When embarking on an elaborate custom truck project, having a clear plan for the truck's desired modifications inside, outside, and underneath is essential. It helps the build-team stay focused and gives the project its own identity from the get-go. Part of the original plan for Project Red Rocker was a classic Corvette-themed interior featuring two raised humps in the dash and a waterfall-style center console, between the two bucket seats, that would flow toward the back of the cab and curve around the seats-similar to a classic Corvette. We left the bulk of our project with Hill's Hot Rods in Lubbock, Texas, whose owner, Jason Hill, commissioned professional audio craftsman Jimmy Davis at Vision Audio-also out of Lubbock-to create the dash, center console, and rear cab structure.
Jimmy is an audio installer by trade and has years of experience working with wood and fiberglass to create subwoofer enclosures, so we knew our project was in good hands. Working off of our explanation and following an interior sketch drawn up by Truckin' tech editor Bob Ryder, Jimmy went to work and Project Red Rocker's Corvette-inspired cockpit came to life. Follow along as we show the creation of Project Red Rocker's hot rod- and retro-styled interior.
The truck was rolled into...
The truck was rolled into the shop area at Vision Audio and stripped of its front sheetmetal, doors, and bed. These items were being metal worked back at Hill's Hot Rods. With the bucket seats still intact, Jimmy got to work building the world's most amazing C10 interior.
To provide a framework for...
To provide a framework for building the dash, two 1-inch bars of steel square tubing were welded and bolted where the factory dash metal structure originally mounted.
A level was used to make sure...
A level was used to make sure the framework Jimmy installed was perfectly straight and level.
A combination of 1/2- and...
A combination of 1/2- and 3/4-inch MDF wood was used to construct the flat top portion of the dash and the classic Corvette-style face with two raised humps. Using his imagination, Jimmy shaped the dash-face wood as closely as possible to a classic Corvette's dash. A custom dash cap will be built to contour to the humps in the dash face and drop down in the center between the humps.
Here is a shot of the dash's...
Here is a shot of the dash's beginning stages from the passenger side. As you can see, an additional piece of wood was used underneath the flat top portion of the dash for extra strength and rigidity.
Between the cut-down '91 Suburban...
Between the cut-down '91 Suburban bucket seats, Jimmy used a healthy amount of MDF wood and crafted the structure for the center console and the subwoofer, which will house a 10-inch Infiniti VQ 10 subwoofer. The console is a waterfall-style, stretching from the bottom of the dash back and curving up between the seats to the back cab wall.
With the bucket seats still...
With the bucket seats still in place and the framework for the console built, a pair of side panels were constructed for the outside edge of each seat to begin construction of the Corvette-style rear cab structure. A flat piece of wood was stretched across the seats and console and to pull the side panels tightly against the seats' edge before Jimmy began shaping the rest of the structure with more MDF wood, and fiberglass.
Focusing attention back on...
Focusing attention back on the dash, the base was given a bit of shape with custom panels under the steering column and under where the glovebox door's original location. Jimmy built these panels out of wood and fiberglass and created raised edges in the shape of a V to give them more custom character.
The rear cab structure was...
The rear cab structure was starting to come together. Jimmy had built the framework around the seats and started on the port for the subwoofer. Here the edges around where the seats fit are squared off and will later be rounded to the seats' contour with more woodwork and fiberglass shaping.