Sometimes something new comes along and really grabs your attention. For instance if you look at this truck you see here at one time it wasn't a truck at all. in fact far from it! When it rolled off the GM assembly line it began life as a four door family car. Yeah, that was until a retired U.S. Marine Colonel, Joe Greeves, ran into custom auto builder Don Fuselier. Don had a new product idea called the Super Stepside conversion kit that captures the luxury of a passenger car with the utility of a light pickup all wrapped up into a unique Corvette/El Camino styled hot rod. Joe liked the prototype so much he knew he had to have one once it was available for purchase.

With the determination of a Marine on an operation Joe set his sights on a 1989 Chevy Caprice and before he knew it, the four door car went from family hauler to haulin' ass in a short period of time. The Chevy Caprice had truly been "Born Again Hard" and was good-to-go and ready to launch into its new career as an object of youthful obsession.

For starters, the conversion process began by unbolting the front fenders, hood, grille, and bumper. A line was drawn across the roof behind the front doors as the first step in removing the rear portion of the body. The back seat was removed and a line drawn on the floor pan, just behind the body mounting bolts. The roof and the floor were cut and with the help of a friend, Joe lifted off the rear clip. The rear section of the chassis was shortened by a foot and reinforced with a rectangular steel brace across the back. The gas tank had to be repositioned as well.

With the body and chassis reworked to accept the kit, the next day Joe mounted the actual kit. The rocker panels were installed first along with the fiberglass pickup bed and rear clip. The tilt forward one-piece front end was installed and the body kit was officially mounted. Not too bad for one weekend!

On the original prototype Super Stepside, the headlights were mounted to brackets on either side of the radiator support that shine through tinted Plexiglass windows. Joe decided to take it a step further by installing a set of 1999 Chevy Malibu headlights thus giving a unique kit a unique look in and of itself! After all, customizing is part of the fun, right? Right! Finishing off the bright work, Joe trimmed the stock Caprice tail lenses and installed them into the rear Corvette styled tailgate.

While the unique styling of the Super Stepside creates considerable attention, it also demands careful thought when selecting other accessories. A Pace-Edwards electric tonneau cover opens with a remote, provides vault-like security, and protects the oak bed inserts as well as a 20" KMC spare tire from the elements. The tonneau topper is strong enough to easily support a bikini model, but more importantly it blends in with the overall scheme of the truck, such as the black band around the middle of the truck. Reinforcing the aggressive exterior theme are limo tinted windows and a black Turbo Tail rear spoiler. To guarantee the truck never went anywhere unnoticed, Joe summoned Ray "Solo" Fuentes, located in Clermont, Florida, to spray House of Kolor Tangelo Pearl as the dominating color. Finishing off the paint job, Solo and his talented crew added remarkably realistic flames to the hood, tailgate, and mirrors which truly keeps this car hot!

Since Joe's ride had an "SS" theme he figured "why not bolt on a set of KMC 'SS' chrome rollers to match?" Joe went with 20 inchers up front and large 22 inchers out back all wrapped up nice and tight in a set of Dunlop rubber bands.

Since the interior had to be as radical as the exterior, Joe assembled an elaborate list of Blaupunkt electronics that included AM and FM stereo, Sirius satellite radio, a 10-CD player in the glove compartment, Travel Pilot GPS navigation, DVD player in the center console with additional monitors in the sun visor, and an Acelle rear view camera that feeds all three screens. Fifteen Blaupunkt speakers are mounted throughout the cab to ensure concert hall sounds. Metra cables and fuses protect the system and their Sound Suppression material eliminates outside noise. A Grant steering wheel, Honda bucket seats, and a Dakota Digital dash eliminate any vestige of Caprice origins, making it very difficult to identify the donor car. Street Glow orange neon inside and out create a light show when the sun goes down. Stereo expert Mike Ohren, from Jacksonville, Florida, handled the installation of all electronics.

Reds hydraulics in Miami handled the dynamic suspension work, using Chassis Tech air bags, twin 450 Viair compressors, two 3.5 gallon reserve tanks, and SMC valves. The Dakota Digital Automatic Ride Control brings the truck to a predetermined ride height whenever the ignition is turned on, minimizing tire wear.

Under the hood, the V-8 was already quick enough, but Joe installed a K&N air filter, Hooker Headers, dual Flowmaster mufflers, and Quick Time Performance electric cut outs for a little extra power and awesome sound. Twin Optima batteries ensure plenty of power while the chrome dress up kit adds "bling-bling" when the tilt forward hood opens for display. Since the conversion eliminated about seven hundred pounds of dead weight, the truck acts like it dines on Nitrous at every stoplight!

How is the truck overall? Joe says, "Trust me. You won't need the navigation system to find the 'Center of Attention.' The Super Stepside will get you there every time!"

(NOTE: Joe's Super Stepside truck has been featured in various magazines including publications in London, Australia, and Canada. You can see the truck in person on the 2006 World of Wheels tour. For more details on the kit, please visit: www.superstepside.com and be sure to tell 'em ESM sent ya!)

Shout Out: "Thanks to Don Fuselier, Mike Ohren, Ray "Solo" Fuentes (www.artbysolo.piczo.com) and everyone who helped out with this truck and thanks to Elite Streets Magazine for the feature!" -Joe