Trucks for many years have been seen purely as a utilitarian vehicle. They carry items that will not fit in a typical car, they allow you to pull heavy payloads, and allow you to drive through conditions that would tear the oil pan off other vehicles. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of people modifying trucks with many turning them into gas guzzling rubber burning machines, corner carving specialists, or muddy flinging rock scaling beasts. Then, there is the truly custom truck that can be far and few in between. The type of truck that can not be replicated, and makes people question how someone was able to even create such a thing. 

Chad Martin is one of those people who created a piece of art that redefines what a truck can be and even what a custom build can be. Chad owns his own garage located in Saluda, South Carolina known as Chad’s Custom Dreams. Since the first car rolled in the door Chad has been rolling other people's dreams back out those same doors. Chad has legendary skills in all categories of fabrication and paint with the base of those skills coming from Nashville Auto-Diesel College and being finely honed by years in the business. With his specialties being custom paint, airbrushing, metal fabrication, and full-on restorations, so really bring anything car related to him, and it will get done. With thoughts of cars constantly racing through his mind it is no shock Chad is constantly coming up with new ideas. In 1999 Chad sketched a truck with no real intention of making it at that time but he knew one day this would be one of his dream builds. The path to making this sketch a reality was not so simple. It was not just come up with the idea, begin building, and then bam finished product. The path was shaped more like a dragon's tail with bumps and curves. 

The year of 2016 is when Chad would be able to bring one of his dreams to life with the help of Matrix Edge. The first steps in this truck's journey may shock people or make some people think damn I was convinced this was such and such year of truck. In reality this truck started life out as a sedan, with the cab of the truck being partially made out of a 1936 Chevy Sedan and partially made out of the rear section of a 1935 Chevy Pickup. Each section was cut down the middle and widened by a foot, giving the truck even more road presence, and adding that unique flowing look. Much like a butcher combined with a skillful surgeon Chad cut and sawed the two vehicles and then precisely stitched them together to create the foundation of his creation. Even with just this one element done the truck was already turning out to be brutally sexy which became the name of the truck “Brutally Sexy.” With the name also being inspired by Chad's wife with Chad saying, “sometimes my wife is mean to me and she’s pretty so the name just came together.”

However, the cab is just one small section of a truck and lots of work was yet to be completed. done. A vehicle equivalent to the Island of Misfit toys was used to create other elements of this truck. With the bodacious front fenders coming from a 1940 International 1 ton that were widened and reshaped to house the 24-inch front rims. These fenders flow down into a set of custom-made running boards that travel for miles until mating to another set of cascading fenders that started life on a 1930s Diamond T truck. Fenders need somewhere to hang, and a truck is not a truck without a bed, so a custom bed was fabricated to match the look of the truck while being able to handle a set of dual 24-inch American Force Caliber Series semi rims smothered in Toyo Proxies rubber. The bed floor is made from an elegant black walnut. Attached to the plunging rear end is a set of sleek double stacked round taillights on both sides. As your eyes follow the waving fenders back to the front of the truck, they will be captured by a gorgeous set of headlights extruding beside a sparking grill. The grill was handcrafted using 300 feet of aluminum which flows like a waterfall from the butterfly hood originally from the sedan that also had to be widened and lengthened to keep the proportions perfect. 

With the entire truck being masterfully done in all metal without a single ounce of fiberglass, that work was hidden underneath one of Chad's most impressive skills, paint. Much like the rest of the truck the paint had to be one off and exactly what Chad dreamed of. Using five different pearls Chad created the mesmerizing green known as “Green Dream.”. To accentuate the lines of the truck the green is broken up by a soft cream color. Again, Chad altered the cream color by adding a slight tint that if you look ever so closely you will notice a slight red hue. Even the pieces most people will never see unless the crawl under the truck are painted a mix of Devils Gold Candy and Midnight Black. 

This symphony of colors and metal would not just be able to sit on any regular frame as the truck is 20 feet long, 93 inches wide at the rear and a slim 71 inches at the front. Chad roughed out the dimensions he wanted and got to work with help of Volney Smith to begin creating the frame out of square tubing. The engine is supported by an Extreme Cross-Member Stage 4 IFS package from Fatman Fabrications. Firestone airbags and shocks combined with a Ridetech four-link, and AccuAir e-level air ride system allow the truck to feel as if it is a floating cloud and huddle down to the ground like a cat ready to pounce.

A truck that looks like this deserves to have a heart that matches its sexy body. With Chad having a degree from a diesel college it is no surprise this truck is powered by a 5.9L 24-valve Cummins. A stock Cummins is a great engine but just not good enough for this truck. DB Diesel took the Cummins to a new stratosphere by adding a compound turbo setup with a 58MM and a 71MM turbo. The team estimates that this Cummins is now pushing 750 horsepower with almost double that in torque. 

With all that power you need somewhere to sit and enjoy the ferocity. Once all four suicide doors are swung open you are greeted by a warm and comforting espresso colored leather interior that took seven cows to complete. The seats are originally from a Toyota Camry that were slightly modified and draped in that espresso leather. Pulling from the outer paint scheme the espresso interior is also broken up with off white accents. The same black walnut from the bed was used to create the center console. Perched atop the long shifter handle jutting from the center console is the logo of Chad’s shop. A refined set of Dakota Digital gauges are nestled into the custom dashboard that Chad painted Matrix Edge Satin Brown. And finally, a set of Diamond audio 8-inch subs and four 6.5-inch speakers provide the soundtrack for cruising.

In the end the truck took Chad and one other guy two years to complete while keeping up with all his other business and family responsibilities. The final product is a truck that is undeniably custom but still has that defined look that makes people question “Do I know what kind of truck that is?” One of Chad’s goals from the start was to build something that he could look at from every angle and like it, that goal was accomplished and then some. Brutally Sexy debuted at SEMA in 2018. A year after the debut of the truck Chad was recognized as a Maverick of Kolor by Matrix Edge at SEMA. At SEMA that same year Brutally Sexy was one of the Hot Wheels Legend Tour finalists. The well-deserved excitement around the build continues today as Chad still shows it around the country capturing the hearts and eyes of children and adults alike. 

Link Garage

Follow Chad:

Website: ChadsCustomDreams.com

Instagram: Chads Custom Dreams

Facebook: Chads Custom Dreams