Custom Excellence! Team Billet’s GMC Sierra Build

Team Billet Does It Again

Nothing is more American than a pickup truck, right? In truth, most “American” pickup trucks are not fully assembled in the United States, but in Mexico as well. General Motors is now the top automaker south of the border, topping over 800,000 vehicles assembled last year. In the United States, the 2019 single cab GMC Sierra trucks were no longer going to be produced. The only GMC Sierra you could get in a standard cab model was given a longbed and a V-6 work truck package, which is not exactly an ideal base for a custom build.

Edgar De Anda was born and raised in San Jalisco, Mexico, before he relocated to Storm Lake, Iowa. His knowledge of Mexican-built trucks came into play when he decided to build a new truck. With around 30 custom trucks under his belt, Edgar is well-versed in the build process and knew exactly what he wanted. Edgar contacted a friend in Mexico who found a dealer in Guadalajara, which is only a quick two-hour drive from his original hometown.

PLANS BEGIN

After the payment on a brand new 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 in Base White was made, Edgar took the flight down to Mexico so he and his friend could make the 20-hour drive straight to Phat Phabz in Oklahoma. While on the road, Edgar started ordering his new wheels, and once the truck was delivered to Jack McKiddie, founder and owner of Phat Phabz, work was quickly started on the brand-new Mexican Sierra.

There were a few white single cab trucks that were bodied. I had to make mine better than those trucks. 

Jake started by adding an extra step to make the truck lay completely out on the rocker and not the pinch welds. New front bumpers and rear bumpers were modded to fit, and with the air deflector removed, Jake jumped on the opportunity to install a new metal Denali lower grille to add some flare. The next step was raising the bed floor and slamming the brand-new warranty killer to the ground by way of a bodydrop. A full Air Lift air management system was mounted as was a rear 4-link suspension by Jake the fabrication wizard. Once the truck was released to Edgar with a new altered stance, he decided to one-up his competition.

“There were a few white single cab trucks that were bodied,” Edgar tells Street Trucks. “I had to make mine better than those trucks.”

While he was still in Oklahoma, Edgar drove the truck to Downtown Auto Body in Shawnee where the solid white paint was sanded down and removed and replaced with a bright BMW Sakhir Orange color that does a red/orange flip depending on the lighting. Once the complete color change was performed, Edgar couldn’t stop there. He headed to SD Tint and Audio for an interior overhaul on his Sierra. As many know, the interior on these new trucks is already elite, but elite just wasn’t good enough for Edgar. The factory seat covers were ripped off and swapped for Katzkin leather covers with white piping for a bit of accent coloring. All the plastic panels were then removed and color-matched.

Most truck builders would have been satisfied with the Sierra at this point, but Edgar had even more plans. 

TUNES AND MORE

The next step involved outfitting the GMC with some tunes. The crew at SD Tint went all out with an install that still keeps Edgar’s ears ringing. The GMC was treated with Audio Dynamics high and mid-range speakers as well as deep, low-end bass notes with subwoofers. The stock screen in the dash powers all the speakers and the three amplifiers that push power to the subs. Most truck builders would have been satisfied with the Sierra at this point, but Edgar had even more plans.

He drove the freshly painted, bodied, and audio-equipped GMC to 580 Performance and Parts in Newkirk, Oklahoma, for all the motor work, which included even more color-matching. Once the upgraded modifications were made, 110 Customs tuned the truck for maximum performance on the streets.

Edgar and his wife Leticia have three beautiful kids: Edgar Jr., Valentina, and Ximenna. Together, they own a car dealership in Iowa that has been open for business for the past 13 years. The majority of his 30 builds before this one were trucks he had originally purchased for his dealership. Knowing that the truck he truly wanted wasn’t going to be available in the US, he had to go outside the country to get his prize.

Once the upgraded modifications were made, 110 Customs tuned the truck for maximum performance on the streets. 

Edgar wishes to thank Jake at Phat Phabz, Downtown Auto Body, Little Shop Mfg., SD Tint and Audio, 110 Customs, 580 Performance and Parts, Custom Car Audio and Tires, Edgar Guzman for taking parts to shops, Humberto Munoz for finding the trucks and driving back with him, and of course his lovely wife and children for their support and pushing him to finish his build.

TRUCK SPECS

Owner 

Edgar De Anda 

2019 GMC Sierra 1500
Storm Lake, Iowa
Team Billet

Chassis

Front Suspension:  Phat Phabz front control arms, Airlift 2600-lb ‘bags with 14-inch lift, sway bar option
Rear Suspension:  4-link Firestone 9100 sleeve ‘bags, Air Lift air management system, height sensors, dual Viair 485 compressors, 5-gallon seamless air tank

Drivetrain

Engine: 5.3L V8, Texas Speed Stage 4 cam, pushrods and rockers, 3200 stall with billet cover from Circle D, tuned with HP Tuners, unlocked ECU, Magnaflow exhaust, Wilwood 6-piston brakes from Little Shop Mfg. with electric emergency brake
Transmission: 6L80 trans
Rearend: Moser axles

Body/Paint 

Traditional bodydrop done by Jake McKiddie at Phat Phabz, extra step added, shaved pinch weld, modified front bumpers with metal added, custom metal Denali lower grille, shaved and smoothed rear bumpers, fender and bed caps shaved and smoothed, BMW Sakir Orange paint done by Downtown Auto Body in Shawnee, OK, bed floor raised

Interior

Katzkin leather seats, custom door panels, color-matched trim
Stereo: Stock head unit with monitor, in-dash Epicenter with SPL meter, 1-inch Audio Dynamics tweeters, 6.5-inch mid-range speakers, two 12-inch subwoofers andthree amplifiers, sound deadener throughout, amp rack with lights, all done by SD Tint and Audio in Shawnee, OK.

Wheels & Tires 

Wheels: 28×9 and 28×16  Intro Twisted Infamous wheels
Tires: 295/25R28 Atlas and  405/25R28 Tri-Ace tires