’88 Chevrolet S10 | ON MY DIME

Chace Yonts’ ’88 Chevrolet S10

 Everyone has heard the old saying about finding a diamond in the rough, but have you heard the one about finding a dime in the rough? After owning and going through several trucks, one stood out more than the others. Chace Yonts’ 1988 Chevrolet S10 was his dime in the rough.

Chace Yonts’ love for mini-trucks all began when he was in high school. Chace and his cousin decided to skip school one day so his cousin could take him to a shop that had several trucks that were sitting on the ground. What Chace didn’t know was that this day would change everything he thought about vehicles. They had visited The Drop Shop in Pikeville, Kentucky, and immediately Chace was hooked. He had caught the mini-truck bug. After seeing all of the trucks at the shop laid out on the ground, Chace knew he had to find a way to get his ’88 Silverado to sit that low. Unfortunately, the truck was wrecked before he could even get started. Chace’s 18th birthday rolled around, and he was surprised with a 2000 Chevrolet S10 and a payment book.

Excited about his new truck, Chace started brainstorming ideas of what he could do with it. He met Nathan Peak at The Drop Shop and they hit the ground running. They decided it was time they bagged the truck. Sadly, after four years of hard work, the truck was totaled in a wreck. Although Chace was devastated about the truck, he never lost hope. He owned a few vehicles here and there, but nothing felt right—that was, until a friend of Chace’s decided to let go of his S10 that had been built by Jody Hall in the early 1990s. Chace knew this was the perfect truck to turn his dream become a reality. Chace’s vision was to make this truck fit in with both mini-trucks and hotrods. Chace has always had a love for vehicles.

“I love older vehicles,” he says. “The body lines are much sleeker and cleaner, in my opinion. But, at the end of the day, mini-trucks hold that special place in my heart.”

Chace began by completely tearing the truck apart down to the bare chassis. He knew if he wanted this build to be perfect, he was going to have to start from square one.

“The truck wasn’t in rough shape by no means,” he says. “It was actually very solid. It was just outdated and needed some updating.”

The frame modifications were completed by the original owner and Jody Hall at The Drop Shop.

“Jody Hall did an amazing job in the mid ’90s when the truck was first built,” Chace says.

Luckily, Chace just needed to tidy up a few things and it was good to go. The frame was notched under the bed and the rear frame was boxed in. Slam Specialties RE7 springs were added to the front and back along with Monroe shocks to give the truck the best ride possible. The original owner had also installed a Pete & Jake’s triangulated four-link as well as adding the rear air bags behind the axle.

Once Chace cleaned up the chassis, he began piecing the truck back together. The inner fender openings were capped for a clean and sleek look to keep with his theme. A factory 1992 S10 grille was installed, which gives this dime an aggressive stance from the front. Chace spent many hours out in his garage working on this truck. Luckily, he had tons of support. Chace’s fiancé, Tabetha, was right beside him turning wrenches and helping with wiring. Chace’s father, mother and brother all showed their support by pushing Chace to do his very best on this truck.

As the build continued, Chace worked harder and harder to finish his truck. The tailgate handle was shaved and flipped, and a roll pan was welded into place. He installed a Grant Kustoms smooth wiper cowl and a smooth front bumper with a license plate box. Body lines on this truck were very important to Chace. With that in mind, he shaved the stock S10 gas door. Chace is not one for taking the easy way out.

“I don’t try to look for shortcuts,” he says. “I look at what’s the best way I can do something for the best ending result.”

Although he would get discouraged sometimes during the build process, as most do, he kept pushing forward.

The truck was starting to come together, piece by piece. He knew it was time for paint but couldn’t decide on a color. One night as Chace was out for a drive, he passed a blue Jeep sitting at the local Chrysler dealership. He quickly turned around and went back to get a better look. He knew this was the color for the truck. Chace spoke with a friend, Jason Alford, who does paint touch up for a living about painting the truck. Jason was up for a challenge as this was his first full paint job. Not only that, but it would also be a complete color change to Hydro Blue Pearl. This would not be an easy task, but Chace had faith in him. Jason got to work and soon enough, the truck underwent a huge transformation. Chace’s dream was becoming a reality as the truck rolled out of the paint booth.

With paint sprayed and the chassis cleaned, it was on to the interior. Chace called Jonas Taulbee, one of the owners of AutoKustoms in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, because he knew he was the man for the job. Chace gave Jonas full creative control as long as it was hotrod themed. Jonas and Jason immediately started the overhaul on the interior. The original bench seat was wrapped in a distressed gray marine grade vinyl. They also dropped the seat down a few inches for a little more headroom inside the truck. Keeping with the hotrod theme, Dakota Digital gauges were added along with a B.A.D. Mauler steering wheel. All of the accent pieces were color matched Hydro Blue Pearl for a clean and sleek design. It’s not a true hotrod inspired mini-truck without a sweet audio system. Handmade kick panels housing PowerBass components were installed in the S10 for the ultimate listening experience. Last, but not least, an Alpine Mech-less digital receiver finalized the old school vibe of the truck that Chace was looking for all along.  AutoKustoms brought their “A-Game” and made sure to stay true to the hotrod mini-truck theme.

Sticking to the theme, Chace’s S10 has a 1987 Chevy 305 V-8 under the hood. An LT1 Camaro camshaft was installed along with modifying the head with Summit Racing 1.6 rockers. This engine received the ultimate hotrod upgrades. When you pop the hood, you can immediately tell the attention to detail on the overhaul of the engine. Billet Specialties pulleys, brackets, valve covers and thermostat housing make this engine shine. An Edelbrock 2701 intake manifold and 600cfm carburetor were also installed. A Lokar dipstick was added to finish dressing up the engine bay. Everyone knows that the engine can’t just look good, it also has to sound good. A Flowmaster exhaust was welded into place to really make this engine roar.

The truck underwent a transmission swap to a 1987 700R4. To get this transmission in the truck, a Lokar reverse light switch, TV cable and dipstick were all installed. The original transmission cooler was also switched out for a Corvette cooler that is built into the radiator.  Chace added a Lokar 10-inch single bend shifter to match the rest of the drivetrain components. Since Chace still had the truck off the ground, he figured it was time for a brake upgrade. He upgraded the front to drilled and slotted rotors and installed a Little Shop disk brake conversion on the rear. To keep everything clean and tidy, he also ran Russell Steel braided hoses in the front and rear. The next decision Chace had to make was the wheels. Ultimately, he decided on a set of 18×7 B.A.D. Maulers wrapped in Toyo Proxes 4 Plus.

Coming up with the name for this truck was a little tricky for Chace. After brainstorming ideas with his fiancé, they figured out the perfect name: On My Dime. The name fits so well because he “bought everything for the truck and even built it in my shop.” As the final touches were added, Chace closed the hood, put the truck on the ground, and knew he was ready to cruise the streets in his one-of-a-kind Dime.

Although it took Chace about five years to finish the build, he never gave up hope. Two of the problems Chace encountered during the build were “time and deciding how I wanted to do everything for the best outcome.” After many long months in the garage, Chace could finally stand back and look at the truck he had created. I believe Chace said it best when I asked him what advice he would give someone who is thinking about building a similar truck.

“Take your time,” he says. “Nothing is built overnight. It is always better to plan and do it right the first time.”