There are plenty of reasons why folks choose to build the custom vehicles they do. Sometimes the reason doesn’t go much further than having a cool truck to rip around town in, but in the end, that’s all the reason there needs to be. Eric and Cynthia Pierce of ProTouring Texas have built their business on catering to enthusiasts looking to inject horsepower and overall excitement into the rides they choose to piece together. While there is some truth to the old adage of shop owners rarely having the opportunity to build something special for their own enjoyment, Eric did seize the moment to build a classic truck that struck a nostalgic chord inside of him.
“My very first pickup was a blue and white Custom Deluxe C10”, Eric says. “My younger brother wrecked it, and I’ve been trying to find one to replace it ever since.” Well, luckily for Eric, he just happened to run into a guy selling one in his home base Dallas-Fort Worth area. Surprisingly, he hadn’t seen or heard about this truck lurking around the region, but he figured he might as well take the leap and make the purchase.
“After taking the truck to a few local meets and car shows, I discovered that it was a bit of a conversation starter”, Eric adds. “I ended up meeting several previous owners of the truck I had just bought within a short amount of time. This guy and that guy seemed to have owned it at some point throughout the years, and one person even showed me some original photos of the truck at the Hot August Nights show back in the early 2000’s. It was a little weird to meet so many ex-owners, and because of that my wife started to liken the truck to a sorority girl because she has been around. It was a funny joke then, and it still makes us laugh – that’s how the Sorority Girl name stuck.”
After cruising the truck in as-is condition for some time, Eric and Cynthia were simply enjoying their C10 while planning to improve upon its condition at some point, although the urge to jump into anything substantial hadn’t come up yet. “One night we drove the truck to go grab some dinner, which happened to be a turning point in the truck’s future, even though we weren’t aware of it”, Eric says. “We went inside the restaurant to order some tacos, and while we were ordering, someone runs inside and yells something about a truck on fire outside. Of course, it had to be ours. Some old wiring had been loose and melted to the exhaust. While the damage wasn’t extensive, it was enough to slow me down on wanting to make the repairs. Luckily, Cynthia was there to talk some sense into me through a motiving pep talk about remembering what I wanted to do with the truck before this unfortunate event happened.”
Well, that little talk sparked a fire. Before he knew it, Eric’s C10 was being torn apart in-house by the ProTouring Texas crew. The truck was previously ‘bagged, so it was already equipped with a rear triangulated 4-link and air springs. The 4-link was still going to serve a purpose going forward, although the ‘bags were tossed aside for a set of Ridetech coil-overs to keep up with the type of driving Eric prefers. Coil-overs were also utilized at the front end, as were CPP modular spindles to provide a decent drop in ride height as well as responsive ride quality. The existing braking components were then removed to make room for Baer Pro+ 6-pistons and 14-inch rotors to bring the truck to a halt in a more purposeful fashion. After a few more additions to the chassis system, a slick set of fresh Billet Specialties Razor wheels and Nitto tires, Eric’s truck was a lot closer to heading off to the races.
To truly increase the C10’s prowess on the track, there would most certainly need to be a sizable engine swap in the very near future. Fortunately, this is well within Eric’s wheelhouse as that is one field ProTouring Texas specializes in. The mill of choice was a 2019 LT1 that Eric was planning on upgrading before installation. Among the highlights of the add-ons was a Brian Tooley cam, Texas Speed CNC-ported cylinder heads, a custom 4-inch air cleaner, Ultimate Headers, and a one-off handmade exhaust system by David Frantz that flows through Black Widow mufflers.
“One of the most challenging parts of the build that we encountered was tuning the LT 10-speed because no one had done it yet back when we were working on it in 2019”, Eric admits. “A longtime friend, and our tuner Andy Moye was able to get the truck flashed and driving great after many hours of trial and error on the dyno and street tuning.”
While the exterior showed just the right amount of natural aging, Eric decided to have Justin Boyd at Detail Garage in Keller, TX paint-correct and ceramic coat the C10’s facade to preserve its appearance while substantially slowing down any further wear and tear from the elements. The interior, however, was in much need of some sprucing up. PG Auto Upholstery stepped in to recover the factory bench seat with blue and plaid upholstery to match the colors already present throughout the rest of the truck. A fresh dash, door panels, carpet and Dakota Digital gauges further clean up the confines of the C10’s cab space. Brusome Design wired up a full sound system that features a Kenwood head unit, amps and 10-inch subwoofer that has been stealthily mounted behind the seat in a compact enclosure. Hertz speakers round out the audio signals, and to enable comfortable cruising during all times of the year, a Vintage Air climate control system was also added to the list of in-cab amenities.
At the end of the day, Eric ended up with a classic C10 that possesses the ‘cool’ factor that appeals to a mass amount of truck fans. It also not only reflects his personal styling but the enjoyment of performance and drivability, which are two very important aspects that are at the forefront of his business. Most importantly, even after all the changes it underwent, the truck is familiar to his very first pickup, so it meets that all-too-important nostalgic criteria that is worth its weight in gasoline.
ERIC PIERCE ‘77 SCOTTSDALE
- 019 Chevy LT1 6.2L assembled by Eric Pierce
- 601 HP @ 6800RPM / 538 lbs-ft @ 5600 RPM
- Brian Tooley Stage 2 camshaft
- Texas Speed CNC-ported cylinder heads
- DeWitts aluminum radiator
- Custom 4-inch air cleaner
- 1.75-inch Ultimate Headers w/ 3-inch collector
- Handmade 2.5-inch exhaust system by David Frantz of ProTouring Texas w/ Stainless Bros individual bends
- Black Widow 250 muffler
- Holley mid-mount accessories
- Chevy 10L90E transmission
- Circle D torque converter
- 4-inch aluminum Sonnax billet yoke
- Factory frame w/ modified Ridetech front, and triangulated four-link previously setup for ‘bags, now equipped with Ridetech coil-overs
- CPP modular spindles
- Fox single-adjustable shocks
- Quick ratio steering box
- Ididit steering column
- Shortened 12-bolt rear end
- Trutrac limited slip differential
- Moser axles
- Rear Viking double-adjustable shocks
- Baer Pro+ 6-piston American Bad Ass 14-inch brakes
- Detroit Speed master cylinder and booster
- Aeromotive 340-liter-per-hour fuel tank, pulse width modulated
- 19x10 and 19x12 Billet Specialties Razor wheels
- 285/35/19 and 345/30/19 Nitto Invo tires
- Naturally weathered Hawaiian Blue/white paint
- Paint corrected and ceramic coated by Justin Boyd of Detail Garage, Keller, TX
- Sorority Girl graphic by Graphic Disorder
- Reworked factory seats w/ blue/Highlander plaid vinyl upholstery by Pedro of PG Auto Upholstery, Haltom City, TX
- Loop-style blue carpet
- USA 1 Industries dash and door panels
- Dakota Digital gauges with Protouring Texas logo
- Kenwood Bluetooth receiver, amplifier and 10-inch sub by Brusome Design, Decatur, TX
- Hertz 6.5 and 6x9 speakers
- Vintage Air climate control
- American Auto Wire fit and hidden by Brandon Loggins of ProTouringTexas