SP Rides: Massive Heavy Duty
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Jim Barnes
Age: 43
Occupation: Deputy Sheriff, K-9 Handler
Hobbies: Trucks & Dogs
Year, Make, Model: 2016 GMC Denali 3500HD
Color: Onyx Black
Engine/Trans: PPEI EZ Lynk tuner with shift on the fly dial, PPEI air intake system, EGR and DPF delete, FLO-PRO 5-inch stainless exhaust, 4:88 Nitro Gears front and rear and a Nitro Gears rear Differential cover
Exterior: Rigid Dually fog lights and rock lights, red and white LED underglows, AMP Research Powerstep XLs
Suspension: 12-inch Bulletproof Suspension lift with a 4-link cantilever coilover rear suspension (powder coated Lollipop Red)
Wheels/Tires: 22 by 12 Fuel Lethal wheels (front) and 22 by 8.25 (rear), 40 by 15.5 by 22 Toyo Open Country M/T’s
Having been born in Florida, Jim Barnes grew up loving monster trucks. As a kid, his family would travel to the Lakeland Civic Center for epic bouts of monster truck madness featuring legends such as USA1, Bigfoot & King Kong. Since then, he’s always had an appreciation for everything “truck.”
He’s owned quite a few makes and models, including a ‘85 GMC Sierra and a ‘89 YJ Jeep, which were also fully modified. Take one look at this absolutely monstrous 2016 GMC Denali 3500HD (heavy duty), and you’ll see the incredible attention to detail and quality work put into it.
For truck enthusiasts, the thrill of it all is about pushing themselves and breaking boundaries, and Barnes fits the profile perfectly. “All of my vehicles have been about taking it into the deepest mud, the deepest sand and trying to get it stuck. It’s all about finding the limitations and what boundaries we can get past. (I want) to be able to say, I have no physical boundaries (that I can’t) pass,” said Barnes.
Obviously, Barnes is making a statement with this 6-wheeled behemoth. After all, he’s a big guy, the kind that could probably lift a small car so this Dually could be considered fairly appropriate for him. Along with Jeff and the crew from Maui Off Road they have taken this ride, literally, to another level. Seriously, I’ve never had to use a ladder to photograph an engine bay before. And the black exterior has been set off well, thanks to the red and white LED upgrades and RIGID lighting components.
The Lollipop Red powder-coated & lifted suspension is the one of the first things you notice. Bulletproof Suspension was chosen to best represent the company and Barnes’ needs. A 12-inch kit was used for the suspension along with a full rear conversion that replaced the stock components with a 4-link cantilever and coilover system. This required a “never going back” level of modification since there were things that were cut off that will never make its way back on. It’s so intricate you could spend forever figuring out how the components all fit together.
Nitro Gear & Axle provides some upgrades along with a change in gearing to a 4.88. Ginormous 40-inch Toyo M/T Open Country tires are fitted onto stunning 22-inch Fuel Lethal wheels, which are surprisingly practical for this setup thanks to the thicker tire. It actually rides better now than when it was stock. AMP Research Powerstep XLs are lifesavers when it comes to getting into this lifted giant. These are the coolest sidesteps I’ve ever seen. They are powered and drop down about 15 inches to make stepping up into the cab so much easier.
This baby has plenty of horsepower and torque, but Barnes has opted to increase performance with the inclusion of an EZ Lynk Tuner from PPEI, which allows tunes from +50 to 250HP with a few tweaks. A full EGR and DPF delete package provides more power, better fuel economy and takes it easy on the motor. “It pretty much has everything it needs to, well, push a building outta the way,” Barnes said.
As I previously mentioned, this truck really makes a statement — and for good reason. “This was a collective idea by Maui Off Road … we wanted to show that we can run with the big dogs. Heck, we are the big dogs,” exclaimed Barnes.
