Article and Photography by:
Bryan Fross
Model: Ashley

   There are many customizers out there that have creative and interesting ideas. They can be simple and clean modifications or wildly transforming changes to completely change the style of a vehicle. This 2002 Chevrolet S-10 owned by Ray Hernandez from San Pedro, California is somewhere in-between. The factory exterior look remains mostly intact and very clean. On the inside, the truck has taken cues from another generation of automotive styling. This S-10's unique mix makes it a cool little cruiser with a paint scheme that calmly whispers, check me out!

   The frame-laying truck suspension was built by Christian at The Shop in Lomita, California. The airbags are Firestone and use 1/2-inch valves for adjustability. The front has a custom set of A-arms while the rear received a custom built 4-link and step notch. The truck was then set up for a set of one-off set of wheels. The front 20x8 and rear 20x10 Intro rt5 wheels were wrapped in Nitto tires.

   Part of creating a cool style is starting with a no-frills truck and adding or subtracting the items you want it to contain. The body was freed of it's door handles, antenna, hood cowl, taillights, and rear bumper. A smooth roll pan was installed as well as the addition of Cadillac taillights. The front grille received a billet insert. The bed was then built out of sheet metal and fiberglass with all of the edges rounded smooth. The truck was ready for it's House of Kolor Kandy Apple Red base and pearl white bed. The paint was sprayed by Extreme Kustoms in Gardena, California.

   Turning this truck into something special was mostly and idea for the cab of the truck. The truck was stripped down on the inside and the dashboard has been replaced with one out of a 1962 Chevrolet Impala. The steering wheel and bench seat were also replaced with 1962 Impala parts which made for a much different look to the cab of a truck built by Chevrolet 40 years later. The dash was painted white and pinstriping designs were laid down by Malex. The bench seat was re-covered in white vinyl with red piping along with the door panels by Chuy's Upholstery in Carson, California.  The factory carpet was replaced with red carpet to match the truck and the headliner was covered in white as well. The audio system consists of a full Alpine setup including a head unit, component speakers, two 12-inch subwoofers, and two amplifiers to keep the cruising tunes playing.

   Ray would like to thank his club Relaxed Atmosphere and everyone involved in helping with the truck. Thank you to Ed for the amazing metal work as well as a thank you to Josh for spraying the crazy Kandy paint.