OWNER: Shannon Taylor RIDE:...
OWNER: Shannon Taylor
RIDE: '00 Chevrolet S-10
HOMETOWN: Greenbrier, Tennessee
CLUB AFFILIATION: Relaxed Atmosphere
We guarantee that you've never seen F-250 Super Duty headlights this close to the ground. Just as Ford roadster owners throw Chevy engines in their rides, Shannon Taylor of Greenbrier, Tennessee, flips the script, and adds some Ford flavor to his '00 Chevy S-10. Ford must be doing a pretty good job with the new subliminal-messaging campaign. Unfortunately, the company only sold a front end off of it. Keep on plugging and it might work.
With Shannon's brother owning a car dealership, boring and bone-stock rides are at his disposal for a fraction of the cost that we average automotive enthusiasts are accustomed to paying. His brother had an S-10 sitting around his lot longer than expected, and Shannon no longer pimped his first-generation S-10 around, so the paperwork was easily drawn up and away Shannon rode in his new chariot.
With S-10s being more plentiful than 24K gold teeth in the dirty South, you have to push the envelope to get noticed. That's why Shannon, Jason, and the rest of the Bullock's Body Werks crew knew what they had to do. The decision to go with such an elaborate defacing of Chevrolet culture was made when Shannon's S-series was parked right next to Jason Bullock's F-350 tow pig. A couple glares and comments were made about how similar in shape the Ford's headlights are to the Dime's, and an available F-250 front end was soon picked up. Shannon tried to trade for it, but the owner of the F-250 didn't feel that the S-10 front end would be too comfortable on his monster. The F-250 and F-350 share the same front fascia, so the sought-after look wasn't in jeopardy.
Since Shannon and Jason were onto something different than the usual S-10 horde, they decided to stick to their current itinerary. After laying the frame to the ground, shaving the entire truck smooth, and building an interior fit for an electronics wiz, they commissioned airbrush artist Johnny Watson to throw down his magic. Being the loyal Boy Scout that Shannon is, the slick twisted-tube crossmember was airbrushed in the fashion of wood grain and lacquered to a high luster, to look as if it had been whittled out of a piece of driftwood (note: real wood has a bad tendency to give splinters). For extra merit badge points, the center console was given the similar effect. While this airbrush technique has been around for a while, it hasn't been used often in the mini-truck world.
One of the more difficult aspects of Shannon's build was keeping the stock A/C unit, but the veterans at Bullock's Body Werks were able to impress us yet again. As more and more minis would prove to show, with a little innovation and patience, it's still possible to make the inside of your cab as cool as an igloo during snowboard season. We all know how hot that slammin' country music can get in the cab, especially in Tennessee.
We give kudos to Shannon and Jason Bullock on a gamble that didn't go to the house. The only thing cooler would have been to actually carve the front end out of oak to match the rest of the truck. No? Well, maybe next time.
THE LOWDOWN
Rolling Attire
Wheels: 20-inch Boss wheels
Tires: 255/35ZR20 Hankook Ventus tires
Chassis Modifications
Suspension Type: Air Suspension All Four Corners
Front Suspension: Lays Out With Factory A/C
Rear Suspension: Pete & Jake's Four-Link With Bullock's-Designed Rear Setup
Airbag: (Front) 2,500-Pound Firestones; (Rear) 2,600-Pound Firestones
Control Arms: Air Ride Technologies
Spindles: Belltech 2-Inch Drop
Valves: Smc 1/2-Inch
Compressor: Viair 450
Air Line: 1/2-Inch Dot
Air Accessories: 8-Gallon Air Tank
Performed By: Bullock's Body Werks, White House, TN
Body Modifications
Shaved: Antenna, Door Handles, Tailgate Handle, Third Brake Light, Cab Seems, Taillights, Hood Squirters
Frenched: '95 Nissan Altima Door Handles, Hagan's Street-Rod Gas Door, Webasto Sunroof
Front End: '99 F-250 Grille And Bumper, '05 F-250 Headlights
Back End: Smoothed Bumper
Exterior Bolt-Ons: Street Scene Mirrors
Misc: Wheeltubs Front And Rear, Bed Floor Smoothed And Sprayed With Tuff Liner
Performed By: Bullock's Body Werks
Paint
Brand And Colors: Dupont '05 PT Cruiser Blue Over Stock Pewter
Style: Two-Tone With Wood Split
Airbrushing: Johnny Watson
Performed By: Jason Bullock, Bullock's Body Werks
Interior
Seats: Stock
Material: Pewter And Blue Suede
Dash: Painted To Match
Door Panels: Painted And Upholstered To Match
Center Console: Custom-Built To House Two Alphasonik Subs
Headliner: Suede
Gauges: Custom Console To House Air Gauges
Steering Wheel: Billet Specialties
Misc: Billet Specialties Window Cranks And Shifter
Stereo
Mids And Highs: Directed 4x6-Inch And 6-1/2-Inch
Amplifier For Mids And Highs: Alphasonik
Subwoofers: Two Alphasonik 8-Inch
Amplifier For Subwoofers: Alphasonik
Custom Fabrication: Two Custom Center Consoles
Performed By: Owner, Bullock's Body Werks
Special Thanks
Thanks to Jason Bullock and Jeff Simpkins for all their help, work, and long nights along the way; Shannon's girlfriend Missy for all her support and especially for not bitching; and last but not least, Guy Bullion for the badass upholstery work on the seats.