How a Wife’s Vision and a Husband’s Passion Created the Perfect Family Beach Ride
It All Started With a Drive Down the Street
Most of the time, getting your spouse to agree to a big car project is nearly impossible. So imagine how lucky Mark Voth felt when his wife Jana didn’t just agree — she actually pushed him to go out and find one. One day, Jana spotted an old Suburban cruising down the street and knew right away that it would make the perfect family ride. Mark, who was already a huge truck fan, wasted no time. Before Jana could even think twice, he was already searching Craigslist for the right deal.
It didn’t take long before Mark brought home a solid 1966 Chevy Suburban. The moment it was parked in the driveway, he picked up the phone and called his good friend and fellow builder Mike Martens. The two quickly got together and started planning something special at their workshop, Recon Garage. When we caught up with Mike, he shared what the goal was from the very beginning:
“We put some ideas together to build a hauler that would suit the family’s lifestyle and carry a laid-back beach vibe. It’s always easier to build a cool ride when the whole family is on board!”
And just like that, the build was officially underway.
Building a Strong and Solid Foundation
Before anything else, Mark and Mike knew they had to start from the ground up. They stripped the frame all the way down to bare metal, gave it a fresh coat of paint, and got to work on the suspension setup. They added an axle notch and installed a Porterbuilt Dropmember up front to help lower the truck. Airbags were added at all four corners, so the ride height could be adjusted up or down whenever needed. To make the Suburban safer to drive, they also fitted CPP drop spindles and upgraded the brakes.
For the wheels, the guys went with 20×8 and 20×10 Foose Nitrous Thrust polished wheels — a classic-looking choice that gives the truck a clean and timeless appearance. Toyo Proxes tires in staggered 45-series sizes were wrapped around them, providing strong grip on any surface, whether it’s the open road or a sandy beach path.
Pumping Up the Power
A great-looking truck still needs a strong engine to back it up. Luckily, Mark and Mike had access to a ZZ4 crate 350 engine, and it was the obvious choice for this build. With fast-burn heads and a few well-chosen upgrades, this engine was tuned to pump out an impressive 400 hp and over 400 lb-ft of torque. A Turbo Hydramatic 350 transmission was paired with it to handle all that power, along with 3.73 gears and dependable Moser axles to complete the drivetrain.
The engine bay itself is just as impressive as what’s under the hood. The ZZ4 350 is spotlessly clean and sits as the proud centerpiece of a beautifully detailed engine compartment. It proves that off-the-shelf parts can look just as amazing as custom pieces when they are installed with real care and attention.
Bodywork That Goes Above and Beyond
Once the mechanical side of things was wrapped up, it was time to focus on the body. Mark and Mike brought in their friend Gary Dyck to help with this part of the build. With three sets of skilled hands on deck, the team could have simply restored the Suburban back to its original condition and it still would have looked amazing. But they had bigger plans in mind.
Here is a quick look at some of the standout body modifications they made:
- Welded and smoothed hood seams — giving the hood a sleek, seamless look with no visible gaps or lines
- A 40×80-inch ragtop — perfect for letting in the warm sun and cool ocean breeze
- Rear quarters pie-cut 2.5 inches — carefully reshaped and angled upward to flow naturally into the rear bumper
- A flipped, sectioned, and custom-cut rear bumper — redesigned to make room for a set of sharp custom exhaust tips
- A shaved fuel filler door — removed and smoothed over, with the fuel filler now hidden neatly behind a rear taillight
Each one of these changes required serious skill and hours of hard work. Even the smaller details, like the shaved fuel filler door, made a big difference in the overall look of the truck. Leaving it in its original spot would have ruined the clean lines they worked so hard to create.
A Paint Job That Turns Heads
With the body work complete, it was time to add some color. Mike sprayed the Suburban in BASF Pine Crest Green, a rich and eye-catching shade that suits the beach theme perfectly. Cool Vanilla was used as a contrasting color to break things up and add a touch of brightness in just the right spots.
To finish things off, Rick at Axe Graphics added a set of orange and Cool Vanilla pinstripes that tied the whole look together beautifully. Once the clear coat went on, the Suburban looked absolutely stunning from every angle.
“The result is an ultra-clean SUV that looks better than anything you could drive home off the lot. Although not the wildest build you’ll ever see, it’s probably one of the cleanest.”
It is hard to argue with that. Every inch of this paint job was carefully thought out and flawlessly executed.
An Interior Straight Out of a Tropical Paradise
While the exterior was coming together, James and Kristin at Classic Threadz Auto Upholstery were hard at work transforming the inside of the Suburban. They started by completely tearing down the stock seats and refoaming them from scratch. Every sheet metal insert was then wrapped in premium Ultraleather to give the interior a consistent and polished look throughout.
Once the Suburban was ready to receive its new interior, the Classic Threadz team stepped in and installed fresh wool carpet across the floor. The carpet works beautifully alongside the custom resin-coated bamboo matting and matching headliner. The combination of these materials gives the interior a warm, tropical feel that makes it clear where the inspiration for this build came from — and that inspiration is Polynesian, through and through.
A Sound System Worth Cruising To
No beach cruiser would be complete without great music to go along with the ride. Alan Odermat at Recon Garage handled the audio setup and made sure everything sounded just as good as it looked. A Kenwood head unit was installed to run the show, while JL Audio amplifiers and speakers were carefully tucked away out of sight. The goal was to keep the interior looking clean and uncluttered, and the hidden audio setup does exactly that without sacrificing any sound quality.
A Beach Cruiser the Whole Family Can Love
When you step back and look at the finished product, it is easy to see just how much thought, time, and effort went into every single part of this build. Not one panel — inside or out — was overlooked or left as-is. From the smooth and lowered chassis to the tropical-inspired interior, every detail tells a story and reflects the laid-back beach lifestyle the Voth family loves.
This may not be the most extreme custom build out there, but it is certainly one of the cleanest and most well-put-together trucks you will ever see. Mark and Mike should be incredibly proud of what they created together — a beautiful, comfortable, and totally unique family beach cruiser that is built to be enjoyed for many years to come.
We just hope Mark gets a chance to pry those keys out of Jana’s hands every once in a while!
