Everyone who builds a custom vehicle has some sort of reason why. And in the case of Rick Delahousseye, there are actually a couple reasons. The first of which started when he was in his early teens and he kept on noticing all these custom trucks with bangin' stereo systems and told himself that I want to be that guy. And the second reason was the voices in his head told him to do it and refused to let him drive a stock truck.
So, when Rick decided that he wanted to build his S-10, he knew that something had to be done that would make his 'Dime stand out above all others. Rick started off with all the common bolt-on accessories, and after a while, it wasn't satisfying the voice of custom addiction anymore. So, he decided it was time for 'bags. While trying to find a shop, he ran into an old neighbor named Cory Hingle and told him about his dilemma. Without a thought, Cory made a call to Clyde at Silver Star Customs. Two days later, the truck was making the 400-mile road trip for the new makeover--Rick just didn't know it yet. Rick planned on a simple and clean 'bag setup. But, when Clyde gets ideas going, they don't stop, so Rick ended up with a one-off cantilever suspension system.
Once the two settled on a price, Rick noticed that he still had money left over and started reminiscing about driving his grandma's Caddy around and how much he loved it. Some ideas got thrown around, trying to figure out what could be done. He asked about doing some Caddy tails with reverse lights in the tailgate, when his girlfriend said, "Why don't you make the tailgate look like a trunk?" That was all that needed to be said, and the voices in Rick's head took over and decided that the deck lid of a '98 De Ville was going to be molded into the rear of the truck. This was not going to be an easy task, but Clyde and his crew were up for the challenge. But, the voices in his head weren't quiet, and they came up with adding a '50s twist with the addition of fins on the top of the bed rails. Nine months later, with Clyde's fabrication skills and the guidance of the voices, the creation was done.
The attention this truck gets is unbelievable, even from the local law enforcement. Right after picking the truck up and driving it around, he got pulled over for tinted windows, and while the cops--uh, we mean police officers--were searching the vehicle for doughnuts, they began to realize that this was not your average S-10 and started asking questions. Before Rick realized it, there were three police cars and a canine unit standing around wondering what the hell this vehicle actually was. As bad-ass as this truck turned out to be, we can't wait to see what the voices tell Rick to build next. And we will be waiting!
THE 411Owner/hometown: Rick Delahousseye / Metairie, Louisiana
Year/make/model: '02 Chevrolet S-10 Extended Cab Stepside
Engine/drivetrain: Vortech V-6 / painted fuse box, air intake, and fan shroud / K&N Filter Charger / two Optima RedTop batteries / modified tranny crossmember
Wheels/tires: (Front) 18x7-inch Intro Matrix wheels with 4-1/2-inch backspace / Kumho 215/35ZR18 Ecsta Supra / (Rear) 20x8.5-inch Intro Matrix with 4-1/2-inch backspace / Kumho 255/35ZR20 Ecsta Supra
Suspension: DJM 2-inch drop spindles / Firestone air springs / Bilstein shocks / wishbone three-link cantilever setup / C-notch / SSC 1/2-inch air valves / 1/2-inch copper air lines / three Viair 380c air compressors
Fabricator: Silver Star Customs
Body Mods: Billet grille / clear corner lamps / color-matched lower valance / shaved door handles, fuel-filler door, and emblems / suicide passenger door / S-10 Fleetside rear quarter panels grafted to Stepside bed / '98 Cadillac De Ville trunk lid molded to rear of bed / custom bedcover / custom fins molded to bed rails / modified roll pan / Vortex spray-in bedliner / custom dual battery tray
Bodywork: Silver Star Customs
Custom Paint: Blue and silver ghost flames
Interior: Factory 60/40 bench seat cut down and modified / covered in gray vinyl with black vinyl inserts / painted dash bezel / color-matched custom center console / Dakota Digital air gauges in a custom-made pod
Upholsterer: Anything Car Audio and Performance
Audio/video: Pioneer AVH 6400 head unit in stock location / Kicker ZR 120 amplifier mounted to top of speaker box / Kicker ZR 1000 amplifier mounted to top of speaker box / Stinger 1.0 farad capacitor under driver seat / two Memphis Audio 4x6s mounted in dash / two Kicker 1-inch tweeters mounted in A-pillars / two Kicker 6-1/2 components reside in the stock rear location / two Kicker 6x9s mounted in the top of the speaker box / three Kicker Solo-baric L7 12-inch subwoofers / custom-made sub box wrapped in black vinyl / Sony PlayStation 2 / Prestige APS-99 alarm system
Installer: Anything Car Audio and Performance
Club: Eksessiv
Special Thanks: His grandma Rose Marie Hasse / Cory Hingle / Clyde at Silver Star Customs / Intro Wheels / and last but not least, his girlfriend Christine