ithout a doubt, the trend of building pickup trucks here in New Zealand is gaining popularity. If you decide to build one, the options are almost endless. On one hand, you can have a classic cool cruiser, or on the other hand you can have a tough street truck — or almost anything in between. Whatever path you go down, most will appreciate your choice. However, for Ihi Heke, the style decision wasn’t clear — well not two years ago when he started this build. Never having owned a V8 or anything classic or American, he aimed for something that would serve as a remembrance of his father and brother, who were both passionate about cars. Coming from a background with off-road motorbikes, cars, or trucks for that matter, weren’t really his thing. Yet, after a visit to a mate’shaving a pickup truck to fill the remaining space. It was fortunate that his cousin Shane Bennett had one for sale at the time — an ’84 Custom Deluxe C10. With Shane being an active member of the Whangaparaoa Hot Rod Club, the truck had seen many rod runs, so Ihi knew it was solid with good bones.
