Sean Cooley Built This Ram to Go Against the Grain

The slammed truck scene isn’t for everyone, and it was just a fluke that Sean Cooley got into it all. Rather than fixing up cars or going to shows, his family was more concerned with heading outdoors and hunting. Since they live near the Gulf of Mexico where hurricanes are a common threat, evacuations aren’t unusual. Sean’s family would usually head to his grandmother’s house when a storm was imminent, and during one of these trips, he picked up a custom truck magazine to help pass the time.

“MAKING VEHICLES LOOK SHARP ON THE OUTSIDE IS WHAT SEAN DOES FOR A LIVING, SO IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THAT HIS PERSONAL RIDE IS PRETTY STRIKING.”

As he took his first glimpse of super low trucks, Sean couldn’t believe what he saw, and from that moment he was hooked. Once he got his driver’s license, he owned nothing but airbagged trucks. After he graduated from high school his goal was to find some sort of profession related to the truck scene, so he got a job sweeping floors at a local body shop. One thing led to another and he ended up a full-blown painter at Philpott Collison Center in Port Neches, Texas.

Then Sean decided to buy an ’08 Chevy Silverado and have it airbagged by Ekstensive Metalworks in Houston. At the time, that body style was new to the scene, and slamming one of them ensured that he would get a lot of looks on the road and at shows. Shortly afterwards he completed his first full paint job on the Silverado. The truck was painted a sharp-looking lime green and laid frame over a set of 24s. It was a stunning truck, but as more of them started popping up, it got lost in a sea of clones.

So Sean decided to sell the truck to fund his next big project. He wanted to start with something that wasn’t as plentiful in the scene. He knew that late-model Ram Trucks were great-looking trucks, and only a handful of them have been laid out. Once he decided to take on the project, he figured he could even go one step further and get a standard cab, because he definitely hadn’t seen any that were finished like the one pictured here.

Once he tracked down the perfect truck on the web, it was time to get cracking on it. His first stop was at Ekstensive to have the boys create a new air ride suspension that would allow it to lay frame on the pavement when the air is released. New front lower control arms were made, and the uppers were raised to keep the camber straight. The rear was stripped down to bare frame and a 2-link with track bar was created. To make the rear function properly, the frame was step notched and the fuel tank was ditched in lieu of a custom-made aluminum tank mounted behind the narrowed axle.

The inside of the bed was changed up a bit to create room for the suspension and large rollers. Part of this includes a notch cover and wheel tubs to hide the cuts. Since the fuel tank was fitted to the rear, a custom filler was cut into the floor of the bed. When the sheet metal work was finished, the bed was coated in spray-on liner at Ekstensive.

Taking care of the other loose ends up front, the battery, fuse box and computer were relocated, while another set of wheel tubs was added to minimize the amount of dirt that’s flung up into the engine bay. The stock exhaust manifold was modified for ground clearance and a 2 ½-inch exhaust was made featuring a pair of Magnaflow mufflers.

“AFTER JULIO FINISHED THE INSIDE, THIS TRUCK WAS READY TO HIT THE SCENE, SATISFYING SEAN’S WISH TO HAVE A CLEAN, LOW CUSTOM TRUCK.”

Making vehicles look sharp on the outside is what Sean does for a living, so it comes as no surprise that his personal ride is pretty striking. Because the exhaust now dumps under the bed, Sean swapped the original rear bumper for one that didn’t have the cut- outs for it. He also made a few other changes, like shaving the antenna, fuel door and emblem on the tailgate. Once all of the prep work was done, Sean sprayed the truck in Bright Calypso Green, which originally appeared on ’90s model Ford Escorts. Then it was coated it in enough clear to make it look wet. Completing the look is a set of Intro V-Rod 26s wrapped in Lexani LX-9 tires.

To finish up, Sean upgraded the look of the interior. He enlisted help from Julio Tornero of Interiors by Design in Rosharon, Texas. Julio broke down all of the interior pieces and covered them in either tan leather or a dyed them to match the new leather. After Julio was finished with the inside, this truck was ready to hit the scene, satisfying Sean’s wish to have a clean, low custom truck. ST

Sean would like to thank his wife, Jennifer, for understanding and tolerating his truck addiction, Jeremie, Shane, Donnie, Luke, Conner, Trent, Chad, Tony, Julio, Ekstensive Metalworks and the many friends who helped along the way.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Sean Cooley
2011 Ram Truck Express
Port Arthur, TX

ENGINE

• 5.7L Hemi V-8
• Modified intake tube with K&N filter
• Exhaust manifolds modified for ground clearance
• Custom 2 ½-inch exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers
• Custom aluminum fuel tank
• Rearend narrowed 7 inches

SUSPENSION

• Shop: Ekstensive Metalworks
• Custom tubular front lower control arms
• Relocated factory upper front control arms
• Rear 2-link with track bar
• Custom cross members
• Rear step notch in frame
• Rearend narrowed 7 inches

WHEELS & TIRES

• 26 x 10-inch V-Rod polished billets by Intro Custom Wheels
• 305/30R26 Lexani LX-Nine

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Phillpott Collision Center
• Shaved fuel door, antenna, emblem on the tailgate
• Headlights with clear turn signals
• Billet grille and bumper inserts
• Stock rear bumper without exhaust cut-outs
• Custom front and rear wheel tubs
• Custom rear notch cover
• Spray-on bedliner
• Bright Calypso Green PPG Aquabase Plus paint

INTERIOR

• Shop: Interiors by Design
• Full leather upholstery and tan dye
• Headrest removed
• German square weave carpet
• Rear cab wall smoothed

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