There are many trades that rely on trucks to get things done. From deliveries to towing, construction to the venerable ice cream truck-they just go hand-in-hand with moving and shaking as it were. Joe Stephenson is a successful contractor who has depended on and driven trucks for as long as he can remember; he's always had a truck to drive to work and one to play with alongside his various hot rods over the years-until one day.
A while back Joe had a beautiful black '58 Chevy that was covered in a fantastic flame job and had a big-block Chevy under the hood-a nice machine that was a hoot to drive. Joe started getting the urge to buy an airplane, though, and it just so happened the seller of one he liked was interested in old trucks. Some trading and negotiations took place and Joe parted with the truck, even though his wife Pat said he would regret it.
Joe was truckless, and despite having half a dozen other old cars to mess with from the '30s up to his '69 Chevelle SS, he soon found himself wishing he kept the truck. So the search was on. He found a '72 C-10 in a local shop, and after a few months of persuading the owner to sell it, he took the bait, but it was no cream puff.
While Joe used to do his own work years ago, he now lets the pros do it while he handles his contractor duties. The truck was taken to Brian Webb in Parker, Colorado, for body and paint work and maybe a refreshed stock interior followed by lots of driving. Well, a can of worms was soon found in the form of rust and things started to get more involved. The chassis was subsequently separated from the cab and bed for blasting and powdercoating because at this point why not?
Brian kept whittling away at the body and paint work which drove Joe nuts because it was supposed to be a "driver," but at the same time Joe was impressed with Brian's attention to detail. He spent more time straightening out the bed floor than Joe thought would be in the whole truck. The '72 was originally yellow and white, which Joe liked, but he wanted to tweak those colors just a bit. Soon he found a combo he liked, and at this point the truck went back together with a new stock-style interior.
As things snowballed, Joe decided to ditch the stock drivetrain and go with a '94 LT1 engine and 4L60E trans he found. From here, the Chevy went to Keith Bright at Bright Built Hot Rods in Salina, Kansas, for some finishing touches. The stock interior was eventually replaced with a leather-covered bench seat from TEA's Design and corresponding door panels and carpet were crafted. The firewall was also totally smoothed and the factory A/C canned in favor of a reliable Vintage Air system.
After all the stress of a full build like this was over, Joe says he couldn't be happier with the result, even despite the many sleepless nights. He and Pat throw in the car seat and take their grandson out cruising with them during the nice Rocky Mountain summers-fun for the whole family!