It's not a mirage and it's not some experiment with Photoshop. No, this '67 Chevy C10 looks just like Howard "Howie" Kendrick was hoping it would look like when he recruited Aaron Iha to build it for him in the fall of 2008. As a professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Howard may have a little more resources than most of us, but what he shares is a passion for custom trucks and the need for his rides to show his individuality. Much like a ball player's journey through the minor league farm system, this classic Chevy received its fair share of cuts, scrapes, and coaching. Once the call was made to bring it up into the major leagues, Howard didn't give Aaron strict guidelines to follow, but rather he allowed the builder to fulfill a dream for both men and create a one-of-a-kind C10 worthy of the custom truck hall of fame.
Thinking back, Howard tells us he used to see the older guys in high school driving around in their nice cars and trucks, and he too desired a ride that would reflect his personality and style. Along with so many of us, Howard had an all-time favorite truck-the '67 Chevy C10. There was one problem with this truck however-it was very popular and there were so many of them around he was concerned his dream truck wouldn't stand out in a crowd. Wanting something unique, he met up with Aaron Iha, of Chassis by Aaron Iha, and discussed a project buildup. After hearing Howard's design thoughts, Aaron got to work on an arrow-straight '67 Chevy donor truck from Vintage Chevy Trucks, in Fremont, California. Eighteen months later, The Show, as we've dubbed it, is 100 percent complete and ready for its moment of destiny.
Steel is defined as an alloy of iron and carbon, it could also define The Show. The frame, chassis, body, and interior of Howard's Chevy were all built out of sheetmetal. It's impossible to have a shop named Chassis, without paying close attention to the frame and suspension. Immediately after our issue 7 cover shoot, the frame was disassembled, sent out to be powdercoated and the suspension components sent out to be chromed. Upon their arrival, the chassis was meticulously assembled using Grade 8 and 10 hardware of equal length-meaning each bolt and nut perfectly matches the corresponding side with number of visible threads and bolt head direction. Going the extra mile never looked so good.
As we mentioned earlier, the classic C10 looked beautiful in raw steel, but the Chassis by Aaron team had bigger plans for the truck than just setting a raw body on a nice chassis. Those plans included finishing the interior, getting the truck running, and painting the Chevy a classy, yet custom color. Once the cover shoot was wrapped up, the truck's body was prepped by John Torrance and then delivered to Detroit Auto Body, in Covina, California, for a coating in '03 Audi Denim Blue Pearl. After the beautiful hue was color-sanded and buffed to a glistening shine, the Chassis by Aaron crew installed the in-house-fabricated stainless steel grille inserts, hot-rod mirrors, new glass, weatherstripping, and then they began assembling the interior.
Swirled silver leaf on the...
Swirled silver leaf on the tailgate adds some depth to the blue backdrop and continues the old-school feel.
Polished strips add character...
Polished strips add character to the sheetmetal bed and the black powdercoated frame surrounds...
...the polished independent...
...the polished independent 9-inch rearend and polished TIG-welded 3-inch exhaust.
22-inch Bonspeed Quasar wheels...
22-inch Bonspeed Quasar wheels are wrapped in Nitto low-profile tires.
It was hard to imagine a more...
It was hard to imagine a more fitting ending to an incredible build experience than driving down a deserted two-lane highway with 550 hp screaming and the truck just a few inches off the ground.