By Stephan Szantai – Images by the Author
California’s Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) is bound to bring together some stellar vehicles every year. The 2025 edition, which marked the event’s 75th anniversary, featured its share of trucks as usual—see Classic Truck Performance’s May ’25 issue—that included Eric “Edog” Michaud’s 1982 Chevy C10. Incidentally, the GNRS organizers have been offering an indoor event at the same venue, aka The Fairplex in Pomona, exclusively catering to truck (and van) owners: the aptly named Grand National Truck Show.
This isn’t Eric’s first foray into the truck world, as he owns “Hand of Doom,” a white 1965 Ford F-100 adorned with five-spoke Rocket wheels and an impressive custom paintjob. In fact, you might remember it, having graced the pages of Classic Truck Performance in July 2022. Eric had originally handled the bodywork and paint on the shortbed Ford for a friend in 2015; however, he took ownership of it in 2016, the same year it won the “Best Lowrider Truck” class at the GNRS.
Today, Eric works full time as a plumber, but he also owns a shop that keeps him busy after 6 p.m. and on weekends: Edog Kustoms. It resides in the city of Riverside, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Custom paintjobs have been his specialty for over three decades, though he can also master most fabrication, thanks to his extensive tools and equipment. During our visit, Eric had an interesting mix of 1950s and 1960s American tin on site, some veering toward the custom car scene while others belonged to the lowrider category.
In fact, the vehicles he works on typically reflect these two trends. What gives? Well, Eric belongs to a club that navigates the divide between customs and lowriders, Los Boulevardos, which primarily features American cars from the ’60s. Founded in California, this group now has various chapters in the United States (Arizona, Illinois, South Carolina) and abroad (Australia, Canada, France). Cars belonging to this crew share various features, such as colorful and occasionally complex paintjobs enhanced with pinstriping, airbag or hydraulic suspension, as well as vintage chromed custom wheels. The club’s slogan sums up the unique approach of its members and their rides: “Too new to be traditional, too lowrider to be custom, too custom for lowriders.”
As you’ve probably guessed, these cars defy classification. Eric’s C10, aptly called “Wheels of Confusion,” is no exception, especially since he chose to apply his expertise on a 1982 model—we’re clearly dealing with a more recent vehicle than the big ’60s boat-mobiles often chosen by other Los Boulevardos members. But you know what? This Chevy truck does not look out of place within the club, a situation due in part to the C10’s styling, which has not changed tremendously between, say, 1967 and 1982. Oh, sure, C10 fans will quickly spot the differences; however, the average Joe will be largely unaware of the nuances between the two pickups, seeing them as old, boxy utilitarian vehicles.
Historically, Eric’s C10 belongs to the third Chevrolet C/K truck series, produced between 1973 and 1991—it follows the first and second generations, respectively from 1960-66 and 1967-72. He obtained it by trading it not for a wad of dollars but for a custom paintjob. The year was 2015 and it would take him nine more years to complete this project. Indeed, he often struggled to find time to tinker with it, between his clients’ cars and his own, such as the aforementioned white 1965 Ford F-100. Work on the latter included fabricating a new four-link rear suspension, installing a one-off hydraulic system, freshening up the Ford 302ci small-block, and more.
Eric carried out the entire C10 project, with the exception of the upholstery and a few tasks, assisted by members of his club, like Carlos and Nick. “The body is pretty much factory, other than the seams on the cab that have been smoothed,” Eric comments. Also, you can’t miss the custom grille made from twisted and chromed steel bars, though only trained eyes might notice the hand-formed aluminum lower body trim. It enhances the truck’s vintage look—it’s 43 years old after all—and helps to better define the lower areas that have been painted. We should obviously comment on the beautiful paintjob that took Eric more than 200 hours to apply. It mixes Tropical Glitz pearls, candies, and metalflake, followed by pinstriping of his own design. Check out the license plates celebrating his car club affiliation as well.
In order to get the truck (a lot) closer to the asphalt, he first set his attention on the stock frame, creating a step notch in the back to allow the rear end to travel more freely. He then made his own two-link wishbone suspension system, which cleverly hides under a hinged panel mounted in the bed. Up front, the setup utilizes a Choppin Block crossmember with dual tubular control arms on each side. No lowrider-style hydraulics here, as the up-and-down motion comes courtesy of Slam Specialties airbags front and aft, plus an air management system from the same supplier. Four KYB shocks improve riding comfort, while Wilwood front disc brakes help the C10 stop on a dime. In keeping with the custom/lowrider tradition, the vehicle uses the same wheel and tire combinations front and rear: 15×7 reverse Keystone Raiders from the 1970s wrapped in relatively narrow 155HR15 Dimax Classic tires.
To propel his truck at a good pace, Eric installed a fresh 350ci Chevy. It received a handful of hop-up goodies, including a Holley carburetor bolted to an Edelbrock manifold, an MSD distributor, and a 1.75-inch exhaust system with straight pipes—the perfect combo for a nice rumble. Mated to a GM 700-R4 automatic transmission, the small-block V-8 purrs happily and allows easy burnouts, as demonstrated by our picture.
The interior retains its factory bench seat but notice the Grant steering wheel adorned with a unique horn button, featuring a resin-cast scorpion. While the gauges look original, they actually came from Dakota Digital and offer the modern convenience of being, well, digital. Kiwi Kustom Upholstery, a Riverside-based shop, handled the bespoke vinyl upholstery. The same craftsmen used a few extra yards of vinyl to cover the bed floor, which Eric raised to conceal the air suspension—a storage compartment hides in front of each rear wheeltub.
The crowd certainly took notice of this fine C/K-series Chevy at the GNRS 2025, its first official outing. The show judges were just as impressed, choosing to award the Best Lowrider Truck award to Eric. He humbly accepted the trophy, even though he reminded us that his C10 isn’t a lowrider, per se—like all the cars belonging to the Los Boulevardos Car Club.
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
