Table of contents for Fall 2021 in C10 Builder's Guide

YOU GUYS ARE WILD! THE C10 community is an amazing group to be part of. The love and support we see shared and spoken at events and online is unlike any other tribe of truck enthusiasts on the planet. We speak the same language, we like the same entertainment and we all give praise to the almighty Chevy. It’s a strange bond we share so strongly with each other, yet is 100% absent from almost everyone else in our day to day lives. The real question isn’t, “Why do we love these trucks so much?” It’s, “Why don’t they live and breathe C10 trucks as well?” I mean really—what else is there to think about? It’s actually funny to see some faces of a non-truck person listen to some of…

BRIAN WOJCIK IS THE lucky owner of this killer patina-clad ’77 C10 Scottsdale, as well as half-owner of the very shop that built it. Brian currently resides in Las Vegas, but the shop that he is very much invested in, Smoky Mountain Rod & Customs, is based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Sure, that’s a big piece of space that stands in his way, but luckily Brian found himself a great partner in Rob Perry. The two are able to get together, make things happen and bridge that nearly 2,000-mile gap with constant communication and a likeminded devotion to creating the coolest custom vehicles. Brian has handled the financial aspect of the business from the start, and Rob handles the day-to-day business side of things, which means he is hands-on with the…

WHEN YOU’RE HOOKED, you’re hooked—there’s just no way around it. Jim Fields of Fort Worth, Texas, knew instantly when he was caught up in the whole performance truck thing hook, line and sinker. Jim has always been partial to classic GM pickups, as he has owned a customized one for a while now, but just in the last couple years has he experienced something unlike anything else like it in the automotive world that forced him to take action with his old GMC truck. “I’ve always liked the ’73-’87 Squarebody trucks,” Jim says. “I lucked out during my search for a truck as a ’73 with a somewhat rare original olive/white color combo crossed my path. It was pretty clean and rust free, and the natural patina was to my…

SOLD OUT WITH more than 800 trucks! That’s the current situation for the 2021 C10 Intervention, which has recently moved to Woodland, California, at the Gold Country Fairgrounds. This 1908-1998 all Chevy and GMC truck event is heading into its fourth year. Each year brings a higher level of build quality and spectator knowledge, so we can’t imagine what we are going to see this year. Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-5, is the date for the 2021 C10 Intervention, and we promise you we will be there with cameras in hand! Brothers Truck Parts is the lead partner on this event, and with a name like that you know this event is all about the DIY truck guy/gal. The event is open and free spectators during the day, and then…

TRUE BARNYARD FINDS JUST don’t happen very often anymore. Stephen Williams of Allardt, Tennessee, got lucky. He came across a pretty unique barn find in December 2018. He had been searching for a truck to build for quite some time. One day, Stephen came across a ’64 C10 when he was scrolling through the Kansas Craigslist. The truck had been stored untouched for several years, and the owners were ready to get rid of it. Stephen got a plan together to pick up the C10, and before he knew it, a car hauler was headed to Kansas to bring the truck home. As soon as Stephen got the truck in his garage, they hit the ground running. “We took our time on this build,” he says. “We blew it completely…

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LIKE MANY BOYS WHO GROW UP in a rural setting, when John McGraw, Jr., turned 15, his attention changed from Midlothian, Texas, youth sports to personal transportation. He would soon be old enough to drive, and his quest for independence would come in the form of a faded blue 1970 Chevy truck. The object of his automotive obsession was located right around the corner from his parents’ home sitting on rusted steel wheels with flat tires. John’s dad pointed out that the asking price was a bit high for a truck that didn’t have a motor. The young man would not be dissuaded, and his persistent pestering of the neighbor finally paid off. That weathered and worn stepside was eventually hauled home. John McGraw, Sr., is well known in the…

IF YOU’RE A TRUCK FAN LIVING anywhere close to the southeast corner of the country, you are probably already familiar with the largest car show and swap meet in the Sunshine State. Now in its 47th year, it won’t be long before the legendary Turkey Run celebrates its golden anniversary. Always the largest automotive event in Florida and the largest combined car show and swap meet in the country, this show draws participants from around the country and often from around the world. Days before the gates at the Daytona International Speedway opened, Car Corral spaces were sold out along with Artisan Alley and vendor spaces. Swap Meet spaces were rapidly approaching capacity and were packed by Thanksgiving Day. Photos from the observation deck, seven floors up, showed that the…

CELEBRATING ITS FIFTH YEAR, ORANGE BEACH Invasion 2021 was stacked with lifted and lowered trucks, under-construction and fully finished builds, and even a few of those weird looking “lean” trucks. All types of vehicles are welcome to this yearly show-and-shine event, which is what makes Orange Beach Invasion such a great show. More than 900 vehicles filled the grounds of The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama, and an additional few thousand spectators hit the venue street and shops to stimulate the local economy by supporting the businesses at The Wharf. It’s so nice to give back! Tons of vendors came out to support the show as well. From custom wheels to temporary tattoos and even a Ferris wheel for the kids, you could find it in Orange Beach. As the…

