Sometimes, the best builds are the ones you didn’t plan. For Nicklaus and April Davis, what began as a way to kill time during a lull in their K5 Blazer project quickly turned into a full-blown frame-off restomod that ended up taking center stage at one of the biggest truck shows of the year.
It all started on December 7th, 2024. While casually scrolling through Marketplace, Nick came across a long-bed pickup for sale in Newton, Kansas. He wasn’t hunting for a project just biding time while his ’71 K5 chassis was being finalized, and the body was off for painting. But there was something about the truck that caught his attention. Before long, the Davises headed north to bring it home.
The original plan was simple: shorten the bed, drop it a little, slap on some wheels and tires, clean up the engine bay and interior nothing wild. But as anyone who’s ever dipped their toe into the world of custom trucks knows, there’s no such thing as a “simple” project.
A pristine short bed frame popped up for sale in Oklahoma, and Nick jumped on it immediately. With that, the game changed. The frame was blasted and refinished in a slick light grey before being outfitted with all-new suspension components. Under the hood, a freshly built 450-horsepower LS1 mated to a 4L60E transmission was dropped in, setting the tone for the serious build it was quickly becoming.
The cab was pulled for a proper resto, rust in the corners repaired, and the firewall was smoothed using panels from Mike Losh at Slosh Tubz. From there, Nick added a set of mild Slosh Tubz and fender fillers to keep the engine bay clean and cohesive. They opted for a brand-new reproduction short bed, and had it sprayed in a red Raptor liner that tied perfectly into the custom red Slosh Bucketz seats, red-accented interior, and red engine bay highlights.
The exterior treatment was handled by Ryan James and Justin Titus at RJ’s Kustomwerx. They massaged the sheet metal and laid down a slick coat of factory Saratoga Silver, finished off with a matte clear that gives the truck a refined, modern edge. Accented with new factory-style trim, a ’73–’74 grille, and a set of US Mag wheels wrapped in classic red line tires from Diamondback, the truck is an absolute head-turner from every angle.
Incredibly, from the day it was purchased to the moment it was loaded up for The Reunion show in Arizona, only three months had passed. Through long nights, weekends, and more than a few out-of-state parts runs, the team at Nick’s own shop, Oli Built, and RJ’s Kustomwerx managed to deliver a showstopper on a serious deadline.
Appropriately dubbed “Snowball,” the truck made its debut with a bang earning a Top Pick award and turning heads with its clean lines, killer stance, and cohesive details. Everything a build should be clean, thoughtful, aggressive, and above all, personal.
Though it now resides in Oklahoma City after being sold at C10 Nationals in Texas, Snowball is more than just a showpiece. It’s a testament to what happens when talent, teamwork, and a little spare time collide.
And if you think this is the last you’ll see from the combined forces of Oli Built and RJ’s Kustomwerx, think again. If anything, Snowball is just the beginning.