1972 Chevy C10 - Retirement Present

When Terry McWeeney received this '72 Chevy C10 as a retirement gift a few years ago, his only goal at the time was to make it into something that didn't resemble an old man's truck. And since it was a longbed, it seemed to make his goal all the loftier. Luckily for Terry, he had his son Tom in his corner, who, having worked for Master Image Customs and currently residing at the Line-X corporate office, is heavily involved in the custom truck scene.

As you have probably guessed, the truck was purchased from an elderly gentleman. It was pretty much bone stock but with a few key accessories like a metal camper shell and a trio of CB antennas. In order to find a theme for the truck and stick with it, Tom called on noted painter and automotive artist Pat Maxwell for a rendering. The House of Kolor Tangelo Orange was chosen because orange is Terry's favorite color. However, Terry also liked the Cadillac Pearl White that Tom had recently used on one of his projects.

Once they had the orange and white representation of what the '72 could be, bodywork on the longbed commenced. The side markers were shaved along with the door handles, cab seam, and cab light. All of the stock moldings are also gone, as well as the back-up lenses. A smooth tailgate skin and steel roll pan were picked up from Sir Michaels and installed. Since the front end was going to be color-matched to the body, the stock bumper was smoothed over by shaving all the bumper bolts, and Tom modified a Trenz billet grille insert by building a center bar into it. Finally, the truck was given the once-over and rolled into the paint booth by Eric Jackson at Color Factor in Hemet, California. Once the orange and white two-tone flame pattern was laid out, the entire truck was striped in yellow. Gaylord's Custom Trucks in Santa Fe Springs, California, supplied the smooth longbed tonneau cover that was painted and flamed to match.

Stance was the next issue to be tackled in order to make the truck look "young." Lower is better in Tom's book, but since the truck was to become a daily driver, it was decided that a standard airbag setup would be the way to go. GO-EZ Customs in Fullerton, California, fabbed up the front and rear 'bag mounts for the Firestone 2500 air springs that would replace the coils on each corner, and they C-notched the rear section of the frame. In addition, Belltech drop spindles were used up front, and Nitro Drop shocks were used all around. A set of 20x8-inch Oasis wheels were chosen and mounted with Pirelli 35-Series tires to keep the truck sitting low.

Luckily for Terry, the stock 350 engine with factory air conditioning and Turbo 350 transmission had been gone through by the previous owner. An Edelbrock intake was added along with a chrome high-output alternator and other chrome goodies, and this driver's engine bay was considered good. A custom 3-inch Flowmaster exhaust was added for better clearance and sound.

The interior was a bit more involved. The dash and other sheetmetal were painted to match--flames, pinstripes, and all. A new gauge panel with a factory tach was installed, and the stock column was topped with an APC steering wheel. The floor was lined with brown carpet. Terry built a custom console that houses the power window switches and the Sultans plaque (the Long Beach car club that Terry and Tom belong to). Then Auto Restylers stitched up an interior using yards of tan tweed and made custom flame graphics using orange tweed. The underside of the tonneau and bed area got the same treatment as well.

Terry credits Tom and his other son Mike for making the truck what it is and insists that working together with them was the most fun part of the project--other than driving the truck, of course. And drive the truck they do! Can you believe that this truck as photographed has been completed for over three years and has clocked around 30,000 miles? One thing's for sure. Nobody has ever accused this longbed of being an old man's truck!