For many, the year we were born is very important to us. We take notes about what people did for fun that year, what music was popular, what historical events occurred, and the funny stuff our parents wore.
Stephen Lambert was born in 1972. Nixon was president, gas was at a mere 55 cents a gallon, and Stephen’s father, Ellard, started Highlands Discount Auto Supply in Highlands, Texas. Stephen eventually inherited the family business, and what better way celebrate the family shop than by building a ’72 Chevy C10? It just so happened that Stephen’s father-in-law, Mitch Truman, owned a ’72 C10 that was in pretty good shape. After negotiating a price, Truman agreed to deliver the truck from Indiana to Houston, about 20 minutes from his house.
After driving the truck for a while, Stephen decided to make a few changes to make the ’72 his own. The truck had been lowered and had a nice set of 15-inch wheels on it, but after seeing a few C10s with bigger wheels he decided to sell off the old 15s and buy a set of 18-inch Budnik wheels. Not happy with the factory suspension, Stephen purchased CPP upper and lower control arms, drop crossmember, C-notch, and tubular trailing arms. The parts were then supported by a RideTech airbag system, and it was then that Stephen realized he was taking his simple driver into a full-blown build.
With the chassis completed, it was time to start on the interior. Stephen built the center console, and with the help from Alan Albright, the radio and speakers were installed. Stephen then built custom kick panels to house more speakers where the factory vents were located. A Vintage Air system was installed because Stephen said, “No matter how tough you are, if you live in Texas, your hot rod has to have air conditioning.” The stock seat was recovered with a houndstooth seat cover from Brothers Trucks and blue LMC Truck carpet installed.
Since the exterior was in OK shape Stephen had minimal repairs on the C10, like fixing the dents on the bed followed by a spray-on bedliner. The truck came with decent paint but the driver door was beyond saving, so Stephen replaced it and had Pogue’s Paint and Body match the door to the rest of the truck. The rest of the truck’s paint was cut and buffed by Stephen, but he wasn’t happy with the overall look yet. The 18-inch wheels looked too small for his taste, so he replaced them with the larger 20-inch Budnik wheels.
It was a five-year facelift and although Stephen drove the truck during all the changes, he could proudly say that he couldn’t have built it without the help of others. Stephen would like to give special thanks to his dad, Alan Albright, Skully Molen, and Larry Pogue for all their help during the build. ct
Stephen Lambert
Highlands, Texas
1972 chevrolet C10Chassis
Frame: stock
Modifications: C-notch
Rearend / Ratio: 10-bolt/3:73
Rear suspension: RideTech tubular arms with RideTech ’bags
Rear brakes: drum
Front suspension: Belltech drop spindles with RideTech ’bags
Front brakes: CPP drilled and slotted rotors
Steering box: stock
Front wheels: 20x8.5 Budnik Gasser
Rear wheels: 20x10 Budnik Gasser
Front tires: 245/35/20 Nitto 555
Rear tires: 275/35/20 Nitto 555
Gas tank: stock
Drivetrain
Engine: Chevy 350 with COMP Cam
Heads: stock
Valve covers: aluminum
Manifold / Induction: Edelbrock/Edelbrock carb
Ignition: MSD
Headers: stock
Exhaust / Mufflers: Dynomax Super Turbo
Transmission: 700-R4
Modifications: shift kit
Shifter: stock
Body
Style: ’72 C10
Modifications: stock
Fenders: stock
Hood: stock
Grille: stock
Bed: stock
Bodywork and paint by: stock, buffed out
Paint type/Color: GM/medium blue linen white
Headlights/Taillights: stock
Outside mirrors: stock
Bumpers: stock
Interior
Dashboard: stock
Gauges: stock
Air conditioning: Vintage Air
Stereo: Kenwood
Steering wheel: Billet Specialties GTX
Steering column: stock
Seats: stock replacement cover
Upholstery by: owner
Material/Color: cloth and vinyl/blue and gray
Carpet: LMC replacement