By Fuelish Media
There’s nothing mild mannered about this ’82 Chevy pickup. Cory Shows, of Caledonia, Mississippi, works as a custom aircraft painter by trade, and loves every minute he has spent customizing trucks over the last 20 years. When the time came to further push the new Squarebody he just purchased, he found himself instantly struck by a heroic bolt of inspiration.
“I’ve owned this truck for almost a year,” Cory says. “It was in pretty good shape when I found it and I really liked the color scheme it had. I knew that if I added some stripes and changed the interior this C10 could soon wear the name ‘Kal-El’ well.”
If Kal-El doesn’t ring a bell, it’s OK, don’t worry, we had to look it up too. Born Kal-El on the distant planet of Krypton and sent to Earth as a child to survive Krypton’s destruction, this boy took on the civilian identity of Clark Kent, better known as (yep, you guessed it) Superman! Ah, now it all makes sense.
The closer you look at the truck, the more Cory’s vision becomes apparent. Yes, the colors are obvious, especially the use of red on the bed floor, which probably looks more like a cape when looking down on the truck. Evan Hite applied the PPG Atlantic Blue pearl paint and Cory then stepped in to add painted details to nail the exact look he had in mind. “I love the classic look,” Cory says about this truck’s new look. “I’ve wanted to add something different to make the truck stand out a bit, and I think we were able to do just that.”
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Besides the light superhero theme, Cory’s Squarebody sits and rides low thanks to Rydman Ranch Company—a Pacific Northwest–based design and fabrication shop that specializes in chassis and suspension parts for classic Chevy trucks. Rydman’s front IFS kit and complete rear kit were retrofitted to the factory frame before an AccuAir e-Level management system was brought in to control the airflow to the Slam Specialties ’bags. To capitalize on the lowered stance, Tre5 Customs conducted a body drop to bring the C10 down even lower.
To dial in the stance just right, a set of 24×9 and 26×12 U.S. Mags wheels were brought in for an updated yet timeless exterior styling. Front and rear Wilwood big brake kits have also been incorporated into the build to help bring those big hunks of metal to a dependable stop.
Underhood is a ’15 LS 6.0L with a 4L60 transmission attached to it. The engine has been well tuned and decked out to incorporate the exterior styling with Cory’s own custom paintwork and keen attention to detail. A Texas Speed camshaft, Holley Terminator fuel injection, and Black Widow exhaust round out the performance goods that have increased the speed and power of the LS powerplant.
When Cory was finally able to overhaul its interior, the first call he made was to TMI Products for fresh leather bucket seats, matching door panels, and dash. Of course, the color of choice here was red—a red bright enough to fight off any known amount of Kryptonite. A custom center console was then fabricated to house a Stinger head unit and two of four JL Audio speakers. An 8-inch JL subwoofer was then strategically placed behind the passenger seat in a custom enclosure that fits the back of the cab perfectly. Dakota Digital instruments and Vintage Air climate control were also added to further increase the list of modern amenities available to Cory inside of the cab.
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“Building and customizing are both things I love to do,” Cory says, “but it takes that spark or vision to hit me just right before I can get fully invested in a project truck.” It’s apparent that Cory was able to combine his joy of trucks with his superhero fandom to create a perfectly balanced Squarebody that rides the line of both worlds comfortably.
“This truck is also important to me for very special reason”, Cory adds. “One of my memorable experiences with this truck is when I drove through judging at Lone Star Throwdown with my buddy Scott Wilson, who unfortunately [died] shortly thereafter in 2021.” While Cory couldn’t be happier with how his C10 has turned out, he’s just glad he could better personalize the truck that played a huge role in preserving a memory with a dear friend who meant so much to him.
Click on this issue’s cover to see the enhanced digital version of 1982 Chevy Squarebody C1500 custom C10.
