To further the truck's tiki vibe, I installed bamboo throughout the 'Burb's cabin, inspired by how vintage woodies used hardwoods. Tropical matting was used for the dash panel, while Mooneyes gauges keep tabs on the mechanicals. A '63 Ford Falcon surrendered its center map console, which I repurposed to house a pair of A/C vents, the relocated ignition switch, and a Lokar Nostalgia shifter.
With the interior coming together nicely, I turned my attention to what is arguably the truck's most unique feature, the combination roof rack/upper deck. Knowing it would call for serious engineering, I contacted Austin's own EB Effects Lab. After several pencil sessions in which Everett Byron and I scratched our heads, we finally figured out how to do it. Everett fabricated the unit using mild steel tubing, employing a floating floorboard on a series of structural cross supports, and integrating a self-contained swing-down ladder for convenient rooftop access.
Not content to let others handle all the fabrication, I carved an army of tikis for the rack and another batch for the truck's grille. Each individual tribe member was hand-painted by "Crash," aka Cindy Raschke, who also added the bamboo effect on the roof rack, the Nomad side trim, and on other areas throughout the truck too numerous to list, from the custom overhead interior light fixtures to the Polynesian House O' Speed mural on the back of the rear bench.
Four years and a fat stack of receipts later, what started out as one man's brown daily driver is now another man's lime green rolling business card. I'd like to thank the many talented people in and around Austin, Texas, who helped make the House O' Speed tiki truck, now known as "Ratiki," a reality-including my wife, Debbie, who has graciously stopped referring to it by its original nickname.