C10 Builder's Guide

FOR MOST PEOPLE, THE HOLIDAYS mean shopping for socks, sweaters, the latest tech gadgets, or something that fits nicely under a tree. But if you’re a custom truck guy, especially one who has ever spent a late night adjusting the slammed ride height on your C10, the “shopping season” looks just a little different. Our wish lists come in billet, brushed aluminum, and powdercoat. While everyone else scrolls Amazon for deals, we’re scrolling through part numbers, trying to remember if that new air management system will be on sale for Black Friday or if there are any other deals out there. The Real Black Friday: SEMA Week By the time November hits, my brain is already tuned to SEMA frequencies. That annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas isn’t just a trade…

IN THE HEART OF EDINBURG, Texas, where the streets hum with truck culture and late-night wrench sessions are a rite of passage, a 1968 Chevy C10 named Venom has been turning heads and dropping jaws. Owned by Lionel Rios, Venom is more than a build; it’s a family heirloom, a high school memory, and a testament to patience, vision, and perseverance. “This truck was originally my brother’s,” Lionel tells us. “We had it back in high school. But once he got a new one, the C10 ended up just sitting at my dad’s place for years.” What was left was a forgotten shell—weathered, worn, and waiting. When the time came for his brother to sell it, Lionel stepped in. “I ended up trading him a running car just to keep…

SOME TRUCKS ARE BUILT to shine. Some are built to drag. And then there are trucks like Yellow Bag that are built to do both but, more importantly, designed to bring back memories. For Shawn Parsons, a general contractor from Creswell, Oregon, this 1965 Chevrolet C10 wasn’t just about horsepower or stance. It was about reconnecting with the kind of truck he grew up around and the kind of truck his grandpa drove. The patina might fool you into thinking it’s just an old farm truck, but the second it lays frame, you realize it’s something much more. A NOD TO THE PAST When Shawn was a kid, he remembers his grandpa having a truck just like this. That memory sat in the back of his mind for years until…

THE ENGINE BAY OF PROJECT Rocky was originally designed to have a classic look while sporting modern power. The 5.3L LS engine from Summit Racing had a cool look to it with an old-school-looking air cleaner and remote-mounted coil packs. The thought was that when the hood opened, people would be impressed that it’s actually an LS while looking like a small-block. We found out, however, that when we popped the hood at truck shows, most people were less than impressed and just kept walking. A clean carbureted engine is not what we have installed, that’s what it looks like from 15 feet away. Nowadays, a clean look doesn’t create a wow factor. With all the time and effort we have in this build, we want jaws to drop at…

SOME GUYS CHASE trophies. Some guys chase horsepower. And then you’ve got folks like Rob Green, who chase an idea. His idea was simple: build something different—not just another show truck, and not just another bagged Chevy sitting pretty in the parking lot. He wanted something that made people stop, scratch their heads, and say, “Damn, I’ve never seen that before.” That idea turned into Dirty30, a slammed 1970 Chevy C30 wrecker that looks ready to tow your ride straight out of the past and into the spotlight. Why a Wrecker? Most builders choose pickups, Blazers, or SUVs because they’re familiar ground. You’ve seen C10s dropped on big billets, and you’ve seen squarebodies with turbo LS swaps. However, a wrecker is an uncommon sight. Rob liked the thought of taking…

IN THE CUSTOM TRUCK SCENE, everyone has their reasons for building and bringing their custom dreams to life. Some folks do it simply to flex and outdo the next guy, while others use it to show off their skills in the garage. For a lot of us, the build is simply a way to make a ride match our personality and show our true passions. But then you come across great stories like this one where the build isn’t just about the truck; it’s all about family. For Tony Leal, better known on Instagram as @slammed64s, and his son Anthony, wrenching on this 1964 Chevy C10 was more than just a project in the garage. It was a chance to build something together that’s now headed to the big stage:…