the bed cover, which still leaves plenty of room inside the bed for supplies and wetsuits. A BedRug liner kit keeps materials safe and provides the perfect spot for sneaking a siesta between wave sets or the next gig. When it comes to the utility and tasks usually assigned to a shop truck, this one has it pretty damn good.

The time it took to take the truck from bone stock to finished product was all of a month, which is an accomplishment in its own right. Gathering the necessary parts for installations usually proves to be just as time consuming as getting the work done, but Revo had a foolproof plan drawn up, and there was going to be no wavering from the finely-tuned schedule. “Our team has had lots of practice over the years at setting a deadline and always meeting it. I’ve had the pleasure of working on quite a few television shows, and I’ve learned a whole lot more about the importance of timing. Everything went beautifully, and our sponsors were great about getting the product we needed to us way ahead of schedule. Normally, there are glitches that create a string of headaches and friction, but not this time around.”

A big part of the reason why the Stitchcraft crew gave themselves such a tight window of completion was in part because of a commitment they made to get the truck to SEMA. The company needed its shop truck to double as a worthy showpiece to lure and impress clients while properly representing supporting sponsors at shows and other events throughout the year. Revo further explains the shop’s motivation for the build, “This truck was to promote our new Hot Rod Panels [HRP] line first and foremost. The HRP system allows our customers to order three- dimentional panels for flat-framed doors. The unique designs are then shipped as a DIY kit, which can then be wrapped with material of choice. It really is a great way to add a pop of one-off style to any old school interior.”

After a successful showing at SEMA, the Ram’s profile was taken down a notch so that it could continue to serve the company day in and day out. Well, that is after the guys get back from taking the truck on a celebratory surf trip. The destination has yet to be disclosed, but we’re sure wherever the crew goes, it won’t be too far from home base. Stitchcraft is one of the busiest interior shops in the Southern California area, so when the tide is too low to rip, the demand for their brand of stitch work is always at a peak. Keep your eyes peeled, because you just might spot this truck on your next trip to the beach or local car show. If you haven’t spotted it in either of those two places, well, then it must be out on a service call. The life of a shop truck is never a dull one, and most of them don’t get to take full advantage of the true California lifestyle like this truck does.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER                     

Steve “Revo” Reeves
Stitchcraft Interiors
2012 Ram 1500
Westminster, CA

ENGINE

• Stock 2012 V-8
• K&N cold air intake
• MagnaFlow exhaust

SUSPENSION

• MaxTrac coil spring 2/3 drop with shocks installed by Joe Conduff and Brian Doyen
• MGP caliper covers on front and rear brakes

WHEELS & TIRES

• 24×9.5 Intro Hammer 6 polished billet wheels
• 285/40R24 Toyo Proxes STII

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Slick Vic at Seaside Collision Center, Hermosa Beach, CA
• BASF Lambo Orange and White two-tone paint
• Hood louvered by Sir Michaels
• Tinted windows
• SnugTop bed cover
• BedRug liner kit
• Headlights painted halfway
• Door handles painted to match
• Billet Badges emblems

INTERIOR

• Shop: Revo Reeves at Stitchcraft Interiors, Westminster, CA
• Katzkin gray leather and suede seat covers with orange stitching
• Suede headliner
• Porsche carpet
• Hot Rod Panels door inserts
• Alpine INE-W927HD head unit
• Four 6 ½ separates sets per door panel
• Four 10-inch subwoofers
• Two digital amplifiers
• Optima battery
• Cab lined with Hushmat
• Viper alarm with Smart Start

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Thank you to Slick Vic for the awesome paintwork, Joe Conduff and Brian Doyen for the drop kit, exhaust install and for cutting the sponsor stickers as well as templates for the custom surfboards. Jimmy Owen of Liqiud Metal Motorsports for the wheels. Thanks to Ron at Katzkin and Gary Bell for the help with the audio system and speaker grille covers. Thanks to Finish Master for the paint supplies, Billet Badges, Foam EZ, BedRug, Body Glove and everyone else who lent a hand.”

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