Table of contents for Summer 2023 in C10 Builder's Guide

AS MUCH AS US “OLD-school” print mag editors dislike the word “digital”—let’s face it, we’re well into the Digital Age, and it’s right time that automotive print media caught up! We’re all connected 24/7 these days (pros and cons here for sure, but hear me out). This connectivity and the advent of social media have made the old “group chat” and build forum days obsolete. As one technology comes, for better or worse, it puts old tech to bed. Vinyl, cassettes, CDs—all put to rest with the coming of the mp3 and digital downloads. Every industry is affected and transformed with new tech, but it’s truly time for us to embrace it! C10 Builder’s Guide and our sister pub Street Trucks are up for this task! We’ve been slowly growing…

“My wife and I were also expecting a newborn son, so it was also a matter of finding a vehicle that was more family/budget appropriate.” MOST TRUCK FANS ARE looking for that special pickup they can completely tear down and build back up to their exact specifications. While that does sound like the dream to many of us, there is a side of the process that many don’t fully weigh out before making the big plunge into a years-long, extensive project. We can find plenty of success stories of folks following through and reaching the other side of the tunnel with their full custom-truck builds, but there also seems to be an equal number of in-progress pickups that, for whatever reason, don’t get finished by the hands that started the…

“When I was younger, it was Hot Wheels, die casts, Legos. Basically, anything with wheels. As I got older, my toys just got bigger.” MATT CRISWELL OF LYMAN, South Carolina, has been around custom vehicles for as long as he can remember. “I’ve always been into anything automotive,” Matt says. “When I was younger, it was Hot Wheels, die casts, Legos. Basically, anything with wheels. As I got older, my toys just got bigger. My grandfather restored classic cars–mostly Packards, Hudsons, and Chrysler Airflows.” Matt owned a custom Chevy S10 back in the day when he met his wife, Missy. “I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, about an hour outside of Pittsburgh,” he continues. “Due to the snowy winters, everyone had 4x4 trucks, so naturally, I wanted a K10 when…

THE WORLD OF electronics as a whole is an exciting place to geek out, but it has one inevitable downfall—important equipment often becomes obsolete. In the particular segment of mobile electronics, things tend to move a bit slower as the absolute need to replace these products isn’t as urgent as, say, upgrading to a brand new iPhone or Android device that is used for just about every aspect in your life. When you zoom in even closer on the landscape of specialized mobile electronics, the dividing line blurs between items considered to be strictly for fun or mostly functional. Certain products, such as AccuAir’s e-Level air suspension management system, has become a mainstay with show vehicles as well as daily-driven customized cars and trucks. The development of the new e-Level+…

THE GENERAL MOTORS PLANT in Arlington, Texas, began producing Chevy trucks in 1954. It was the company’s first ever climate-controlled automobile factory. In 1972, a sapphire blue Super Cheyenne step side rolled out of the door on its way to a local dealership. It was purchased by an area farmer and performed farmstead duties for many years. A few decades later, Charles at Buster Automotive in Forney, Texas, came across this weathered and worn C10. He added it to his collection of potential projects in the back lot of his towing company where it sat quietly collecting dust. In 2014, Shane Carney began the search for a classic truck to restore with his son Gage. At the age of 10, Gage showed an interest in getting his hands dirty in…

RONNIE WETCH IS THE HOST OF THE POPULAR C10-FOCUSED PODCAST C10 TALK, WHICH YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO THROUGH ITUNES AND VARIOUS OTHER PODCAST OUTLETS.—ED. HOW ABOUT SOMETHING Retro RAD? Or, in this case, Retro RADio!! For the last few years, I have considered adding a BMX podcast to our catalog. I struggled with it because Truck Talk Media typically covers classic trucks and automotive. How would this fit in? Well, I finally came to realize that these bikes, this retro culture, is such a big part of who we are as classic truckers! Consider the evolution of a classic trucker. For many of us, we started out on a tricycle, then maybe a Big Wheel. The memories of hitting that lower right-hand break and skidding everywhere you went … you…

’64-’66 C10 Carbon Fiber Door Panels A RACE-INSPIRED TWIST ON THE ORIGINAL INTERIOR DOOR panels, these panels are made of carbon fiber. They are recreated from the original classic shape of the ’64-’66 C/10 and add a perfect modern accent to classic American trucks. These carbon fiber door panels are also available for other popular traditional truck models. Munssey Speed 951-254-3435 munsseyspeed.com 1963-’87 Chevy C10 Fully Adjustable Tubular Control Arm & Coilover Suspension Kit THE ALL NEW HIGH-PERFORMANCE COILOVER SUSPENSION KIT FOR the 1963-’87 Chevy C10 and GMC C15 truck is a major upgrade in handling and performance. This new tubular upper control arm design incorporates Heim joint adjustability, which vastly improves frontend geometry and calibrations. The new lower tubular arms include three lower shock positions to tailor your suspension…

