There are a lot of reasons to choose a vehicle for a project build. Some pick a classic body style that they have loved for years, some people see the potential in a late-model truck, and others pick what's hot just for the challenge of raising the bar. When Juan Prieto, owner of Performance Off Road & Automotive Accessories in Bakersfield, California, was looking for his first big project, he left the decision up to his son, Johnny. It was Johnny's idea to build an H2, and it was also his idea to paint it blue and use the Fox Racing Shox logo as a theme throughout the build. Juan agreed with his son on all accounts, and he bought the '05 H2 you see here. It's probably worth mentioning that Johnny was 4 years old at the time.
Juan began the build by tearing into the stock suspension and saying goodbye to parking structures forever. A Full Throttle 9-1/2-inch lift made room for 40x15-inch Toyo Mud Terrain tires mounted onto 22x12-inch Weld Velociti 8 wheels. Pro Shaft, also in Bakersfield, made a set of lengthened driveshafts that were chromed by West Coast Chrome. A Specialty Design four-link took the Full Throttle lift one step further, and added one-off custom billet aluminum link bars, and a Panhard bar. Specialty Designs closed up shop, so this is the only set of billet arms like it. The Full Throttle kit comes with coil spring spacers, but Juan decided to make an upgrade there, as well. The rear axle was powdercoated and given new mounting brackets to accept Fox coilovers. Fox 2.0 remote reservoir shocks add extra dampening to the rear axle, and a pair was used on each side on the front. Specialty Designs also made the plate on each end of the torsion bar crossmember that bears the Fox Racing Shox logo.
While everything was apart, Juan took the opportunity to bolt on a ginormous, but necessary, brake upgrade. Six-piston Brembo calipers, fed by stainless steel lines, and massive 15-inch rotors are a good match for the huge rolling stock and keep things from getting scary when a quick stop is necessary. To get everything rolling, both front and rear differentials were filled with 4.88:1 Genuine Gear ring and pinion sets, and the 6.0L V-8 got a few speed goodies, including JBA headers, plug wires, and a 3-inch exhaust.
Virtually everything under the H2 is either powdercoated or polished, from the billet four-link bars and Panhard bar to the Off Road Unlimited differential cover. |  |  |