Some People Have Hookups, Derrick Has Family

DERRICK BRUCE OF PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON HAS A TALENTED FAMILY. His father builds race cars and frames and has for most of his life, his cousin is a painter and owns Jones Paint Innovations, also in Puyallup, and Derrick, well he’s no slouch himself, and proof of that concept is this truck right here.

It was a ’00 S-10, black, that he bought stock seven years ago that would make his mark on the scene. At the time, the plan was to make it a show truck, and that’s exactly what he did. The S-10 was ’bagged and laid frame on 22s, which is no small feat no matter what those other guys tell you. With help from his father, they made the chassis bulletproof to ensure that it was comfortable and safe to drive. But after a couple of years, he decided it was time to take the truck to the next level.

This time around, the truck went to his cousin, Josh Jones, the previously mentioned owner of Jones Paint Innovations. Derrick’s favorite color is orange, so he had a base color idea down solid. As for the rest of it, he knew he wanted it shaved—all of it. Then, since the times they were a changin’, he wanted to up the rim size to a 24/26 combo. He also knew that he wanted graphics, but he had no design concept in mind, just a few general guidelines. Instead, he told Josh to work his magic on the paint, and Josh and his team did the rest. The end results are stunning: a two-tone orange paint job, mixed with a subtle graphic, also in orange. It’s a clean and simple aesthetic that shies away from the garish paint jobs that we’ve all seen at local shows. Plus, it’s just what Derrick wanted.

Next up: interior. For this step, Derrick wasn’t going to a relative. Jeff at JW Kustoms handled the stitch work and door panels, while Derrick did the dash and console. The suede is black and orange, and everything else—including the aforementioned dash and console—is painted orange to match the exterior.

Finally, the wheels. It took a lot of measuring, but in the end, Derrick and his dad tweaked the rearend to tuck 26-inch Helo 866s, and then did the same up front for matching 24s. To accent the wheels further, Josh sprayed a matching orange on the center spokes, and the truck was marked as complete.

Seven years after he bought the truck, Derrick’s S-10 is cruising the streets on big rollers. So that means he’s going to tear it down and build it again, right? No, according to Derrick, he’s done with the orange S-10, and it’s currently up for sale. Heck, it might even be sold by the time you read this, because it’s clearly quite the killer ride. What will he build next time? We don’t know for sure, but we do know that he’s got a great team ready to help him out, and they all share the same family tree.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER:

Derrick Bruce
2000 Chevrolet S-10
Puyallup, Washington

ENGINE:

• 2.2l Chevrolet four cylinder
• Automatic transmission
• Aluminum Flex-a-lite radiator with electric fan
• Cold air intake
• Faux firewall trim with custom inner fenders made by JPI
• Powercoated accessories to match truck

SUSPENSION:

• Done by owner and father, Wilbur Bruce
• Triangulated 4-link with ’bags mounted on the lower bars
• Slam Specialties airbags
• Thorbecke Brothers tubular upper and lower control arms
• Dropped spindles
• Bent tie rod ends
• Rear disc brake conversion
• Hydro-boost master cylinder

WHEELS & TIRES:

• 24×9.5 and 26×9.5 Helo HE866 with candy orange accents
• Lexani 275/25 ZR24 front, 275/25 ZR26 rear

BODY & PAINT:

• Josh Jones of Jones Paint Innovations and owner
• GMC Envoy grille with billet insert
• GMC Envoy front bumper with billet insert
• GMC Envoy front headlights
• Relocated gas filler to the bed with a chopper flush pop-up cap
• Shaved gas door, antenna, third brake light, cab seams and door handles
• Grant Kustoms full skin rear combo
• Sheet metal bed floor
• Painted taillights to match graphics
• Air-actuated license plate that pops out of the top of the tailgate
• Street Scene mirrors
• Sunroof
• PPG custom-mixed Bitchin’ Pearl Orange top, PPG Orange Crush from a Ford Edge bottom
• Graphics in House of Kolor Tangerine Kandy with airbrushed skulls

INTERIOR:

• Shop: JW Kustoms
• Black and orange suede used throughout
• Subaru WRX seats
• Fiberglassed dashboard painted to match
• Billet steering wheel and window cranks
• Custom fiberglass center console and sub box
• Jensen touchscreen head unit
• Eclipse mids and highs
• JL Audio W6 10-inch subwoofer in console
• JL Audio 500/1

SPECIAL THANKS FROM OWNER: Thanks to everyone who contributed to the build. Extra special thanks to my dad Darbi, Josh Jones and PPG for the paint supplies.

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