Fabtech Motorsports have released their 6 inch performance lift kit system for the 2007 Toyota Tundra pickup. Providing an increased ride height and superior dampening, the Toyota lift kit includes Dirt Logic coilover shocks, extended-length steering knuckles, arched crossmembers, U-bolt and rear suspension shocks. The aftermarket lift kit allows for the use of 35 inch tall off-road tires. For more information visit www.FabtechMotorsports.com
Motor Trend's Truck Trend Magazine had the opportunity to feature and showcase, the very popular Toyota Tundra dually diesel pickup truck that we blogged about from SEMA 2007. Packing an 8.0-liter turbo diesel inline-six cylinder engine that produces 305 horse power and 610 foot pounds of torque, Toyota has emphasized that this truck is not a concept and that it is truely a one-off project truck to fantasize about. If you like this truck as much as we do, then Click here for the Truck Trend feature and Click here for our SEMA coverage of the dually diesel.
B-Cool Billets announced the release of their Stainless Steel Wire Mesh Grille for the 2008 Jeep Wrangler. Made of stainless steel wire mesh grille inserts, the B-Cool Billets grille will definately make your Jeep unique. For more information, visit www.b-coolbillets.com.
Wrapping up our SEMA coverage, our SEMA Video Part Two has been posted. Featuring customized rides, new products, and models or as we call them, "booth babes", part two offers another insight to the largest automotive trade show on the planet. Be sure to check out our full list of coverage as well.
Superlift Suspension Systems has released their high-performance lift kits for the 2007 Jeep Wrangler and Rubicon 2-Door 4wd jeeps. The new lift kits are available in four, and six inch applications. Each kit features a pre-set coil spring, with different ratings for 4-door models.
When we were at SEMA, we spoke with Ethan Wendle of DiamondBack truck covers, about their new products for next year. The DiamondBack HD cover gives you the ability to load an ATV on top utilizing their ramp assembly. Our own truck, "Project BankShot", featured this tonneau cover at this years show with a Yamaha Raptor 650 quad on top. Check out our video below.
Xsighting Lighting are now offering a full line of HID lights for Jeep applications. The Xe7 Xenon HID Bi-Function, Bi-Function allowing for high and low beam transfer, and the Xe7R headlamps. Both kits provide nearly three times more light output over the stock Jeep headlamps, with less power. The Xe7R kit offers bezels for different styling options. Read on for more about the Xe7 & Xe7R Xenon kits.
Xsighting Lighting have released their GMT800 HID light kits for the 1999 to 2002 Silverado, 2000 to 2006 Suburban, and 2000 to 2006 Tahoe. The Xenon HID technology provides over two times the light output of factory head lamps and are street legal. The kit includes one set of headlamps that replace the factory OEM's, and utilize the exsisting vehicle wiring connections for installation.
As part of our continuing coverage of SEMA 2007, Truckblog is proud to announce the first, full coverage video of the 2007 SEMA Show. Full of the latest customized vehicles, hottest products on the market, and loaded with models, or as we know them, "booth babes", this feature video is part one of two, and will leave you craving for more. Part two will be released later this week.
Magnaflow Performance Exhaust has released their new exhaust system for the 2008 Ford 6.4L PowerStroke Diesel truck. The system is a stainless steel dual performance exhaust that utilizes a particulate filter-back muffler, providing an attractive look and increased horsepower and torque. It also allows for a 15-percent better cooling during the DPF's regeneration process, exclusively to diesels. Magnaflow offers an optional muffler-delete pipe for more versatility and louder tone.
The ARB 4x4 Accessories had a cool set up at their booth for SEMA last week, showcasing their ARB Touring rooftop tent system above a 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser. These tents are mounted on the roof of a vehicle, unfolding in minutes and allows for protection from the elements.
Alright, I have to admit that I'm a sucker for free t-shirts. One was bestowed upon me at last year's SEMA Show by Casey, the CRAGAR booth babe. On the way out of the same hall this year, CRAGAR was camped out at the exact same spot, and there was Casey once again. Before I knew it, she was ripping open my Truckblog crew shirt to reveal that very same CRAGAR shirt from last year. What happened next I cannot say, because as you know... whatever happens in Vegas...