NOVEMBER 2018 IS WHEN Greg Dennis of Leesville, South Carolina, decided to begin Operation TRAMP on his 1982 Chevrolet C10. As every vehicle enthusiast knows, it’s hard to keep a vehicle stock! Greg knew that in order to make this truck perfect, he would have to start from scratch. He “blew the truck apart” all the way down to the frame. First, Greg dropped the truck off with Dwayne Heape at Xtreme Customs in Lexington, South Carolina. Dwayne and his crew were able to keep the original frame for the build. The guys at the shop modified the frame and added a Rydman Ranch complete front dropmember and back half. Dwayne also had to modify the radiator support for what was to come. Greg wanted this C10 to lay completely…

YOU WANT HOW MUCH TO PAINT IT? How many times have you said that! Or how many perfect trucks have you found on the marketplace, only to realize the paint is faded and the cost to repaint would remove any profit when you go to sell it? We’ve always known the option to wrap your truck was available and affordable, but what about restyling your truck with some classic graphic design without breaking the bank or taking it off the road for a month or so? The boys at Low Sierra Company sat around and analyzed that problem before coming up with this solution: Design a new, modern stripe package with older influences and colors. It was a great idea, and now they are in the decal business—and business is…

TRUCKS HAVE CERTAINLY evolved over the last century. At first, they were simply built to offer more cargo room than cars, since they were pretty much just built on passenger car chassis. Once truck-specific chassis were made, they were able to carry heavier loads at the expense of a rougher ride. Once consumers had had enough of that, manufacturers figured out a way to not only increase cargo capacity, but also offer a decent ride. Today, well—we simply want it all. We all have our own ideas of what makes the perfect truck, but for most of us, hauling stuff is no longer at the top of the list! Chris Chandler from Campbell, California, can certainly relate. His love of C10s runs deep, but the only thing Chris was interested…

HERE WE GO AGAIN! EACH YEAR, the crew at the C10 Builder’s Guide collectively puts together its list for this year’s best wheel and tire options for your next project. Whether you’re looking to lift it, lower it, reset it or drag it, you can find something for your style over the next few pages. The trend of bright chrome or heavily polished rollers is still strong in this game, but colors and custom finishes have made quite the impression over the last few years, which is exciting to see. Now you have the ability to personalize and customize your vehicle without modifying its factory characteristics if that’s the path you were looking to take. We don’t only document the best on the market, but we also dive deep into…

WHEN JOHN EILERMANN of St. Louis, Missouri, turned to Jeff McCord and his team at LinCo Diesel Performance in Troy, Missouri, his goal was to have the team build him a Jeep that would be rugged for off road use but have room for friends for hunting trips. After discussing his wants and needs for the rig, McCord showed him pictures of a ’71-’72 Chevy Suburban and he was sold, changing direction on the project from a Jeep to a safari-styled classic Chevy rolling on 40s with room for the whole crew. The full-size classic rig would have plenty of room for passengers when crawling through the back country as well as space for a potent Duramax diesel drivetrain to motivate the heavy rig through just about any situation he…

IN THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD, A “TRIPLE threat” is someone who can sing, dance and act. It’s serious competition when you’re toe-to-toe with a triple threat at an audition. In our world, a triple threat would be a truck that goes like hell, is comfortable to drive, and with a killer stance and looks! Gary Faust has this goal with his 1983 C10 truck, which up until now has had two out of three boxes ticked off on a good day. Gary wants it all, which is entirely possible with today’s aftermarket products and platforms as versatile as a C10, but some strategy is involved. GM made the small block Chevy engine from 1954 through 2003, and it revolutionized the automobile industry with the potential for performance upgrades. The introduction of…

THE SUMMERS SEEM TO BE GETTING hotter and hotter each and every year, and the winters feel chillier than ever. Whether our bodies are getting older and more sensitive or if the temperatures really are hitting historic levels, driving a classic truck in the summer or winter can have its downside if your truck doesn’t have some sort of climate control. Case in point is our daily driven shop truck known as Ole’ Blue. This ’83 Custom Deluxe C10 currently has a 5.7-liter tuned port swap out of a ’88 Trans Am as well as the original 700-R4 transmission out of the same car. It’s a driver and parts hauler that rides on staggered fit, 20-inch American Racing Salt Flat wheels with 275/40/20 tires in the rear with 245/45/20 up…

THE FIRST STAGE OF THE 2021 STREET TRUCKS SHOWOFF SERIES WAS A HIT! MORE THAN 300 LIFTED AND LOWERED TRUCKS, VENDORS AND EVEN LIVE RACING FILLED THE DAY WITH EXCITING MOTORSPORT ACTIVITIES! TAGE 1 OF THE STREET TRUCKS Showoff Series was a massive success thanks to our brother publication Diesel World, the amazing crew at the Sacramento Raceway and everyone else that helped, including the Black Smoke Mafia. This was a group effort that we all shared, and the turnout was proof that all the hard work paid off. Members of the North California chapter of the C10 Club cruised into the show together and quickly took the attention of everyone in attendance. Not only did this killer crew bring the “best of show” truck, but they also took home…