Delmo 4X4 Adds Performance, Rugged Style to Old Trucks

“We want to keep our menu simple, just like In-N-Out Burger. You can have this and this and this.”

It has been an interesting path for Del Uschenko to get to Prescott and find his niche customizing classic American pickup trucks from the 1950s and ‘60s with modern performance gear and vintage style.

Imagine driving a fully restored 1959 Chevy Apache four-wheel drive truck, fueled by a 525-horsepower engine that can outpace a roadrunner. It’s one of Uschenko’s latest builds for his local company, Delmo 4X4.

He grew up in Calgary, Alberta. Eventually, he had a hot rod shop there. He decided in 2009 to move 1,200 miles south to sunny California with his wife, Ola.

“It snows for seven months of the year so it’s a bummer having a nice car there,” he said of Calgary.

The Uschenkos landed on their feet. Ola got a nursing job at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills. Del went to work at Hollywood Hot Rods in Burbank. A year later, he moved to a shared garage nearby with a friend who had the Old Crow Speed Shop.

Next, Uschenko rebuilt a 1965 Chevy C-10 pickup, lowering it but keeping the faded-paint patina and adding larger diameter stock wheels with 10-inch “dog dish” hubcaps.

“Things blew up from there,” he said. “From then on, I was kind of considered a truck guy. It was busy. It was new and it was fresh.”

Hot Rod Magazine in 2013 noted that his unusual style of customizing trucks was “attracting a lot fans.”

Uschenko’s move to Arizona came in 2015 after scouting in Austin – “too humid, too busy.” Colorado was “too wintry.”

“No way were we living in Phoenix – too hot.”

So, they headed north to Prescott.

“We went to Whiskey Row, had some drinks, stayed at the St. Michael’s Hotel and fell in love with the town in one weekend. It was that easy. In five weeks, we had a house.”

Now Uschenko, 53, works from home with three employees wrenching on a handful of old trucks. They currently include:

Two Ford 4WD pickups from 1967 and 1969

1967 Chevy C-10 low rider

1971 4WD Chevy Suburban that has been shortened 8½ inches

1971 Chevy K5 Blazer

Uschenko said he has a yard full of trucks his clients can choose from unless they have an heirloom truck they want restored.

“We decide on a body style and a paint color and I take it from there,” he said, sticking primarily to factory colors.

Options include a custom camper shell and a side of horsepower. It can be a General Motors LS3 engine with 525 horsepower or a super-charged LS3 engine with up to 1,200 horsepower. The LS3 engine, a small-block V8, was used in Corvettes and Camaros until a decade ago.

Regarding the 1959 Chevy Apache Uschenko built, he describes it as his “flagship truck.” He plans to sell the pickup priced at $480,000 but hasn’t figured out the best way to market it. Prices for his restored trucks start at $385,000.

If that seems steep, six-figure prices are not unusual for the most sought-after classic trucks. Velocity Restoration, a high-volume shop in Florida, lists prices for its half-century-old trucks on its website:

$399,900 for a 1977 Ford Bronco.

$309,900 for a 1967 Ford F-100.

$351,900 for a Chevy K5 Blazer.

Uschenko said his Delmo Apache is “so much fun to drive.”

“Unfortunately, it’s almost too nice to take off road but it has the capability to do anything you want.”

The Apache is a toy, not a daily driver, Uschenko explained.

“These buyers are people who already have a Ferrari. This is a person who has done well and is into cars and just has a soft spot for the old classic pickup trucks. They bring back memories.”

The rebuilt trucks still have roll-up windows, a dimmer switch on the floor and you have to reach across the cab to unlock the door.

“Those are all the things that are romantic about the old trucks.”

The modern upgrades include the fuel-injected LS3 engine, overdrive, an adjustable suspension, 13-inch disc brakes, air conditioning, a big stereo, backup camera and power side steps.

“We don’t overload the truck with new technology,” Uschenko said. “It’s in there and it works but you can’t really spot it.”

So, what’s on the horizon for Delmo 4×4?

The mechanics plan to work on a 1968 Bronco and restore some crew cab trucks, Uschenko said.   

“We want to keep our menu simple, just like In-N-Out Burger. You can have this and this and this.” FBN

By Peter Corbett, FBN

Courtesy Photo: This 1959 Chevrolet Apache pickup is a flagship restoration project for Prescott-based Delmo 4X4.