1968 Chevy Pickup - Kill 'Em With Kindness

There comes a point in a man's life when he realizes, "I truly am my father's son." For Steve Richey, that moment came when he decided it was time to follow in his dad's footsteps and build a custom truck.

When Steve's dad announced he was going to build himself a custom truck and start hitting up just about every feasible event, it wasn't too long before Steve remembered the '68 Chevy his dad had given him. Long story short, before Steve knew it, he was head over heels in the middle of building this low, sleek, classy Chevy.

The plan for the truck's build didn't call for anything out of the ordinary. Instead, the approach was more along the lines of "kill 'em with kindness." Steve's philosophy was simple: leave the truck stock appearing to the eyes, yet concentrate on the finer details to really drive it home. Steve accomplished this by customizing many of the minor exterior items while leaving the Chevy's overall profile, well, Chevy.

The first things to go were blatant items like the door handles, door locks, gas filler door, and badges. After that, things got more finite. For starters, they removed the front bumper and shaved the bolt holes. Instead of simply reinstalling the bumper, Steve and his buddy Chris West sunk it 3/4 inch into the front of the truck. In the back, Steve didn't even mess around with the rear bumper. Instead, he threw it away altogether and installed a Sir Michaels steel roll pan in its place. Enhancing the roll pan's look is Steve and Chris' uniquely customized tailgate. By unique, we mean they did away with the indented Chevrolet script that reads across the '68's rear by flattening the curvaceous tailgate. Taking the 'gate one step further, they also flattened the dip just above the Chevrolet script. The altered tailgate now looks sleek and smooth, just like the roll pan.