Story by: Jonathan Millstein
Photography by: Johan Lee
Blood is thicker than water, but perhaps even stronger than that bond is the one between a man and his car. At a young age, Omar Rodriguez fell in love with Donks despite hailing from a lowrider family.
“All my family used to build lowriders, but I was the different one,” he says. Thankfully, his passion for Donks and his willingness to go against the grain of Southern California and his family prevailed—in the creation of this 1974 Chevrolet Caprice.
While this is his first Donk, Omar has always been into the big-wheel culture, having had a ’68 Impala on 22s that gave way to his ’74 Caprice. “I always get it from my family: ‘What the hell you gonna do? You gonna Donk it out?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s my style,’” Omar laughs. He kept true to his style by tucking 26-inch DUB Wheels onto his Chevy and spraying House of Kolor Cobalt Blue.
Keeping it clean ’n classy, Omar has opted to keep things pretty simple. “It was in really good condition when I got it, because it was an old man’s car,” he says. “So I retouched, rechromed, and painted it my style. It used to be a greenish color, but I had to change it up.” While many are opting for motor swaps and upgrades, Omar keeps a practical mentality about his Donk. “I kept it stock because it’s freshly rebuilt,” he says. “Everything works on my car: cruise control, A/C, everything.”
Amid a SoCal scene where a Donk could stand out for all the wrong reasons, Omar’s ’74 Caprice is standing out for the right ones. “I get a lot of compliments because right here in Cali, those cars people used to see as lowriders,” he says. And it’s not just locals taking note; the car was recently featured in Juicy J’s video “Low.” So it’s safe to say Omar chose the right road with this Caprice.
Spec the Technique
Performance: 350ci engine with Edelbrock intake, carburetor; Hooker Headers; Flowmaster dual exhaust; Holley air cleaner
Exterior: House of Kolor Cobalt Blue; Tiarra grille
Interior: Light tan leather on original stitching; blue carpet; Billet Specialties steering wheel and accessories
ICE: Pioneer CD player; Alpine mids and highs, two amps, two Type-R subwoofers
Wheels / Tires: DUB Exotica wheels, 26×12-inch rear, 26×9-inch front; Pirelli tires, 275/25/26
Shout-outs: My family; Swift CC; Kenny from SounDelux; MHT Wheels; Toni from Tiarra Grilles
This article originally published in DONK Winter 2015 issue. Print and Digital Subscriptions to RIDES magazine are available here.
