When we think of New Hampshire, we think of funny accents, politics, and maple syrup. When Ryan Arsenault, of Concord, thinks of his home state, he thinks of long highways to drag the rockers off of his sick S-10. Rolling 22s, sporting suicide doors and a completely fabricated back-half, Ryan just needs an excuse to change your mind about America's first state to declare independence.
Starting in the fall of 1999, Ryan wanted the Chevy mini low, and if the rockers weren't on the ground, then it wasn't low enough. Installing 2-inch Belltech drop spindles and Slam Specialties RS6200 'bags, the front was low, but the truck needed more attitude to appease Ryan and his custom tastes. Whetting his appetite for sick trucks, a hand-fabricated cab-back suspension setup was built using 2x4-inch boxed steel and 1-1/8-inch round tubing. Setting the frame on the ground was now as easy as flipping the switches. Before everything was buttoned back up, the entire frame was painted. Bonspeed Pallisades billet wheels measuring a staggering 22x8-1/2 inches are mounted on each corner, with 245/35R22 tires keeping the billet hoops protected. Tucking the 22s is easy thanks to a 3-1/4-inch body slicing by Don and Eric from GS Motorsports in Bangor, Maine. Before calling it a day, Ryan also installed a modified suicide door kit, allowing sick egress with the truck laid out.
Moving to the rest of the body, Justin at Extreme Lines in Epson, New Hampshire, was responsible for turning the beat stock cab into a glass-smooth paint canvas. No longer calling the S-10 home are the door handles, front marker lights, gas door, rear bumper, and taillights. Justin also created a sheetmetal bed, allowing everyone to see the intricate suspension mods. Now residing on the smoothed S-10 are Phoenix Gold and black paint hues from DuPont creating a two-tone side with flames on the hood outlined in green pinstriping (expertly applied by Tom McNeil at Bonehead Designs in Rochester, New Hampshire). The painting process didn't stop on the exterior. The crew at Bonehead also painted the dash, door panels, and center console.
Inside, the stock seats were cut down and rewrapped in black tweed with black leather by the team at AJ's Custom Upholstery in Chichester, New Hampshire. Four-inch black fur was put in place of the headliner, and the out-of-control fiberglass work was done by Moe from Vanworks in Laconia, New Hampshire. A JVC CD-player sends signals to an Alpine amp pushing the Memphis Audio subwoofer mounted in the trick center console. Laid out, dumped on 22s, with sick suspension fabrication and a killer interior, Ryan's truck was finally complete and is now stealing trophies at every show he attends.