You gotta love minitruckers. Getting Shon Reece to let us run his '84 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer before it appeared as a cover in our sister magazine, Mini Truckin', was impossible. So, we threw up our hands, shot the truck, and promised to wait until MT had its way with the truck. Now, finally, here it is.
We spotted this truck at Scrapin' the Smokies last year. Tracking the crazy graphics made us feel a bit woozy, or maybe that was the high heat and humidity of the South in summertime, thanks to a lot of House of Kolor hues, which were "too many to count" by Shon's reckoning. It's the kind of graphic treatment that reads like a long novel that sucks you in. As for bodywork, that was Shon's department. He took out the automotive straightrazor and shaved everything. He also welded shut the tailgate, welded on a rollpan, replaced the factory grille with a better-looking chrome version, and bolted-on Euro-style taillights.
"It's the kind of graphic treatment that reads like a long novel that sucks you in."
To peer through the teeny gap between rockers and asphalt, you have to lean low enough to make gravel look like the Rocky Mountains. You can thank a 5-1/2-inch body-drop, a bridge notch, DJM 2-inch drop spindles, and CCE hydraulics-yeah, old-skool. The truck rolls on 18-inch Billet Specialties wheels and 215/35R18 Nitto tires. Under the hood, is a ported and polished V-8 mated to a Turbo 350 tranny that is rigged for an 1,800rpm stall speed. A Borla 2-1/2-inch exhaust thrusts from in front of the rear tires. One Optima battery under the hood and two more in the rear of the truck keep the electrical systems humming along, and the engine is painted, chromed, and dressed up to keep onlookers whistling in appreciation.
Eyeing the assertive display of audio components inside, the vehicle delivers a one-two punch of its own, thanks to a lot of fiberglass and a lot of time. Three 15-inch Audiobahn subwoofers and a Pioneer DEH-P6600 head unit rock in a tiny sea of blue and flames behind the seats. Kenwood 6-1/2-inch speakers are mounted in the doors. The theme carries over to the cargo area where two Directed Audio amplifiers reside atop a fiberglass amp rack and deliver 2,500 watts of power. The amps share space with two Optima batteries, two 3-1/4-inch Kenwood speakers, and some of the hydraulic suspension components. A Billet Specialties steering wheel lends brilliance to the fiberglass dash and Fiero leather and sandstone tweed seats. Sandstone tweed also lines the floor, and the headliner was dyed.
Jason Miles lent a hand with the audio system and laid on all of the paints. As of last year, Shon's Neck Breaker won first in every show and garnered three Best Paint awards and two Best of Show awards. Also, it has been splashed across a cover. Good work, Shon and Jason. Hey Shon, do us a favor and let us know when your next project comes around, so we can get our cameras ready.