LADY LOW | This Ain’t Her Boyfriend’s Truck

This Ain’t Her Boyfriend’s Truck

How many times has Melesa Farmer heard, “Is that your boyfriend’s truck?” We’re guessing that she hears it, along with other similar comments, from people all the time.

Sure, it probably gets annoying, but since the truck belongs to her and not her boyfriend (she’s engaged, actually), she’s learned to brush it off. It’s just one of those things—most people don’t expect a female to own a ‘bagged and bodied C-10, or any other type of customized truck for that matter. We’re not sure just how often Melesa actually takes the time to correct those who assume the truck isn’t a product of her own hard work, but we’re sure there are hints of surprise and jealousy in the reactions of those she does take the time to respond to.

“I’ve always dreamed of building my own C-10,” Melesa says, when asked of how she came to own this killer classic pickup. “I also wanted to be different from most women my age.”

Melesa has most certainly separated herself from most ladies out there solely on her good taste in vehicles. The decision to search out and build an old Chevy truck stemmed from her simply liking the particular squarebody model C-10s, as well as from her upbringing. She’s been raised around custom trucks. Actually, it runs in the family.

“I’ve grown up around ‘bagged trucks,” she says. “My brother, Daniel Farmer, has had many ‘bagged and bodied pickups that have been featured in different magazines. Our family just likes a certain type of vehicle.”

The C-10 isn’t Melesa’s first go at building her own custom truck, however. She’s had a couple others in the past that show her natural progression into the realm of creating a magazine-worthy ride.

“It’s apparent that she is obviously a Chevy girl,  which should earn her a few extra bonus points from the doubters out there,  but she doesn’t seem too overly concerned about winning praise from anybody. ”

“I’ve had an ’09 Chevy crewcab that was static dropped 5/7, and a ’00 Chevy single cab that was lowered 3/5,” Melesa says about her last projects.

It’s apparent that she is obviously a Chevy girl, which should earn her a few extra bonus points from the doubters out there, but she doesn’t seem too overly concerned about winning praise from anybody. She bought and built the truck to satisfy her taste, and that’s something that everyone should be able to respect.

Melesa had been on the hunt for a C-10 for a while, until one turned up to her liking in Texas. With her living in Alabama, it would require some logistical work to get the truck to her, but she was ready to make it happen.

“The truck was in Houston, and the condition of it was fair, but it needed work right away. It had been previously bodydropped already,” Melesa says about the beginning phase of her new project truck.

Knowing the truck was going to need some attention to get it back into better running condition, Melesa started a checklist to see what the job was specifically going to require.

“First off, the truck was going to have to be rewired, and the entire cooling system was going to have to be redone to make it a more reliable driver,” she says.

Once Melesa started making progress on the reliability of her truck, she could then start lining up local shops to assist with making it ride and look better. She found Stringers Paint and Body shop in Hartselle, Alabama, to hammer the body straight and spray the exterior a really cool hue—DuPont Sonic Blue. The guys there also fabricated a custom roll pan for the rear and filled the gas tank and third brake light, as well as relocated the tag and shaved the side markers for a much sleeker surface to work with. The outcome is an appearance that is clean and classic—a look that won’t be going out of style anytime soon.

With the truck already stock floor bodydropped, Melesa wanted to revisit the suspension system to improve on what had previously been modified before. LVLD Fabrication of Ardmore, Alabama, was recruited to Z the front half of the frame and devise a four-link setup for the rear.

“The truck lays rocker panels when the ‘bags are completely empty”, Melesa adds. “The engine and bed were both raised for clearance to make sure the truck would lay out as low as possible.”

To complete the new look of low, Melesa selected a set of 22-inch U2 55 Series wheels wrapped in Lexani LX-Nine tires. The C-10’s new stance is impressive, and the fitment of the wheels is spot on.

Throughout the build process, Melesa had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to see happen to make her new truck look more like a truck she could call her own.

To feel more at home inside the cab, she enlisted the help of Dealer’s Choice in Mobile, Alabama, to reupholster the factory bench in fresh tweed and leather, as well as treat the door panels and dash to the same treatment.

A complete Kicker audio system was also wired up to give her the luxury of creating a booming soundtrack whenever she drives the truck, since she will be doing lots of time behind the wheel. The whole idea behind building it in the first place was to cruise to as many shows as possible—without having to rely on using a trailer.

In just two years’ time, Melesa now has a completed truck that she can hop in, air up and rip down the highway to wherever she pleases. The truck still has some issues that she’d like to address, but for the most part, she’s absolutely happy with the end result.

“One day, I’ll get to adding a Vintage Air system, and probably upgrade to billet Intro wheels,” she says. “I’d also like to have AccuAir e-Level air management added to the air system soon, most likely in the next year or so. The motor will also be built up a bit more as well. There’s always something that needs to be done, and nothing on this truck was as easy as it seems.”

If you see Melesa out driving around in her truck, just know that she’s worked her tail off to get it to look and function the way it does now. She’s proud of what she has accomplished and has a solid plan in place to make her truck even better. So instead of throwing any shade her way or not believing that the truck belongs to her, just know that it does—and that it just might be better than your truck.

OWNER
Melesa Farmer
1986 Chevy C-10
Semmes, AL

ENGINE

• Shop: Meriman’s Garage, Hartselle, AL
• Factory ’86 350 V-8
• ’86 Turbo 350 transmission
• B&M shift kit
• PTC torque converter
• Champion transmission cooler
• Comp Cams Thumpr camshafts
• Edelbrock Performer intake manifold
• Holley Double Pumper 650 carb
• Hooker headers
• Flowmaster 2.5-inch exhaust system
• Accel Super Coil ignition

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• Shop: LVLD Fabrication, Ardmore, AL
• Z’d frame front half
• 4-link, C-notch rear
• Stock-floor bodydrop with 2-inch raised center
• 2600 Firestone front and back
• Monroe shocks
• Dual Viair 480C air compressors
• 15-gallon Viair air tank

WHEELS & TIRES

• 22-inch U2 55 Series wheels
• 265/35/22 Lexani LX-Nine Tire

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Stringers Paint and Body Shop, Hartselle, AL
• DuPont Sonic Blue paint
• Phantom billet grille
• Factory chrome front bumper
• Custom roll pan
• Color matched Sonic Blue trailer fenders up front
• Filled gas tank filler, 3rd brake light, relocated the tag, and shaved side marker lights

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Shop: Dealer’s Choice, Mobile, AL
• Reupholstered factory bench seat
• Light grey and tan leather and tweed upholstery
• Custom tweed door panels
• Factory dash reupholstered in tan leather
• Color matched lower dash
• Billet steering wheel
• JVC head unit
• Two Kicker CVR 10-inch subwoofers and door panel speakers

Special Thanks From the Owner:

“Thank you to my family, Greg Farmer, Karen Farmer and Daniel Farmer, my fiancé Landon Bailey for all of the support and help with my truck.”