It's amazing how much a job and its responsibility can change a man's priorities. We know guys whose entire existence revolves around their trucks, and then one day they up and disappear from their garage, leaving their trucks to gather dust, lost to a 60-hour work week. It's a sad day when a man has to Jay Leno his first love to make ends meet. This story is about a similar situation, except instead of parking his beloved show truck for a few years, Shane Willoughby actually started commuting to his factory job every day in his ride, incurring countless road abuse along the way. No matter what the weather forecast was, Shane kept on cruising his ride. Rolling on 15s with a Belltech drop kit, he amassed hundreds of thousands of miles and all the wear and tear that comes along with it. During that time, he says that working all day and then trying to clean up the truck on the weekends took such a toll on his life that he actually quit showing the truck for a few years.
When Shane was finally ready to truly enjoy owning a custom truck again, it was obvious his needed a makeover. He knew his S-10 needed a new paintjob and some bodywork, but little did he know that beneath all the factory cladding beat the heart of a champion. It took the inspiration of his friend Tommy Boshers, who owns the Shave Cave in Ethridge, Tennessee, to put his project into perspective. Once inside the shop, Tommy did shave and paint the truck, eliminating the usual suspects like the door handles in the process. But, Tommy also took this build several steps further, with custom touches that boggle the mind and pull plenty of trophies.
Take a look at the engine compartment and you might notice the body line running across the firewall that perfectly complements the one on the outside of the truck. Pretty trick, huh? It was formed from sheetmetal and grafted onto the firewall via a MIG welder, then sanded smooth. If you dig that, then you'll really flip when you check out the hand-fabricated sheetmetal dashboard and door panels. They were rolled, shrunk, and stretched by Tommy to give the truck a roadster feel, with the door panels flowing gracefully into the sides of the dash. It's mods like these that put this truck over the top at every show Shane brings it to.
"I drove this truck to work...
"I drove this truck to work every day for 10 years and 300,000 miles, before I decided that I was going to build one of the cleanest S-10s out there." -Shane Willoughby
The chassis and powerplant are every bit as trick as the body is. The engine is outfitted with power parts from Edelbrock, Hedman, and ACCEL and detailed to perfection. Much of the stock suspension was eliminated to make room for an Air Ride Technologies adjustable air suspension. The frame was sanded smooth in an effort to undo years of abuse, and then it was beautifully painted to match the body. Everything is tied together with stainless and chrome hardware, and every single nut and bolt shines just as well as the Billet Accessories Direct steering wheel that's inside the cab.
Some of our favorite trucks are extremely low, some are very fast, and others will blast through a chicane like they are on rails. Shane's truck excels at none of these things, yet it's cooler because it takes an obsessive compulsive customizer to go to the lengths he did to build a truck this clean. And it takes an even better man to not throw in the towel when work gets in the way of that endless pursuit of sport truck nirvana.
The 411
Owner/hometown: Shane Willoughby / Pulaski, Tennessee
Year/make/model: '93 Chevy S-10
Engine/drivetrain: 4.3L V-6 / Edelbrock intake manifold / Edelbrock 500-cfm carburetor / Hedman headers / 2-inch ceramic-coated steel exhaust system / ACCEL HEI ignition system / 10-bolt GM rearend with 3.42 gears / 700-R4 tranny / painted to match exterior
Wheels/tires: 18x8-inch Zinik Adrian / 225/40ZR18 Wanli S-19099
Suspension: Air Ride Technologies' bolt-in front and rear air suspension / rear three-link / tubular front control arms / Belltech drop spindles / Firestone airbags / Suicidedoors.com C-notch / Viair 400C compressor / 3/8-inch air line / Air Ride Techonologies 3/8-inch electric valves / 5-gallon reserve air tank / chassis custom-painted to match / all suspension parts powdercoated and chromed
Fabricator: Tommy Boshers and Shane Willoughby
Body Mods: Shaved firewall with factory-style bodyline / shaved radiator support / hand-fabricated wheelwells / under cowl-induction hood smoothed out / Toyota front bumper and valance / Street Scene mirrors / tailgate molded shut / shaved door handles, antenna hole, and fuel-filler door / custom sheetmetal bed floor / front bulkhead and tailgate area widened to match bedrail width / hidden fuel-filler door / Cadillac taillights
Bodywork: The Shave Cave, of Ethridge, Tennessee
Custom Paint: PPG red, black, and silver by Tommy Boshers
Interior: '94 S-10 bucket seating, covered in black leather / hand-formed steel dash and door panels / Billet Accessories Direct steering wheel / ididit steering column / Billet Specialties gauge cluster / Auto Meter gauges
Audio/video: Custom subwoofer enclosure housing 8W7 JL Audio subs and amp rack / custom kick panels for Boston Acoustics SL60 speakers
Installer: Scott Comisky of HiFi Buys in Nashville, Tennessee