Yes, the SEMA girls are there this week in full force. And yes, we now have a gallery devoted to these beautiful car babes.
Thanks to each and every one of them for taking the time to pose for us and make their automotive accessories extra super special. For our coverage of this year's hottest collection of headlights available for your specific vehicle, click the following link. The gallery will be updated throughout the week.
Baja Designs, Inc., the leader in high performance off-road racing and adventure lighting has teamed up with Grote Industries, the experts in LED WhiteLight technology to introduce a revolutionary innovation in forward lighting solutions. Together, the parties are unveiling the Soltek LED light just days before the upcoming 40th anniversary running of the rugged Baja 1000.
At this year's SEMA Show, Toyota had a nice surprise for all of us big truck fans; a 2008 Toyota Tundra Diesel Dually CrewMax concept. For all the photos and more information on this behemoth truck, visit our 2008 Tundra Diesel Dually info page.
The SEMA show is always an exciting place to walk around, first because there are literally thousands of great vehicles, but also because of the celebrities who frequent this mecca of car shows. Normally, Truckblog wouldn't dedicate a post to something that isn't related in some way to the auto industry - but let's face facts, this is notable to a fairly wide audience.
We ran across a guest today that none of us saw on the celebrity guest roster - tattoo artist Kat Von D - starlet of TLC's LA Ink.
Von D is one of the hottest names in the tattoo industry, and it just goes to show that you never know who you may run into here at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. – MichaelS
As you can probably tell, we're in Vegas this week. We're covering the show and acting as professionally as we possibly can during the day. At night, well, all bets are off. Unless you're with our writer and photographer from New york, Mike (Tek).
Every year he wins more than anyone on our Truckblog Crew, and this year is no exception. Tuesday night he decided to share his luck with an innocent gambler who (probably also in her drunken stupor) decided to let Tek pull the handle on a giganto $1 slot machine.
Guess what turned up? Three sevens for $100. I snapped a photo and we told her to go check it out on Truckblog. So as to not make us look like big fat liars, here's the photo. Big money, big money!
We're here live at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada all week. We'll be uploading some videos next week, and photos throughout this week. Check them out!
Updates
10/30 - Photos have been uploaded again due to technical difficulties. The larger photos should be visible now.
10/31 - Happy Halloween! Due to technical difficulties (too many late nights in Vegas?) the processing of photos from our 5 photographers at the show has taken far too much time. Processing photos now -- you'll have a ton to see this evening.
11/01 - Finished uploading all photos from Monday and Tuesday: over 750 photos so far and growing.
11/01 - Yes, the SEMA girls (aka Booth Babes?) are there this week in full force. And Yes, we now have a gallery devoted to these beauties.
11/04 - All photos from the Truckblog crew have now been uploaded, including the rest of the SEMA girl photos. Check out both galleries for updates!
With the almighty SEMA show just days away, we at Truckblog have been frantically getting ready for the big show and have been preparing our own truck, Project Bank Shot. Owned by Brian Olhausen, one of Truckblog's photographers, Project Bank Shot is a 2006 Ford F-250 SuperDuty truck that has been built to conquer anything. You can find our project truck at the SEMA show outside, in front of the convention center for maximum exposure. Along with Project Bank Shot, we have collaborated 19 vehicles that will be featured at the 2007 SEMA show. Check them out inside.
Make sure you stay "logged to the blog" all week long, for full event coverage! Photos, Video and more!
How would you like to get your truck into the SEMA Show in Las Vegas? DiamondBack and Truckblog have teamed up to put your truck in the spotlight! If you have a Dodge, Toyota, Ford or Chevy truck that (preferably) has been customized or restyled, please submit your truck for a chance to be featured in the 2007 SEMA Show sponsored by DiamondBack Truck Covers. Up to four vehicles will be selected for feature at the SEMA Show.
Umm, the dog ate our camcorder... or, my computer crashed. Tape got stuck in the rewinder? Ok, the sad truth is that we've just been pretty dog-gone busy, and even though we've already published 4 other SEMA 2006 videos, we still had one left. This one covers the show a bit more slowly than the first one, and has some rather silly (drunken) outtakes at the end if you wait around long enough! Enjoy...
