Story: Reynald Fries
Photography: Pepper Yandell
The custom-car scene in Texas is popular, and many compete to be the best known, so it takes something special to have a well-respected club. Southern Ridaz Car Club strengthens their presence, not only with top-level cars and trucks but by earning and preserving the respect of others. Jose Martinez, president of the San Antonio club, takes pride in protecting the image of his 21-member alliance. The key to his technique is having strong, family-like ties that connect all members, so everyone knows everyone else like close friends. “It’s like a brotherhood,” Martinez says. “You could point out any single car in my club, and I can tell you who the owner is and where they work.”
The ability to establish and maintain strong relationships within SRCC is only half of why they have the presence of a much bigger club. The other half: serving their community with a chivalrous code of conduct. The Ridaz devote more time helping local residents than they do customizing their whips (which, from seeing the caliber of their rides, says a hell of a lot). If there’s a food drive, toy drive or school-supply drive for underprivileged children in the area, SRCC will make time to be there and promote the cause. They help the U.S. Armed Forces and their families by organizing car shows and donating the proceeds to military booster clubs. If there’s a local need, Southern Ridaz will pull together and put on fundraising events, sometimes even collaborating with other car clubs to strengthen the message.
So how does a custom-car club reach the point where they base their initiatives on helping children and families in need? Well, we asked Damon Luckey, SRCC affiliate and main fiberglass-interior man, as well as president and cofounder of JuiceD Car Club: “We are all of [an] older mentality and more mature,” he says. “We’ve been through certain experiences and also made it to a certain level that allows us to be able to have that sense of direction and leadership.” They’re an upscale group of guys with an O.G. state of mind. They aren’t young and reckless like many youthful car clubs who cruise downtown and get into trouble or hit up dance clubs. Southern Ridaz members are too grown for that. “We’re all married with kids and have day jobs, so we have to protect our image to make us stand out from the rest,” says Martinez, stressing the importance of having good character and being selective instead of obsessing over enlarging the club. “It’s not quantity, it’s quality, you know?” But the Southern Ridaz have fun, too — only they’ll be setting up barbecue pits and having big cookouts instead of acting like juveniles do.
It’s this maturity—along with organization and a solid understanding that respect is reciprocal—that makes Southern Ridaz one of the O.G.s of car clubs.
Spec The Technique:
Year/Make/Model: 2005 Ford F-150
Performance: 5.4L V8
Exterior: Sour Apple Green pearl paint with custom flames, ghosts airbrushed inside, finalized with plum pin stripe by Daniel’s Paint & Body; custom reverse hood; Lambo doors; 32-inch TV screen built in tailgate; custom body kit; air ride suspension system; fully chromed undercarriage; custom-cut roof; full fiberglass truck bed with three 19-inch monitors, one 11-inch monitor, four 10-inch APX Audio subwoofers, two Soundstream component speaker sets built-in; two 7-inch Tview monitors under hood
Interior: Custom flame-shaped metal seats; fiberglass rear seat, door panels, floor, dashboard; full neon-lighting setup; all fiberglass done by Damon Luckey at DLux Kreationz, Inc.
Ice: Pioner head unit; three 12-inch Alpine subwoofers; five 7-inch monitors; two 11-inch screens in the visors; one 13-inch monitor; eight Soundstream component speaker sets; one Hifonics amplifier
Wheels/Tires: 30-inch Lexani LSS-55 wheels; Lexani LX-9 tires, 255/30/30
Spec The Technique:
Year/Make/Model: 2008 Ford F-150 FX2
Performance: Edge performance programmer; true dual stainless steel exhaust mated to a pair of Flowmaster 40 series Delta Flow mufflers; K&N cold air intake; ZEX 150-shot nitrous kit
Suspension: By Gilbert Gonzalez, owner of USA Motorsports; equipped front of truck with double bellow 2600 air strut system; 2500 air bags in rear; three 7-gallon tanks fueled by two VIAIR 480 compressors controlled by an Arc9 compact switch box; eight SMC half-inch valves with half-inch airlines
Exterior: House of Kolor Kandy Tangerine paint; silver leafing; shaved handles with tilt hood done by Daniels Paint and Body in Eagle Pass, TX; pin striping done by Pablo Vidaurri; Tiarra Luxury Grille
Interior: Two-tone leather seats wrapped in stingray and suede with Bentley design in the inserts stitched with color-matched orange thread; fiberglass door panels and center console built by Damon Luckey of DLux Kreationz, Inc.
