In the world of custom car and truck building, there is one form of accolade that clearly states that you are amongst the best in the business and has got to be the highest form of flattery. It is when your name becomes synonymous with the highest quality available in your chosen profession. Read: A Gabe Lopez interior.
Gabriel A. Lopez owns and operates Gabe's Custom Interiors in Bloomington, California. Although the shop has been in business for less than 10 years, Gabe brings over 25 years of custom auto upholstery to the table for every interior he stitches. Just in the last few years alone, his resume reads like the ultimate who's who in truck and street rod building. There's the original Boydster, along with several other Coddington creations, and the '00 and '01 AMBR cars built by Chip Foose and Barry White, respectively. Both men collaborate with Gabe on a regular basis. On our end of town, Gabe handles all of the stitchwork for Randy Haapala and many of his Body Palace Customers. In fact, this issue marks Gabe's fourth interior in a CLASSIC TRUCKS cover vehicle in a little over three years. And, this is one he gets to enjoy for himself.
When Gabe was just 18 years old and living in Mexico, his first truck was a '68 Chevy. It was given to him by his father, and since those early days, a soft spot has remained for the old '68. Several years ago, Gabe began a casual search for another '68 to build as his personal vehicle. Two years ago, Gabe came across a '68 on a farm in Winchester, California, that was given up on in the beginning stages of a restoration. A Camaro clip had been grafted on up front, and a GM crate engine and 350 trans were part of the deal. The cab, however, was in bad shape and contained body panels of about six different colors--all in rough condition. Gabe saw the truck for what it could be rather than what it was, and he brought the truck home.
Since the sheetmetal was in such poor condition, Gabe first called on Carlos Caudillo and Heriberto Guerra of Diamond Auto Body in El Monte, California, to massage the truck back into shape.
Once there, a decision was made to ditch the '68 bed and match up a stepside bed from a '94 model. The bed received a healthy shave, and a Street Scene roll pan was molded in and a Gaylord's tonneau was added before the bed was ready for blocking. Meanwhile, the cab and front end were completely smoothed over, including cab seams and gutters. A front roll pan was welded into place, Street Scene mirrors were attached, and the required hours and hours of final prep followed. Carlos shot the truck in PPG '02 Lamborghini Orange and Ivory, and Phill Winstone handled the custom striping.
Although a Camaro clip had been added, the truck was still nowhere near an acceptable ride height. Gabe's friend Richard Pineda of El Monte handled the task by installing Bell Tech spindles and coils in the front and a flip kit and rear C-notch from Classic Performance products in the rear. A Bell Tech load 'bag kit was also installed in the rear, and it is powered by a Thomas compressor. A set of 20-inch Boyd Coddington Renegade wheels were wrapped in Kumho Ecsta Supra tires with 255/35ZR20 measurements in the front and P295/40ZR20 in the rear.
While the truck finally looked great from the outside, there were still many fundamentals that needed attention. The truck was delivered to Barry White's Street Rod Repair Company where the entire drivetrain was freshened up and brought up to par with the exterior. Barry, Chad, and the crew went through the 350 and topped it with an Edelbrock polished intake and carb. Chrome and billet goodies were applied liberally, and the engine harness was wired out of sight to do justice to the completely smoothed and painted engine compartment. SRRC used a set of Doug's headers and Flowmaster mufflers and hand bent the remainder of the 3-inch dual exhaust. A later-GM tilt column and new linkage were also installed by SRRC, as was the entire brake and electrical systems. Finally, Barry and crew installed the VDO-filled billet gauge panel, Vintage Air A/C unit, and Gennie shifter into the cab.
Once SRRC worked wonders on the ride and had it running like a top, there was one more stop to make before Gabe could perform his magic. Garret Deandrea of Ontario, California, installed a killer sound system into the bare cab using a Pioneer head unit and component speakers mated with a Planet Audio amp and MTX Thunder sub. Now the truck was back in Gabe's hands, and he and his talented crew created a truly stunning interior. The dash panel was made from steel to replace the original, and a Brothers dash pad was extended to meet the windshield. The center console was scratch-built from wood and runs from the dash to the top of the seats. The door panels, armrests, and kick panels were all sculpted from wood. The buckets are a cut-down set from a '99 Suburban. Finally, every inch of the cab was wrapped in Alpha leather from the Hide and Leather House. Corresponding to the exterior paint, the upper half is in bone and the lower area is in autumn. Wilton wool carpet in cinnamon covers the floor, and the theme was continued into the bed. Contemporary billet touches were sprinkled throughout, including the leather-matched Renegade steering wheel from Boyd Coddington.
Less than a week after Kevin shot the feature on Gabe's ride, it debuted at the Super Chevy Show in Pomona, California. After taking the runner-up honors for Best Truck, the '68 also edged out some stiff competition (pun intended) and brought home the Best Interior award. So why did we name the truck "Creamsicle," you ask? It's more than just the color combo. The outside of the Creamsicle is what catches your eye, but it's what's on the inside that adds all the flavor.
| F A C T S&F I G U R E S |
| Gabe Lopez |
| Bloomington, California |
| 1968 Chevrolet C10 |
| CHASSIS |
| Frame |
stock |
| Modifications |
'78 Camaro clip |
| Rearend / Ratio |
Camaro / 3.73:1 |
| Rear suspension |
dearched leafs, CPP flip kit and C-notch, Bell Tech load bags |
| Rear brakes |
Camaro drum |
| Front suspension |
'78 Camaro with Bell Tech spindles and coils |
| Front brakes |
Raybestos |
| Master cylinder |
CCP |
| Steering box |
stock Camaro |
| Front wheel make, size |
Boyd Coddington Renegade, 20x9 |
| Rear wheel make, size |
Boyd Coddington Renegade, 20x10 |
| Front tire make, size |
Kumho Ecsta Supra P255/35ZR20 |
| Rear tire make, size |
Kumho Ecsta Supra P295/40ZR20 |
| Gas tank / Location |
Camaro / under bed |
| ENGINE |
| Year and make |
'95 GM Crate |
| Displacement |
350 |
| Camshaft |
stock |
| Heads |
stock |
| Valve covers |
ball milled billet |
| Manifold / Induction |
polished Edelbrock / Edelbrock carb |
| Ignition / Wires |
HEI / Taylor |
| Headers |
Doug's |
| Exhaust / Mufflers |
custom by Barry White's SRRC / 3" with Flowmasters |
| TRANSMISSION |
| Make and model |
GM TH350 |
| Modifications |
stock |
| Shifter |
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