The Junk Yard Dawg

Kaylie Davis of Big Willie’s Garage in Fruita, Colorado is one of the leading ladies in the automotive scene! She is best known for taking her project build, the ’58 Chevrolet Apache “Junk Yard Dawg” from a backyard rust bucket, to a beautifully restored truck all on her own! This rebuilt classic definitely stands out with its unique look featuring a complimentary two-tone black and grey paint style, accentuating its billet accents.

Her biggest supporter is her husband, Willie Davis, who owns Big Willie’s Garage. Big Willie’s Garage is known mostly for building hot rods and classic vehicles – but Kaylie’s motivation was to build something she could call her own, which sparked the inspiration for this iconic truck. VIAIR has been invested in the “Junk Yard Dawg” since it was featured at SEMA 2016 running Dual VIAIR Stealth Black 444C hidden underneath the custom metal sheet bed.

Kaylie’s father-in-law, John Davis, originally owned the Apache. He had planned to fully restore the truck, but Kaylie wanted to add her own creative twist on it by laying the frame on bigger wheels with custom interior work. Since this was the first build on her own, she wanted to experiment starting with a rare Fleetside canvas. Sheet metal and steel construction, with epoxy and clear coat in the bed, replicate the common wood and stainless strip of the original design. Throughout the entire process, Kaylie put her own blood, sweat, and tears into this build; for example, she fabricated the metal work to redesign the inner fenders to match the hood scoops. The truck was then covered with a base clear coat to add a polished shine. Even the custom interior vinyl matches the two-tone paint exterior with its diamond-pattern stitching.

Kaylie’s truck truly is a work of art, associating fundamentals of past elements with the latest experimental and creative strategies, giving it the stylistic design it has. Look for the “Junk Yard Dawg’s” feature in the U.S. Mag Wheels’ advertisement printed in the May 2018 Goodguys Goodtimes Gazette, the upcoming 2019 Snap-on Calendar, and in our booth at the Forbidden Fantasy Show N’ Shine in Laughlin, Nevada this weekend!

Phat Phabz Dually

With a total of 21 years in the industry, Matt Holden of Phat Phabz is best known for his “bad boy” reputation. Based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Phat Phabz is the “go to” shop for luxury vehicle customization. Body drops, bags, and billets are their specialty, and they are notably known as one of the first shops to body drop and bag a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2015 Cadillac Escalade, 2015 aluminum body Ford F-150, 2015 Chevrolet 3500 dually, and 2015/2016 Chevrolet Silverado.

Matt has owned six trucks since he started in the scene at 19 years old. Two of his SEMA worthy builds with Phat Phabz owner Jake McKiddie were featured vehicles at the show. The quality of work that comes out of this shop periodically shows up on the covers of national magazines, as well as multiple SEMA show features in popular aftermarket vendor booths. It’s no wonder they are so well renowned in the world of specialty equipment manufacturing!

Matt shares his appreciation for the scene and quality products. “We have learned to lean on friends and support the products that work best, like VIAIR,” he said, “so we can provide the best product we can put out.”

Keep an eye out for Matt’s latest build from Phat Phabz, his blue Ford F350 dually equipped with four of our Dual 480C Stealth Black compressors in it. He’ll also be parked in the VIAIR booth at the upcoming Forbidden Fantasy Show!

Stay tuned as we continue with a follow-up on our next blog featuring VIAIR’s experience at Forbidden Fantasy Show N’ Shine 2018!

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