A K-10 Build That Starts at the Top and Goes From There

We’ve all read the story: guy buys truck, guy says he’s going to just do a simple lowering kit, and the next thing you know, he’s dived into a full-blown build. those trucks are great, because we get to see a builder’s potential, but this isn’t that story, nor is it that truck. No, this is about what happens afterward, once a customizer has gone off the rails and made something so trick that he wants to step back and do something a bit more straightforward. that’s where Jeff starkweather from scottsdale, arizona, comes into the story.

“Instead of asking Keith to hold up the walls, Jeff tasked him with helping on his truck builds, doing whatever was necessary to get the job done. Makes sense, right?”

To say that Jeff is a roofer is a bit of a half-truth. Although he does fix roofs, he also owns his own company, Starkweather Roofing, and manages a team that works throughout the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix). His business success allowed him to start building custom trucks, and since his kids were getting old enough to drive, the timing was perfect. One of his first builds was a ’63 C-10 for his oldest daughter. His plan was to make it just a little bit custom, but it became a full-on build with tucked wiring, a super-clean engine bay and a stellar paint job. The problem was, it was a little bit more truck than he wanted his daughter to drive, so he moved on to something different: a square-body.

The first truck out of the shop was an ’87 Chevrolet Silverado 4WD with a 4-inch lift, and it was a solid truck. But when his daughter blew out her knee, getting her something a bit closer to the ground became a bigger priority. The ’87 went up for sale, and when papers were exchanged, Jeff realized that the market for these trucks was pretty hot. Maybe he should build another and flip it. So, that’s exactly what he did with an ’85 K-10, flipping it for fun and profit.

Before we get any deeper, there’s another wrinkle to this story that bears mentioning. Jeff’s roofing company has a fleet of trucks that need regular maintenance. There are a lot of ways that companies handle this type of thing, and in Jeff’s case, he decided that hiring a full-time mechanic was the way to go. In came Keith Kemp, and he had a ton of experience working on cars and trucks of all makes and models. Paperwork was signed, and he became part of the team.

Normally this would be a small footnote in the story of Jeff’s life, but Keith plays into the bigger picture. Although there was lots of wrenching to do on the trucks in Jeff’s fleet, there wasn’t necessarily enough to keep Keith busy all of the time. Instead of asking Keith to hold up the walls, Jeff tasked him with helping on his truck builds, doing whatever was necessary to get the job done. Makes sense, right?

Back to the build: once Jeff’s daughter was back on her feet again, they decided to get going on another project. Since the K-10s had worked out so well in the past, this time they decided to do an ’87 K-10 and add a 6-inch lift, just to make it a little taller than her previous model. It was a cool truck when all was said and done, but unfortunately, she got into an accident and rolled the truck. Thankfully, she’s okay, but the truck was done for with no hope for repair. What was he going to do now?

“… seeing all of the cool hammered squares out there is making him rethink his altered stance. Who knows, maybe he’ll ’bag his next truck and build another show truck.”

He did the obvious: built another, which brings us to this truck right here, an ’85 Chevrolet K-10 with a 4-inch lift on a set of 35s. Except for those two mods, the truck is essentially a stock rebuild, right down to the original jack in the engine bay. It looks like it rolled off the lot and got a lift.

So what’s next for Jeff? That should be clear by now. The K-10 on these pages is up for sale as of this writing, and he has plans to build another one to resell. Will it also be a K-10? Maybe, but seeing all of the cool hammered squares out there is making him rethink his altered stance. Who knows, maybe he’ll ’bag his next truck and build another show truck. After all, even squares can come full circle.

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BUILD SPECS

OWNER

JEFF STARKWEATHER
1985 Chevrolet K-10 Scottsdale
Scottsdale, AZ

ENGINE

• 350-ci Chevrolet V-8 painted gloss black
• 290 hp at 5,300 rpm
• 320 ft-lbs torque at 3,750 rpm
• Iron heads
• Edelbrock Performer EPS intake manifold
• Edelbrock 540-cfm carburetor
• Edelbrock air cleaner
• HEI distributor
• Stock ignition coil
• Long-tube ceramic-coated headers
• 2.5-inch exhaust with catalytic converter and mufflers for emissions
• Chrome valve covers
• Air conditioning
• GM Goodwrench 700R4 automatic transmission
• NP-208 transfer case

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• 4-inch Rough Country suspension lift

WHEELS & TIRES

• 15×8 factory Rally wheels front and rear with 4-inch offset
• 35/12.50 15 General Grabber Red Label tires

BODY & PAINT

• Work performed by Steve DeBoer, Mesa, AZ
• Chrome bumper
• Single-stage red and silver paint
• Spray-on bedliner

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Work performed by Chuck Booth, Glendale, AZ
• Red factory upholstery
• Red small loop carpet
• Aftermarket dashboard
• Original jack and tire iron

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