PROM QUEEN

For many people in the C10 community, John Oro of the C/10 Club is considered one of our founding fathers, and his Blazer, better known as the “Prom Queen” is a staple in the scene. Like most people in the spotlight, the journey to get to the limelight was a long road with many twists and turns.

As Oro was first trying to leave his mark in the scene, he sought out a 2WD Blazer. For him, these vehicles are a triple threat as they share the styling of classic trucks, fit in with old school hot rods and are the perfect roadster to cruise down by the beach when the top is taken off. Blazers definitely blur the lines between these automotive genres and are the perfect choice for those who want something versatile.

Just as Oro broke out his first Blazer at couple local events in Long Beach, CA, he was faced with offers from a few envious buddies that had to have it. One of them stepped up by dropping enough cash in his lap to pull the title. When the offer is right, you simply can’t refuse it. Though Oro had a wad of fresh cash in his pocket, he immediately missed having the Blazer and had to find another.

Luck would have it that he spotted another posted in the Recycler classifieds and noticed the price had dropped to $12K. The owner had been frustrated with bogus offers and Oro was able use that as leverage bring him down to $10K. After a few hours trip north to Tehachapi, all the pieces of this Blazer were loaded up and brought back home. Once, it was put together, Oro eventually gave it a 6/8 drop to slam it over a set of 15×10-inch wheels, because he is a bit old school. 

Though the C/10 Club was a thing, the scene was nowhere near as big as it is today. However, the club would have an annual “Get-Together” in Central, California and an unknown appliance repairman named Dino Battilana started to hang out with this crew. Awe-struck by the comradery, Dino decided to have a bit of a shindig at his house on the Friday before the Goodguys Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

For the second year of the hang out, it was moved to Dino’s shop as word grew and a larger crowd was anticipated. This time around, Oro brought the Blazer out and cruised with Del “Delmo” Uschenko to cross the state lines to what is now known as the Git Down. This would be the start of many events where this crew would get together at certain shows and kick off the C10 movement.

As the crew became tighter, they wanted to help Oro up his game on his Blazer. They hooked him up with a few companies to upgrade it a bit and it was ‘bagged on a set of Boss 338 wheels. Though “Prom Queen 2.0” had a respectable adjustable setup, it did not lay on the ground. Adding fuel to the fire, Kevin Stickle of Digital C10 made a rendering of it completely slammed and seeing it as his computer’s wallpaper for years, Oro was inspired to make it a reality.

After the 2018 Git Down, Oro dropped off Prom Queen with Kyle Oxberger of Metalox Fab to go all the way with it. Helping to make it all happen, Nate Porter of Porterbuilt provided a suspension kit with new body mounts to make this one of the lowest Blazers that tucks a set of 22-inch American Racing VF531 wheels with Toyo tires provided by Brian’s Motorsports. Then, to add a bit of a kick, Johny Gonzalez of Johny’s Garage helped by dropping in a 5.3L LS engine with 4L60E transmission.

As things were shaping up, Oro rolled with Ronnie Wetch on the C10 Talk Eastbound and Down cruise to the 2020 Lone Star Throwdown. He ended up hanging out with Sean Provost of Provost Customs and helped drive his “Super ’74” C10 back from Texas. Oro was impressed to say the least about the truck’s stereo and wanted to have something similar for Prom Queen.

During a conversation, Sean told Oro if Provost were to do the stereo, they would have to do the whole interior. He agreed and the Blazer made its’ way to Woodland, CA for the final stages. There, the Provost team made this Blazer a permanent roadster by shaving the top of the windshield frame and upper doors. At this time, Empire Fabrications dressed up the engine compartment with beautifully crafted custom sheet metal work. As a surprise, the body was painted in Glasurit materials by Prime Time Customs and the interior was decked out and filled with marine quality audio equipment.

During the time it was at Provost, all the work was kept secretive and even Oro didn’t know what was happening to his beloved Prom Queen. From time-to-time Sean would send texts asking Oro if he liked ghost flames, hinting that they were making a dramatic change to the body. With SEMA 2020 canceled, “Prom Queen 3.0” debuted at Dino’s Git Down, and when it was unveiled, Oro found out that it was indeed painted in a solid red with a peanut butter interior, which is reminiscent of the famed Ferrari color combo.

Initially, Oro was looking to have a simple Blazer he could cruise around town in, but peer pressure got to him. With a few suggestions and help from many friends and talented hands, he was able to build the vehicle of his dreams. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy, as Oro is a living legend who has in many ways helped our scene rise to the top.