FENCED IN

Way out in Rockwell City, Iowa, lies a shop called Lakeside Rods and Rides, which has been touted for producing some wicked rides. Roger Burman, owner of Lakeside, has been in business building top notch custom hot rods since the late 80’s, and his personable nature is truly what has helped his business thrive instead of simply surviving all these years. Sure, Roger’s incredible talent has propelled his success but when you’re a genuinely nice guy on top of that, positive results only become supercharged. Bobby Hofbauer, the other half of Lakeside’s workforce, also brings the same energy to every interaction and build. Even though this two-man outfit is relatively small in employee count, its wait list is long, and its collection of trophies and awards is nothing short of impressive.

While there is a deep pool of repeat Lakeside clientele who know exactly what they are waiting in line for, there are folks who are still discovering their name. Dave Gonzales of Murietta, California discovered who Roger was completely by happenstance. Being an avid hot rod collector, Dave had purchased a car from a private custom car dealer near his hometown, and there was just something about it that drove him wild. “I had seen an ad on eBay advertising a 1935 Ford 3-window coupe that absolutely floored me”, he says. “I made an appointment to see the car and put in an offer as soon as I had a chance to walk around it. After I got the coupe home, I began to research who had built such an amazing car, and I came to find out that it was a Roger Burman / Lakeside Rods and Rides creation.”

Little did Dave know at the time, that he and Roger would soon develop a fruitful business relationship – specifically involving the build of another vehicle – a 1966 Chevy C10. “This truck was found in Gary, Indiana and was in fair condition”, Dave adds. “Roger had started restoring it as a simple daily driver, but after he showed me the progress of the build, I just had to take it to the next level.” After a few brainstorming sessions, the two came up with a game plan that would leave a completely transformed pickup at the finish line.

At the foundation of the project lies a fresh SPEC chassis from Roadster Shop. The new frame was equipped with nothing but the best air ride components from the fully built IFS system and rear 4-link setup, along with Ridetech ‘bags and to promote the best ride quality possible. Baer brakes would soon help bring the C10 to a controlled stop, but the guys were just as interested in what would get the chassis rolling. A staggered set of 20×8.5 and 22×12 Billet Specialties Geometric wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport S high-performance tires would give the ’66 aggressive styling with a twist of sophistication.

When it came time to select a fresh powertrain for the C10, Roger felt it best to go big while still making the install as simple as possible. GM’s Connect and Cruise is the ideal method of pairing a crate engine of choice along with a new transmission that are both designed and calibrated for optimal compatibility. A 2021 LS3 6.2L mill was selected for its reliability and performance output, but of course, a few add-ons in the way of a PRC aluminum radiator, Billet Specialties’ Tru Trac serpentine system and valve covers, Ultimate Headers, and a custom exhaust system topped with a Flowmaster 40-Series muffler were introduced. The GM 4L60-E transmission was blessed with a C5 Corvette shifter, which will make for an exciting feature once everything was tuned to perfection. While the list of extra parts and accessories bolted onto the LS powerplant is impressive enough, it’s the amount of custom metalwork the guys at Lakeside performed within the engine bay that steals the show.

While on the topic of custom touches, the Chevy’s exterior has been masterfully shaped and molded to give it such a subtle, streamlined appearance. Roger and Bobby, along with fellow craftsman Jamie Ziegler cut down and tucked the bumpers, smoothed off and removed the vertical portion of the drip rails, sized down the original hood, smoothed the cowl vent, and relocated the gas filler to behind one of the taillights. “Over a year into the build, Roger called me and asked if I had picked a color to paint the C10”, Dave mentions. “I had stated at the beginning of the project that I wanted to see the truck painted gold, but I didn’t have a specific color picked out. It wasn’t until I noticed and tracked down a 2019 Ford Ranger that had the exact hue I wanted. The name of the color is called Saber, and it has worked out perfectly on the C10.”

Weber Custom Upholstery in Alexandria, Minnesota was contacted to assist with the truck’s interior overhaul. A set of small GM SUV seats were recovered in brown and black Alcantara material with contrasting red stitching. Weber also cooked up custom door panels, which were also covered with matching upholstery. A center console from a 2016 Chevy truck was incorporated into the cab space, which looks right at home in the C10’s cab. The steel dash has been covered with an upper pad and stuffed with Dakota Digital gauges and a Pioneer 10-inch flat screen receiver. A custom-wrapped Billet Specialties steering wheel has been added to give Dave commanding control of his truck, while a Vintage Air climate control system provides comfortable cruising conditions all year long.

“Halfway through the project, Roger asked me what I wanted to name the truck”, Dave recalls. “He wanted to create some sort of theme for the truck, but I had no clue what to call it. After some time passed, Roger called and said he came up with the name ‘Fenced In’ since I have owned and operated a fence company in California for the past 48 years. I would have never thought of that, but it works. To tie the truck’s name into its styling, Roger then made sure to add chain link patterns to complement the tailgate, engine compartment, and the interior, which turned awesome! The finished truck has wildly surpassed my expectations, and seeing it win truck-of-the-year honors at C10 Nationals in Fort Worth and being a

truck-of-the-year finalist at the Columbus Goodguys event was the perfect way to celebrate a great working relationship with the team at Lakeside.”