Story: Jonathan Millstein
Photography: Joel Chan
Trends come and go and what is hot today might not be tomorrow. But if you’re building with automotive passion rather than trends in mind, your creation will be timeless. Take Dan Borens’ 1984 Chevrolet C10: At face value, it’s one of the dopest C10s to come out of the growing C10 movement. However, Dan’s C10 isn’t another truck in the movement; it helped start it five years ago.
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When he first got his C10, Dan says it was “ground down,” but set on the look of the square-bodied ’84, he was determined to restore it to its original glory and then some. “[The C10 has] always been popular, but people weren’t dropping the money into them that they are now,” says Dan. “Back then the thing was getting one, getting the interior done and putting some wheels on it, but I went all the way with mine.” A full build was an impressive undertaking as this was Dan’s first “front to back” build. “I was just kind of getting into the car game,” he says. “I’ve redone the truck three times. The more you go in, the more you learn about the car game.”
Not knowing everything there is to know about the car game didn’t deter Dan from being a part of the build. “A lot of people drop their car off at the shop and let the shop come up with the ideas,” says Dan. “Everything that’s done on my truck, I gave all the input, and I supervised my build”—a build that Dan admits is never done. “When I learn about something, that’s when I get it done,” he adds. That passion for knowledge and cars is what helps make his C10 unique.
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Further proving that the custom game is all about evolving your knowledge and personal style rather than following trends, Dan now rocks MTW Billet wheels, a look not seen often. “I just ain’t into the rim chasing, because in the next two years, they’re gonna have a new rim out,” he says. “I’m old-school; Billets just go with the truck.” Ever learning and ever evolving, Dan followed his gut, trying different things along the way, and the result is nothing short of spectacular in creating a C10 that is capable of turning a simple gas run into a car show. “I can’t go anywhere. Every time I pull up at a gas station, the whole gas station comes outside to see my truck.”
Spec the Technique
• Performance: USA Racing built 434 sbc; Nitrous Pro-Flow system; Be Cool radiator and fans; March Performance Serpentine CPP tubular A-arms; Chris Alston’s Chassisworks ladder bar; Wilwood brakes
• Exterior: Custom mix of three House of Kolor colors by Johnny at One Stop Automotive; shaved taillights, roll pan, tailgate; cowl induction hood; one-piece windows
• Interior: Ultra leather racing seats; custom-built console; Hurst shifter; Billet buttons, window switches; custom door panels; ididit Incorporated push-button steering column; Dakota Digital VHX gauges; Vintage Air A/C; custom-pressed mesh to hide speakers and amps by Joe at One Stop Automotive; electric sunroof; MSD Ignition shift light; Billet A/C vents, foot pedals
• ICE: JVC single DIN DVD unit; JL Audio 600/1 amp; DD Audio 8-inch speakers; Alpine PFXF6 amp; Focal mids
• Wheels/Tires: 28×8.5-inch front, 28×11-inch rear MTW Billet wheels; Lexani tires, 275/25/28
