By Rob Fortier – Images by NotStock Photography
Every old truck has its story … its own history. Whether it’s a hand-me-down family heirloom or someone’s very first pickup, the backgrounds and subsequent journeys are what make them so special. This particular 1967 Chevrolet C10 went from the showroom to the highway for its first chapter in life, then experienced a full frame-off restoration for chapter two, and in its current guise, the Fleetside has literally been given a new lease—and look—on life, thanks to the vision of its owners and, subsequently, the individuals tasked to perform the transformation.
Back around 2009, Texans Kimberly Jenkins and her husband, Dwayne, were on the hunt for a 1967-72 C10 project starter. That turned out to be a five-year adventure of sorts, and by summer 2019, thanks to an online advertisement, a suitable candidate was located in Indiana. And so began the build—but it didn’t start off so smoothly.
It took some hard lesson learning—and budget depleting—dealing with a couple-few local shops before the Jenkins finally linked up with Scott Luscombe and the crew at Slick’s Fab Shop in Humble (just north of the Jenkins and even further north of Houston) to continue their project in proper fashion, which at this point, had already been updated with a full Ridetech/CPP suspension and Wilwood disc brakes on the stock chassis (now wearing Schott’s 22-inch Drift wheels, titanium-powdercoated, with Nitto 420 35-series rubber).
Once at Slick’s, the undercarriage was finished up with the installation of an LS3/6L80E trans to accommodate the existing 3.73-geared 10-bolt rear. The 6.2L is now fed by a Holley low-rise port injection, with an Ultimate header/stainless Borla exhaust, Concept One compact front drive, and “personalized” Wegner coil/valve covers—all surrounded by some amazing sheetmetal work by Slick’s.
The exterior is anything but a stock resto, though most of the modifications are very tastefully subtle in nature. Starting at the rear, the bumper has been tucked and relieved of its visible hardware, while the tailgate has been completely smoothed, with a reverse latch added. The taillights are one-piece DIGI-TAILS using Dapper Lighting LEDs, and between the bedsides is a gorgeous contrasting green wood floor stained by Kustom Grains with smooth, powdercoated strips. On the cab, the driprails have been smoothed down and blended in (similar to a 1933-34 Ford … hot rod style!), while the stock vent windows have been eliminated to afford room for non-obstructed door glass. Finally, before the PPG Blizzard of Oz White was applied, the front end was finished off with a filled cowl surrounded by a one-piece frontend (fenders have been seamlessly welded to the grille shell structure, which houses a semi-stock-looking-yet-custom grille). The headlights are once again Dapper LEDs, and just as with the rear, the front bumper has been tucked ’n’ smoothed.
Last but absolutely by no means least, for the She10’s interior, the project headed northwest to College Station for a well-deserved appointment with styling visionary Chris Pate at Mobile Toys. If you’re familiar with Pate’s work, then you can fully appreciate all the thought and designwork that went into Kimberly’s interior—from the signature full-custom dash (of course with more “personalization” on the glovebox) to the custom bucket seats/center console to the sculpted door panels, all done in a very complementing soft green Apex Leather. Modern amenities added include Gen 5 Vintage Air heat/air, Auto Meter’s latest InVision digital/LCD instrumentation along with a Stinger Horizon12 Infotainment touchpad screen that controls a high-end Kenwood/Sony Mobile ES/Kicker sound system. Steering wheel is a Sparc Industries Flux model, wrapped to match, with an Ididit non-shift (duties handled by Lokar) tilt column, also color-matched.
Sure, Kimberly and Dwayne may have taken the long road, but in the end, the destination for She10 is just what the lady ordered!
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
