Back in 2008, before the prices on squarebody trucks took off, Chad Doucet scored a beautiful, fully loaded, 1981 Chevy C10 with fresh paint and shaved doors. The kid who owned it was in a band and needed to sell it so he could get a van to move equipment from gig to gig. Chad immediately got to work lowering the truck a bit and then just drove it while he figured out his plan for the build.
In 2010, 11, and 12 the truck went through its first major transformation with the suspension, drivetrain, interior, stereo, and raised bed floor getting done. Chad started a family and the truck was put on the back burner for a couple of years until 2015 when he got serious about it. With a new bed floor, body drop, EFI kit, interior, and new paint, the truck debuted at the 2017 Forbidden Fantasy Battle at the Bridge show, and took the top truck award.
The C10 has a built 350 SBC with 400 horsepower running a Holley Terminator EFI setup, and a TH350 transmission and 3:43 Posi rear end. The suspension is built with PB Fab one off front and rear drop members and has an Accuair E-Level set up including two 3 gallon tanks, and two Viair 444 compressors. The entire system is hard lined.
Wheel and tire combo includes 22” and 24” Bonspeed Quicksilver wheels (front and rear respectively), with Falken FK452 tires. The wheels contrast the paint perfectly which is a GM Iridium Metallic with a racing green pearl pin stripe painted along the body line.
On the inside, Chad built a custom dash with Dakota Digital gauges and a custom stereo including JL Audio C3 components powered by a Mosconi amplifier and JL Audio 12TW3 subs powered by a JL Audio Amplifier. All of the sound is controlled through a Kenwood head unit. The interior was originally built with buckets and a center console but after the birth of his daughter, he swapped the center for a third bucket seat. Under the hood is dressed to show with Slosh Tubz and LSMFG Billet hood hinges. The bed has a raised oak wood floor and the side vent windows have been deleted with one piece glass installed.
Future plans for the truck include possibly swapping the phantom grill back out for an OEM setup, and if he came into some money and more time, and LS3 swap would be on the list as well.
Chad likes to cruise around Cold Lake with it but trailers it to most shows like his favorite, Street Machine Weekend in Lethbridge. Chad is also building a 1981 K5 Blazer with an LS3 and would like to shout out Mr. Keats for getting the Blazer from Victoria to Alberta for him. He dailies the K5 through the summer.
In 2017, Chad started petitioning with the club and was logo’d in 2018, he teases that his invitation was because of his surf boat, because everyone needs a friend with a boat. Chad is an Instrument and electrical planner for an oil company in Cold Lake and also does car audio installs on the side during the winter.
Chad would like to thank his wife for allowing him to drop all the cash and time into these projects, his friend Terry Ergang for all the chassis work and welding, and Justin Pulyk for the paint and body work.
Find more on Chad and his rides @chaddoucet on Instagram.
Article: Brian Holzli
Photography: Travis Roe (TDR Photography)
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