Think your wimpy tonneau cover can haul 1600 lbs of lumber -- on top? Last November at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Ethan Wendle introduced us to DiamondBack Truck Covers' DiamondBack HD and their new (lighter) DiamondBack SE tonneau cover that supports 400 lbs (on top). The panels of this new lightweight tonneau weight only 30 lbs each and are super easy to handle. Watch our latest SEMA video to see Ethan showing us all how easy the DiamondBack SE is to use. If you're looking for a rugged tonneau cover for your rig, be sure to check the DiamondBack out!
In case you haven't noticed, we've been crankin' out videos lately, trying to get caught up on 2006. This year we're going to have double (if not more!) the number of videos we produced last year, so please send your feedback to us with any requests or suggestions you might have! Our latest video for RETRAX (one of our proud sponsors) is now complete... so be sure to check out our video from the SEMA Show 2006 in Las Vegas. Noel, the Marketing Director of RETRAX, shows us how their rigid retractable pickup bed cover is different from the rest!
The other day we posted our first SEMA Show 2006 video for AMP Research and now we've finished our first video of the show itself. We've got more in the works, including extended SEMA Show 2006 coverage, but this is a great overview of what is there. Check it out!
According to SEMA, "Chrysler recently launched production of its tenth all-new vehicle this year, as the first 2007 Jeep Patriot came off the assembly line. Production of the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber began in January 2006 and was followed in May by the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass. lexible manufacturing is allowing Chrysler Group to bring its new vehicles to market more quickly, which has positively impacted production costs by a savings of up to 85% in some instances."
"Large SUV sales have rebounded quite a bit in November 2006 compared to that of 2005. Large SUV and large luxury SUV sales grew 21% and 33.9%, respectively, from November 2005 to November 2006. As shown in the table below, the new GMT 900 platform has help GM’s SUV lineups to jump in sales considerably," according to SEMA. Full Story
According to SEMA, "The preferences of men and women have changed over the course of the past six years. Partly due to the acceptance of SUVs, women have become more comfortable with the light-truck segment. Some studies show that half of SUV drivers are female, and well over half of the SUVs purchased are influenced by women. Since 2000, the shift has accounted for a 9.4% swing toward female buyers. The presence of female light-truck consumers is quite different from six years ago."
According to SEMA, "fluctuating gas prices and an increasing number of fuel-efficient vehicle alternatives, several pickup truck models have held strong in terms of sales over the year. A little over a half a million small-size pickups were sold since the beginning of the year, and the Toyota Tacoma is, by far, leading in sales. However, fullsize pickups still dominate the market with overall sales surpassing 1.8 million sold so far."
It's almost like being there! I'm not sure how, but between our five photographers last week we captured well over 2,000 photos fit to print online. We posted a great deal of them the other day but now the rest are online thanks to contributions from Mike Wilkes, Jason Gillmore, and Denny Hao. For all photos from last year's SEMA Show and this year's, click here. We're not done yet with our SEMA Show 2006 coverage, though. Look for some "rad" videos coming your way soon!
Last week was nuts! We all made it back safely and while we didn't have the opportunity to blog a whole lot last week while we were in Vegas, we'll make up for it this week. This year's SEMA Show was larger than ever, and we've got the photos to prove it. Today we're starting off with over 860 photos of vehicles and the "Girls of SEMA" and hundreds more are on the way. Later this week we'll have a series of videos from this year's SEMA Show. In case you missed it, Jason edited a SEMA preview video last week from Vegas for a taste of what's to come. Thanks to the rest of the Truckblog crew that made it out to Las Vegas this year -- it was another memorable experience.
We're finally at the biggest automotive show in the world--the SEMA Show 2006 in Las Vegas! We have a ton of photos already from today and a preview video has already been made. Of course our first stop was the Wheel & Tire hall (a.k.a. "Wheel & Babes") and as a special treat for our Truckblog readers, check out the video below for a preview of what is to come. Next week we'll have our full coverage online, and photos throughout the week.
