Owner: John Shepard
Ride: '96 Chevrolet S-10
Hometown: Harwood, Maryland
Club Affiliation: Cali Style
Mini-truckin' is a lifestyle that has played a big part in my life. Without minis, I wouldn't have met a lot of awesome people. It is something that I will never regret." These are the words of John Shepard of Harwood, Maryland. Building his '96 S-10 has given him a lifetime of stories, experiences, and even a little fun.
A lot of the work on John's mini was done in true mini-truck fashion - mainly accomplished by himself, with a couple friends adding fuel to the fire when needed. As most minis aren't built in one day, so it was with John's. The suspension on Inferno was done not once, not twice, but three times until John got the effect he was after. We couldn't agree more with his persistence, as the S-10's rear suspension is a fully functional work of art.
John's S-10 gets its heat from rows of ghost flames, done in three separate colors, namely purple, blue, and teal. Not that John's ride had any problem generating its own fire, with its body hugging the pavement on 19-inch Axis Muses. We definitely agree that Inferno is putting it down Cali Style.
The love of mini-trucking is why John kept improving his ride when it easily could have been left alone and been another average mini-truck. "Normal" is just not an option in the mind of a mini-trucker. Pushing the envelope in every way is how a true mini-trucker gets it done.
THE LOWDOWN
Rolling Attire
Wheels: 19x8-inch Axis Muses
Backspace: 4-1/4 inches
Tire: 225/35ZR19 Nitto NT555s
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Air
Rear suspension: Pete & Jake's triangulated four-link, custom cantilever arms color-matched to truck
Airbag type and size: 2,600-pound Firestones
Spindles: Belltech 2-inch dropped spindles
Shocks: Pete & Jake's
Valves: 1/2-inch SMC valves
Compressor: Driveline air compressor
Air line: 1/2-inch
Frame mods: 6-inch step notch, 2x3-inch tube rear section
Frame material: Back made out of 2x3-inch box tubing
Brakes: Billet disc simulators
Detail work: Crossmembers and frame painted black with Red Pearl
Misc: 1-1/4-inch tube crossmember
Performed by: Owner
Body Modifications
Shaved: Lights in front, bumper, antenna, hood squirters, wiper cowl, tailgate handle, molded roll pan, firewall
Frenched: License plate in front bumper
Body drop: 3-inch
Front end: Chrome grille shell with polished billet phantom grille installed, shaved and frenched stock bumper
Taillights: APC euro clears
Exterior bolt-ons: Street Scene mirrors
Misc: SFC 36x16-inch sunroof, smoothed inner bed
Performed by: Owner and Ricky H., Harwood, MD
Paint
Brand and colors: DuPont Inferno Red Pearl
Style: ghost flames in purple, blue, and teal
Performed by: Bud Davis, Davidsonville, MD
Interior
Seats: Stock, removed headrest, removed 60/40 cover in gray tweed
Material: Sherpa gray tweed
Dash: Shaved vents, covered with Sherpa gray tweed, fiberglass bezel
Door panels: Gray tweed with fiberglassed armrest color-matched with ghost flames
Center console: Fiberglass console color-matched with ghost flames
Flooring: Sherpa gray tweed
Headliner: Sherpa gray tweed
Misc: 13-inch one-off billet steering wheel; billet window cranks, shifter, and rearview mirror
Performed by: Billy S., Baltimore
Stereo
Head unit: JVC KDSX-870
Mids and highs: Rockford Fosgate 4-1/2-inch mids, Cerwin Vega 4x6-inchers, Infinity 1-inch tweeters
Subwoofers: Kicker 8-inch VR Comp dual voice coil behind seats
Amplifier for subwoofers: Two 300-watt Kenwood Excelons
Engine/Performance
Intake: STS Performance
Exhaust: MagnaFlow 2-1/2-inch
Battery: Champion
Inner fenders: Custom wheeltubs
Misc: Flex-A-Lite electric fan, aluminum fan shroud, billet battery cover, master cylinder cover, modified intake plenum for hood clearance
Performed by: Owner
Special Thanks
All of John's club Cali Style, everyone in the sport for motivation, and especially all of John's friends and his parents for supporting his hobby