Table of contents for Fall 2017 in C10 Builder's Guide

“His grandfather’s truck was a symbol of his legacy, a machine that represented a lifetime of work, not something that should languish in the weeds, forgotten by most everyone.” EVERYONE TOLD HER THE truck was coming back—she had even followed the build on Facebook—but seeing the GMC roll to a stop in front of her home was enough to make Carol Barber believe in miracles. Until that moment, despite what she had been told, the truck was as good as gone. Years after he passed, Mrs. Barber would eye her husband’s ’84 GMC High Sierra through the kitchen window, watching the rain and elements punish the truck as she reminisced about the places and the memories it had given them. Since James Barber Sr. had left the rig to their…

HAVING THE RIGHT LOOK IS EVERYTHING. Sometimes the smallest detail can make or break your truck. Ray Greenlee’s ’69 C-10 was already top notch (you might even recognize it from the cover of the 2015 Fall/Winter issue), but it lacked side molding, and Ray knew the small addition would give the truck an edge. While researching products, Ray came across Mar-K. He soon discovered that the Oklahoma City-based company has been around since 1975, so it’s had time to develop a stellar product line. Ray was particularly interested in Mar-K’s side molding, which starts out as raw aluminum, and then is rolled out, just like factory versions. Next, it’s polished, anodized and the black sections are powder coated. The best part is that this is all done right here in…

WE’VE HAD OUR eye on a certain ’79 C-10 that has been sitting in our friend’s backyard for about five years. When he finally decided to sell, we were ready. The truck hasn’t run in all of that time, and it’s slowly been deteriorating. We did a little prying and discovered that the truck hadn’t been a daily-driver since 2000. Almost every part needed attention after sitting for so long, so we definitely had our work cut out for us. First and foremost, we wanted to lower our new truck, and fortunately, there are a lot of options to bring these trucks down to a more respectable static ride height. Everything from a 2/4 to a 7/9 drop has been done in the past. We wanted ours to be somewhere…

“Parts might break, motors may let go, the aero setup might not work— anything can happen at such high speeds.” SOMETIMES A FARFETCHED idea sounds amazing, then after a split second reality sets in and the idea is scrapped all together. For a select few, a farfetched vision becomes a lifelong goal, with the knowledge that one day it might result in a groundbreaking moment that goes down in history. For Rob Phillips of PCHRods, the 21-year relationship he’s enjoyed with his ’69 C-10 has developed into a farfetched idea that may yet come to fruition. There have been several adjustment periods, makeovers, new adventures and plans made throughout the past 21 years, but the next 12 months will be the most experimental, terrifying and rewarding that Rob and his…

WHEN YOU HEAR the phrase “Next Gen,” is the first thing that comes to mind how your kids will grow up to build amazing trucks? That’s what I think. I look forward to seeing what the Next Gen will come up in the face of rapidly changing technology and styles that shift from one thing to the next in the blink of an eye, thanks to the instant access of social media. I’m also interested in teaching my own children that the scene is about more than just trucks; it’s about the people. I recently took my son with me to shoot some photos of my buddy Kevin’s truck. My son is approaching 15, and he already has a C-10 that will be his first vehicle. He is, by definition,…

ONE OF THE MOST DAUNTING things about building a truck is the sheer number of parts that can accumulate during the project. Tearing things apart can seem easy enough, but then all of a sudden you don’t have a truck so much as you do a garage full of confusion, and possibly regret. Don’t fear! We’ve brought help in the form of Eric Miller. Eric is the main dude behind Squarebody Specialists, but he’s had his hand in all types of C-10s, and newer trucks, for that matter. Squarebody Specialists has been building trucks for many years and has it down to a science, so we knew Eric would be the perfect person to talk to about what we, the average C-10 garage builder, can do to make our lives…

N THE CLASSIC truck scene, there is a constant struggle between modern engineering and traditional styling. Every enthusiast has felt the pull to keep a project as factory original as possible, while they also feel the push to complete a custom infused with modern technology. For Omar “Tino” Garza, this tug o’ war led to the perfect project build. The subject was his ’79 Chevy C-10 Cheyenne, and the result is his latest venture, built to drop jaws at SEMA and sport the latest and greatest from his faithful sponsors. As you can see, Dimples is an absolute homerun, perfectly blending modern style with classic heritage. Omar’s C-10 is a bolt-by-bolt custom. Like all things that are well built, a solid foundation was developed first. The truck sports a full…

