THE HEART OF THE MIDWEST
Armando Jaramillo’s 1984 Red Dirt C-10
HAVING GROWN UP IN THE ’80S, ARMANDO JARAMILLO HAS NEVER LOST HIS TASTE FOR THE CARS OF HIS YOUTH. When he decided that he wanted to build an ’80s-era truck, his main goal was to create something “… my dad and I could enjoy and cruise to have drinks at bars together.” That’s how project Red Dirt got started (named after his long time home, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma).
After years of planning,
2014 was the year he made his dream build a reality. Armando got an ’84 Chevrolet C-10 pickup and wasted no time pursuing his vision. It was fully stock and it had plenty of rust and flaws, which is pretty typical of most trucks that have lived in the Midwest for decades. Armando cut no corners, and every damaged part was replaced with original parts; no replica pieces were included at all. It was important to Armando that he keep this truck as classic and original as possible. It’s a pure bred of sorts.
With all of the rust problems sorted, and a freshly installed, cammed-out 483-hp LS3
V-8 (built by Tomas Garcia Velazquez, Goddard, Kansas), the truck headed to Jake
AFTER YEARS OF PLANNING, 2014 WAS THE YEAR HE MADE HIS DREAM BUILD A REALITY. ARMANDO GOT AN ’84 CHEVROLET C-10 PICKUP AND WASTED NO TIME PURSUING HIS VISION.”
McKiddie at Phat Phabz. Also a proud, long time Oklahoma resident, Jake is well known, not only throughout the Midwest, but nationwide for his fabrication and chassis- and frame-building skills. Knowing Armando wanted his C-10 to lay frame, Jake built a stellar setup. Using parts from Porterbuilt, AirLift and VIAIR in addition to his own Phat-Phabz-created items, Red Dirt was literally laying in the dirt. As if that wasn’t enough, they managed to fit 24x9-inch Billet Intros in the front under a pair of perfectly fit Slosh Tubz with a massive pair of the same Billet Intros (24x15-inch) in the rear.
When it came down to paint and interior, one thing was certain: Armando wanted to
GOING THE EXTRA MILE, IKE ACTUALLY AIRBRUSHED ALL OF THE TRUCK’S TRIM DIRECTLY ONTO THE BODY TO CREATE A CLEANER, MORE STREAMLINED APPEARANCE.”
keep the same elements of the timeless C-10 body and throw in some simple newschool flair. Starting with the body, painter Ike Ray made sure to keep it classic with a two-tone of custom-mixed red and tan. Going the extra mile, Ike actually airbrushed all of the truck’s trim directly onto the body to create a cleaner, more streamlined appearance. Carrying the tan from the exterior to the interior, Eli Espinoza of Easy Trim began to create a C-10 interior like none other. Using the original bench seat with a new foam kit, Eli wrapped all of the custom door panels, dashboard and speaker box in matching tan leather. With the perks of a modern stereo, some beautiful Dakota Digital gauges and a billet steering wheel, Red Dirt was far from being the abused farm truck of its past.
Though he is very happy with the truck as it sits, Armando hopes to have his C-10 body-dropped before its next show, and he has a few other surprise plans for the truck’s future.