Beyond the Diamond: Howard Kendrick’s All-Star ’66 C10 Build

Another Home Run

When you’ve got it, you’ve got it. And when the world around you doesn’t know you’ve got it, you show them you’ve got it. That’s a quick summary of Howard “Howie” Kendrick’s life, and to say that the man has had some pretty interesting adventures would be an understatement. Howie is a known classic watch collector, as well as an established photographer, but what many don’t know is that he’s also an avid car enthusiast and has worked on many of his own projects over the years. Oh yeah, he also played a bit of baseball and helped get the Washington Nationals to a World Series championship in 2019.  

Raised by his grandmother Ruth, Howie has always made it clear that he owes his life and career to her, and with that career-topping World Series win under his belt, he certainly has a lot to be thankful for considering she’s the one who signed him up for T-ball at age 5. Growing up in the South around lots of trucks, Howie has a big soft spot for anything built to haul, whether it’s a bed-full of hay or, as the case may be, a bed-full of friends on a high school cruise around town. And so, Howie has always had some sort of truck in his garage throughout the years.

SCRATCHING THE ITCH

Recently, Howie had the itch for another truck to add to his collection. He had wanted to build another for a while, and the ’64-’66 C10s were right up his alley, so he had his eyes peeled for the right deal. Luckily, the perfect candidate was located nearby.

“I found the truck for sale from a local seller and quickly bought it,” Howie says. “It was supposedly a frame-off restoration, and the truck appeared to be a great running and driving truck with a nice blue and white, two-tone paintjob.”

Sounds like a score so far, right? Well, as is often the case with nice paint jobs, there was a different story to be told underneath.

“When we started diving into the truck it was anything but nice,” he says. “Once we found rust underneath the paint, we decided to have the truck stripped to see what else the paintjob was hiding. After having to replace the fenders and some rust in the rocker panels, I decided to ditch the patina paint idea I had for something much nicer.”

FRESH PAINT TO SO MUCH MORE

We think everyone would agree that Howie made the right choice in going with the fresh paint look, but the project ended up snowballing from the original plan of a new paintjob and GSI air-ride chassis swap into what you see here.

After hitting up Fat Fender Garage to tackle the work, the plan evolved and was slowly refined to make this one of the baddest C10s on the planet. Before long, a Chevy LSA engine was ordered up alongside a 6L90E transmission, setting the tone for a top-tier build that FFG owner Jason Noel admits was one of the most involved projects he has ever taken on. If you know Jason, you know that’s saying a lot!

The truck underwent a complete transformation, with some very unique features such as zebrawood throughout the bed and interior, along with soft trim from Hydes Leather, and even Cerakote on parts that would traditionally be chrome-plated. And by now, you’ve probably stared at those carbon-lipped 22-inch AG Luxury AGL60 forged wheels.

HOME RUN

So what does Howie think of the truck now that it’s done and he’s had a chance to enjoy it for a while?

“From the chassis, interior, and exterior color choices, along with the powerplant, I’d say we knocked it out of the park [We see what you did there, Howie – Ed.]! One of the main reasons I ended up at Fat Fender was their attention to detail and craftsmanship,” he says.

“Ruth has turned out to be everything I could want out of a classic truck and more. Just like my grandmother, she manages to put a smile on my face every chance I see her. I couldn’t have thought of a better way to celebrate the memory of my grandmother than with my passion for trucks,” Howie says. “Fat Fender Garage has accomplished everything we set out to do with this truck and more. Ruth is still putting smiles on my face, and hopefully inspiring other people’s dreams and builds.”

BUILD SPECS

OWNER

Howard “Howie” Kendrick
Paradise Valley, AZ
1966 Chevy C10

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• GSI custom air-ride chassis w/ Watt’s link
• Ridetech shocks
• Air Lift Performance 3H air management system
• Boyd Welding fuel tank
• 14.inch Wilwood brakes front and rear

WHEELS & TIRES

• 22.inch AG Luxury AGL60 forged wheels with carbon fiber rims
• Pirelli tires

ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN

• 6.2L GM LSA supercharged engine, 650HP/450TQ
• Texas Speed camshaft
• Wizard Cooling aluminum radiator
• Magnaflow mufflers with custom piping
• 6L90E transmission

BODY & PAINT

• BASF custom paint
• United Pacific LED lighting
• Cerakote coating on trim
• Prismatic Powders powdercoating
• Custom zebrawood bed
• FFG cantilever bed floor lift kit

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Custom leather upholstery using Hydes leather
• Custom zebrawood trim
• Dakota Digital gauges
• Sparc Industries steering wheel w/custom leather wrap by Steering Wheel Art
• Restomod A/C system
• Kenwood head unit
• Focal speakers and amplifier
• Optima batteries