For Jose Lopez, trucks have always been more than just transportation, they’ve been a way of life. From an early age, he was surrounded by them. Buying, selling, wrenching, and even hauling them back to Mexico where they would serve faithfully on the family farm. Among all those trucks, one in particular stuck with him: a 1967 Chevy C10 short bed he’d spotted sitting at a relative’s house. Every time he saw it, he’d ask the same questions: “What’s the plan for this one? Selling it?”
Years passed, and eventually the call he’d been waiting for came. “Hey, come pick up your trucks… bring the money.” Jose wasted no time making that dream a reality.
At first, the truck was still a bone-stock three-on-the-tree setup with a straight-six under the hood. Fun for a while, sure, but Jose quickly realized those factory specs didn’t cut it in today’s traffic. “It felt like I was going 95 mph, but in reality, I was getting honked at in a school crossing zone,” he joked. “The crosswalk lady almost pushed me through. It got embarrassing real quick.”
That’s when things began to change. His neighbor dropped an LS into the C10, and the project snowballed from there. What started as a simple upgrade quickly turned into a full-blown custom build and Jose knew exactly who to call.
Enter Mike “Stripes” Ratley, a craftsman with a reputation for turning visions into rolling works of art. The two teamed up, and before long a one-off 2×4 chassis was being fabricated to slide under the C10’s sheetmetal. Mike worked his magic with a custom rear air bag setup, complete with a parallel 4-link, Watts link, and cantilever shocks. Up front, a Porterbuilt Level 3 drop member brought the nose low while still keeping everything functional. Tucking neatly into the fender wells are Raceline billets, 20s in the front, 22s in the rear, giving the truck its proper stance.
But Mike didn’t stop at suspension. The body received equal attention, with extended bedsides, a fully sheet-metaled bed, and a shaved cowl panel. He then sprayed the truck in flat black using a House of Kolor base with flat clear, while the cab’s roof became a true work of art metal flake, patterns, leafing, and pinstriping all laid down with Mike’s signature style.
Inside, Jose turned to PG Auto Upholstery in Haltom City, Texas, to bring comfort and class to the cab. The team wrapped the seat in black leather and suede, installed new black loop carpet, and swapped the factory gauges for a fresh Dakota Digital cluster. For cruising tunes, Clever Crow out of Stillwater, Oklahoma, filled the cab with a full Rockford Fosgate sound system.
The finished product was more than just a truck. Jose named it “La Catrina” a tribute to the celebration of life and remembrance of loved ones who have passed. With that name came purpose: not just to honor his family’s legacy with trucks, but to create new memories with his own family as they cruise together and show the C10 at events across the country.
Looking at the truck today, Jose can’t help but feel grateful. “I’d like to thank Mike for creating such an amazing truck for me to enjoy,” he said.
From a humble straight-six farmhand to a ground-scraping, show-stopping custom, La Catrina is living proof that family, passion, and perseverance can turn a childhood dream into reality.