GROUND FORCE

Giving New Hope Show Trucks

- MIKE SELF

EVERYONE WANTS TO BUILD SOMETHING LEGENDARY BUT, EVEN SO, IT’S A RELATIVELY RARE OCCURRENCE. It takes a well-trained eye and lots of determination, especially in a space where shortcuts and small budgets are often the norm. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all, but when counterfeit parts and off-brand tires are so readily available with a few thumb taps, it takes some extra effort to stand out.

Carl Kolling of Rosamond, California, grew up around custom trucks and quickly fell in love with all things lowered. Having memories of famous SoCal trucks like Last Look and Something Wicked This Way Comes as inspiration, Carl had a clear picture of the type of truck he would love to some day own. Once he picked up a ’95 Chevy S-10 as a project, all bets were off!

He knew from day one that the truck would have to lay body on big wheels, so he enlisted the help of Shaun Headley to make it happen. A stock-floor body drop and an air suspension utilizing a Thorbros bolt-on back-half and front control arms got the job done nicely, leaving just enough room to rest the rockers firmly on the ground on 22s and 24s.

As a child of the ’70s and ’80s, Carl has always been entranced by the Star Wars saga—so much so that when it came time to come up with a cohesive theme for his truck, he had no hesitation in committing to a complete Star Wars motif inside and out. As you can imagine, though, it would be very easy to go down a slippery slope and overdo things in a hurry, which is not what Carl wanted at all. He definitely wanted the truck to be memorable, but not for the wrong reasons. That meant going wild, but with measured subtlety that would remain timeless.