Ice:Kenwood head unit; two amplifiers powering two Tview 32-inch LED TVs, two 12-inch visor screens, four 12-inch headrest monitors, two 22-inch monitors, two 12-inch monitors, two 9-inch monitors; ten 6.5-inch Infinity Kappa component speakers; two 15-inch Kicker Solo-Baric L7 subwoofers, two 10-inch L7 subs, one 12-inch L7 sub; five Rockford Fosgate T1500-1bd amplifiers, five T600-4d amps
Wheels/Tires: 32-inch Diablo Elite wheels; Diablo DB-009 tires, 305/25/32
Spec The Technique:
Year/Make/Model: 2001 Chevrolet Suburban
Performance: Airaid cold air intake, PowerAid throttle body spacers; Flowmaster exhaust; Mechman 220 alternator; two 14-volt XS Power batteries
Suspension: Air ride system equipped with a front-back-side-to-side system; 3/8 high speed non diaphragm valves on 1/2 lines with DOT fittings; twin VIAIR 200psi compressors; front CNC strut system using double bellow heavy duty struts on torsion bar, all designed by USA Motorsports; rear standard 2,600lb bag with CNC cut cups; ten-switch system to cover all the moves; built-in wireless controller for full control from 200 feet away
Exterior:Two-tone design begins with PPG purple base coat layered by prism flake divided by custom airbrushed tribal design with skulls that extends throughout the vehicle and within door jams, finished off with a charcoal-grey paint; headlights and turn signal lights painted PPG purple with the prism flake; Chevrolet SS front bumper; molded steel rollpan rear bumper; luggage rack shaved off
Interior: Beige leather seats with diamond-stitched purple suede inserts; purple suede inserts in doors, headliner; climate controls relocated to side of center console; head unit relocated to center console; dashboard, center console and all plastics shaved, molded, sanded smooth and painted PPG purple with prism flake
Ice: Apple iPad integrated in dash; Kenwood eXcelon DNX9960 head unit; one Hifonics BRX2400.1 amplifier, one BRX1200.4 amp; four DD Audio VO-B1 tweeters, four VO-M6.5 speakers; eight 8-inch DC Audio Level 2 subwoofers housed in custom steel box in rear floor panel (subs sit flush with floor); Tview 9-inch headrest monitors
Wheels/Tires: 32-inch Diablo Elite wheels; Diablo DB-009 tires, 305/25/32
Spec The Technique:
Year/Make/Model: 2007 Dodge Ram 1500
Performance: Stock
Suspension: Air ride system consists of an engine-driven compressor; four 5-gallon aluminum tanks; ¾-inch air line; eight Parker valves; Slam Specialties bags in front; triple bellow bags in rear
Exterior: Two stage tilt hood; 90-degree Lambo doors; 200psi train horn; weld-on rollpan bumper; two-tone black and blue paint with 3D tribal designs painted by Daniels Paint and Body; mesh grille
Interior: Full fiberglass interior; black crocodile seats and headliners with blue ostrich inserts; all trim/plastics painted to match paint job
Ice: JVC KW-AV71BT head unit; six 6×9-inch MTX Dome speakers, two 5.25-inch Dome speakers, one Thunder Elite amplifer, two 12-inch subwoofers; flush mount air ride switchbox; Apple iPad; molded area gator head on Plexiglas backlit by LED lighting; four Tview 12.2-inch headrest monitors, one 10.2-inch rearview monitor, two 11-inch monitors in rear doors, two 25-inch monitors in front doors, one 25-inch flip-down screen
Wheels/Tires: 28-inch Velocity 725S wheels; Lexani LX-Thirty tires, 295/25/28
