Started in 1967, the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show is the automotive aftermarket industry’s biggest event. SEMA’s Battle of the Builders competition is where some of the best creations at the show go head to head for bragging rights, so today we’re checking out one of the first scratch-built aftermarket Chevrolet K10s in the country, which wears custom red, white, and blue stripes inspired by Chevrolet’s 1976 Spirit of ’76 bicentennial look.
It was built by Rockford Smith of Rockford Custom Paint and Body in Athens, Georgia, and consists of a spot-welded frame, hand-fit AMD (Auto Metal Direct) body panels with tight gaps, a modified cargo box that gives this truck short-bed proportions, a BDS 4-inch lift, and Detroit Steel wheels. The fully tailored cabin features Dakota Digital gauges, Cato’s Custom Upholstery, and a Vintage Air HVAC system. Under the hood is a built LS 6.0-liter V8 equipped with FiTech parts and a mean-sounding Black Widow exhaust. Builds like this prove that you don’t need a rusty donor vehicle if you’re handy and talented.
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