Building the Goodguys OBS Giveaway ’88 Chevy Truck – Part 5
Is it the end of the road, or just the beginning? As we recap the interior installation and other final assembly details on the 2022/2023 Goodguys Grand Prize Giveaway ’88 Chevy, the build team at Roadster Shop is reaching the final stretch of this spectacular sport truck build. But in many ways the OBS truck’s unveiling in Columbus in July was just the start of a fun new road ahead, one where this trick pickup will venture to Goodguys events around the country before being given away to a lucky winner next summer.
Speaking of detail, here’s a refresher at how well detailed the underside is. Note the DEI exhaust wrap used on the stainless Borla pipes.
When we left off in Part 4, the Roadster Shop OBS Low-Pro chassis had been powder coated and assembled, the Chevrolet Performance E-Rod LS3 and Bowler 4L60E transmission were detailed and installed, and the body parts were painted and beginning to be assembled. The ongoing assembly eventually led to one area of the build that had received little attention to date: the interior.
The bed was finished off in innovative style with an aluminum floor insert topped with a durable custom deck coating. Pink accents are revealed through laser-like gaps in the coating and really make an impact when illuminated by the LED lighting integrated around the bed.
There were a few things done inside during the earlier portions of the build, like fitting the Vintage Air climate control system behind the dash and welding in brackets for some of the Kicker audio items. But many of the other inside tasks had to wait until other fabrication and paint work was complete. Things really hit high gear inside during final assembly.
One of the earliest tasks on the interior was fitting the new Vintage Air HVAC unit to the back of the firewall. This will provide improved heating and cooling for the cabin compared to the factory unit.
Nearly every inch of available space under and behind the seat was used for mounting a host of products from Kicker Audio, including amplifiers, controllers, and subwoofers. One thing is for certain – this truck will rock!
Want to see more of this OBS truck build? Check out the links below to see the 2022/2023 Goodguys Grand Prize Giveaway ’88 Chevy build from start to finish!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
To start, the floor, doors, and other interior surfaces were lined with DEI Boom Mat to reduce noise, vibration, and heat. A new dashboard assembly from LMC Truck was then fitted with custom-faced Dakota Digital HDX Instruments and installed in the cab. A custom plate to the right of the gauge panel was built to house the Vintage Air controls and the Kicker stereo control unit. An American Autowire harness was used to distribute electrical power throughout the truck.
Roadster shop built this custom dash plate for mounting the Vintage Air controls and Kicker stereo control panel to the right of the instrument cluster.
Once the cab was painted and ready for assembly, one of the first tasks was lining the floor, firewall, and other surfaces with DEI’s Boom Mat, an adhesive-backed insulating material that will reduce vibration, noise, and heat inside.
Since no thumpin’ stereo system back in the day was complete without a light-up equalizer, the Roadster Shop team designed this faux light-up EQ mounted in a custom-machined frame under the center dash vents.
There was a bunch of additional Kicker audio gear – amplifiers, controllers, and subwoofers – mounted under and behind the bench seat, in addition to door speakers. And do you remember the speaker enclosures built in the bed? They were fitted with Kicker all-weather speakers and a KRC55 Digital Remote Controller, a marine-style unit providing outside control to the tunes in the bed.
The audio fun continued in the bed, where Kicker marine speakers were fitted into the custom housings that Roadster Shop built into the new inner bed sides. A Kicker KRC55 Digital Remote Controller allows outside control to the tunes.
LMC Truck proved to be a fantastic resource for many of the other pieces needed to complete the interior. In addition to the dash, the company supplied new carpet, a headliner, door panels, and a long list of other small parts needed to bring the cabin back to showroom condition. An OEM-style upholstery kit from LMC got the bench seat looking like new. Other finishing interior touches included a Billet Specialties steering wheel and billet Lokar pedals.
A new gray dashboard assembly from LMC truck went in next, which felt like it gave the whole cab a facelift. It was fitted with custom-faced Dakota Digital HDX Instruments that fit the style and color scheme of the truck, complete with a Goodguys logo.
Next, a new carpet kit from LMC truck was laid down to provide the cab with a fresh, factory-style foundation.
LMC also supplied a new headliner, door panels, and a wide range of other trim pieces and small parts necessary to reassemble the cab to original-style specifications.
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- Some of the finishing touches inside included a Billet Specialties steering wheel and ball-milled aluminum pedals from Lokar.
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- A factory-style upholstery kit from LMC got the pickup’s bench seat looking like new once again.
Tune in this upcoming weekend for the full feature on this white-hot sport truck. We think you’ll be impressed at the finished results of this retro-style Roadster Shop OBS!
There are too many finishing touches and small details on this truck to showcase here, but these custom billet bumper step plates – not to mention the tightly fit and tucked bumper itself – offer a glimpse at the attention to detail on this truck.
Small but high-impact graphics grace the lower doors, adding just a splash of color and a bit more retro style.
Photos courtesy Roadster Shop
