Everyone has that type of relationship, whether it's with your spouse or your truck -- you love them to death but wouldn't complain if they disappeared sometimes. Richard Galindo Jr. of Merced, California, has that bond with his '95 S-10, which he originally got from a friend in high school. It was a great deal: The friend wanted to get a 4x4 and Richard wanted to get an S-series that he could practice doing some bodywork and paint on. Little did he know that by the time he was done building the truck, he'd be a professional.
The starting point on the truck was the tailgate. Richard shaved the handle, but as usual, one thing led to another, and all handles, the hood squirters, the gas door, and the antenna were shaved smooth. Once the truck was all smoothed out, Richard decided to spray on some fresh paint over the factory white and bolt on a set of 18-inch Boyd Coddington Nemesis wheels wrapped up in Falken 40-series rubber.
A slight problem with low-profile tires is that they don't offer too much protection when you hit a pothole. Richard can attest to this since he's had to straighten his wheels numerous times, thanks to the busted up Merced roads.
Between a few of those instances, Richard, with the help of his dad and Dave Mcgee, was able to rework the suspension. Firestone 2,600-pound 'bags were set into each corner and plumbed with 1/2-inch line. A set of Belltech 2-inch drop spindles was installed up front, and a KP Components triangulated four-link was used in the back. Dave wired up the Parker valves and the two Viair 450 compressors. To help the truck lay out, a C-notch was welded into place, the bed was cut, and a set of custom tubs were welded on.
With fresh paint, straight wheels, and a slammed personality, the S-10 was well on its way to becoming a sweet truck, but then lady luck decided to change things around. She sent out two cars that had a date with Richard's truck. The first one hit the tailgate and the second one backed into the front end, but then there was an added door prize. While making a left in a parking lot Richard clipped a curb and crushed the rocker from front to rear.
Drudgingly, he ripped apart the whole truck and decided to start over on the project, but this time he was going all out. With the help of friends Jason Gohl and Tanner Braz, the doors were pulled off and switched to suicide hinging. The tailgate was fixed, and then the license plate was frenched in at an angle. After the new panels were bolted on up front, the license plate was frenched into the lower valance at the same angle as the rear, and a set of Street Scene mirrors was bolted on.
Inside the cab, everything from the doors to the dash were sanded smooth and a triple pod gauge cluster was molded into the A-pillar. Once everything was prepped, Richard sprayed down the House of Kolor Sunset Pearl Orange and then began laying out the tribal flames. The flames are House of Kolor Planet Green with silver micro sequence flake that has a Candy Lime Gold laid over the top.
After the layers of paint had baked and set, the truck was driven down to Isidro's Upholstery in Los Banos, California. A set of fullsize Chevy buckets was cut down and covered with gray tweed. Flame licks were sewn into the door inserts as well as the headliner to help accent the interior. A set of Nu Image flame gauges was added along with a B.A.D. billet steering wheel and an Empire Billet kit to finish off the bright work.
Once the interior was all stitched up, Richard and Anthony Mcrary went to work putting in the sound system. The two 12-inch Alpine type R subs were mounted on a custom box, and Rockford Fosgate speakers fill the rest of the interior. The power comes by way of two Rockford Fosgate Punch amps, and the system is controlled by a Panasonic head unit in the dash.
There was only one thing left to do to complete Richard's first project. He took his idea down to KP Components and had the crew laser-cut and roll a personal note that was then attached to the notch cover. The tribal-inspired piece nicely sums up his stance on Lady Luck.
When it's all said and done, the end result speaks for itself. Thanks to the hard work of Richard and his close group of friends and family they were able to take a standard cookie-cutter truck and turn it into something that truly kicks ass.