RALPH RESURRECTED

Stephen Williams’ 1964 C10 Barn Find

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 apart all the way down to the frame and built it back up from there.”

Fortunately, Stephen was able to save the factory ’64 frame. However, he had a few tricks up his sleeve for changing up the entire look of the truck. He decided to cut the C10 down from a longbed to a shortbed. Stephen and his best friend, Elliott Broyles, modified the original frame and added a GSI front drop member and GSI complete back half. The frame was then sent o to Volunteer Coatings in Knoxville, Tennessee, where it received a high-quality powdercoat.

Once Stephen received the frame back from the shop, he moved on to the suspension. Stephen and Elliot installed the Accuair Endo CVT setup with e-level to give the truck pristine ride quality.

They also put Airlift Dominator airbags in the front and Firestone airbags in the rear. The original fuel tank was removed and replaced by a GSI tank.

Stephen started on the exterior of the truck by fabbing up some custom inner fenders. He then installed Hart Fab firewall panels and bed tubs. Since the frame had already been cut down, they then had to shorten the bed.

Once the bed had been cut down and the subframe was complete, he was able to start on the top of the bed. Stephen added sassafras wood panels for the bed floor that he purchased from a local friend, Dexter Wright. For everything to match up perfectly, they custom

made a metal plate that was then dimple dyed and painted black. They were then able to mount it directly inside the bed in front of the tailgate.

Although the build was difficult, Stephen continued to push forward. Luckily, his wife, Kristen, and his kids were there to support him throughout the entire process. His son even helped name the truck.

“While I was building the truck, my son Jakob had been watching the movie ‘Wreck it Ralph,’” Stephen says. “One day I asked him what I should name the truck. Jakob said Ralph, and since that day it has stuck.”

Stephen decided to keep the original grille and bumpers since they would go along with the theme of the truck. He already had his mind set on what to do for paint.

“I love patina,” he says. “I have since I’ve been messing with these trucks. That is what draws me to them. The more original paint and patina it has, the more I love it.”

Since the truck was shortened, it did need some touch up to the paint on the bed. Russell Cunningham of Allardt, Tennessee, was able to fake the scars back into the bed of the truck. Richard Voiles of Knoxville, Tennessee, then laid down a fresh coat of paint on a few of the truck panels. Stephen then grabbed a set of 22-inch Budnik Knife wheels that would be tuckin’ hard when he lays out the truck!

For the engine, Stephen would be installing a ’05 Chevy 6.0 LS V-8 under the hood of this C10. To make this engine swap happen, he purchased a BP Automotive wiring harness. He also installed an LS2 intake and Holley mid-mount accessory system. He decided to do a little upgrading to the motor before getting it bolted up. He added a BTR stage-3 cam and 799 heads to really give ol’ Ralph some extra horsepower. Stephen then installed brand new Holley LS3 exhaust manifolds to finish out the motor. He was then able to get rid of the existing exhaust and install a full 2.5-inch stainless Magnaflow system. They routed the exhaust down the truck and then created a custom bedside exit exhaust.

After the engine was mounted under the hood, Stephen continued on to the drivetrain. He knew he would need a beefy transmission, so he purchased and installed a ’05 Chevy 4L80 transmission along with a Circle D 3200 torque converter. For the new transmission to fit, he installed the GSI trans crossmember.

Luckily, the transmission cooler was included in the Champion Radiator he installed. The truck was going to be putting out some series power, so Stephen decided it was time for a brake upgrade. He added a Wilwood master cylinder along with Wilwood brakes in both the front and back.

As the build continued, Stephen started on the interior. The original seats were removed, and a set of brown leather Snowden custom seats were installed. He wanted to keep the dash original but give it a little taste of some modern technology, so Stephen installed a Dakota Digital RTX instrument cluster and gauges. He also added a Custom Autosound stereo to match the overall theme of the truck.

“One of the most unique parts of the interior is the Old Air Products heat and air system we installed,” Stephen says.

Custom door panels were also installed to match the seats and really finish off the interior.

All that was left to do was hop in and take it for a drive! Through all of the challenges Stephen faced in this build, he never lost sight of his goal.

“I learned a lot while building this truck,” he says. “I realized how much I love building vehicles. Take your time and don’t take any shortcuts.”