“Six years seems like an eternity when building a truck, but with help from friends and family along the way, we bet it went by a lot faster than the previous 15 years.” SIBLINGS CAN HAVE A BIG influence on a young mind, and Marty Melland’s older brothers, Doug and Denny, had a major impact on him growing up. They were both into racing, and it definitely rubbed off on Marty (hopefully not through headlocks and noogies, though). He loved to hang out with them, going to races and various events in the Washington area. It became, as it does for many of us, his life. Marty’s parents were the second owners of a ’60 C-10 that came by way of California. As is often the case with old rides,…

THERE’S JUST something about a long-bed C-10 that a lot of guys hate. They’ll go as far as passing up a good deal on a truck in decent condition solely because of its stretched out backside. Then there are those who brutally hack up a perfectly good bed (and frame) in order to feed their sick short-bed fetish. Truth is, that’s the norm. The lineup of dudes who prefer a long-bed over its more compact counterpart is, well, short. The guys who are down for a little extra meat on the bone, however, are typically the type who celebrate being members of the minority. What difference does 20 inches make anyway? That’s how much extra a long bed has over a short-bed model. Aesthetically, the difference is meaningful enough to…

RYAN WEHRLI HAS ALWAYS been a truck guy who loves older iron, especially the 1967-72 C-10s. After a few years of driving his Cummins-powered ’06 Dodge, he grew bored with it, so he embarked on a new project to make an old truck new again. As the fabrication shop manager for Wehrli Custom Fab (WCFab) in Sycamore, Illinois, he had the expertise and access to the tools and space needed to create his dream truck. He hoped to find a C-10 truck, and then put a Duramax drivetrain and chassis underneath it to make it the ultimate driver. When a WCFab customer wanted to sell his ’06 2WD regular cab long-bed truck, Wehrli knew he’d discovered the foundation for his project and scooped it up. It was a nice truck,…

“After many hours of bodywork to smooth the exterior, custom white was mixed up and laid across the C-10’s skin.” GROWING UP, MIKE BALDWIN always liked cars. When he was a kid there were plenty of makes and models that could turn his head. However, not many stayed with him like a certain truck a coworker owned back in his high school days, a ’67 Chevy C-10. Something about the simplicity of that truck always resonated with Mike. As the years went by, Mike built and owned many different vehicles worth discussing, yet that C-10 was always lurking at the back of his mind. Fast-forward 20 years to October 2015, when Mike got the chance to buy a ’67 C-10 of his very own and grabbed it. Having multiple builds…

These kits are great because they are sold in all-inclusive packages complete with all of the pieces and parts needed for successful installation. The larger diameter rotors and multi-piston calipers featured in the big brake kits are no joke, as they were designed to stop with authority. The more premium kits are just as great for show as they are for performance, and some of the premium rotor/caliper combos can be just as impressive as the big wheels they sit behind. These kits sometimes require the use of larger wheels (18-inch diameter and up), and are also more compatible with certain spindle setups, but if you plan on lowering your truck anyway, you’re in luck because these are ideal. 14-inch Revelator Brake System FOR THOSE LOOKING TO COMPLETELY OVERHAUL THEIR…

IF YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN the world of C-10s for any length of time, you’ve probably heard of the One ’N’ Done series, organized by Joey “Broey” Carberry of Phoenix. The concept is pretty straightforward: build a custom truck in one day. Throughout the years the crew has done some amazing things, all of which we’ve covered previously in our sister publication, Street Trucks. One thing that the series was missing was women. Sure, wives and friends of the teams that assembled these trucks would often be on hand, but they never participated. That meant there was an opportunity to change up the One ’N’ Done format just a bit. When Rio Battilana entered the picture, everything came together. Rio is the daughter of Dino Battilana, the legendary truck builder…

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS REGARDED AS THE birthplace of hot-rodding. With the Pacific coast well within a few miles of most locals, cruising the scenic routes was a common pastime back in the early days of custom autos. Not only were there plenty of sites to see while behind the wheel of your American iron, there were plenty of places to settle feuds one quarter-mile at a time. The area is still very active, and there are even plenty of customs still around. In fact, SoCal is one of the better regions to find a project truck because the low humidity and dry weather minimize the effects of aging. With plenty of trucks in the area still waiting to be found, there are folks seizing the opportunity to purchase and improve…

LET’S FACE IT: PATINA TRUCKS ARE rad! It’s their unique character that makes them so intriguing. Patina trucks have also captured our hearts and minds because they encourage us to appreciate how hard these trucks worked thanks to the scars they wear. Faking patina isn’t well regarded in the classic truck scene. Many will tell you that there is no substitute for allowing the natural, fairly won age to show on vintage iron. But, there are a few exceptions to the rule. If you need to replace a body panel or make a repair, faux patina will look much more natural than shiny, new or mismatched parts. Such was the case for our ’62 GMC. When, we picked it up, it had a huge camper in the bed and was…