Seth Howard can't really blend in with the herd. If his shaved head and tattoos don't give him away, then his camo pants, military boots, and black rim glasses will. But it's hard to be unique when you're just cruising down the highway to your next off-road adventure, so Sethzilla (his mom goes by MomZilla and his girlfriend goes by MaryZilla) decided to build a truck that is more than just a trail machine...it's a trail monster and he named it Hellion.
Hellion is a part of a movement that we call the anti-bling. These are trucks (and some cars) that have no, zero, zip chrome-nothing shinny, but they are also not just trail beaters. They have a bit of their own style, kind of half way between a jalopy and a show truck. In fact, they are like the rat rods of the 4x4 scene. They have a ton of unique little upgrades that demand more than a cursory glance, so you want to spend time checking them out, but they ain't all sissified with chrome his and polished that.
We're not gonna say that Sethzilla's truck is the most capable 4x4 of all time, but it is very unique, and when we asked him what he built it for he explained it like this: "I use it as a daily driver, weekend warrior, mostly play at the dunes (9 feet of air and still running!), local mud holes, and the occasional rockcrawling. This is a bulletproof rig that has gotten me down to Baja and back, been the anchor for multiple-line winch extractions, and a tow rig for stuck RVs at the Dunes. She's one hell of a workhorse with a nasty attitude and a great rumble, so I call her the Hellion."
We're not huge fans of show...
We're not huge fans of show trucks here at 4-Wheel & Off-Road. For us a truck has got to work, but we can appreciate a truck with its own individual look if, of course, it can wheel. Sethzilla's '73 Chevy 3/4-ton may not be the ultimate off-roading machine, what with an open Dana 44 with 3.73 gears stuffed under the '80s front clip, but it holds its own on most trails. However, what earned our appreciation of this truck is the Mad Max appeal, the skull camouflage paint scheme, and the ugly but proud attitude. Check out the front bumper made from an old railroad tie cut and notched with a chainsaw.
One of the first things we...
One of the first things we noticed about this ride was the cool tube doors. Seth used to work at Hanna Quality Motor Sports and made his one-of-a-kind set while there. We are still waiting to see who will be the first to offer bolt-on tube doors for these early Chevys. Heck, we even want some for our Avalanche.
Under the smiling skull on...
Under the smiling skull on Hellion's hood resides a 5.7L, 350 V-8 that sucks in through a Holley Truck Avenger carb atop an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake. It also packs ported heads, a high-flow oil pump, and Hedman TorkStep headers pumping the stink out a 2 1/2-inch exhaust to Afterburner mufflers. Ignition has been switched from points to HEI and gets spark from an 80-amp alternator and Exide sealed gel battery. A K&N air filter and pre-filter cleans the air, while a Flex-a-lite fan pulls it through the radiator.
Underneath the belly of the...
Underneath the belly of the beast rests a TH350 with a shift kit and the rugged, reliable NP205 transfer case, both of which spin the torque down to a Corporate 14-bolt outfitted with a mini spool from Cone Industries and two of the four 39.5x15x16.5 TSL Swampers on 16.5x12 USA6x6 double bead locks. Suspension duties are set upon Pro-Comp 6-inch leaves up front with 2-inch-longer shackles, while out back heavy-duty 56-inch rears from a 1/2-ton truck reside with Off Road Design's 4-inch shackle flip and 6 1/2-inch Super Shackles stuffed with greaseable bushings.
Do you have an unusual wheeling rod that just oozes character like this machine? If so, send us pictures as we can't get enough of real-world trail rigs with their own crazy style. E-mail them to fred.williams@sourceinterlink.com or jerrod.jones@sourceinterlink.com.