Truck Trend's 2008 Readers' Rides

Show us what you've got! We made the call and Truck Trend readers responded in droves. If there's one thing we know about truck people, it's that we all like to share stories and show off the merchandise. In our annual Readers' Rides photo album, we've put together a great cross-section of the types of vehicles our guys love to own, at work and at play. And depending on your input, we may try to do this more than just once a year. In fact, with our Web site ready and able to take your "Readers' Rides" submissions 24/7, we've got plans to grab some of the best trucks we find online and give them the attention in the magazine they deserve. Look for more information in issues to come. For now, take a look at our latest crop of homegrowns and just imagine what it might be like if your newest addition were here.

1961 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 404 VLF
Steven Brand; Los Angeles, California

You could easily picture one of Mercedes' biggest, nastiest, most capable trucks plowing through overgrowth or traversing sub-zero tundra. This one, however, is based in the heart of Los Angeles. Brand's immaculate Unimog 404 VLF Fire Truck has only 21,000 kilometers on the clock and still uses the original six-cylinder gas engine and Mercedes Type A winch. Home may be the city, but Steven takes his 'Mog everywhere, including the sand--and his dogs love it.

1991 Ford F-350 Crew Cab Dualie
Thomas Gillmore; Lincoln, Nebraska

Don't let the deceptively simple body cladding, two-tone paint, and graphics fool you. This is a serious show truck and award winner. Clean lines and a spotless reputation usually give Thomas a leg up on the competition when he rolls onto the show grounds with his lowered 7.3-liter diesel V-8 tow rig.

1994 Chevrolet Silverado HD 3500 Stakebody 4x4
Larry & Jamie Hange; Perkasie, Pennsylvania

Looking good and working hard could describe the truck and its owners in this photo. As the proprietors of Hange Masonry, these two push the 454 big-block every day with loads of rock, sand, cement, and anything else they need to get to the work site. They built the custom Fir Wood sides and installed the toolboxes and chrome wheels. And we suspect it can pull a good-size trailer, too.

2001 Dodge Ram SPORT
Mark Kirkpatrick; Westminster, Maryland

Mark's 4WD Ram has tallied up more than 199,000 miles, serving flawlessly as a work truck and tow vehicle. He's added a ProCharger supercharger and a Mopar M-1 intake manifold. When he tows, it's generally to haul a 30-foot travel trailer or his sweet 1970 Sublime Green Barracuda.

1972 Chevrolet C-10 Cheyenne
Delbert and Jeremy Catlett; Chickamauga, Georgia

Father and son have tallied nearly 500,000 miles on their Cheyenne. Its second 350 (the first engine had 250,000 before it was replaced) is going strong, with the addition of a chrome breather, K&N filter, and Flowmasters. And Jeremy adds, "Like my dad, this truck is mostly retired from its days of going back and forth to work, hauling wood, and taking road trips." They're never selling this family project.

2007 Chevrolet Colorado
Joseph Giovene; Mullica Hill, New Jersey

Borrowing heavily from the design of the big-brother Escalade EXT pickup, Giovene's 2007 Chevrolet Colorado's exterior has been given the full Cadillac treatment. The front end was modified with a Cadillac grille flanked by Caddy headlights, and the Colorado rides on 18-inch Escalade wheels. Joseph's daily driver retains the stock 2.9-liter I-4 and manual transmission, but he replaced the stock seats with ones from a 2007 Impala. He probably won't try to fit the EXT's 6.2-liter V-8 in there, but imagine if he did.

2006 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 TRD Sport
Rich and Marcie Baker; Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Whether serving as daily driver, weekend cruiser, or hauling bikes to nearby trails, the Bakers' Toyota always stands tall, thanks to the addition of a three-inch Tuff Country suspension and 285/70R17 Firestone Destination A/Ts. They also added a Trenz billet grille and bumper insert, AirAid intake, Undercover tonneau, and Toyota nerf bars, bug shield, and stainless tip. Future plans include the addition of a bumper guard, bed wing, and custom wheels.

2003 Ford F-150 4x4
Joe Edington; Bloomington, Indiana

Joe's regular-cab F-150 sports several appearance mods, including a billet grille, bug deflector, rubber bumper guards, and hood louvers. His father hand-cut the headlight covers. Performance additions include a Flowmaster dual exhaust with four-inch chrome tips, throttle body, and K&N intake. He uses the F-150 to haul truck parts, but also has enlisted his Ford to pull other vehicles out of sand and mud--including a single-axle dump truck and a John Deere tractor.

2006 & 2007 Chevrolet Silverado
Russell and Marlene Fuhler; Trenton, Illinois

This husband and wife have mastered the art of conflict resolution. The Fuhlers don't have to fight over the keys to the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Z71--they each have one. His is the 2007 Graystone Metallic Extended Cab, hers is the 2006 Black Metallic Crew Cab. Both have a cat-back dual exhaust and 285/70R17 BFGs. Russell uses his as the daily work truck, Marlene's is the errand-runner.