There are moments in every man's life that are commonly referred to as make-or-break moments. No one knows exactly how they will handle these situations, they can only hope to react in a manner best depicted by guys like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, or even Michael J. Fox, and responds with a classic, macho and witty remark somewhere along the lines of, "Nobody calls me chicken." These challenges appear in everyday life, and are perhaps most commonly on display in good old-fashioned sibling rivalries.
Like so many other younger brothers, Kinze Storm, of Bryan, Texas, learned the importance of saving face amongst his older brother at a young age. Kinze has spent the better half of his life accepting, and participating, in countless competitions with his brother Jason. In a family rich with automotive enthusiasts, Kinze credits Jason for getting him involved in the hot rod world. After attending several car shows with his brother, he decided that simply being a fan was not enough, and set out to prove he could make the jump from enthusiast to builder.
Kinze's first order of business was to decide what type of builder he wanted to be, and determine his style. Kinze decided that his number one priority would be functionality, but still wanted to combine elements of both the classic truck and new school truck world. With his style determined, all he needed was a project. He elected to go in the direction of a newer classic, a compromise of his style if you will, and went with an '87 GMC Sierra Classic C10. With all the cards in place it was time to bring his vision to life.
The first step was the chassis. Kinze decided to stick with the factory GM rear leaf springs, but the stance had to go. He installed a flip kit with Summit shocks to bring things down just a notch for a more aggressive stance. Up front he installed Belltech springs and a set of Ground Force 21/2-inch drop spindles, to balance out the overall stance. He replaced the front brakes with '84 21/4-inch big brakes, and kept the factory drums in the rear. Moving the C10 down the highway is a set of Boyd Coddington Harm wheels, 20s up front and monster 22s out back. The rims are wrapped in Yokohama rubber, 255/40R20 up front and 285/55R22 out back. The rest of the drivetrain was left stock.
With the chassis and wheel package complete, it was time to get cracking on the body. Kinze wanted to keep the overall integrity of the body somewhat stock, but still wanted to demonstrate a custom feel. He decided to shave some of the crucial original elements, such as the driprails, mirrors, and molding holes. On the other hand, he kept a classic element, deciding not to shave the door handles and key holes. He even chose to keep the stock bumpers, rather than replace them with roll pans. Once the bodywork was complete, he turned to the boys at Lapp's Paint and Body to spray the beast. Kinze wanted a paint scheme that consisted of a classic nature with a hint of edgy personality. He went with a two-tone theme of DuPont Laguna Blue and Toyota White mixed with blue pearl. Dividing the two colors, and giving it that extra appeal are custom tribal flames stretching along the length of the bed.
Once finished at the body shop, and back in Kinze's hands, it was time to focus on the interior. He elected to do away with the bench seat by replacing it with '94 Acura Integra bucket seats, covered in black and gray ostrich vinyl by Bryan Upholstery. As for the rest of the interior, it's all Kinze. The original dash was fiberglassed and painted to match the rest of the truck. Next, white-face overlays were added to the factory gauge cluster with color-matched needles. For the finishing touches Kinze added an APC steering wheel, which is custom painted and striped to match the exterior and custom Oldsmobile grille air vents. After modifying the appearance of the interior, Kinze could focus on his self admitted area of expertise, the stereo. He installed four Infinity 12-inch subwoofers and Pioneer component speakers, all powered by Rockford Fosgate amplifiers and an Eclipse head unit. The end result for Kinze was a fully functional custom street machine that not only satisfies his own doubts, but inches him slightly ahead in the battle for sibling superiority.