SQUAREBODY K5 Blazers, to many, are the quintessential truck/SUV, and for good reason. Style for miles, a removable top, impressive off-road capabilities (yes, even the 2WD models are decent in a pinch), and the reliability of a GM all made the Chevy Blazer (and GMC Jimmy) the favorite of truck enthusiasts worldwide. Now, there are those who love their Blazers to be completely stock (which is totally rad and commendable), and there are those who are a bit more open to modifications that improve upon both the looks and performance of these iconic rigs. Dewayne Stephens, as you can see, falls into the latter category. No newcomer to custom trucks, Dewayne has owned a few Blazers and knows what he likes and doesn’t like about them. That’s not to say…

“… The arms were originally for an air-ride application, so they needed some tabs and reinforcement for coilovers.” THERE ARE tons of perks to owning your own fabrication shop—the long hours, unrealistic timelines, and, of course, not knowing when your clients will drop off that next check, not to mention having limited time to work on your own projects, which was probably your major motivation for opening up your shop in the first place! Yeah, there are a lot of challenges, but the rewards are usually just as great with lots of hard work and a little bit of luck. HEAVY METAL Jason Dvorak, owner of Jay Fab Inc., definitely knows the ups and downs of owning a fab shop, but one of the big drawbacks for Jay is not…

WHILE THE WORLD recoiled from the disastrous effects of COVID-19, many chose a cautionary approach to life, adopting a form of self-quarantine. The theory was that with minimal outside exposure, the odds against being infected would be improved. Not so good, of course, was the isolation associated with quarantine. Fortunately, Marc Patterson found the ideal way to put the shutdown to good use. Marc is an HVAC contractor in Winter Garden, Florida, and a lifelong automotive enthusiast. Growing up around trucks and farm machinery, mechanical skills came naturally to him. His childhood was also the time when trucks like Bigfoot were performing on the monster truck circuit. As a result, he has owned and built lots of 4x4s and mud trucks as well as a collection of lowered and lifted…

OUR ALL AMERICAN CHASSIS HAS arrived! If you don’t about Sergeant Square, let’s catch up on this charity build for Mission 22. This 1985 Chevy C10 pickup truck will be fully restored to, what we feel, is the most desirable Chevy squarebody on the road. Once the truck is complete, we will take it to SEMA 2023 and auction it off at a Barrett Jackson-style auction in 2024. Thanks to All American Chassis, we now have a completely new frame for this truck that has been pre-engineered for a coilover-style suspension setup. We are incredibly excited to start assembling this truck with all the products from our partners we have assembled for this great cause. If you’ve never laid your eyes on a fresh and clean custom-built frame from an…

THE 1967-’72 CHEVROLET C/K IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR, RELIABLE, AND EASIEST-TO-DRIVE CLASSIC PICKUPS YOU CAN FIND. THIS GENERATION MARKS THE TURNING POINT WHEN CHEVY REALIZED IT COULD OFFER TRUCK BUYERS MODERN CONVENIENCES AND COMFORT OPTIONS IN THE SAME WAY IT DID SEDAN SHOPPERS—A STUNNINGLY SIMPLE CONNECTION TO MAKE IN RETROSPECT, BUT ONE THAT BLEW THE MARKET WIDE OPEN DURING A TIME WHEN PRIMARY RIVAL, FORD, STEADFASTLY REFUSED TO BUILD ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE MOST UTILITARIAN MODELS FOR WORK USE. I loved customizing vehicles so much that I strived to start my own shop. The end result was a sales phenomenon that would see GM prolong its dominance over the Blue Oval well into the mid-’70s, pushing millions of examples of this generation of trucks out of the factories…

THE 4-WHEEL JAMBOREE FILLED THE Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis with the most 4WD GM trucks you have ever seen in one place! Every September, participants from all over the country drive or haul their lifted GM trucks to this spectacular event. The 2022 show included events for all kinds of trucks, such as mud bog competition, MEGA truck, burnout contest, show and shine, and a maze of routes for trucks and owners to tackle to show off their four-wheel-drive capabilities. With a never-ending line of vehicles cruising the midway all day and many more parked on display, it took spectators (and editors!) all three days to see all of the rides and action during this event. People came from areas all around Indiana and beyond to see what the…

YEAR AFTER year, people from all over the country come out to a small town in Texas to take it over with their classic Chevy trucks. Waxahachie is the meeting ground for one of the year’s best C10 shows packed with some of the best builds around. It’s almost overwhelming pulling up to Getzendaner Memorial Park because you don’t know where to start—even the parking lot has hidden gems that didn’t make it in! The show is pre-reg only with a limited amount of spots. Tickets almost always sell out within the hour of opening registration. So, yes, even the parking lot is chock full of some rad rides that are just as worthy as some in the show field. Actually, one of our favorite parts of the show is…

WE RECENTLY REALIZED THAT there is a massive part of our market that we tend to forget about when we choose our tech projects. How many readers out there have had a nice clean and custom classic truck like this gold and white Chevy C10 for many years already? Rolling on a set of 20-inch wheels with custom control arms, spindles, and springs? This would be off the charts on the cool scale if this were 1995, but fast-forward to 2023 and it’s not so exciting anymore, right? We are all about the #GoDriveIt lifestyle when we customize our classics, which means that this 1968 Chevy C10 we still haven’t named is next on the project list here at Street Trucks Garage. This truck has your standard ’90s coil-suspension drop…