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Sheer Lunacy

Loud and proud 1998 Chevy S-10

Just as you can't judge a music CD by its cover, you can't tell right off what's different about Gil Luna, Jr.'s 1998 Chevy S-10. Sure it's been slammed and shaved, but you might be surprised by what's underneath that somber black exterior. Inside are enough thumpin' audio components to rock the house right off its foundation.

Woof Woof

"Yeah, it gets pretty loud in there," Luna admits, motioning toward the monstrous subwoofers. Better to open the doors, stand back, and let fly with 50 Cent, Eminem, or whatever bass notes you'd prefer.

Before we get down to the nuts and wires of the system, though, we should back up a bit. Like most young guys growing up, Luna had always wanted to build a project vehicle, especially a custom truck, when the lowrider scene started to grow in the 1980s.

Only when he started working in the automotive magazine field as a graphic designer, though, did he get the opportunity to start a buildup. This is where the average guy can get a bit crazed with jealousy, because one of the spiffs of being on the staff of a magazine is that you get all sorts of deals and freebies on parts and upgrades. (Just so long as you give the companies a little "free ink," as the expression goes, in the form of feature coverage). That bonus alone has motivated many a car or truck guy to enroll in some journalism classes.

Open Secret

Of course, it's not as easy as it might sound, because there's a lot of late nights and hard work involved, whether on a magazine or a truck. Fortunately for Luna and his S-10, he got a lot of help from his friends.

To start with, CGS Motorsports beefed up the engine bay with a cold air intake and filter, and also opened up the exhaust with 2 1/4-inch mufflers. The Polishing Shop gave some gleam to the underhood parts as well.

Next came the eight-inch drop for the suspension. After C-notching the rear end, Luna added a triangulated two-link setup with TP hydraulic cylinders, courtesy of Chris and Bobby from Totally Polished. Bell Tech supplied the two-inch drop spindles for the fronts, and Jason from Ludikrs Kustomz relocated the front shocks and added 6-inch TP cylinders as well. Luna's rig rolls on 18-inch Kruz K-8 alloy wheels wrapped with Toyo rubber.

For the body mods, Luna started with APC headlights, and then concealed the coated bed with a Gaylord X2000 tonneau. A Sir Micheals roll pan finishes off the tailgate. For an even smoother look, Luna shaved off just about every nub he could find: the door handles, antenna hole, windshield squirters, gas door, tailgate handle, and so on. A custom filler neck in the bed now replenishes the tank. A touch of DuPont blue pearl livens up that basic black exterior.

Drop and Roll

Well, this S-10's color scheme might not be loud, but the audio system sure is. Designed and installed by Serenity Sound, it boasts 13 speakers: four 12-inch subs, four 6.5-inch speakers, two 4-inch speakers, and three 1-inch tweeters. It takes a detailed diagram to map out the slew of other components, such as a pair of Hollywood Digital Excursion Class AB Amplifiers (two and four channel), and two Mono Block Class D Amplifiers.

Hooking up all those pieces are a Tsunami capacitor, battery and cables. For visual readouts and music videos, there's a Panasonic 9000 DVD player with a seven-inch monitor mounted on the dash, and a five-inch monitor in each visor. To keep all those vibrating speakers in place, Serenity Sound fabricated a custom fiberglass box and console, along with a pair of door panels. These pieces were painted Honda Silver by Chris Daley of Totally Polished. The matching gray upholstery from Stitchcraft features a chopped headrest, and Colorado Customs supplied a chromed steering wheel.

After going crazy with the all the mods on his S-10, what's next for Luna? Well, he now works on some magazines for custom motorcycles, so the next time we see him, he just might be rolling on two wheels instead of four. But what will he do for a sound system? We guess he'll have to make some music with the side pipes instead.