AMERICAN HUSTLE

THIS OLD FARM TRUCK HIDES A FEW LITTLE TRICKS UNDER ITS WEATHERBEATEN SKIN - INCLUDING A BLOWN, MODERN 500HP HEART

-  BORIS VISKOVIC

STEVE Green grew up in the USA but has spent the past 31 years in Australia, so while the Noo Yawk accent has softened a fair bit, no amount of bush chooks and g'days can fully hide his Yank heritage.

And in keeping with that heritage, the string of nice cars Steve has owned over the years have been mostly of the US muscle variety, but these were always really shiny and didn't get anywhere near the use his current ride does. While this old C10 might look a bit weathered, it's got all the comfort and performance that Steve was after, but even better, he can beat up on it all day, put it away wet, and jump in and do it all again the next day.

As it turns out, a humble C10 was one of Steve's formative automotive influences. "When I was a kid, I used to go down to my grandfather's house in Georgia; he had a Sinclair petrol station down there," he recalls. "He bought a '64 Chevy C10 in 1964, when I was seven. I used to sit in his lap and he would teach me how to drive."

About five years ago, Steve sold his '72 Camaro and was looking around the internet for a new project. "There was a guy in Queensland named Cohen Arthur who would go to the US three times a year, buy a pick-up truck, pick up a whole bunch of Harley parts and bring the whole lot back," he says. "This was about the 10th or 12th truck he brought back and he said it was really solid with no rust, and it was true." Once Steve got his hands on the truck, it wasn't going to stay original for long. He had plans, and he knew exactly who to approach.