Old Soul, New Vision: A Unique Take on the Classic S-10

A Touch of Classic

WE often refer to people as an “old soul” when they demonstrate a maturity, understanding or seriousness that is typical of someone much older. That’s a pretty great way to explain the term, though there’s more to it than that. Those of us who consider ourselves old souls often feel like we don’t fit in with our peers. We have different hobbies, interests, and priorities than those our age. Many describe us as too traditional or even square. However, we feel pretty certain that we know the secrets of a good life. As with a 1998 Chevy S-10, there are so many in the truck culture that follow the same pattern and build blueprint, but Craig Guerra decided to detour from the normal routes.

 Craig has rightfully earned his place among some of the top builders along with the help from Eric Higdon, and Nic Barbee at Real Steel  Garage for flawless fabrication.

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The way Old Soul came about was Craig was looking to upgrade his commonly built and bagged Chevy S-10 for something that had a bit more potential. “I was looking for something bodydropped to expedite my building process,” Craig tells Street Trucks. “I had the knowledge and hands-on experience to build something unique, but I needed a great canvas.” His search didn’t last long when he found a bodied 1998 Chevy S-10 that was left on a trailer with the windows down and the hood open for close to a year. Of course, the original owner was looking to unload it, and Craig was very eager to take it off his hands.

As you can imagine, the motor had seized and the interior looked like something out of Jurassic Park. Most people wouldn’t even give this Chevy a second look, but Craig is a different kind of old soul. The process wasn’t easy, and once the S-10 was towed back to his place in Porter, Texas, he got right to work. The first step was gutting the interior and motor because it was all going to be replaced. He got online and ordered metal bucket seats from Iron Ace Hot Rod Seats in bright Victory Red paint. A 70’s Chevy inline six was used from a classic C10 truck and a new head and gasket, FlowKooler water pump, push rods and Comp cam with lifters was added along with valve springs and a valve train. Craig moved to the transmission, by running new vacuum lines and a new vacuum modulator and governor. An Optima RedTop was added to supply power to the revitalized Chevy.

Craig added a Little Shop rear disc brake conversion with brand new calipers, pads, and wheel bearings to produce  accurate stopping power. The original air ride system was not only outdated but wasn’t functional. Craig used an Air Lift 3P/3H air management system and replaced all the airbags and valves for a full functional suspension upgrade. After installing the hot rod seats, Craig added all-new bright red accents to make the interior stand out.

Fabrication master, Nic Barbee, handcrafted the entire bed, starting with the stepside. “Instead of using plastic shavers, I decided to use lower portions of a fleetside bed,” Nic tells Street Trucks.  “That way, it could remain all metal instead of plastic.” Both sides were cut out and fitted so they would be smooth. Nic used a tailgate/roll pan skin and welded it all together. He built a tubular frame to mount to the chassis so the front wall and the floor could be removed. The top of the bed was stretched to get the inside wall closer to the chassis. Each side was bodyworked with sheetmetal  to fit, and followed the shape. A Chevrolet script was made out of valve covers and welded to the bed along with sideways teardrop LED lights.

Craig has rightfully earned his place among some of the top builders along with the help from Eric Higdon, and Nic Barbee at Real Steel  Garage for flawless fabrication. A special thanks go to Dorian Reyna with Power Stroke Enginuities and Javier Gonzalez for all the parts and help throughout the build. Victor Vasquez with Rollin’ Good Co. lent a helpful hand by assembling the truck and handling the media promotion. A very special thanks goes to Phil Gordon for never giving up on shooting this truck. “It has always been a lifelong goal to grace the pages of Street Trucks,” Craig adds. “I feel honored to have something worthy of such a prestigious publication.” Old Soul has been kicking butt and taking names on the show circuit, and Craig couldn’t be more proud.

TRUCK SPECS

 Chassis & Suspension

• Choppin’  Block uppers control arms, Ridetech lowers
• Slam Specialties SS6 front bags
• Air Lift D2500 rear bags over axle
• 2-link with reverse dimple-die wishbone and bridge
• Dual Viair 444 compressors, custom pinstriped by Rooster Customs
• 7-gallon air tank

Engine & Drivetrain

• ’72 Chevy inline six
•  Sheetmetal firewall
• Rochester carburetor
• FlowKooler water pump
• Powermaster alternator
•  Turbo 350 transmission
• Little Shop rear disc brake conversion
• 2×3 mandrel-bent frame rails from firewall back

Wheels & Tires

• 20×8 and 20×9.5 US Mags Rambler wheels machined in matte gunmetal
• 225/30R20 and 255/35R20 Lexani LX-Twenty tires

Body & Paint

• Matrix 2011Volkswagen Toffee Brown, Chevy Victory Red by Nic Barbee at Real Steel Garage
• Shaved handles, third brake light, stretched factory front bumper, 1960’s Impala wiper cowl, sheetmetal bed, no floor or back wall, shaved tailgate with taillights inset, rollpan shaved and custom sheetmetal steps, relocated gas door, traditional bodydrop

Interior & Stereo 

• ’59 Impala dashboard, original Impala gauges
• Dakota Digital gauges mounted in ashtray
• ’59 original Impala car stereo
• Iron Ace Hot Rod bucket seats and cup holders
•  Polished steering column
• Colorado Customs steering wheel
• Custom sheetmetal door panels
• Kicker amplifier
• Power Acoustik CPT-60C 6.5-inch door speakers

Photos by Phil Gordon