BLUE BEAST

TACKLING TRAILS IN A CUMMINS-POWERED ’70 C10

We have to say that a Cummins-powered C10 has been a truck we’ve been dreaming about for quite some time. Admittedly, we’re a little jealous that young gun Darren Sammartino Jr. has one. But, as you’ll find out, he’s a pretty deserving guy.

“When I was a kid, I loved anything that I could take apart, learn how it works and then make it better,” says Darren. “I went from Legos to dirt bikes to trucks. In fact, my first truck was a C10, which I still have!”

SENTIMENTAL VALUE

The ’70 Chevy you see on these pages really was Darren’s first truck, and years of hard work and motivation resulted in a ride that combines classic looks with Cummins power.

Darren knew he wanted a diesel swap, so one of the first things he did was beef up the suspension for the 1,100-pound heft of the Cummins engine. This meant custom spring-rate leaf springs from Carrier Suspension to compensate for the weight of the engine and 1-ton axles. Offroad Design supplied greaseable front shackles and a flip kit, Fox Racing Shocks provided the shocks

and air bumps, and Chassis Unlimited heavy-duty traction bars were fitted to the truck.

12V POWER

With a heavy-duty suspension, now Darren could fit the diesel engine he’d always wanted: a 12-valve Cummins. The ’92 powerplant was originally out of a Dodge pickup and has been hopped up with a rebuilt injection pump, Industrial Injection 75 hp injectors and a BD Diesel fuel pin and 4,000 rpm governor spring. For airflow, Darren chose “overkill” and went with a Holset turbo fitted with a Dieselsite 66mm Wicked Wheel compressor wheel.

A four-core Mishimoto radiator keeps everything cool, and a K&N air filter and MBRP exhaust with 8-inch stacks keep air moving in and out of the engine. Darren estimates power to be right at 400 hp, with about 600 lb-ft of torque.

With all that torque, Darren knew a stock GM automatic and 10-bolt axle just weren’t going to cut it, so he beefed up the drivetrain on the entire truck. The transmission is an SP Performance XP1 Getrag five-speed with a South Bend dual-disc

clutch and NP205 transfer case. The axles are where things really liven up, because the front axle is a beefy Dana 60 with 4.10 gears and heavy-duty Warn manual locking hubs. The factory rear end has been replaced with an ultra-tough GM 14 bolt with a Trac-loc differential. In order to make everything work, the front end was also fitted with a Ruff Stuff Specialties 1-ton steering crossover kit.

RESTO-MOD

A Cummins-powered Chevy is already an exciting platform, but Darren took things to the next level by upgrading, replacing or modifying virtually every other part of the truck.

The body has been painted Ford “Grabber Blue” and has Main Event Emblems’ “Chummins” emblems on the side. Darren is an RBP booster, which you can tell by the custom grille, side steps, tailgate net and tow hooks.

He built a custom bed-mounted spare tire carrier himself through his shop, Mad Cow Customs. It gives the truck a definite desert-race look. The factory bumpers were ditched in favor of tubular bumpers from Chassis Unlimited, and a Smittybilt

12,000-pound winch and Gen-y hitch are mounted fore and aft on the truck.

MORE GOODIES

It’s not a stretch to say that Darren put just as much effort into the electrical system as he did into the truck’s body. KC Highlites are everywhere and include LED headlights, rock lights, LED bed lights and, of course, a Gravity Pro six-light bar on a mount that Darren designed. He also installed a GM wiring harness and fuse block from Painless Performance, along with a Hornblasters Tug-37

232 train horn kit to move wildlife out of the way on the trails. Everything is fired off with an Optima Red Top group 34 battery.

Last, but certainly not least, is the interior. Once again, Darren didn’t know how to leave anything stock.

It all started with a custom carpet setup by OC Auto Carpets that was topped with a set of BS Sand race buckets that were meant for a Jeep; they look great in the C10. GSI Machine made the billet door handles, cup holder (street truck!) and switch knobs. A B&M shifter handles shifting duties, and a Grant GT steering wheel handles steering duties.

The slick setup was rounded out with Autometer gauges, a Kenwood stereo system, KC interior lights and a bunch of little tidbits fabricated by Darren. As far as “offices” go, this truck has quite the nice one.

Although projects such as these are never completely done, we have to say Darren has done quite well with his first big build.

Its desert look gives it a different flavor than most other trucks out there, and the marriage of arguably one of the most famous diesel powerplants with one of the most sought-after bodies is a match we definitely approve of.

One thing’s for sure: This isn’t your average C10. (Hey, Darren, that thing for sale?)

The Ve-pumped Cummins engine has been color matched to the rest of the truck for an ultra-clean look. It makes some power too—well up from the original 160 hp rating. Although it’s never been on a dyno, Darren estimates his ride at 400 hp, along with around 600 lb-ft of torque.

C10 trucks have a large grille and core support, which means plenty of room for a radiator. Cooling duties are handled by a four-core Mishimoto aluminum radiator that dissipates any heat the Cummins generates.

Factory VE lift pumps are maxed out as soon as you touch the power screw, so a fuel pump was a must. Darren went with Airdog’s proven setup, which was easily adapted to the C10.

A custom light bar with nine (yes, nine!) KC Hilites can turn night into day with ease. Mounting the light bar was just another aspect of the build that Darren took care of himself.

The rear suspension still has extra-long truck-style arms, but it also has custom leaf springs and Fox Racing shocks that hang darned near the indestructible GM 14 bolt axle.

It’s hard to find an undercarriage as clean as the one on this 50-year-old Chevy. The front suspension consists of custom leaf springs and Fox Racing 2.0 shocks, which give the truck around 6 inches of lift. Darren also added a 3-inch body lift for a little extra tire clearance.

More work went into Darren’s steering than most people have in their whole suspension! It starts with a factory GM column that extends into a Borgeson heavy-duty telescoping steering shaft, PSC Motorsports quick-ratio steering box, Ruff Stuff Specialties 1-ton crossover steering and tie rod kit, and dual stabilizers with Fox 2.0 shocks.

Another busy area of Darren’s C10 is the front end, which features a custom front grille from RBP and tubular bumpers from Chassis Unlimited. There’s also a Smittybilt 12,000-pound winch that can tug out just about anything— thanks to being fitted with synthetic line, a Chassis Unlimited billet fairlead and Factor 55 prolink shackle.

The rear of the truck has another stylish Chassis Unlimited rear bumper, Gen-y hitch and an RBP tailgate net. Yes, the C10 still can tow, but the rest of the back end screams race truck!

Darren went rather aggressive on tires, because four 37x14.50r20 Interco Cobalt M/T tires were the right traction choice for desert sand. They can also be aired-down as much as Darren wishes, thanks to four 20x9-inch RBP 50R Cobra beadlock wheels.