After driving UPS trucks all day, you would think the last thing Timothy Velasco of Fort Meyers, FL, wants to do is to spend his off time in a truck.
Wrong.
Ever since 2002, Velasco has been hooked on diesel trucks. For the past year he’s been driving a 2018 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali. It’s his daily driver, his tow vehicle and show truck.
It was showcased at last year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. And when you look at it, it’s easy to see why Velasco likes to show it off.
Although it is his fourth diesel pickup since 2002, the Denali stands out and is a little more special.
“I like to be different and make my truck my own,” Velasco explained. Even after it was custom-built for the SEMA show, he said it still needed a few changes to be exactly what he wanted. And when it comes to getting the exact look, he doesn’t spare the accessories or paint.
Fully Loaded
Basically, the Denali features a 6.5 BDS Coilover Conversion Kit with Recoil Traction Bars and Fox shocks. It has Nitto Trail Grappler 375/40R25 tires with 24x12 Specialty Forged SF015 black and machined rims topped off with True Spike machined spike three-piece lug nuts.
It also features Kryptonite Tie Rods and a Mag-Hytech Rear Differential Cover.
For a little bling, it has 16 Arc Angel rock lights and a six horn custom bell HornBlasters Train Horn Kit with two compressors and a five-gallon air tank running 175 psi mounted on a Wicked Customs mount that has a silver powdercoat from Unforgettable Customs.
It has custom-painted black and silver headlights and taillights from Supreme Retros (built exact to order) and Gen5DYI headlight and taillight harnesses. Its RECON clear cab lights are also painted silver and rebuilt with switchbacks to be able to switch from white to amber. And a RECON clear third brake light is also painted silver.
“Custom-built illuminated Switchback door handles are also painted silver with an on/off dimmer switch built by me and a buddy,” Velasco explained. “Plus custom painted silver and rebuilt mirrors with light smoke-tinted lens and Switchbacks built by me.”
The Denali has a Putco Switchblade tailgate bar with Bodyguard front and rear paint-match silver/black bumpers with all Rigid lighting. A DB Customz Denali grille is also paint-matched black/silver and lights up. He controls his lights via a Spod Bantam 8 Switch digital touch screen.
Velasco added a Banks Derringer in-line tuner to add some performance, along with a Banks Ram cold air intake. He still has plans to add a Banks 5-inch black DPF back exhaust with Black Tip.
He installed a Lock’er Down Digital Key Lock Console Safe so he would have a secure location to keep his valuables. And to protect his interior, he added WeatherTech black floor mats to both the front and rear of his cab. He also installed a 5 percent window tint from Quality Custom Tinting.
To get the look he wanted, Velasco went with Killer Wraps on some of the chrome trim and to black out the pillar between his front and rear window. He also added a Speed Pole black aluminum flag mount in the bed of his truck for when he wants to fly the colors.
To be able to climb in and out of his truck, plus reach the front of his pickup bed, Velasco added N-Fab Three-Step Bars. He also blacked out all of his emblems on the truck. He also added silver Bushwacker Pocket Flares.
To match the looks he wanted, Velasco figured he might just as well get the sound he wanted. So he added two 10-inch JL Audio W3v3 Series subs in a Fox Acoustics Box.
Even with all of these upgrades, Velasco is still looking to do more changes to the interior until he gets his truck exactly how he wants it.
A lot of his work has involved paint. “I wanted a nice clean paint-matched truck,” he said. “It’s just something I envisioned.”
Time & Money
Although Velasco hasn’t kept track of how much time he’s spent upgrading his vehicle, he figures that he’s spent an additional $30,000 in accessories. “And I’ve done everything on the truck myself, other than the lift,” he explained.
But Velasco has also had a lot of help from friends. During the build process he has worked with multiple Fort Meyers, FL, area based companies including: The Truck Shop, Serious Customs, Jack’s Collision And Paint, MLA Customs, Unforgettable Customs, Quality Custom Tinting, Killer Wraps, Supreme Retrox and Titan Mfg.
Although a lot of the effort went into the overall looks of the Denali, Velasco said some of the more significant improvements actually involved the quality of ride and the increased power and towing capabilities.
“Eventually, I want to delete it and produce around 700 horsepower,” he said. But for now, he’ll just keep making changes. And each little change gets his 2018 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali just a little closer to exactly how he wants it.
All photos with the CR Motion Media watermark taken by Colby Raley.