C10 Builder's Guide Fall 2020

DOWNTIME IS A word we have all been hearing a lot of over the past couple of months. The worldwide pandemic put the country on hold, leaving most men and women at home with nothing but time on their hands. You can only watch so many movies and play so many board games before anyone would go crazy. Luckily the internet is still plugged in and content can still be delivered directly to your phone on a daily basis. Or you can finally clear out the garage and start assembling your project truck. Even if you don’t have everything to finish it, get reacquainted with—and re-excited about—that truck of your dreams. Take some updated photos of its current look and write down a new list of every part you still…

To update you with our ’65 Chevy C10 known as Project Raven, we have it back from the shop and covered up in the driveway. A new interior is being made thanks to the hardworking crew at TMI Interiors, but until it arrives, Raven is also in quarantine. The truck runs and drives amazing after installing our FiTech EFI conversion, and everything works as it should after the factory wires were removed and replaced. With most of the shops closed and a bunch of manufacturers running with skeleton crews, our wishful deadline will have to be pushed back a few weeks. But that’s OK because it gives us time to save more money!…

Swap in a Box BACK IN THE OLDEN DAYS, DOING MOST ENGINE SWAPS REQUIRED A LOT OF WORK BEFORE YOU EVEN TURNED A WRENCH. It’s a different world today. Swap kits are readily available for putting all sorts of engines into all sorts of vehicles. Take Trans-Dapt’s Swap-in-a-Box Complete Engine Swap Kits. Trans-Dapt got together with Hedman Headers and Hamburger’s Performance Products to engineer kits that make engine swaps easy-peasy. Many kits also include a transmission crossmember and mount pad for an automatic or manual transmission. But the biggest choice you’ll have to make is which headers you want—shorty, mid-length or full length; steel, stainless steel, silver or black ceramic-coated; primary diameter. Summit Racing Equipment www.summitracing.com 800-230-3030 10,000 RPM! THE NEW AUTO GAGE 3¾-INCH PEDESTAL 0-10,000 RPM TACHOMETER WITH SHIFT…

ORIGINALLY PASSED DOWN from his father, this ’63 Chevy C10 was parked while Joe Slade and his wife, Misty, saved their money for years hoping to bring the truck back to life one day. Eventually, the savings account was ready to be drained and Joe was ready to drive. The first thing he did was drop the truck off to be chemically dipped and re-coated to remove any hidden rust. With an empty canvas ready for styling, Joe delivered his C10 to a hot rod shop with dreams and aspirations the like of most truck owners in our industry. And, like many others, Joe and Misty threw thousands of dollars at the shop in hopes of having their dream become a reality, only to be disappointed. After seeing the truck…

We made sure to put patience first and try to come to an understanding that we were going to have to spend more money than we first anticipated, but it was all worth every extra month and extra dollar we spent. FOR SOME BUILDERS, CRAZY AND over the top just isn’t their style. Some choose smooth and simple styling due to a preference in overall clean aesthetics, while other truck fans lean toward the ease of function when it comes down to the reliability of their ride. The exact reasons vary case by case, but the general consensus in creating a highly streamlined pickup comes right down to getting everything that’s needed, and bypassing much of what isn’t. Doug and Jessica Waldrup of Bartlett, Tennessee, found themselves in the market…

FEW INDOOR SHOWS BOAST THE storied history of the Grand National Roadster Show, and in its 71st annual iteration, held Jan. 24-26 in Pomona, California, once again it did not disappoint. Contenders for the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award may have been the center of attention, but our focus was on the trucks that were entered. What the GNRS might have lacked in quantity, it certainly made up for in quality. The array of trucks present this year were among the finest in the Western U.S., with a few brought from even further, such is the attraction of this particular event. At the L.A. County Fairgrounds’ Fairplex, where the show takes place, each building had a prevailing theme. Building 4, where the AMBR contenders were located, had the most foot traffic…