West Coast Customs Builds Ram 1500 Live on YouTube for the USO
Ram 1500 was lifted, wrapped and equipped with an elaborate lighting and sound system in 24 hours during SEMA360.
Each year, the Ram 1500 is one of the most popular trucks at the SEMA Show. Also, West Coast Customs is always well-represented at the legendary Las Vegas automotive convention. Unfortunately, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has forced the SEMA Show to transition from the world’s biggest automotive event to online program, but that isn’t stopping West Coast Customs from building a badass Ram 1500 for the show with the theme of the ToughBuilt work products.
However, West Coast Customs is known for doing things a little differently than everyone else. Rather than just build a truck and show it off on the virtual SEMA Show website, the team decided to build the Ram 1500 live on YouTube over the course of 24 hours. Best of all, the murdered-out Ram is part of a fundraising program for the USO. Throughout the duration of the 24-hour build and continuing through the rest of this week, you can make a donation to the USO and the person with the highest donation will win this wicked half-ton pickup.
If you missed the build, we have included the lengthy video below, but if you are just interested in the details of this West Coast Custom-built Ram 1500, here is a rundown of the key upgrades.
Ram Tough Exterior
This Ram 1500 started off as a mild-mannered half-ton truck in gloss black. The build began by removing the grille, the wheel opening flares and some other trim bits around the exterior. The team then wrapped the majority of the truck in satin black, leaving only the grille, flares, door handles, mirrors and some small trim pieces in gloss black. The WCC team then 3D printed two-tone ToughBuilt badges for the doors, grille and tailgate, presenting a much more factory-like look than simple decals.
Next, an array of LED lighting was added to this Ram 1500. The most obvious aftermarket lighting upgrade is the bad mounted on the roof, but there is also a smaller bar behind the grille, along with small LED fog lights up front and work lights mounted under the rear bumper. All of these aftermarket lights are powered by a custom fuse box setup as to not overwork the factory electrical system.
The exterior of this modified Ram 1500 is completed with a set of black-and-yellow 4 Wheel Parts wheels wrapped in General Grabber off-road tires. To make those fit, the crew added a Pro Comp six-inch lift to the front suspension and a four-inch lift out back, leveling out this lifted half-ton.
Upgrades Inside
While a few members of the West Coast Customs team were focusing on the appearance and lift, others tore apart the interior. The stock door panels were removed to make it easier to install aftermarket speakers. There is also a custom sub box under the rear seat that houses 10-inch subwoofers and a pair of amplifiers, although the system is run off of the standard 12-inch UConnect screen.
To help protect the Ram 1500 from rattling when the Addictive Audio speaker system, sound deadener has been added throughout the truck. It should be noted that the rear seat is still fully functional, with the custom speaker box being tucked into the space that is intended for under-seat storage.
The only other aspect of this Ram 1500 that has been modified in the cab is the addition of ToughBuilt embroidered logos on the front headrests.
One of the most useful aspects of the Ram 1500 is the “RamBox” storage compartments that are built into the bedsides. The West Coast Custom team modified those storage spots with a set of speed rails equipped with ToughBuilt tool carriers. The idea for this system is for the owner to load his or her tool carriers with the tools needed for the job, then they load those carriers into the RamBox. Thanks to the speed rails, the items won’t slide and tumble around while driving to the job site.
Finally, the bed of this Ram 1500 is the area which has been most heavily modified for hard work. The build team added a set of pull-out storage drawers under a load-bearing, raised floor. The drawers will hold all sorts of tools, while the raised load floor will still carry a stack of plywood or something heavier, like a quad or dirt bike.
At the very end of the build video, a member of the ToughBuilt team comes into the WCC shop to check out the build. Needless to say, he approves of this ToughBuilt-branded custom Ram 1500.
Win This Truck
If this Ram 1500 is your dream truck and you have some money to spend, this West Coast Customs project vehicle could be yours. On the right side of the video below, there is a box labeled “Donate now” for the “Tough Built Ultimate Work Truck Auction”. It also states that the biggest donation to the USO takes home this truck and when you click on the donate button, a new window opens with donation options.
You can bid as little as $5 if you just want to make a contribution to the USO, but if you want a real shot at the truck, you can bid up to $9,999. You can also make multiple bids, so if you wanted to bid, say, $25,000, you would need to make multiple donations.
Donations will be accepted through Friday and sometime after the company stops taking donations, the winner of this Ram 1500 will be announced.
Below, we have included two videos from the West Coast Customs YouTube channel. The first is a 10-minute clip that quickly details the plans for the Ram 1500 build. Below that is the full-length video, showing all of the modifications being performed.
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