MAFLA TRUCK
THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLASSICS AND LATE-MODEL TRUCKS IS HISTORY. Classics were built decades ago for a purpose, and now we strive to give them a new one. Usually they’re purchased from older people who have owned them for ages but might have neglected them for years. Sometimes they’ve been passed down to family members before someone decides to give them some love. Whatever the case may be, they all come with a backstory that makes them more special than other types of vehicles.
For Sean Provost, his tale of this ’70 Chevy C-10 is especially interesting. It all started when
Sean was hired at a local coffee franchise, Dutch Bros., based in the Northwest. Sean soon became a manager and later took on ownership of five franchises. In the course of his career he’s had
THE BODY RECEIVED A FEW MODIFICATIONS THAT DON’T CHANGE THE LOOK OF THE ORIGINAL TRUCK BUT ENHANCE WHAT IS ALREADY THERE.”
steady communication with Dutch Bros. cofounder Travis Boersma.
But this story is about a truck, right? Well, Travis would drive his C-10 to business meetings with Sean, and it caught Sean’s eye. He decided that he had to have it, and after 10 years of convincing, Travis sold the truck to Sean.
Although Sean has a strong work ethic, he also knows how to play hard, and he wanted to upgrade the truck to suit his lifestyle. He’s also started his own shop, Provost Motorsports, where he does full builds. It’s the base for his off-road racing team as well. At the time he purchased the C-10, his shop was in its infancy, and he decided to put his faith in a few other hands to get the build moving.
His first stop was Peckham Precision Engines, where a numbers-matching big-block was rebuilt and mated to a 700R4 transmission made to take a beating.
Next, Sean trusted Lawson Speed Shop to lower the truck and update the handling so it would be autocross ready. He knew modern features like power steering and coil-overs would create sporty drivability. Up front, the frame was upgraded with a Scott’s Hotrods ‘N’ Customs’ bolt-on IFS.
In the rear, the Strange Engineering 9-inch rearend is held in place with a Porterbuilt bolt-on suspension with tubular trailing arms. The frame was boxed to make it rigid, while QA1 coil-overs provide a smooth yet stable ride. Braking has also been improved with a set of 13-inch front and 12-inch rear Wilwood disc brakes with a
Scott’s under-dash brake master/ booster assembly.
With the truck decently set up, Sean wanted to give it a fresh paint job, which is where things got interesting. He took the truck to Compani Color. Owner Joe Compani didn’t want to lay down a show quality paint job without knowing what was underneath, so Sean took the truck next door to
South City Rod & Custom where it was disassembled, and the body panels
were media blasted. Once it was down to bare metal, South City’s Bill Ganahl repaired some weathered sheet metal, and while doing so, came up with some ideas that would take the truck to the next level. After consulting Sean, the team was given the green light to move forward with their plans.
The body received a few modifications that don’t change the look of the original truck but enhance what is already there. Starting up front, a shaved repop bumper was narrowed, and the mounting brackets were trimmed to tuck it closer to the body. Then the hood peak was continued to the cowl, which was also shaved and molded to the cab. Underneath the cowl, a firewall was created from scratch, and
THESE OLDER TRUCKS TELL A TALE, AND THIS ONE CERTAINLY HAS A GOOD ONE TO GO ALONG WITH ITS RECENTLY REFINED LOOK.”
the rest of the engine compartment was redesigned to match. The rain gutters were already shaved, but the doors were reworked to accept single side glass.
To complement the new look of the engine bay, Bill decided it was only fitting to make the bed match. The wheel tubs were widened, and the inner sides were custom made. The tailgate was shaved on the outside, and the inside was made to match the rest of the innards of the bed. The steel roll pan was massaged a bit, and the license plate box was fitted. Then it was ready for Joe to do some bodywork and lay down the House of Kolor True Blue Pearl. Afterwards, Tri Valley installed new glass.
Since the build was snowballing, Sean decided to go ahead and upgrade the interior too. Like the rest of the truck, the interior work was done strictly as an upgrade, not to make the truck look significantly different. DJ Designs stepped in and reshaped the bench seat. Then a laser scanner and 3D printer were used to create new door panels and kick panels. The dash pad was extended as well. All of these pieces were covered in Relicate leather laser-etched with the design from the CST package for these trucks. A square-weave carpet and ididit steering column with Nardi wheel complete the interior.
Finishing the truck, a set of American Racing VN407 Shelby Cobra SL wheels with Redline tires was bolted on. Though the wheels do change the look of the truck, the remaining work is very mild. To the untrained eye, most would think the truck had just been lowered and painted with a modern set of billets installed. But when you look closer, you can see that many pieces were redone to enhance what was already there. The goal was to upgrade the truck to today’s standards with flowing lines and perfectly spaced body gaps.
As far as the original ties to
Sean’s line of business, there are bumper stickers and shirts made for executives only in the coffee chain that read, “Dutch Bros. Mafia.” Sean took this sentiment to heart and considers the truck part of his work family since it once wore one of these stickers. These older trucks tell a tale, and this one certainly has a good one to go along with its recently refined look.