THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN ’77
Another Successful SMRC Shop Build
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 fabrication work that goes down at the Smoky Mountain Rod shop. From the beginning, the two have managed to keep the work flowing through the doors, and even though the commute from Nevada to Tennessee isn’t made all too often, Brian will drop in when there’s special enough cargo to haul.
“I had been on the lookout for a ’77 C10,” Brian says. “It just so happens that my son was able to track one down on Facebook Marketplace in Lucerne Valley, California, so we made the drive to pick it up and bring it back to Vegas.”
The C10 was in running and driving condition, so they were good to get it back home, but there was so much on Brian’s to-do list, with the most glaring one being to deliver it personally to Knoxville. Brian was soon on his way to drop the truck at the company’s home base where he would develop a plan of action with Rob to get things rolling.
Since the factory frame looked to be in good order, the guys planned on going with a GSI Machine & Fab’s front end air-ride kit, their back half system, as well as a center stiffener for good measure. On top of that, a 1-inch custom channeled body drop was performed to get that low customizable stance while attaining above satisfactory ride quality. Rob did what he does best and prepared the truck for the chassis transformation, and got the C10’s suspension dialed in for the road ahead.
Of course, suspension overhaul such as the one Smoky Mountain Rod & Custom concocted for the ’77 couldn’t be considered complete without a killer set of wheels and tires to go with it. Going the heritage route, the guys just couldn’t resist selecting a set of 22-inch US Mags Scottsdale wheels, which are much larger, forged OE replicas of the originals. To cover the wheels, the guys ran with Pirelli P-zero rubber for the ultimate in road handling and overall performance.
And speaking of performance, the guys had something really special planned for what would soon be the ’77’s newer, much more potent power plant.
“The 2018 Chevy Camaro LT1 turned out to be one of the best things we incorporated into the project,” Brian adds. “The truck is just stupid fun to drive with this engine on it.”
Brian enlisted the help of Je Sample, also of Las Vegas, to help with the LT1’S final tune.
“Je knows his stu , and it was great to have him come aboard to lend his expertise to make this truck such a joy to drive,” Brian says.
The exterior of Brian’s ’77 is mostly bone stock, with the naturally weathered red paint taking center stage. It can be tough sometimes to decide whether to bu over a perfect
patina finish given the amount of years it takes to get to this point. Luckily, Brian never really came close to giving into a polished, painted look except for under the hood where the modified Hart Fab inner fenders were given a fresh coat to properly finish off the engine compartment.
Since the bed floor was going to have to be raised and altered, Brian and Rob thought it best to top the floor with Bedwood’s battle-proven bed floor kit. Wood plank bed floors fit right in on both painted and rusty trucks just the same, so there’s really no risk involved on this front. Aside from that, an LMC front bumper was incorporated into the exterior styling, but other than that things stayed pretty bare bones on the exterior, which actually plays a big part in this truck’s widespread appeal. There’s a sense of familiarity and attainability about this C10, which is inspiring for others looking to build an equally stunning truck without having to add thousands of dollars more on custom body and paintwork into an already tight budget.
Inside the cab, upgrades were kept to a minimum as well. TMI Products seats, as well as matching door panel and dash accents were included for a comfortable and uniform appearance within the interior space. The C10’s confines have also been outfitted with Squarebody Syndicate series Dakota Digital gauges, a Flaming River steering wheel and a strategically positioned gathering of audio components for a well-balanced sound system.
The C10 was completed in just over 8 ½ months during the trying quarantine months of 2020. Brian picked up the truck from Knoxville in midOctober, and brought it back west in time for it to debut it at Dino’s Git Down in mid-november. While these times of Covid have been tough for a lot of companies across all trades, Brian and Rob have thankfully been able to grow Smoky Mountain Rod & Customs.
“The shop is currently in the process of moving into a much bigger, 8,000-square-foot shop on 2 acres,” Brian says. “We’ll be able to do more in-house, we’ll be able to create more jobs and just continue to do what we love in the custom automotive industry—and that’s really what it comes down to.”
Keep an eye on Smoky Mountain Rod & Customs, as they have steady workflow going with some pretty cool projects currently in-progress. Now that they have established their roots in the scene, they are looking to push the boundaries with what they have coming next—just you wait and see.