Chris Doolin’s Custom 1999 Chevy C3500 Dually

Joe Acevedo Jr . September 08, 2026 . Features . Jessica Howell

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Chris Doolin’s OBS Rewrites the Rules

EVERY great build starts with a moment, the kind that sticks with you long after the parking lot empties. For Chris Doolin, that moment happened on a warm summer night in Whitesburg, Kentucky. He was just a kid back then, cruising in his first mini-truck, a 1999 S-10, when a laid-out dually rolled through the lot with deep blue paint, a Denali front clip, and an attitude that demanded attention.

That dually wasn’t just another truck. It was a line in the sand. From that night on, Chris knew he’d build something that stopped people the same way. Fast forward a few years, and that vision became a 1999 Chevy C3500 crew cab dually with a name that doesn’t leave room for debate: Game Changer. But like most real builds, it didn’t start pretty.

When Chris found the truck in 2020, it was rough, the tires were dead, there was mold in the paint, grass clippings were baked into the body, and the A/C system had clearly given up years earlier. None of that mattered. With his wife, Michelle, riding shotgun, Chris drove three hours, hauled the Chevy home, and saw what most people couldn’t: possibility. The teardown started the moment it hit the driveway.

Over the next four years, Chris and his longtime friend, Ronnie McSorley, didn’t just rebuild a truck; they reimagined it. The hood was stretched and narrowed. The fenders were widened to swallow massive wheels. The body was smoothed until every line looked intentional.

Over the next four years, Chris and his longtime friend, Ronnie McSorley, didn’t just rebuild a truck; they reimagined it.

Underneath, the truck received a serious foundation: a stock-floor body drop, custom chassis work, and a full air-ride setup designed to handle the size and weight of a dually done right. The big-block 454 stayed true to the truck’s roots, dressed with powdercoated components and set inside a show-clean, smoothed engine bay.

The exterior transformation is impossible to miss, thanks to a 2018 GMC Sierra front clip conversion and a striking Orion Twister Pearl paint job that shifts in the light and refuses to be ignored.

The exterior transformation is impossible to miss, thanks to a 2018 GMC Sierra front clip conversion and a striking Orion Twister Pearl paint job that shifts in the light and refuses to be ignored.

Inside, the interior was fully reworked by Tyler Smith of Smith’s Customs, with a shaved dash, custom console, hand-stitched upholstery, and wrapped panels that make the cab feel more like a high-end cruiser than a work truck.

Game Changer made its debut in April 2025 at Mini Truckin’ Nationals in Maggie Valley, and fittingly, it wasn’t just another truck in the crowd. It was a full-circle moment. A build born from a memory and finished as a statement.

Dedicated to Charlie Doolin Jr. (“Pops”), this one isn’t just a show truck. It’s family, history, and four years of late nights welded into steel.

TRUCK SPECS

 Engine & Drivetrain

• 454 V8
• Powdercoated intake
• Valve covers and accessories by JC Millette
• Smoothed and painted engine bay in black with pinstriping by Ziggy’s Custom
• Pinstriping, engine, and drivetrain by JC Millette and Chris Doolin

Chassis & Suspension

• Stock-floor body drop
• Slam Specialties SS7 airbags
• Engine-driven compressor
• Two Viair 485 compressors
• Slam Specialties manifold
• Custom triangulated four-link rear setup
• Lowboy dually ¾ hub conversion arms
• Reinforced custom chassis by Jake Dent, JC Millette, and Chris Doolin

Wheels & Tires

• Alcoa milled 22.5-inch wheels (turned down to 22-inch)
• 265/35R22 Kumho tires
• Body & Paint
• Full 2018 GMC Sierra front clip conversion
• Orion Twister Pearl paint
• Shaved door handles and front bumper
• Smoothed body panels
• Custom widened and re-glassed dually fenders
• Bodywork by Ronnie McSorley and Chris Doolin

Interior

• Shaved dash and headrests
• Custom-built center console
• Wrapped dash, door panels, and console
• Hand-stitched seat covers
• Interior by Tyler Smith (Smith’s Customs)

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Joe Acevedo Jr

My name is Joe Acevedo Jr., but most people know me as “Ace.” I’m a photographer based out of South Texas, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for cars and trucks. Growing up ...

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