THE BATTLESHIP
YEARS BACK, Lonnie had a customer come into his shop looking to create a ’69 C-10 that would make a leave on the scene. At the time, Lonnie’s brother John was also working at the shop and was a big part of the team. The truck originally came in for some rust repair and a paint job, and eventually turned into a full build. Big plans were laid out as they made major progress, but the build came to a halt when the owner’s wife found out how much funding was going into the project.
The truck eventually left and the owner took a breather to regroup.
John was also diagnosed with cancer at that time, and unfortunately, he has since passed away. Situations like this are difficult for close-knit family members, but trucks offer a special way in which to honor loved ones. Lonnie decided to create a rolling memorial to his brother, and as fate would have it, the ’69 C-10 that Lonnie and John had worked on together
was up for sale and remained a work in progress. This was the last truck John customized before he passed, and Lonnie wanted to see their work completed, so he bought the truck.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan, but Lonnie persevered. He discovered that the cab had been bolted straight to the frame without any bushings, which threw everything off and ensured that his plan of a quick finish wouldn’t be so quick after all. After the truck had initially left Carolina Kustoms, the new owner had the body panels reworked and hard-mounted the cab to the frame. Lonnie was so bummed that he moved the truck outside his shop and took some time to
think things over. He ultimately decided to scrap the majority of the truck and start fresh, including ditching the roof of the cab, which was also out of alignment.
Lonnie changed gears and gave the truck a complete overhaul. He created a mild build that maintains the original look of these trucks with a few tricks tossed in to shake things up. Some of the new features include an LS engine and custom interior, and notable mods to the body include Kindig-it door handles and a raised bed floor with wheel covers that were lengthened or shortened and widened by Brook. Lonnie kept the recessed marker lights that he and John had originally built.
Though the C-10 changed, the goal of finishing it to honor John didn’t. Lonnie watched his brother fight cancer like a battleship. The C-10 fought in similar fashion, so the name Battleship and the gray paint job were the perfect touches to finish off this tribute build.