CHEVROLET C10

Six-litre L76 Chev, Active Fuel Management (AFM) delete kit, including heavy valve springs, new lifters, VCM 883 cam, machined heads, re-lapped valves; standard fuel injection; rear-mounted alloy fuel tank; DeatschWerks 250 LS1 regulator; standard ignition system; Header Man headers; twin 2.5-inch exhaust; Flowmaster mufflers; aftermarket alloy radiator

Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual, Mantic Stage 2 clutch, Ford nine-inch with drum brakes, 4:11 gears with Truetrac diff centre rebuilt by owner, custom two-piece driveshaft from Circle Track Engineering

Airbags with Ranchero shocks, 32mm sway bar (front)

Classic Performance Products (CCP) 1964 Chev reproduction, disc with CCP 2.5-inch drop spindles and calipers (front), 11-inch drum (rear)

Steel 15x7 (front) and 15x8 (rear) smoothies, 225/60/R15

Original exterior with new hardwood deck, original patina paint

Unisteer power rack-and-pinion steering, original front cross member recessed into chassis, new gearbox cross member and bracing, four-link rear end with eight-inch notched chassis with Watt’s linkage, all QA1 5/8 Rose joints, bed and deck moved up 220mm, 100-litre rear-mounted fuel tank, new differential mounts and brackets

Reupholstered original seats, original steering wheel, shifter fabricated by owner, Auto Meter gauges with GPS speedo from Summit Racing, floor modified for transmission and fuel tank removed from behind seat, Pioneer head unit, Pioneer speakers, 10inch Zeroflex subwoofer and amp

401hp, 595lb·ft at 5300rpm the airbags, so that the resulting air pressure to get the desired ride height would offer optimal handling characteristics. While working on this, Todd added a larger front sway bar to the mix to aid with cornering. As if a truck that hit the deck wasn’t already providing a low enough centre of gravity (COG), Todd made an extra effort when mounting the L76 engine to ensure that it could get the COG down as low as possible. This meant cutting out the firewall to get it sitting back further in the engine bay, but it’s a move that Todd’s glad he made. Of course, it also resulted in a custom tubular K-member being constructed to ensure that, instead of dropping below the chassis height, the twin 2.5-inch exhausts would stay tucked up out of harm’s way. Even with plenty of planning, there was still some head-scratching left to do, as the cross member for the centre bearing that Todd purchased changed the pivot point for the rear control arms. This meant that the chassis would no longer hit the floor. The solution was to fabricate a custom four-link

instead, which, of course, gave Todd the chance to change the diff at the same time. Charlton Auto Imports had just the thing — a nine-inch that Todd soon cut the mounts off and set up to suit the four-link. While at it, he changed the stud pattern back to the five-on-five of the Chev to ensure that the 15x7- and 15x8-inch steelies he had collected would still suit. Todd wasn’t so keen on the stock fuel tank position — inside the cab — so, before the body was dropped back over the chassis, a new tank was knocked up and slotted into a more suitable spot, under the deck. For weight distribution, Todd mounted the tank over the diff area. Given the motor that now sits up front, that decision to help aid in traction was a wise one. With this and the addition of a few miscellaneous brackets, the chassis was deemed good enough to sandblast and paint. There’s no coloured body finish here, but a solid coating of two-pack black — which still leaves the underside in far better condition than most would expect. Finally, the tray and cab could be dropped over the chassis for Todd to admire the rewards of his hard work, even if it was still a long way from finished. The next step was sorting out the wiring. Todd installed an American Autowire harness, hiding as much of it as he could along the way. At the same time, he wired in a bunch of gauges from Auto Meter, along with a decent Pioneer audio system including a Zeroflex subwoofer.

Finally, the tray and cab could be dropped over the chassis

With the truck’s new ride height being about a foot lower than when it left the factory, there was no way that the front wheel arches could stay where they were. Instead, Todd rolled up some suitable replacements that were both wider and taller than the originals. He followed the same process for the rear end. When happy with the new rear guards, he filled the gap between them with strips of garapa hardwood. To keep a flat bed floor, the whole deck was raised up — a compromise between looks and carrying capacity that Todd was happy to make and that gives him room for the air tanks below. While he may have made a few laps around the block to ensure that the truck ran and stopped as it should, it required a trailer ride to Christchurch for a proper tune before he was prepared to go too much further with it. The result was 401hp at the tyres — more than enough to keep Todd and family happy — but, better than that is that it handles exactly as he’d hoped. The irony is that this smooth modern performance is the polar opposite of the look Todd was after — a look he clearly achieved. But, now that it’s on the road, the reasons why he got straight into it after finishing the ‘31 are crystal clear, as the truck’s the perfect weekend cruiser for Todd and family that can also pull its own weight at work if it’s ever required. We’d call that a success story.