A Truck Built on Friendship

WHILE OUR TRUCKS ARE GREAT FUN, MOST WILL AGREE THAT THE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN THIS HOBBY ARE AS MUCH FUN AS WHAT WE DRIVE. The friends that result from our shared interests remain long after our current trucks are gone. Growing up in an enthusiast family, Ronnie Seprish bought his first truck before he was old enough to drive and has owned more than 50 vehicles throughout the years. In fact, Ronnie is one of those lucky guys able to make his hobby into a business, and currently works as a diesel mechanic and owns his own custom shop (The Butcher Shop) in Summerville, South Carolina. Although there have been lots of vehicles in his past, Ronnie now has one that will always have a special place in his garage. Friendship was the reason he acquired this ’02 GMC Sierra, owned and modified by his good friend Jon Roberts. When it was time for something new, Jon knew that Ronnie would give his truck a good home. Buying a truck with loads of modifications already in place worked out well for Ronnie, making the personalization process much easier.

The Sierra was already ’bagged, shaved and rolling on 24s. The C-notched frame used a KP Components 6-link cantilever kit and Watts link to hold the 4-inch narrowed rear. Looking for a little lower stance, Ronnie added upper and lower Strong Arms, 2-inch Bell Tech drop spindles and 2,600-pound bags on all four corners. An engine-driven compressor with ½-inch lines fills the Air Lift Dominator ’bags and slow-down valves were installed to ensure a gentle response. The new lower altitude created a domino effect, however, triggering major work up front that began with redoing the custom inner fender wells, relocating the truck’s batteries and modifying many of the electrical components. Additional clearance work was required in the rear, beginning with the 4-inch raised bed floor, new wheel tubs and the 8-gallon reserve tank, now located under the bed. Ronnie shaved and then radiused the bed corners, the tailgate and bumper were removed and replaced with with a Grant combo custom skin, and he candied the stock taillights. Inside the bed, white pine slats cover the new bed floor.

Once the changes were complete, the big Raceline Deceptive 6 wheels, 24×9 up front, 24×10 in the rear, all wrapped in Nitto 30 series rubber, tuck nicely when the Sierra frame is hugging the asphalt.

There was one body mod that still needed attention, though. When Ronnie got the GMC the sliding ragtop wasn’t exactly waterproof. To solve the problem, he had the folks at CMX, in Summerville reskin the Sierra with a ribbed roof from a Hummer, adding a subtle third brake light in the process.

When it came time to update the interior, Ronnie envisioned “just a nice family cruiser.” That meant comfortable accommo- dations were a prime consideration. In fact, the new interior was completely redone by Stitch Interiors, in Sumter, South Carolina. The shop finished just the day before we photographed the truck. The crew there eliminated the headrests front and rear, and then covered the seats with Katzkin charcoal leather with silver suede inserts. The high- tech audiovisual system takes a subtle approach, beginning with a Kenwood touchscreen head unit that controls the pair of Autotek amps and Sound Stream 10s hidden behind and under the back seat. PowerBass 6.5- inch component sets in the factory door panels deliver the mids and highs. The custom center console sports a 7-inch Power Acoustik monitor along with another pair of 7-inch monitors in the sun visors. The Air Zenith gauges and switches for the air suspension are mounted in the overhead console.

The final step was paint, and once again, friendship came to the rescue. Originally white with candy red flames, the truck had an unfortunate meeting with an overhead garage door that put a huge dent in the center of the hood. Trying to match the original color wasn’t practical, so a complete repaint was the alternative. With some timely financial help from his good friend Jason Conley, Ronnie enlisted the services of Shon Reese at Diverse Customs in Easley, South Carolina. Shawn sprayed the Charger Charcoal Gray and Toyota White on the body, following up by spraying several pieces on the 4.8L V-8. An accomplished airbrush artist, Shon also did the subtle candy red skull graphics, even carrying them into the door jambs.

Now that it’s complete, the four-year project has been very well received. When we photographed the truck at the Southeast Showdown in Anderson, South Carolina, it captured the Best Debuting Award, Street Trucks Editor’s Choice and Best Full Size. Ronnie plans to keep improving the Sierra simply out of respect for all of the good friends who helped make it such a success. He’s learned that friends mean everything in this world, and when you have them, anything is possible.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Ronnie Seprish
2002 GMC Sierra
Summerville, SC

ENGINE

• 2002 4.8L V-8 left stock for reliability
• Factory radiator and 16-inch SPAL fan
• 200-amp Stinger alternator
• Custom engine pulleys
• Custom raised inner fender panels
• Custom engine shroud Handmade air intake Exhaust rerouted to lay frame
• Engine compartment painted to match 4L60E automatic transmission
• Rearend narrowed 4 inches

SUSPENSION

• Shop: The Butcher Shop, Summerville, SC
• Ride Tech upper and lower Strong Arms
• 2-inch Belltech drop spindles
• C-notched frame
• KP Components 6-link with Watts link
• Dominator 2,600-pound ’bags
• Engine-driven compressor
• 8-gallon reserve tank mounted underneath the bed
• Eight GC Xtreme 250 valves
• ½-inch lines

WHEELS & TIRES

• 24×9 and 24×10 Raceline Deceptive 6 rims in front
• Nitto 255/30ZR24 and 275/30ZR 24

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Shon Reese, Diverse Customs in Easley, SC/CMX in Summerville, SC
• Sliding rag-top roof reskinned with a Hummer roof panel
• LED third brake light
• Candied stock taillights
• Clear headlights and marker lights
• Front bumper painted to match
• Roll pan painted to match with inset license plate
• Street Scene side view mirrors
• Grant Kustoms tailgate/roll pan combo skin
• Rounded inner bed corners
• Shaved inner bed walls with 1971 C-10 inner fender tubs
• Raised bed floor with white pine wood planks
• Charger Charcoal Gray and Toyota White paint
• Candy red skull graphics
• Airbrushed chrome trim

INTERIOR

• Shop: Stitch Interiors, Sumter, SC
• Crew cab interior outfitted with bucket seats up front and bench seat in the rear
• Shaved headrests front and rear
• Katzkin charcoal upholstery with silver suede inserts
• Escalade instrument cluster
• Air Zenith digital gauges in the painted to match overhead console
• B.A.D. billet steering wheel
• Kenwood touchscreen head unit
• Dual Autotek amplifiers rated at 2,000 watts
• Two Soundstream 10-inch subs
• Two PowerBass 6.5-inch component sets
• PowerBase Xtreme crossover
• Three Power Acoustik 7-inch monitors in the dash and visors
• Black carpet and Dynamat throughout the interior

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: Jason Conley, Jon Roberts, Robbie Hennessy, Corey Brady, Shon Reese, CMX and Stitch Interiors.

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