Courtesy of Engine Builder by Dan Schechner
Some people are just built to modify stuff; it’s in their DNA. Vinny Himes knew from a very young age that he was one of those people.
“I grew up with my grandfather’s entire salvage yard at my fingertips,” says the sales manager at Lead Foot Diesel Performance (LFDP), a 32,000-square-foot shop in Monroe, GA, with 22 drive-in bays and 18 employees on site. “I had a fully modified riding lawn mower that would do wheelies across the yard when I was 8 years old.”
Bobby Jacobs, the owner of Florida-based Secure Fence and Rail LLC, is cut from a similar cloth. His own diesel addiction started with a 2016 LML Duramax that he bought already semi-built from the previous owner.
“Just like me, he couldn’t leave well enough alone,” Himes recalls. “He used the truck for hauling his materials around to various job sites, [where he was] building fences all over the state of Florida. With each bolt-on upgrade, the truck made more and more power.”
In true “Florida Man” fashion (Himes’ words), Jacobs worked his truck to a point where, eventually, the engine gave out. Rather than rebuild it, he wanted to upgrade to a brand-new Denali. This was happening just as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold, and new vehicles were scarce.
After searching high and low, Jacobs finally found the truck he wanted – a 2020 GMC Denali. It was the only one available in the state of Florida at the time, so he quickly snatched it up and set about making it unmistakably his – custom wrap, top-of-the-line sound system, lighting upgrades, etc. A “spared no expense” suspension lift, along with custom wheels and tires, finished off the package. Now, it just needed the performance to match those good looks.
