Table of contents for Winter 2019 in C10 Builder's Guide

THE CULT OF personalities that harbor in this large but tightknit community of Chevy C10 diehards include some of the most passionate and determined gearheads I’ve met in a long time. “An excessive admiration for a particular person or thing” is the actual definition of cult, and we don’t think any other adjectives would be more fitting. Analysts, debaters, diplomats and advocators are just some of the multiple personalities at any classic Chevy or GMC event. Including myself, we have the same unexplainable draw to these timeless works of art that were overlooked by the masses at their peak of manufacturing. Swap out a few parts and show one a little love and you’ll be addicted for life. It’s a relationship that can be personal enough to remember but valuable…

IF IT DOESN’T exist—build it. That’s how this whole custom thing is supposed to work, right? With all the ready-made products designed to make an LS swap easier, for example, the wide availability of parts and support from the aftermarket tends to push builders into naturally selecting an LS motor for their project vehicle. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if an LS is exactly what you want planted in your truck (and you’d be a little loony not to want that). But for builders who want to stray from trending modifications, they are forced to walk away from these preassembled, troubleshot kits that offer the ultimate level of convenience in a single package. Taking on larger jobs like these usually pays off…in the end. Until that point is…

IN THOSE GOLDEN OLDEN DAYS OF the last century, when you wanted to learn a trade, you apprenticed under a master craftsman. When he felt that you were ready, he would assign you a masterpiece and your work would be evaluated by the craft guild. Your entry into your chosen field would be dependent on the quality of your work. While the guild and its evaluation process may be gone, the desire to create a masterpiece is still alive and well. As a student in Wyotech at the Laramie, Wyoming, campus, Justin Short learned from the best. He’s always been into cool rides, thanks to growing up in an automotive-oriented family where his dad encouraged a love for cars and trucks at an early age. The experts at Wyotech developed…

FIVE YEARS AGO, Shayne Marckstadt of Hesperia, California, received some tough news: His mother, Leslie Kondrotas, was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. He knew he needed to do something to help with her medical costs, so with the help of friends in Unforgiven Minitruck Club, he organized the first Cruisin’ for Cancer in 2015. The show brought in about 180 custom rides and raised $800. After seeing how much awareness and support Cruisin’ for Cancer brought to the truck scene, Shayne and Unforgiven decided to create an annual event. It moved from a Wendy’s parking lot to San Joaquin Valley College’s parking lot in Hesperia, where more vehicles could be accommodated. Shayne reached out to the American Cancer Society for support, and the organization stepped up and has been…

OUR 1965 CHEVY C10 project truck, project Raven, is really starting to take a turn toward completion. We are super excited to see this truck hit the road, and you get to sit in the front row during the whole build process. In the last issue, we broke down this entire project part by part and let you know our budgets and path the success. Now it is time to get to work. Our man Dallas Maynard from Full Pen Fabrication has the green light to begin. The first task on the list is to remove the bed and clean the rear frame rails. We are swapping the suspension and brakes so all that has to go. The factory fuel cell sits inside the cab and we can’t possibly think…

Quick Ratio C10 Power Steering Box BORGESON UNIVERSAL COMPANY NOW OFFERS THE ONLY quick ratio power steering box to replace the Saginaw/Delphi 800 series in the 1968-1986 Chevrolet C10 trucks. This all new power steering box has a quick 12:7:1 ratio with firm modern steering feel. It will bolt directly to the stock location and fit to the original power steering pitman arms. Trucks switching from manual steering will require a power steering pitman arm. Steering box includes adapters to be able to use either O-ring or flare style hose connections. This new Borgeson steering box uses a ¾-inch 30 spline input shaft, and all pre-1977 trucks will require a new rag joint connector #990012. Part #800132 MSRP $495 Borgeson Universal Company www.borgeson.com 860-482-8283 Tunnel Tricks NEW TRANSMISSION TUNNEL KITS…

GENUINELY, THIS IS A show like no other. Right on the coast of Mobile, Alabama, the Battle in Bama not only has the Gulf Coast with the USS Alabama battleship in the background, but it also has tanks, a museum and war planes all included throughout the show grounds. This family friendly event has so much to offer showgoers and vehicle owners alike. Hosted at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, this year’s Battle in Bama had one of the most quality line ups in cars we have ever run across in one place. With areas such as the C10 Million Dollar row, VIP row and the ’90s Reunion zone, it’s safe to say this show had it all. If our word isn’t enough for you, just to ask a…

