While attending a show in Kentucky this year, we came across this clean, low, and smooth-looking '39 Studebaker, or so we thought. After approaching the owners, Glenn and Patricia Overstreet from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, we came to find out that it was titled as a '39 Studebaker truck, but it was far from being anywhere near 65 years old. It is actually only a few years old. The truck is one of the few full kit trucks that were turned out by Arizona Customs. The company built this kit truck for a short time on the Chevy S-series frame and drivetrain with a fiberglass body. This particular truck was originally built in the shop at Arizona Customs but has received several modifications since its birth.
The Overstreet's were out looking for a custom truck to be able to play with, as well as one they could take to shows on the weekends. When they found this truck, they instantly fell in love with it. After doing some research on it, they found out that it was a '39 Studebaker body, atop a frame and drivetrain of an '00 Chevy S-10 Blazer Xtreme. All of the suspension, motor, frame, and interior is 100 percent Blazer, but if you shut the doors and hood, you would think it was a true Studebaker. With this combination, they get the street rod looks with the reliability and performance of an updated truck. When they first picked up their truck, they knew it had to have their own touches put to it, and they didn't waist any time adding to this already-badass truck.
The first thing to do was to add a little adjustability to the front end. Most people 'bag their trucks to get them to lay out, but they had to 'bag it to get the front of the truck higher off the ground for driving. They learned that lesson quickly after buying it and draggin' the fiberglass front end pulling into parking lots. This also let them set the front a little lower for shows and to tuck the 17-inch Boyd Coddington wheels in the front. The matching rear wheels, but in a 20-inch size, are one touch that sets this kit truck apart from the others, because these wheels have a huge lip and fill up the rear fenderwells. They left the rear suspension with a static drop because the rear wheels already tucked nicely. The stock S-10 Blazer 4.3L Vortec received a little extra power with the help of a K&N filter and dual Flowmaster mufflers and 3-inch piping.
Since the body of the kit was all fiberglass, it came void of any door handles, emblems, or any of the other parts most people spends hours trying to shave. This made for a clean look, right off the bat. The taillights are a pair of 9-inch tear-drop rod lights, and the headlights are out of a Ford Taurus, while the inside of the bed has received a mahogany wood treatment with stainless strips between the wood slats. The truck already had a clean cherry-red metallic-pearl PPG base when they got it, but it still needed a little extra detail. Glen and Patricia took the truck over to Terry Kincaid in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, to get the front end flamed. For this, Fire Engine Red, Poppy Orange, Goofy Purple, and white were used and all striped out in orange. Terry is also responsible for the mural on the rear of the bed. Most of the interior is pretty much stock, taken out of the S-10 Blazer donor used for the base of the truck, leather seats, and all. A full billet Colorado Customs steering wheel and center console out of an S-10 pickup round out the interior. All their hard work definitely paid off.