Jake Paul’s boxing match against Mike Tyson was an absolute snoozer, verging on a complete farce, but there was one highlight: how the former Vine and Disney star turned “professional” boxer” made his entrance. He did it in the back seat of a purple-over-lime-green Chevy C3500 dually with Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” playing (possibly an homage to Tyson’s role in “The Hangover”) and a pigeon in the bed. It was as eye-catching and ostentatious as everything else Paul does, and it sent me down a rabbithole about where this truck — known as the Krew Kut — came from.
Well, it’s been around even longer than he has, dating all the way back to 1992 (or ‘93 depending on who you ask) when it was a standard red C3500 work truck. It was transformed into the low riding, flamed out, chop top behemoth we see today by Master Image Customs, according to Richard Rawlins. Meant to be a show truck in magazines, MIC slammed it, added hydraulic suspension, a marine-grade interior, repainted the exterior and, of course, chopped off its roof.
Then, sometime around 2000, it fell off the face of the earth. Years later, it was bought by a father-son duo who wanted to use it as an advertisement for their business, but after using it for a little bit, the truck quickly fell into disrepair. That’s when the Krew Kut’s story picks up in 2018. Rawlins and his crew at Gas Monkey Garage and the TV show “Fast N’ Loud” bought Krew Kut for just $7,500 with the intention of reviving it.
Here’s what Gas Monkey Garage did to get Krew Kut back to its show-stopping original condition, according to Motor Trend:
The restomod on this unmistakable truck began with an assessment of what would stay and what needed to go. Keeping the iconic look was of utmost importance, while updating, strengthening, and modernizing would give it a new story to tell to another generation of enthusiasts. The Monkeys got down to business tearing out the entire interior for a full new styling and yanking out the old 454 to replace it with a Katech 496 LSX mated to a 4L80E from Monster Transmission. While modifying the exterior of the truck wasn’t on the list of plans, some work under the hood was needed for the new powerplant to fit. The old firewall was cut out before a new one was fabricated to fit and work with the modern components attached to the LSX. A set of Slosh Tubs inner fenders was also molded in place to cover the one-off 19×8 RK Forged Krew Kut wheels.
Moving to the next huge piece of the puzzle that required attention, the GMG guys sent the old rear suspension to the junk pile. Sticking with hydraulics was a must, so they opted to use a new two-pump, six-dump setup from Hydroholics, a RideTech HD four-link, custom Watt’s linkage, and coilover cylinders, making it more reliable while keeping the spirit of the original build. When the fabrication was finished, the firewall, inner fenders, grille, and bumper were painted to match the original House of Kolor Lime Time Green. After some research, a call to the original painter Steve Van Demon, several test spray-outs, and a change in primer color, they were able to match the two-decade-old paint color. With its deadline approaching, the long and low beast still needed a new interior to bring it into the present. A ’16 Chevy dashboard was modified to fit with a matching RK Forged Krew Kut steering wheel added to the column. Four dark gray leather bucket seats and the third row bench seat were wrapped by R & R Upholstery. The floor received new black carpet, and the door panels were reworked by Emilio & Sons. Wet Sounds provided a full new audio system that gets its signal from the in-dash iPad.
It’s hard to tell where the truck has been for the past few years, but it seems like it may now be in the hands of the “Diesel Brothers” show, which, like “Fast N’ Loud” is a Discovery property. Heavy D, one of the brothers, was driving the truck during Paul’s entrance.
Who can really say what Paul, Tyson or Krew Kut will do next, but one thing is for sure: it’s going to be loud and attention-getting.