The SEMA news keeps rolling in. According to gizmag, "European automotive technology company, Antonov, will be showing its innovative 2-speed supercharger drive system for the Hummer H3 at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show next week in Las Vegas with two mouth-watering implementations."
Things are getting real scary this month for Ford Motor Company. So scary that the guys at Galpin Motors have built up a Ford Super Duty F-250 with a tiki torch theme for SEMA. "Tiki Truck" is a portable island paradise, complete with a giant working Tiki head waterfall flowing into a custom-crafted hot tub, large enough to accommodate four people, surrounded by a teakwood deck.
BlueOvalNews has published some pre-release SEMA photos of a new SEMA vehicle created by Funk Master Flex. "Ford is once again tapping Funkmaster Flex’s customizing talents as part of a unique marketing relationship announced in May 2005. Already notorious for tuning celebrity rides, Flex will showcase his singular interpretation of the all-new 2007 Ford Expedition at the 2006 SEMA show."
Enthusiasts seeking the perfect vehicle to personalize will hit the jackpot with this year’s GM portfolio at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, which features all-new, full-size pickups, SUVs, crossovers and cars tricked out for the streets to the slopes and every conceivable surface in between. They include a one-of-a-kind Chevy Silverado off-road concept designed in conjunction with NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. – a successor to Junior’s “Big Red” Silverado – and a low-riding Orange County Choppers Silverado hauler concept inspired by the styling cues of the famous bike-building Teutul family.
The anticipation is killing me. 8 more days until the biggest show on the planet for the automotive industry. The SEMA Show runs this year from October 31st through November 3rd in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center. If the 2 million square feet of exhibits doesn't kill you first, the sins of Sin City will... leaving a lasting impression until your next trip to the desert.
"It is very noticeable that enthusiasts are opting for increasingly larger wheels for their vehicles, but what size wheels are mainstream pickup truck owners choosing? You might be surprised at the answer." SEMA has posted new data at their site, based on a study performed by Foresight Research this year in which 1,802 current model pickup truck owners were queried.
"Have you every wondered which car, truck and SUV is most accessory friendly? SEMA manufacturer members that have participated in SEMA OEM programs in the past (i.e. Tech Talks, Tech Transfer, and Measuring Sessions) chose from a list of vehicles the ones they perceived as the most accessory friendly. Four vehicles—one from four individual categories, including cars, trucks, SUVs, and hybrids—will be voted on and awarded the 2006 SEMA Accessory Friendly Vehicle Award at this year’s SEMA Show." Click the link below to see a sample of some of these vehicles.
"Dodge is preparing two hot-rod versions of its new Nitro SUV for the annual fall SEMA show in Las Vegas, including a Hemi-powered edition with 22-inch wheels and tires. A Dodge Challenger Super Sport concept also will be unveiled at SEMA, but Chrysler declined to provide details," Inside Line reports.
Ever dreamed of getting your truck into the SEMA Show in Las Vegas? DiamondBack and Truckblog have teamed up to put your truck in the spotlight! If you have a truck that falls into one of the specified categories, and (preferably) has been customized or restyled, please submit your truck for a chance to be featured in the 2006 SEMA Show sponsored by DiamondBack Truck Covers. Up to four vehicles will be selected for feature at the SEMA Show.
Um, the dog ate my hard drive? I lost the photo CDs at the strip club? The media was buried in my ten foot high pile of press kits and I just now found them? The photographers just now got back to me with their photos? Well, pick a good excuse because none of them are true. The sad truth is that we are just so backlogged with all the event coverage and editorial coming in that we kept putting it off. Sorry, guys. Thanks to Michael Schuerlein (teknics) and Jason Gillmore (2K BEAST) we now have close to 300 "new" photos from last year's 2005 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
This past November in Las Vegas at the SEMA Show 2005, we had a crazy opportunity to go drifting on behalf of STS (Squires Turbo Systems). Ben Cahoon, President & CEO of STS, hooked up our own Jason Coe in an insanely fast Corvette C5. Riding shotgun, Jason captured the entire drifting ride on film. Their unique turbo system jacked this C5 up to 535 HP and 503 ft/lbs of torque. Watch the video full screen and you'll feel like you were along for the ride. Thanks to STS for hooking us up!
