Recipe for Success

It’s been said that success is the product of preparedness combined with opportunity. Richard Horrill’s ’81 Gen iii C-10 is a picturesque example of success that is firmly rooted in his career building all manner of custom trucks and vehicles in the great white north. Richard owns and operates Krazy Kustoms auto Centre in Okotoks, alberta, Canada. His shop deals with a broad spectrum of modifications and customization throughout many  different  genres.  equally broad is Richard’s appreciation for custom trucks, and he’s proud to house both lifted and slammed varieties in his personal garage.

… and since Richard was familiar with the truck, he’d already developed a full transformation in his mind’s eye, one that, of course, involved a laid-out stance.”

After months of patiently waiting for his next victim to roll into view, Richard got his chance. His close friend’s father originally owned this cherry ’81 Chevrolet, and since Richard was familiar with the truck, he’d already developed a full transformation in his mind’s eye, one that, of course, involved a laid-out stance. It took a little time to wear down his friend’s dad, but he was ultimately convinced and agreed to sell his truck to Richard. With a goal and a shop full of talent, the project started to take shape, and the parts list steadily lengthened.

The first order of business for project Goose was to build a rock-solid suspension to keep the distance between the truck and the pavement minimal. An inch was removed from the entire frame before it was capped and step-notched. A 6-link rear setup from KP makes use of a Watts link and cantilever system, employing Slam Specialties ’bags and Varishocks. The Eaton posi trutrac-equipped rearend was narrowed with Moser 12-bolt axles. The front setup uses the same Slam Specialties and Varishock combo as well as a KP Extreme Dropmember, 2-inch SBCC drop spindles, KP control arms and a rack-and-pinion steering system from Varishock. A full air management system from AccuAir rounds out the suspension modifications.

What Richard has achieved with his C-10 is the absolute definition of success. The classic styling combined with high-quality parts and craftsmanship complete the truck’s clean and timeless build effortlessly.””

Both the C-10’s front and rear sport elegant US Mags Spur 5 wheels. The rollers’ impressive size, 24×9 and 24×10, is obvious even though they’re tucked behind the fenders. Their two-piece construction is finished in a full polish. Each wheel is wrapped in Lexani LX Nine tires, measuring 255 front and 275 rear. Behind the front wheels are positioned SSBC four-piston calipers clamping down on 13.5-inch SSBC rotors, while the rears feature CPP discs.

Putting down the power to the rolling attire is a well-equipped Chevy 350 mated to a 700R4. The small-block features forged pistons, Edelbrock cam, E series aluminum heads, roller rockers and ARP hardware. Cooling is managed with an Edelbrock water pump and aluminum radiator with Flex-a-lite fans. Bolt-ons include an Edelbrock intake manifold with a Holley air cleaner, Hedman headers, Flowmaster exhaust with DBX series mufflers and a Holley Terminator EFI. Other additions to the engine bay are a Powermaster 200-amp alternator, March pulleys and MSD wiring.

The low-slung body of Richard’s C-10 bears minor modifications to add a clean and custom appeal to the bodylines of the square-body generation. With a stock front bumper in place, a 1990 Blazer grille adds unique characteristics to the Goose’s front end. The rear features a roll pan to streamline the bumper. The door handles were shaved, and the lighting upgraded to LED rears with HID fronts. Some of the more in-depth bodywork came by way of rolling and reinforcing the fenders to fully tuck the 24s and form the raised bed floor constructed of new sheet metal. T&S Paint applied a special combination of DuPont Harley White Pearl mixed 9:1 with Metallic Silver for a dazzling finish.

After its exterior transformation and rejuvenation, project Goose was brought back to Krazy Kustoms Auto Centre where its interior was treated with precision. The bench seating was reupholstered in black vinyl, and the stock dash was matched in two-tone with the bench and exterior paint. A gorgeous Billet Specialties steering wheel captures the style of the polished wheel set, as does a Lokar extended shifter and AccuAir e-Level controller. A Classic Dash bezel pairs perfectly with Auto Meter gauges, and the JVC head unit routes to two Rockford Fosgate power amplifiers, RF 6.5-inch T3 speakers and an RF 10-inch shallow subwoofer.

What Richard has achieved with his C-10 is the absolute definition of success. The classic styling combined with high- quality parts and craftsmanship complete the truck’s clean and timeless build effortlessly. A perfect storm of positive circumstances produced an outstanding example of the iconic square-body. We often share stories of the struggle and determination necessary to finish a dream build, so this time around it’s exciting to relate a situation where the perfect combination of opportunity and skill produced an awesome truck that came together like a dream.

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BUILD SPECS

OWNER

RICHARD HORRILL
1981 Chevrolet C-10
Okotoks, Alberta, Canada
Aftermath

ENGINE

• Shop: Krazy Kustoms Auto Centre
• Chevy 350 small-block V-8
• Forged pistons
• ARP head studs
• Edelbrock camshaft, intake manifold, E series aluminum heads, valve covers and water pump
• Aluminum radiator
• Flex-a-lite fans
• Holley intake and Terminator EFI
• MSD wiring
• Hedman headers
• Flowmaster exhaust with DBX series mufflers
• Powermaster 200-amp alternator
• March Performance accessory drive
• B&M 700R4 transmission
• RCI fuel tank
• Narrowed 12-bolt rearend with Eaton posi trutrac and Moser axles

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• Shop: Krazy Kustoms Auto Centre
• Step-notched frame
• 1-inch of frame removed from bottom and capped
• AccuAir e-Level
• KP 6-link with Watts link and cantilever
• Slam Specialties ’bags
• Varishock shocks
• KP extreme Dropmember
• KP control arms
• Varishock rack-and-pinion
• 15-gallon fuel cell
• SBCC four-caliper piston and 13.5-inch rotor front brakes
• Classic Performance Products rear disc brakes

WHEELS & TIRES

• 24×9 and 24×10-inch US Mags Spur 5
• 255/35R24 and 275/25R24 Lexani LX-Nine

BODY & PAINT

• Work performed by T&S Custom Paint
• 1990 Blazer grille
• Shaved handles
• One-piece side glass
• Rear roll pan
• HID headlights
• LED taillights
• Raised bed floor
• Widened and reinforced fenders
• Raised bed floor with new sheet metal
• Harley Pearl White and Silver paint

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Shop: Krazy Kustoms Auto Centre
• Black vinyl-wrapped bench
• Vinyl-wrapped and paint- matched dash
• Classic Dash bezel
• Auto Meter gauges
• Billet Specialties steering wheel
• Lokar shifter
• JVC head unit
• Rockford Fosgate dual amps
• Rockford Fosgate T3 speakers
• Rockford Fosgate 10-inch subwoofer
• Hushmat sound deadening material

SPECIAL THANKS FROM OWNER: “I would like to say thanks to all who helped me with the build: Tim at T&S Custom Paint for all his hard work on the metal and paint; all my guys at the shop, Krazy Kustoms Auto Centre, that put in hard work to get the project finished; also to all my family in Aftermath; and most of all to my wife for putting up with the long hours and for the support she has shown for me and my passion.”

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