The Grinch | Ricky Holly’s Insane 1965 C10

This ’65 C10, lovingly dubbed The Grinch by his owner, Ricky Holly, has that look of pure intimidation, even when it’s parked. A lot of work went into whipping it into the state it’s currently in, and the truck even ended up taking on a life of its own during the build phase, which is almost to be expected with a truck as slick as this. In a period of 10 months, a carefully selected group of talented hands were able to revive the once haggard pickup into an absolute stunner that was resurrected from its own rotting scrap pile. The Grinch C10 was an unlikely character to evolve into the position of crowd-pleaser that it now holds, but it’s here now, so the competition will just have to accept that fact and deal with it. 

Now, in the Dr. Seuss story, The Grinch was said to have a heart two sizes too small. Well, that is definitely not the case with Ricky’s ‘ol Chevy. He poured his all into the project, and the truck has even been outfitted with a big horsepower LS3 powerplant, which pumps out a heartbeat strong enough to disprove any haters, but more on that in a bit. When Ricky bought the truck, it was definitely in “project” condition, but he knows that there is endless potential in each vehicle for those willing to find a vision and stick to a plan to get there. “Ultimately, I built this truck because building trucks is what I love to do”, Ricky says. “That’s not to say that nothing about the process was easy, but going in with patience and the desire to see a final product, I’m always down to take on a challenge.” 

Luckily for Ricky, he was not alone during the build. The guy he bought the truck from, Robert Meza, is actually a fantastic painter at Alamo Customs, in Alvin, TX, where the majority of the metal fabrication and the paint was executed. While the truck was in their care, the guys crafted a full custom front end and grille, as well as a bed area that has come to be Ricky’s (and most onlookers) favorite asset of this C10. “When we started the build, we did have a rendering that we planned to follow. The image of the truck that we started with didn’t have the front end line it is. We decided to style it differently right before we cut into the truck. Now, the front end opens like the newer models, and the bed has great fab work and a cool rear spoiler that we added for kicks.” 

There is definitely a lot more than that going on with the Grinch’s outer façade. Ricky is a big fan of building trucks that have subtle modifications that stealthily blend into the original bodylines and factory flavor. What this does is somehow trick the untrained eye into believing some of these mods are OE, while simultaneously nodding to those in the know that there is something definitely at play. Regarding how much info on the specifics of ‘what’ is different and ‘how’ it has changed he gives to those who inquire, we cannot say for sure. All we are certain of is that there is always a great deal of attention surrounding the truck’s impressive list of customizations. “If you aren’t familiar with this make/model truck, there are a lot of tweaks that could easily be overlooked.” 

One thing that Ricky was not about to gloss over was a killer suspension setup. Now, he could’ve just added air components to the factory frame and be done with it, but he decided to go another route. He contacted Acme Chassis to build a full custom front-to-back frame for his C10, which is definitely the way to go when looking to achieve the ultimate in performance and reliability. The built-from-scratch chassis was then outfitted with some of the finest suspension wares on the market for good measure. Slam Specialties ‘bags and QA1 shocks would soon provide the truck with quality altitude adjustment and ride quality capabilities. But if you were thinking what a waste it would be to hide all of this goodness underneath the cab and bed, think again. The guys at Alamo Customs, created a lifting panel in the bed that allows access to vital air ride components as well as a glance of Acme’s work of rolling art. 

The hood also houses an equally impressive peek into the inner workings of The Grinch—a ’14 LS3 with all the trimmings. The engine itself is framed by exquisite sheetmetal work from Alamo Customs, which creates an ideal visual of what horsepower fiends dream of.

Once the engine work was well taken care of, Ricky then brought in Heath Moore Interiors of Houston, TX to top off the list of classy, yet edgy modifications the Grinch has under its belt. The Snowden King Ranch leather seats make for a comfortable sit for both driver and passenger, and the rest of the interior has been jam-packed with accessories and accents to tie together a high-end fashioned cabin space. 

After the last nut was tightened, and the final stitch was sewn, Ricky can now sit back and reflect on the truck that has seemingly defied all improbabilities. “I don’t think there is anything that I would do differently about how we built the truck”, he says convincingly. “I also don’t think there is anything extra that could be added to the truck that could make it any better for us. The build took us 10 months to complete. I know that’s not a huge chunk of time, but in order to finish so quickly, we had to sacrifice a lot of weekends and late nights to get all the unique mods that now make up The Grinch done.” 

Build Specs
Ricky Holly
Houston, TX
1965 Chevy C10 

Chassis & Suspension 

• Shop: Shaun Robinson 
• Full-custom frame from Acme Chassis 
• Slam Specialties airbags 
• QA1 shocks 
• CPP 14-inch and 13-inch brake kits, hydroboost system

Wheels & Tires

• 22×10 and 24×14 Raceline wheels 
• Pirelli tires 

Engine & Performance 

• Shop: Bill Gludd 
• 2014 LS3 V-8 
• Brian Tooley Stage II cam 
• Hedman Headers 
• Holley Sniper intake manifold 
• Magnaflow 2.5-inch exhaust system 
• 2014 4L60E transmission 

Exterior & Paint 

• Shop: Alamo Customs 
• Rescue Green RM paint by Robert Meza @ Alamo Customs 
• Custom grille and bumpers 
• Rear fenders extended 4 inches 
• Custom cut hood 
• Custom bed 

Interior & Stereo 

• Shop: Heath Moore Interiors 
• Snowden custom seats covered in King Ranch leather 
• Dakota Digital VHX-1023 
• Raceline steering wheel 
• JBL audio 9system