Last week we we announced our first SEMA video and as promised, here's another view into the 2005 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Again, thanks to our videographer Jason Coe, Truckblog brings you "inside SEMA" during our second day at the show. Keep checking back as soon we'll have part three and several other videos!
We're not done with SEMA 2005 yet! We've got several videos in production right now, and the first one is finished and ready to go! Thanks to a lot of work by Jason Coe, this SEMA 2005 video captures the sights from our first day at the show. This is some professional looking coverage from Jason, so grab some popcorn, a soda, and fire up this five minute video to see what you missed at the SEMA 2005 Show in Las Vegas earlier this month!
More and more, individuals interested in custom vehicles seem to be joining the ranks of disappointed fans who claim you no longer see the one off suspensions, body fabrications or mods such as frenched headlights or Cadillac tails. It seems the new "bolt on" generation has a ton of people upset and I don't understand why. While most of the vehicles you do see have very little or no true "custom" modifications, we happened to find a few full on customs at the SEMA show last week in Las Vegas, but we also found a ton of vehicles that had tasteful bolt on mods to satisfy the Motor Head in all of us.
– MichaelS
The big show is finally over, and this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas was better than ever. Even with three full days at the show I still feel as though a lot was missed.
Thankfully our other photographers were out covering the scene and as soon as I get their photos, they'll be uploaded to the site as well. We also have some amazing videos we are working on which will start to appear at the site next week.
SLP's latest performance pack hits a home run for GM Brand Truck and SUVs with a kit designed to hit in the 350hp range, a 19% increase over stock, with bolt on components. The kit specifically targets people who want a one stop shop for bolt on performance on their Cadillac Escalade, GM Yukon, Denali and Sierra and the Chevy Tahoes and Silverado.
For the longest time Bilstein hasn't had a replacement shock for the 2004 and up Ford F-150 Truck. Since the newly redesigned F-150 comes equipped with a strut system instead of the traditional spring and shock combo, not many manufacturers have had a replacement for the OEM shock.
Bilstein introduces their BTS leveling kit, which has the new shock as the main attraction. This application replaces the factory strut assembly, fixing the OEM vehicle rake.
ATS Diesel Performances' latest product being promoted at SEMA is their Five Star Viskus (not viscous) Drive Torque Converter. This heavy duty torque converter features a super strong billet aluminum cover and ATS' innovative five disc design "Viskus Clutch Drive" for unparreled strength and performance and manufacturerd specifically for your full sized trucks tweaked out, high-performance diesel motor.
Our second full day at SEMA was once again filled with way more than we could have ever of hoped to shoot in a single day, but we made it through the day, sore feet and all (yeah, I'm sure you feel real sorry for us).
Another 500 photos have been uploaded from SEMA Thursday, and we have to thank Brad Lovell of Lovell Rock Racing and Big Sarge at the extreme Off-Road Proving Ground for hooking us up with an all access pass to shoot the incredible crawlers, as well as Ben Cahoon at STS for the awesome joyride in a twin-turbo Corvette C5.
Baja Designs, Inc., the leader in high performance off-road racing and adventure lighting has teamed up with Grote Industries, the experts in LED WhiteLight technology to introduce a revolutionary innovation in forward lighting solutions. Together, the parties are unveiling the Soltek LED light just days before the upcoming 40th anniversary running of the rugged Baja 1000.
The SEMA show is always an exciting place to walk around, first because there are literally thousands of great vehicles, but also because of the celebrities who frequent this mecca of car shows. Normally, Truckblog wouldn't dedicate a post to something that isn't related in some way to the auto industry - but let's face facts, this is notable to a fairly wide audience.
We're here live at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada all week. We'll be uploading some videos next week, and photos throughout this week. Check them out!
According to 
"Large SUV sales have rebounded quite a bit in November 2006 compared to that of 2005. Large SUV and large luxury SUV sales grew 21% and 33.9%, respectively, from November 2005 to November 2006. As shown in the table below, the new GMT 900 platform has help GM’s SUV lineups to jump in sales considerably," according to SEMA. 
