Never saying you're finished and never achieving total satisfaction with a project are the ideals Damon Springer lives by. During his six-year love affair with mini-trucks, he's rebuilt his '94 Chevy S-10 time and time again.
Damon began working on his ride with the idea that it wasn't possible to destroy anything on his truck beyond repair in the quest to try new modifications. Every time someone asked him why he was cutting up his truck, he always told them to wait until he finished and then his plans would be made clear. To the naked eye, Damon's truck fits the part of a beautifully executed and skilled custom, but beneath the flashy paint and smooth bodywork lies hours and hours of hard work and innovative ideas.
Take a look at the engine and you'll find a one-off intake manifold, which is crafted with flames and chromed for maximum show appeal. All of the hardware has been removed from the firewall of Damon's truck and the firewall has been shaved smooth. The aluminum dress-up items that adorn the engine are not off-the-shelf parts either. Damon built all of these parts on a CNC machine so they wouldn't look like anything found on the trucks he would compete against at shows.
The extra effort and willingness to try new things sets Damon's truck apart from the rest and has earned him more trophies than he cares to count. The only question left to answer now is what Damon will change on his truck next. We'll just have to wait and see.
Chassis/Suspension:
Nate installed a set of Belltech 2-inch drop spindles onto the front suspension, giving the slotted and cross-drilled brake rotors a home. Next, Firestone airbags and relocated Monroe shocks replaced the stock coil springs. The rear frame clip received new X-members to provide mounting points for the three-link suspension and air storage tank. A custom-built step notch gives the rearend plenty of room for maximum drop. Three-and-a-half-inch valves control the air suspension.
Wheels/Tires:
A set of chrome 18x7-inch Niche Pultec rims plays host to 215/35ZR18 low-profile donuts.
Body Mods
RMC Body and Paint of Ossian, Indiana, performed all of the custom body work on Damon's mini. It started by shaving the front bumper and removing the rear bumper. A steel roll pan with billet taillight inserts and a frenched license plate box replaced the old bumper. The shaving continued with the removal of the door handles, antenna, hood squirters, and tailgate handle. In addition, RMC smoothed out the windshield cowl and removed the wipers. Custom Paint RMC Body and Paint sprayed Spies Hecker paint to give Damon's truck its copper-colored glow.
Interior:
Krist Kustoms of New Haven, Indiana, wrapped the entire interior of Damon's truck in gray leather and tweed. Both the interior of the cab and the inside of the bed received custom touches and flamed accents on the seats and paneling. Between the bucket seats, a custom center console was installed and billet aluminum bezels were added to the door panels and dash. A Colorado Customs steering wheel replaced the original wheel.
Audio System:
Damon performed the audio system install, which is fronted by a Pioneer CD head unit. A Kicker 360-watt amplifier feeds power to a pair of 12-inch subwoofers, and a Kicker 240-watt amplifier powers up Diamond Audio's 5-1/4-inch component speakers.
Engine:
The 2.2L four-cylinder engine was dressed up with one-off aluminum parts that were built by Damon on a CNC machine. The flamed intake manifold was designed by Damon as well, and the firewall was shaved smooth. A custom air intake and 2.5-inch Flowmaster exhaust system improve upon the stock engine's power output.
Owner's Quote:
"Special thanks to Shawn Krist at Krist Kustoms for his help with the interior and to all my friends who stop by to see what I'm working on and drink all my beer. Thanks!"