AMERICAN-MADE, HIGH-quality products have a massive impact on not only the truck industry, but on almost every other industry in today’s modern world. The level of quality and skill that come with handmade American goods is second to none and incomparable to their brand rivals to the East. If you’re cool with an inexpensive, less-than-perfect part on your custom-built truck, then you have some options out there. But if you’re looking for perfection and craftsmanship that you can be proud to show off, you may want to start looking local. This month’s American Made feature story highlights one of the C10 community’s top fuel cell producers in the country: Boyd Welding. The company specializes in custom fuel tanks and small to medium quantity production runs. Each and every Boyd tank…

BUILDING A TRUCK FROM THE ground up or taking on a comprehensive customizing effort is an amazing experience, but it’s not for everyone. If your workspace is out at the curb and your tool set fits in the kitchen drawer, buying an already-completed truck solves lots of problems. One look will tell you if the style is right, and a test drive deals with the rest. Even experienced builders occasionally enjoy the benefits of instant gratification. As an active enthusiast for the last 50 years, Giuseppe (Joe) Ciottariello from Randolph, New Jersey, has done it both ways, building and buying additions to his collection. Born in Italy, Joe arrived in this country at the ripe old age of 15. He started out pushing a broom, but his dedication and work…

A LITTLE OVER FIVE YEARS ago, the first C10 Builder’s Guide was on newsstands, and I can remember being so excited to get my hands on that initial issue. Old Aux and Grey Goose graced the cover, and I knew this was the start of something big for the C10 community. Our own magazine—the C10 Bible. If you are reading this, you now know the issues are packed with all of the best builds, the best tech and the products we use and need! Around that same time, I was told to check out this thing called Instagram. I thought Instagram was something moms did to make their pictures look better. Really! Boy, was I wrong. This social media tool catapulted the car scene from the forum era to social…

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO enjoy trucks, even people who collect trucks, but if you ever have the chance to meet Todd Carpenter, you will realize he is in a category of his own. Todd lives in a Nebraska town called Grand Island. Without getting into the irony of a town in a landlocked state having “island” in its name, let’s focus on the facts. Grand Island has a population of 51,390 people as of 2018. Though we do not have the official numbers, we would bet money that Todd and the Big Fish Garage crew own more K5s, C10s and like-era trucks on their own than the rest of the population there combined. Owning everything from perfect stock rare editions to modified lifted and lowered ones, Todd and his sea…

SOMETIMES WE GO LOOKING FOR a project, while other times the project finds us. Chris Barnhill of Rocky Point, North Carolina, had always admired his great uncle’s ’85 GMC Suburban, imagining its potential as a pavement scraping behemoth. In a bittersweet turn of events a few years ago, Chris’ great uncle passed away and left the truck to him, knowing that he’d be the perfect caretaker for it. In fact, Chris would not only take care of it, but he would transform it into an amazingly unique ride that would surely make its original owner proud. It took four years of hard work to get the Suburban to where it is now, but working on the GMC himself and taking things slow allowed Chris to operate within a small budget…

CHRISTOPHER ZINEVICH GREW up around custom cars and trucks. His dad helped mold his mind into building things that either went fast or could be customized. For many years, the two worked together as a well-oiled team, rebuilding a Twin-Turbo 1964 VW Bug to make it go even faster or grinding away on their 1950 Chevy truck. Dan had noticed Christopher’s great work ethic and knowledge for troubleshooting mechanical problems, and he approached him with an offer: If he was able to get that C10 up and running reliably, he could use it as his daily driver. That was music to Christopher’s ears and the challenge was accepted. After high school, Christopher went to work for Tallant’s Hot Rods as a mechanic/fabricator at the shop in Kansas City, Missouri. There…

A RECENT SPECIAL INVITATION TO THE UNITED Pacific Industries open house in Long Beach, California, gave us backstage access to an invite-only truck show along with and an in-depth factory tour. This all access pass gave us a first look at United Pacific’s up and coming new products for the classic American truck market. You may recognize the company name as a leader in the commercial trucking industry, and now it is quickly making a name for itself in the industry we all know and love. For this event, we were particularly interested in its all new products for the ’60-’87 lineup of Chevy trucks. UPI’s product line includes a wide variety of parts, from sheetmetal panels to chrome classic truck accessories and even modern LED lighting. With more than…