According to SEMA, "The preferences of men and women have changed over the course of the past six years. Partly due to the acceptance of SUVs, women have become more comfortable with the light-truck segment. Some studies show that half of SUV drivers are female, and well over half of the SUVs purchased are influenced by women. Since 2000, the shift has accounted for a 9.4% swing toward female buyers. The presence of female light-truck consumers is quite different from six years ago."
According to SEMA, "fluctuating gas prices and an increasing number of fuel-efficient vehicle alternatives, several pickup truck models have held strong in terms of sales over the year. A little over a half a million small-size pickups were sold since the beginning of the year, and the Toyota Tacoma is, by far, leading in sales. However, fullsize pickups still dominate the market with overall sales surpassing 1.8 million sold so far."
It's almost like being there! I'm not sure how, but between our five photographers last week we captured well over 2,000 photos fit to print online. We 
Last week was nuts! We all made it back safely and while we didn't have the opportunity to blog a whole lot last week while we were in Vegas, we'll make up for it this week. This year's SEMA Show was larger than ever, and we've got the photos to prove it. Today we're starting off with over 860 photos of vehicles and the "Girls of SEMA" and hundreds more are on the way. Later this week we'll have a series of videos from this year's SEMA Show. In case you missed it, Jason edited a 
The SEMA news keeps rolling in. According to gizmag, "European automotive technology company, Antonov, will be showing its innovative 2-speed supercharger drive system for the Hummer H3 at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show next week in Las Vegas with two mouth-watering implementations."
BlueOvalNews has published some pre-release SEMA photos of a new SEMA vehicle created by Funk Master Flex. "Ford is once again tapping Funkmaster Flex’s customizing talents as part of a unique marketing relationship announced in May 2005. Already notorious for tuning celebrity rides, Flex will showcase his singular interpretation of the all-new 2007 Ford Expedition at the 2006 SEMA show."
The anticipation is killing me. 8 more days until the biggest show on the planet for the automotive industry. The 
"It is very noticeable that enthusiasts are opting for increasingly larger wheels for their vehicles, but what size wheels are mainstream pickup truck owners choosing? You might be surprised at the answer." SEMA has posted new data at their site, based on a study performed by Foresight Research this year in which 1,802 current model pickup truck owners were queried.
"Have you every wondered which car, truck and SUV is most accessory friendly? SEMA manufacturer members that have participated in SEMA OEM programs in the past (i.e. Tech Talks, Tech Transfer, and Measuring Sessions) chose from a list of vehicles the ones they perceived as the most accessory friendly. Four vehicles—one from four individual categories, including cars, trucks, SUVs, and hybrids—will be voted on and awarded the 2006 SEMA Accessory Friendly Vehicle Award at this year’s SEMA Show." Click the link below to see a sample of some of these vehicles.
"Dodge is preparing two hot-rod versions of its new Nitro SUV for the annual fall SEMA show in Las Vegas, including a Hemi-powered edition with 22-inch wheels and tires. A Dodge Challenger Super Sport concept also will be unveiled at SEMA, but Chrysler declined to provide details," Inside Line reports.
SLP's latest performance pack hits a home run for GM Brand Truck and SUVs with a kit designed to hit in the 350hp range, a 19% increase over stock, with bolt on components. The kit specifically targets people who want a one stop shop for bolt on performance on their Cadillac Escalade, GM Yukon, Denali and Sierra and the Chevy Tahoes and Silverado.
For the longest time Bilstein hasn't had a replacement shock for the 2004 and up Ford F-150 Truck. Since the newly redesigned F-150 comes equipped with a strut system instead of the traditional spring and shock combo, not many manufacturers have had a replacement for the OEM shock.
ATS Diesel Performances' latest product being promoted at SEMA is their Five Star Viskus (not viscous) Drive Torque Converter. This heavy duty torque converter features a super strong billet aluminum cover and ATS' innovative five disc design "Viskus Clutch Drive" for unparreled strength and performance and manufacturerd specifically for your full sized trucks tweaked out, high-performance diesel motor.
