Greed is one of the seven deadly sins. Trying to be greedy by racing against this green S-10 might leave you without any dollars, or worse yet-a pink slip. Built to drive and to show, Russell Jones' '87 S-10 is no joke. 'Bagged with a built 383ci small-block, this truck does everything well. It's clean, has plenty of chrome, and certainly induces one to fits of jealousy.
Knoxville, Tennessee, might not be a custom-truck Mecca, but when Russell fires up the V-8 and roasts the hides, people turn and look, only to see a green blur streaming by. That power is courtesy of 383 stroked cubic inches, built by Jon Barrett at Southpaw Customs in Knoxville. The Chevy V-8 features Brodix aluminum heads, Keith Black forged pistons, a Comp Cam, and Hedman Hedders. That power goes through a 700-R4 transmission linked to a custom driveshaft and Ford 9-inch, stuffed with a Detroit TrueTrac spinning 3.50 gears. Dress-up touches include a polished serpentine belt system, a polished brake booster, shaved firewall, as well as many chromed and polished pieces. Thankfully, Russell has a frame and chassis that supports serious horsepower.
Brad Kate and Dee Kisner teamed together to build the frame using Baer 2-inch drop spindles with its 13-inch brake system installed, Air Ride Technologies upper and lower control arms, Firestone airbags, and Air Ride shocks up front. The rear received an Air Ride Technologies Road Grater three-link wishbone with a C-notch. Two Viair 400s compressors feed air through 1/2-inch air line to four Air Ride Tech Big Red valves. Ride height is controlled by Air Ride Tech's E-pro digital system. Now the truck went up and down and was fast, but it didn't look the part of a show truck. Twenty-inch Boss Motorsports chrome wheels filled in the gap with Nitto Tire 235/35R20 tires wrapping those five-star wheels.
Mike Hensley from Asheville, North Carolina, and Southpaw Customs in Knoxville, worked together to straighten the body and apply the color. The wiper cowl is no longer on the truck, nor is the tailgate handle, emblems, or the rear bumper. A Phantom grille is now in place up front, along with a 3-inch cowl hood, tailgate skin, roll pan with a frenched license plate, and Street Scene Equipment mirrors. Southpaw then painted the truck DuPont Greed Green. Inside those green doors lies an interior that matches the hot-rod theme.