1964 Dodge D100 | SLAMD-RAM

Completing the Trifecta

We might not hear the term “hattrick” used very often in the custom truck industry, but that’s because not many people can pull off three masterpieces of this caliber in such a short amount of time.

When you’ve already built one of the baddest 1964 C10s and arguably one of the coolest 1964 F-100s (stay tuned for more on this one in our sister magazine, F-100 Builder’s Guide), what do you do next? Well, if you’re anything like Tony Leal, who just can’t sit still for long, you’re on the hunt for the next cool classic truck to trick out. But Tony was tired of seeing the same ol’ recipe out there-and he’s definitely not one to follow the trends or keep doing the same thing-so, this time around, he knew this build would be different. Much different.

Keeping with the 1964 theme, Tony scored the perfect ’64 Dodge D100 donor to help pull off this trifecta of cool. His previous vow to “never build a SEMA truck again” went out the window fairly quickly. In fact, this D100 was committed to be the centerpiece in the badass new Restomod Air booth before it was even close to complete. Wanting to start with a proper foundation first and foremost, Tony’s phone call with Nate Porter from Porterbuilt went pretty much the same as always:

Tony: “Hey Nate, got something for ya.”
Nate: “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
Tony: “How’d you like to build a badass full chassis for a D100?”
Nate: “Hell yeah! When?”
Tony: “Um, SEMA?”
Nate: “Like THIS SEMA? Like this year? Like in a few months?”
Tony: “Yeah, that one. Did it ship yet? Ha Ha.”
Nate: “I’m in. But I still hate you.”
Tony: “K bye. Love you too. See you soon!”

So, the plan was set. While Nate was knocking out the chassis, Tony began to gather the rest of the team and put together all the necessary pieces of the puzzle. Knowing that he really wanted to stuff a Dodge HEMI under the hood, Tony tracked down the perfect donor-a 2016 392 HEMI 6.4 mated with 2015 Dodge 545 RFE trans would do the trick quite nicely! The drivetrain was shipped off to Porterbuilt to build the engine and trans mounts, and the plot thickened.

With the engine in place, Nate wanted to be the one to build the sheetmetal engine bay and bed while the truck was there. With his fab skills extending well beyond chassis fabrication, Nate really flexed some creative muscle and knocked out a killer engine bay and bed floor. It was a nice break from production chassis building, and it saved Tony some time on the assembly.

Picking up the truck from Porterbuilt a bit more complete than previously anticipated actually bought some time. Not one to waste an opportunity, Tony got with Jason over at Arizona High Test to dial up the details. Jason was tasked with fully plumbing the truck with stainless air, fuel and brake lines, and really stepping up the chassis detail to the next level. With the Air Lift 3H management and custom FLO Airride cerokated billet air tank, this next-level stainless plumbing touch really brought the quality and level of this build up a notch. With the roller coming together, the body was sent over to David Hostetter at Hostetter Paint & Graphics to paint the custom sheetmetal from Porterbuilt and lightly clear the exterior patina to really tie it all together.

Coming together quickly but still down to the wire (like all SEMA builds tend to do…), the perfect interior would be the crown jewel as the Dodge would be showcasing Restomod Air’s new line and sitting front and center in the company’s fancy new booth (which, by the way, was one of our favorite booth builds of the show-great work guys!). So, of course, Tony really needed a pro to knock the interior out of the park in such a short time. Good thing he already had just the guy, Frank Ceballo of Ceballo’s Customs, who always comes through in the clutch! He installed a gorgeous Snowden bench seat in worn brown leather, leather-wrapped Sparc Industries billet steering wheel, the works. It was the perfect stage for the badass billet Restomod Air components, and a cabin fit for the finishing feather in Tony’s cap on this insane trifecta of the Big Three-Ford, Chevy and now Dodge-1964 classics. Nice work brother. A very well deserved hattrick! See? That’s nice.

Tony and I share this long-running joke about what a pain it is to build a truck for SEMA deadlines, especially a classic from the ground up and not just the common “bolt-on affair.” Tony always said he would never do it-and then BAM, out comes Slammed64s FLO DIME and now the SLAMD RAM, back-to-back SEMA builds and cover trucks. Not bad buddy, not bad at all. Keep killing it my man! Your dad, brother and the rest of your family and those who truly matter are proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished. We hear rumors that the next one won’t be too far behind, so stay tuned!

TRUCK SPECS

Owner
Tony Leal
1964 Dodge D100
Orange, California
Slammed64s

Chassis & Suspension

Full Porterbuilt chassis with custom cantilever shocks and watts link
Wilwood 6piston 14inch front and rear
Wilwood Master
Air Lift Performance 3H air management
Custom cerakoted FLO Airride billet tank
Ridetech shocks
Stainless plumbing (air, brake, fuel) by Jason at Arizona High Test
Currie Turn9 rear end
Boyd’s Welding fuel cell
Custom two-piece driveshaft

Wheel & Tires

Avant-Garde F411 22x9inch and 22x12inch
Toyo Proxes tires

Engine & Performance

2016 392 HEMI 6.4 with 2015 Dodge 545 RFE trans
Hot Wire Auto custom engine wiring harness
Custom headers and exhaust by Paul at Old Anvil Speedshop
Vibrant mufflers used on exhaust
Custom 4inch cold air intake
One wire 160 Amp Alternator from Quality Power
Mattson’s Custom Radiator with two Spal brushless fans
Custom upper and lower radiator hoses by Old Anvil Speed Shop

Exterior & Paint

Keeping with a mostly “original” exterior, the stock grille was rechromed
United Pacific lighting
Custom sheetmetal bed by Nate Porter of Porterbuilt Fab
Bed and engine mods painted by David Hostetter at Hostetter Paint & Graphics
Original Patina with 20% clear
Precision Rubber weather stripping and new glass all around

Interior & Sound

Split Snowden bench seat
Brown worn leather by Frank Ceballo at Ceballos Customs
Classic Instruments Nostalgia VT Series
Sparc Industries billet steering wheel
InfinityÊMorel, JL, Rockford subs, two sets separates, two amps (Advanced Car Creations)
Restomod Air A/C and billet vents
Hideaway Air Lift controller
Restomod membrane insulation

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Porterbuilt Fabrication, Restomod Air, Air Lift Performance, FLO Airride, AG Wheels, Precision Rubber, Arizona High Test, Wilwood Brakes, Anvil Speed Shop, Sparc Industries, Currie, Ceballo Customs, Mike Alexander at FLO for always shipping my awesome tanks on time (ha ha), Snowden Seats, Hostetter Paint & Graphics, Advanced Car Creations, MattsonÕs Radiator.”