The stock four-speed automatic gearbox remains, as does the stock rear axle and 3.55 gearing. The suspension, however, was entirely removed and replaced with a Shockwave front and AirBar rear suspension from Air Ride Technologies.
The AirBar setup replaces the factory leaf springs with a bolt-in four-link arrangement, and with the associate airbags, it can drop the truck nearly 10 inches, giving it that true Craftsman Truck stance.
The front Shockwave suspension features airbags as well, and all four corners are con-trolled by Air Ride's RidePro e(TM) compressor system. This allows easy control of the truck's ride height and allows GMS to drop the rig on its Victory 19x8 front and 19x10 rear wheels. And Goodyear's Eagle F1 tires, sized 275/45/19 front and 295/40/19 rear, keep it in front of those race trucks. When it needs to pull up the reigns and hold them in pace pattern, Stainless Steel Brakes front calipers get the nod, or rather the foot.
The interior wasn't neglected either, with GMS installing one of its bolt-in rollbars--painted to match the outside, of course. The removable dashpanels were matched to the exterior also, and GMS handled the Pioneer stereo installation. NR Automobile was sourced for the silver gauge package and Granatelli dropped in a set of Recaro bucket seats covered in black leather.
All this happened from July 4, 2004, when they received the truck, to October 31, 2004, when GMS had to ship it to Las Vegas for the '04 SEMA show. From there it hit the Craftsman Truck series and even made a stop in Homestead, Florida, for the final Nextel Cup race. Thankfully, though, lightning struck only once.