It's safe to say that almost every type of truck on the market has a following of some type, a group of people who know the truck inside and out. These are the people who congregate at truck-specific club meetings or participate in discussions on Web-based message boards. Of these groups, the S-series followers have proven to be some of the most loyal fanatics.
For the rather tight-knit community of S-10 and Sonoma owners, there are several show trucks that have ascended to the top of the envious hierarchy, one of those being Jason Wyatt's green and blue flamed '95 Chevy S-10.
About five years ago, a few of Jason's friends introduced him to the custom truck scene; that's when he decided he wanted to build his own showpiece. When narrowing his options, his focus led him to the S-series pickups because they always caught his attention when they were done up. After an extended savings spree, a down payment was made to the local Chevrolet dealer and his project was set into motion.
The S-10 had previously been a work truck, and its days of hauling supplies in and out of construction sites showed on the poor truck. The first of many steps was to completely dismantle the vehicle in order to create a starting point.
Jeff Callahan, Jason's roommate and fellow member of Negative Camber, took the reigns to revamp the suspension. The front spindles were swapped out for some Chassis Tech 2-inch dropped spindles, and the coils were replaced with Firestone 'bags. A super C-notch was welded into the rear framerails for maximum drop, and then a set of Firestone 'bags were mounted near the axle for support. Jeff then plumbed the system with 3/8-inch line and installed the nitrogen bottle in the bed.
Once the suspension was cycled up and down, a few measurements were made and the wheels were ordered. He chose a set of 18x8-inch Australian-made ROH wheels.
The ROH RTs were then wrapped in Toyo Proxes 225/35R18 up front and 225/40R18 rubber out back and mounted to each corner.
While the truck was in the garage, Jason took advantage of the time and installed a few power and cosmetic upgrades. A Hot Shot cold-air intake was installed atop the efficient 2.2L engine, and then a 2-1/4-inch Flowmaster exhaust system was hung beneath the truck. A set of Street Scene mirrors was added to the doors, and an air dam from a '98 S-10 was added up front.
With the help of his friend Chad Crawford, the door handles and tailgate handle were shaved and a roll pan was molded in. All of the previous dings, dents, and hints of its previously indentured service were removed, and the truck was pieced back together in preparation for paint.
Gamal Gooby of Gooby's Customs in Tempe, Arizona, handled the creative colors and design throughout the S-series. A basecoat of PPG Get 'Em Green was squirted onto the truck. After the curing process, the sets of tribal flames were laid out over the hood, on top of the Checkmate tonneau, and down the side of the body panels. The flames were sprayed using House of Kolor's True Blue pigment, and the tailgate received a skull mural with the Negative Camber call letters incorporated into the design.
The interior carries the same colors as the exterior, and the same graphic elements were used on the smoothed dash to tie everything together. A royal blue carpet kit was stitched together to form the base of the interior, and the stock seats were covered using royal blue and apple green vinyl. The coloring continued to the door panels with the blue and green separation; it was all accented with billet window cranks and door handles. A Billet Specialties steering wheel, shift knob, dash kit, and air-conditioning knobs were added along with a set of billet pedals and a rearview mirror to finish off the brightwork within the cab.
With most of the interior elements completed, the final stage for the project was to install the stereo system. Richard Hernandez, Jason's brother in-law, built a custom sub enclosure behind the seats to hold two 10-inch Rockford Fosgate XLC-series subs. Above the box, two Lightning Audio amps were mounted, which provide power for not only the subs but also for the Rockford Fosgate component speakers in the doors and the 4-1/2-inch speakers in the dash. The head unit chosen to control all of the components is a Pioneer DEH deck; it was wired to the rest of the system using Rockford Fosgate heavy gauge wiring.
With the help of his club brothers, friends, family, and sponsors, Jason has succeeded in building a truck worthy of envy by anyone in the custom truck scene. The first notch has been created on his truck-building belt; we can't wait to see what other creations his future holds.