Looking outside at his truck parked in the driveway, Chad Macdonald wanted more than a mild custom that drew looks now and then. Dropped low with a Belltech 5/7 drop, the then-purple S-10 was the perfect platform for all the ideas Chad had rolling around in his head. Starting out small, the project turned from shave this and paint that, to rip this off and swap that out, and quickly became an all-encompassing two-year passionate odyssey.
Beginning with the suspension, Chad enjoyed the low stance of the drop, but driving around Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the looks were not overwhelmingly forthcoming. Keeping the Belltech 2-inch drop spindles, the crew at Never Satisfied Customs in his hometown added a set of Firestone 26C airbags and Doetsch Tech shocks to the front of his '97 Chevy. In the rear, a C-notch was cut out and installed along with Firestone 'bags and a matching set of Doetsch Tech shocks. While tearing into the rear, a Pete & Jake's reversed four-link was added, and a custom cross-member was welded together for the airbags and shocks. Powering the system are two large nitrogen tanks supported by two custom mounts. Now the rig was as low as Chad wanted it to go, but the old wheels were not up to the new image Chad desired.
Bolting on a set of Boyd Coddington Timeless 5 wheels measuring 18x8 inches, wrapped in Sumitomo rubber, made the kind of statement Chad was looking for - classic billet beauty. With the stance and wheels nailed, Chad looked to enhance the body of the tired S-10. Once again, the truck was delivered to Never Satisfied Customs, where the crew began the body mods by snatching a grille shell from a GMC Sonoma, adding a Trenz billet insert, and installing a GMC Envoy front bumper. With the front end apart, the guys then cut a hole in the roof and added a 35x35-inch Street Beat ragtop and shaved the door handles, taillights, emblems, and steps. Caddy taillights were added horizontally in the tailgate, a Miata door handle was used for the flipped tailgate handle, and the entire bed was coated with Line-X liner. With primer everywhere, Shawn Campbell, the owner of Never Satisfied, filled up the spray gun and coated the entire truck with House of Kolor Black and Kandy Green. Now, the S-10 definitely looked unique and turned heads, but the interior was still the old purple.
While at Never Satisfied, Chad dug into his pocket, pleaded with his wife Bonnie, and gave the team the go-ahead for a major interior makeover. What was left stock gray was painted black, and what was painted purple received the full Kandy Green treatment. The factory seats were removed and re-covered in black vinyl and leopard print by Pitlan Upholstery, and the door panels also received paint and leopard-print fabric. Black wool carpet is the base for the billet pedals, billet dash treatment, door handles, and window cranks. Topping off the interior is a Billet Specialties Revolver steering wheel with a matching leopard-print wrap. Loving the new look, Chad decided to go crazy under the hood, where the engine bay received the same amount of detail.
Under the hood, many of the plastic pieces were smoothed and painted Kandy Green, and what could be purchased in billet was installed on top of the 4.3L. A polished intake was added along with March underdrive pulleys and a Race Magnum exhaust system. Now the truck was ready to cruise and show, where it has won First Place several times, including several Best Interior awards. Starting small, Chad finished big, where it matters most.