John Mata Jr. June 17, 2024 Chevrolet Brandon Burrell
Staying patient during an important build is a golden rule that we hear stressed time and again. It’s hard to accept setbacks and time restraints—we get it. Things don’t always work out as planned, and sometimes other more important life “distractions” pop up and vaporize time that would usually be spent in the garage. Losing patience and moving on from an extensive project isn’t unheard of during times like these.
There are, however, enthusiasts out there who never give up—no matter how long unforeseen detours may take. James Margeson of Toronto, Canada, is a prime example of a guy who refuses to throw in the towel. He recently shared with us just how long his first-gen S-10 project took him to complete, and while he was hit with delays and roadblocks from every angle, he kept his composure and successfully navigated through the fog.
“I was 13 years old when I saw my first mini-truck” James recounts. “It was on the cover of Truckin’ magazine (October 1989, Volume 15, No. 10), and the story was called ‘Down To Earth.’ I fell in love with this truck’s style instantly, and I’ve been hooked since then. I told my father and brother that I would own a truck just as cool one day, but I didn’t anticipate it taking so long to finally reach that goal.”
James bought his first vehicle, a 1983 Chevy S-10 extended cab, back in March of 1996.
“It was rough, but it was all I could afford,” he admits.
Obviously, James still owns that same truck, and he never once kicked it to the curb. April 2023 marked the completion of his cherished S-10—27 years after he purchased it from someone in the east end of Toronto.
“I kept pushing toward my end goal of creating a detailed show truck,” he says. “It’s still a little hard to believe that it is finally done.”
James is a machinist by trade, so he was more than capable of handling a great deal of the S-10 build himself. It didn’t hurt that his brother Jeff was also there to lend a hand when needed. James also lucked out by having a great deal of talented friends in his general hometown area who were all willing to jump in whenever assistance was needed.
When it came to designing a custom back-half setup for the original frame, James enlisted the help of Dan Roelofsen of 519 Kustomz in Guelph, Ontario, to create a plan for a custom rear suspension system and side tilt bed mechanism. The torch was then passed to Matt Moran, who was entrusted to handle the physical building of the project. A KP Components 4-link kit was put into position, as were tubular upper and lower control arms and a no-bump steer tie-rod end package from Little Shop for the frontend. Matt then installed an Accuair e-Level air-management system to allow James easy control of his S-10’s on-the-fly altitude adjustments.
Ivan Benic was asked to work his airbrush magic to spray an intricate day and night theme spread across the bay.
The S-10’s newly reworked chassis was then treated to a full paintjob courtesy of Jag Grewal of Co-Up Auto Body in Mississauga, Ontario. The front factory brake calipers were smoothed and painted to match, as were the fresh SSBC calipers. A staggered set of 18- and 20-inch Schott Mach V eXL S Concave wheels was ordered with a custom bronze ceramic finish to put a unique spin on them. The S-10 was heading into the right direction, and James had a lot more in store to further make it stand apart from the vast sea of Dimes.
The truck’s factory-equipped engine was plucked out in hopes of swapping in a slightly newer mill to power it. James was able to do just that with a 1994 4.3L “W” code block with 2001 4.3L Vortex heads. He was able to upgrade the engine as well as dressing it up to its full painted and polished glory.
Ivan Benic was asked to work his airbrush magic to spray an intricate day and night theme spread across the bay. James also got down with a few custom billet touches in the form of a one-off intake cover and battery tray and hold down that have been adorned with his own Lowkey Designs logo, along with matching radiator and oil filler caps. To say this engine compartment is unique is a wild understatement.
James envisioned his truck to look trick yet understated once the dust settled, and both goals have since been attained. The S-10’s body panels have been worked smoothed, but it’s the little tweaks that pull attention to the truck. The frontend was outfitted with a full-size OBS Chevy bumper that has been cut to fit. In fact, two OBS bumpers have been utilized—the other one was flipped upside down and modified to serve as an air dam that has been stuffed with a set of Frenched PIAA driving lights. A 1991-’93 GMC grille and radiator support also found their way onto the S-10, as did a Stull horizontal bar insert with a custom Day2Nite emblem, top and bottom headlight covers, and one-off blue turn signal lenses fabricated by Jason Rhodes at Klearz in Ottawa. The frontend sports a traditional dignified appearance, while the rear of the truck was treated to a slightly more radical touch.
The most noticeable attribute of the S-10’s posterior must be the full size 2006 Range Rover HSE taillights. The tailgate and top edges of the bed were reshaped accordingly to balance the larger-scale tails. The result was well worth the effort, as the Rover lights fit in rather well. The reversed taillight skin also attracts attention, as does the clean Grant Fab roll pan but not nearly enough as that tilt bed. When it comes time to park the S-10 at a show, there’s no better way for James to show off the truck’s rear chassis work underneath. To finish off the S-10’s exterior overhaul, 2016 Range Rover Mariana black paint was sprayed by Jag Grewal to give the truck a simple air of sophistication.
The last piece of the puzzle for James’ truck was the interior, and he was in no way pressured into rushing its renovation. At first glance, you’d swear this cab space belongs to an exotic vehicle, and that is not too far from the truth. While the seats were pulled from an ordinary ’93 Saturn, the dash was imported from a British vehicle—a ’59 Ford Zephyr. These cars don’t pop up too often these days, so it’s cool to see a piece of it featured in an unlikely location within the confines of this S-10.
Dakota Digital gauges were custom fit into the dash before it was wrapped in supple ivory-colored leather, as were the reshaped seats, center console, and door and cab panels. A contrasting bronze color was painted to break up the monotony as well as to make a match to the Schott wheels. The remainder of the cab space took shape naturally to create a landscape that jibes together perfectly. To add a very personalized touch to the interior, James incorporated his love of wristwatches into the creation of dual storage compartments at the rear of the cab that were designed to mimic the style of watch display boxes. James and his brother Jeff created a stunning high-end cabin that is fit for the most elegant of rides.
This S-10 has been a lifelong project for James, and there isn’t one thing about it that he’d want to see done differently.
“If you can think of it, it has happened to me over the last 27 years,” he says, as he ends his tale. “There are no worthwhile shortcuts to take when building a full show truck. I chased my dream until my end goal was achieved. Nothing comes overnight, and this project obviously required a lot of patience to complete.
“Thank you to my wife, Kelly, for always having my back, and thanks to all my brothers, Jeff, Chris, Steven and JR for all the late nights and long weekends. Also, to everyone else who helped me along this 27-year journey, your assistance is greatly appreciated.”
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