1967 Chevrolet C10 MAX Headroom

Have you ever entertained a dream in which anything is possible, where there are no limits or restrictions? Of course you have, the only question is at what age did you STOP dreaming big? 10? 25? Never? Here’s a story of what can happen when two “Nevers” combine their talents, resources, and ability to dream. (“Think outside the box!”) And MAX Headroom became a nationally known TV star.

David Maxwell loves trucks, and he had a vision of what the ideal truck should be like in this day and time. How to turn vision into reality? Enter Kindigit Designs, one of the world’s premier custom builders. They have a team where each member is a focused specialist. And, at a shop like Kindigit Designs, oftentimes there’s cool and desirable stuff just lying around. In this case, it was a Chevrolet C10 pickup.

The truck had been at Kindig’s shop for about six years. Abandoned. Unloved. But when Mr. Maxwell told the Kindig crew he wanted a custom C10, they knew just where to find one. Although Kindig’s truck build had already been started, it didn’t quite fit David’s vision. And since this was going to be a one-off custom, the decision was made to strip the truck down to the chassis and start over. As you know, Kevin Schiele, or KevDogg is a major part of the team. In fact, he’s the shop foreman, project manager, and all-around right hand man to Dave Kindig hisself. As you may also know, Kev is big into chassis and suspension technology. And since David wanted the truck to run and handle more like a Ferarri than a truck, that spelled doom for the old chassis. Plus the plan was to not only fit the largest wheels available, but actually have an extra large custom set built. The build received coverage across three full episodes of Motor Trend TV’s Bitchin’ Rides. One of the funniest moments was KevDogg explaining the chassis tech, and he reveals his passion for the subject by repeating the word “Chassis” as if he’s talking about the love of his life. (Maybe he is!) The chassis on this vehicle, by the way, is nothing short of a masterpiece.

For power, none other than small-block guru and NHRA Champion John Lingenfelter was called in. The resulting LS7 looks as great as it runs, featuring a trick Performance Design intake painted in “Hellion” by Modern Classikk. During the TV show, all the specialists were shown performing their specialties and describing each process, which really drove home the notion that this is a special, one-of-a-kind build. Since both the builder and the client are “whatever it takes” type guys, there are many unique features, not the least of which is the retractable hardtop. This feature was not in the original plan. The Kindig crew had the challenge of a major functional design change in mid-course, yet it had to look and function to the high standard set by the rest of the build. Kindig declares that all the components in the mechanism are completely fabricated at Kindigit Design. No pre-existing parts were utilized. With the top neatly stored in the front half of the bed, there truly is unlimited headroom, hence the truck’s nickname.

It was almost like a TV show script. Everyone wanted the truck to debut at the Pittsburgh World of Wheels but there was work to be done. But on opening day, the finished product was delivered directly to the show floor. Dave Kindig and Kev unveiled their work in front of not only the client, but hundreds of other interested fans. The truck looked spectacular, the Lingefelter motor fired right up, then it was time to try the top. It got quiet in the room, but everything functioned with precision and smoothness. David Maxwell got behind the wheel for the very first time. His smile said it all.