Brandon Darby built this ’05...
Brandon Darby built this ’05 Dodge pickup to win trophies and turn heads. He’s accomplished both objectives.
One thing about Brandon Darby: The man is persistent. When he decides he wants to build a Dodge Ram 2500 like no one has ever seen, he just sets out and does it. There are no obstacles he can’t overcome. When a magazine like 8-Lug wants to shoot the truck for a feature, he goes out of his way to make sure every detail is covered to perfection to ensure a successful outcome. He arrives early, the truck is completely prepped, and he has all his tech info clearly laid out—he’s ready for anything.
After the shoot, he politely asks if the photos (and the truck) are nice enough to warrant a possible cover. And he asks which issue the truck will be in the magazine. It’s those last two questions that definitely required persistence on Brandon’s part. Our files are overflowing here at 8-Lug, so trying to mix and match the best trucks for each issue is a big job—and deciding what goes on the cover is even bigger. Each time Brandon would ask, our answer was “call next week.” And like clockwork, Brandon would call. Polite as ever, never showing any frustration at not getting a clear answer, week after week, he called. This went on for three months, maybe four. Until, finally, his phone call was answered with a simple: “June issue, and it will be on the cover.” We can only imagine the amount of whoops and hollers that went on after the phone was hung up, but while we were talking to him, it was calm, polite, and thankful.
Under the hood is filled with Banks products, including a Ram-Air intake, High-Ram intake, EconoMind with IQ, and more.
Brandon and his wife, Zaira,...
Brandon and his wife, Zaira, pose next to the ’05 Dodge.
We admire the way Brandon does his business. His yellow four-door 4x4 Dodge has been modified in just about every way we can imagine, and it’s all top-notch work we might add. BST Motorsports in San Ysidro, California, put the Dodge together. Brandon spent about 2½ years getting it to where you see it today.
The first thing most people notice about the truck is the reverse-flip hood. That’s just another way of letting you peer into the engine compartment, where you will find a Banks Ram-Air intake, High-Ram intake, EconoMind with IQ, and an MBRP 5-inch stainless steel exhaust with turndowns.
The truck rides nice and high due to the Rize Industries 9-inch lift and Fabtech 2.5 coilover shocks. With all that room in the wheelwells, Brandon decided to fill it with 38-inch Nitto Terra Grappler M/T tires mounted on RBP R96 24-inch wheels.
Fabtech 2.5 coilover shocks...
Fabtech 2.5 coilover shocks were used to control the ride. Notice how everything is nicely painted to match under the truck.
The interior is completely custom, with show-winning style created by Angel’s Custom Interior. That’s the kind of work the car/truck club Brandon is in (Xplizit) expects! We can only imagine the amount of input and quality control Brandon must have had during this phase of the truck’s build.
Listen, show trucks aren’t for everyone, but even the die-hard off-road guys have to admit that this one is nicely done and still completely driveable and usable as a truck. Nice work, Brandon. Give us a call some time.
Now this is what we’d call...
Now this is what we’d call a completely finished-off custom show interior!
RBP R96 24-inch wheels have...
RBP R96 24-inch wheels have just the right amount of burliness and flair.
A Mag-Hytec diff cover looks...
A Mag-Hytec diff cover looks good and keeps rearend temps lower. The turn-down exhaust is part of a 5-inch stainless steel system from MBRP.