When you're starting a project, you have to have passion for the vehicle. It's similar to meeting and dating someone new. If there's no chemistry, what's the point in pretending? Robert Wallace of Cleveland, North Carolina, found an old farm truck that was on the fast track to a salvage yard. But, there was just something about it that drew him in, chemistry. Sure, he paid little, but the truck he desired was a late-'60s Chevy C10.
Not long after Robert bartered for the rusty Stepside, he dismantled the body panels from the foundation. He replaced the front subframe with a '76 Chevy 1/2-ton with disc brakes, Belltech 2-inch drop springs, Belltech 3-inch drop spindles, and Speedway short shocks. Then, he narrowed the rear framerails, using 2x6-inch box tubing, to make way for the 21.5-inch-wide tires. Holding the rims and tires in place is a coilover and ladder bar rear suspension setup that holds the shortened Ford 9-inch rearend, stuffed with 4.56 Richmond gears. To finish off the chassis, Robert secured the steering system, steering column, and brake system from a '76 Chevy, as well.
Moving on to the motor, Robert realized he had no interest in renewing the straight-six powerplant, so he picked up a 350 small-block and started by punching it out 0.030 over. Then, he packed it full with all sorts of goodies, such as Crane solid lifters, rockers, and a two-grind bumpstick. But, the fun doesn't stop there, because he also added forged rods and pistons, with the whole package fired off by MSD. With a solid foundation, it was time to bolt on the Dyers polished-aluminum intake manifold, with a polished-to-perfection Dyers 6-71 blower being fed by a pair of 750-cfm double-pumper carbs. Robert backed the engine with an '85 700-R4, which he optimized with a TCI 3,000-stall converter and trans cooler, controlled by a Hurst shifter.
As the title implies, this truck was a farm truck, so the C10's exterior needed massive help. Robert opted to haul the body panels and chassis to Dean Custom Paint and Body for some down and dirty bodywork. Hours passed by, as the crew meticulously massaged away the rusty sheetmetal, while welding and smoothing patch panels wherever necessary. They frenched the stereo antenna, molded in a roll pan, and cleaned up the tailgate. With his metal craft complete, Dean grabbed a can of Sea Green that he skillfully applied over a Chroma basecoat. Once the paint had cured, Robert installed the polished aluminum floor and stainless steel bed-strip kit. Then, they wired the pickup with a Painless wiring harness.
Now that Robert had a running pickup, he took the truck over to One Stop Custom Shop for an impressive interior. The crew replaced the vinyl dashpad with leather dyed tan. They trimmed the electric bucket seats in tan leather, as well as the door panels and headliner. In addition, tan wool carpet was used to cover the cab floor, and an '87 Camaro center console was used to house the multiple gauges and Hurst shifter.
Apart from enhancing comfort in the interior with the planned addition of an air-conditioning system, Robert's C10 took three years to build. If you happen to see Robert cruising around town, be sure to wave and enjoy the low, eye-grabbing appearance of his C10. But, don't ask him to race, unless you want to hear the truck scream or to get a better look at those taillights.