Sport Truck
Jeff Spencer * Beaumont, Texas
'84 Chevrolet C10
When it comes to building trucks, we all dream of creating the perfect show vehicle that is so clean it shocks all and graces the cover of a magazine. It is good to dream, but practicality is a key factor in customizing a truck. Not everyone has the time or the money to create the world's most beautiful truck. Instead of beating yourself up over not being able to create an insane truck, a good suggestion would be to take it lightly and make something that you would enjoy.
Jeff Spencer realized all of this when he attempted his first major project and failed to finish it. Still new in the scene, he tore apart an '84 Chevy C10 like this one, thinking that he could make it the baddest thing around. Once it was in pieces with the suspension work already done, he became conscious of how long it was going to take for him to get it done. By that time, he had lost enough interest to salvage whatever parts he could and scrap the rest to a steel yard.
Still determined to build himself a square-body Chevy, Jeff found his next victim. It was this very '84 C10, which was fairly stock and complete. The only problems were that his friend Ricky owned it and the motor was blown. With $2,000 and some begging, Jeff was able to convince his friend to hand the truck over to him. Jeff knew he had to get the truck running again before he lost interest in it. To fix this, he convinced a neighbor to sell him a rebuilt 350-cid small-block out of an inactive pickup. Once the motor was in and fired up, he was back on track.
At that time, Jeff gained some painting experience working at a local collision shop. Although he started off as a helper, he also picked up the skills to straighten the body on his C10. Feeling confident in his work, Jeff went ahead and shaved the firewall, door handles, driprails, roll pan, and fuel door. When the truck was straight and in primer, Jeff coated it in Electric Blue and topped it off in clear. When it was out of the booth, he realized that he wanted to add a little more to the paintjob. So, Jeff had his friend Eric Davis of Edge Custom Wear lay down a set of flames for a break between the Electric Blue and black. With the paint sprayed on, Eric came back to pinstripe the flames in a bright orange before clear.
Although most people have paint done after heavy mods like adding air ride to prevent damage, Jeff went ahead with paint while it was in his hands. Since the folks at Ekstensive Metalworks could set up the suspension to lay frame without scratching it, Jeff brought the truck to their shop. While on the lift, it was set to lay frame on a set of 22-inch Intro wheels with 35-series Yokohama tires. In the front, the frame was Z'd and a custom set of control arms was made. On the rear, the frame was notched for the rear axle, and a two-link with Panhard bar was put in place of the factory leaf springs.
The truck was definitely shaping up at this point. All that was left in the bed was to get some wheeltubs from Car-Line Manufacturing and a color-matched bedliner from Distinctive Rides. With some upholstery work and a few detail pieces added on the interior, this truck was finished to Jeff's liking.
Though it is not something that will be on stands with the wheels off to show meticulous detail work, this Chevy is built to Jeff's liking, and that's all that really matters since he owns it.