Owner: Tim Haywood
Ride: 1982 Chevy S-10 Longbed
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Club: Hardcore Minis
Back in 1993, Tim Hayward celebrated his 15th birthday. To help ring in the special occasion, he was given this '82 S-10, which served as his daily mode of transportation to and from school and work. It wasn't until 2002 that Tim started customizing his prized possession, and from that point on, there was nowhere else to go but completely crazy.
Tim began shaving the square-body's unnecessary items such as the door handles, bodyline, and all emblems, and since his wallet wasn't overflowing with cash, he was forced to learn the ins and outs of chopping up his own truck. Before he had begun work on his truck, he had rebuilt a 355ci Chevy small-block and was strategizing how to prep the engine bay for the powerplant transplant. Well, this plan was quickly put on the back burner after his wife came home with an issue of Mini Truckin' that featured a tech story on bodydropping. Tim read and reread that article a number of times before he worked up enough courage to bust out the Sawzall and attempt to perform the process on his S-10. In a fit of mania, Tim kept cutting and cutting until the rockers were on the floor, and the feeling of confidence and satisfaction rushed in, "Every modification on my Dime was a true learning experience for me. I taught myself to weld and customize on this project."
Before it came time to drop in the new engine, Tim decided on ditching the small-block and opted for a tamer V-6 instead. While in the process of making some last minute changes, he enlisted the help of his father, an accomplished paint-and-body man, to iron out the metal, extend the front fenders by 3 inches, and fabricate a front end utilizing lots of fiberglass and a '68 Camaro bumper, which can also be found at the rear. The time for paint was near, and Tim couldn't have been more excited since it would be his first brush at spraying. "I did one side of my truck, and my dad, who airbrushed quite a bit during the '80s and early '90s, handled the passenger side."
Tim kept proceeding with his build with the same hands-on approach that he started with. Once he was sure he could consider his project completed, he was able to look back at the process and make plans for his truck's future. "After four different rear 'bag setups and many different compressors later, I finally got the ride I wanted. The work was definitely not perfect when I first started, but at the time I gave it my best. My future plans for the Dime include repainting it and passing it on to my son for his 16th birthday in two years."
For more info on Tim's savory S-10, check out the Lowdown.