The client roster at DP Customs is slammed. So there?s precious little time to admire a finished project before it goes to its new home. And the Del Prado brothers are sick of it.
?Justin and I were chatting about how we didn’t have a cool bike as a permanent fixture in our shop,? explains Jarrod. ?Every time we finish a bike, we test ride it, certify it, do a photo shoot, and then it’s off to the customer.?

?So we decided to rebuild one of Justin’s personal bikes, a 1979 1000cc Ironhead Sportster. We?d turn it into a bike that we?d enjoy looking at in the shop. And something wild for Justin to ride.?
Adding fuel to the fire was a turbo that Justin had picked up a few years ago. The brothers quickly decided on a direction and got going.
?We wanted to build a hot rod of a bike?something low and long that looked the business.?
Justin started by fabricating a hardtail with a 6? stretch and 4? drop. As we’ve come to expect from the Arizona workshop, the framework is exquisite.

Then it was time to put that turbo to good use. The motor was rebuilt, complete with forged pistons and new valves and springs. A draw-through setup was decided on for the turbo; the turbo mount, aluminum intake and exhaust system were all hand-made.
The carb’s a Mikuni??jetted up to the moon.? DP have used fittings and braided lines from Earl’s throughout the oil system, and tapped into the cam cover for the oil return. The work was extensive, and way above our...