They say it takes a village to raise a child. The same can be said about building a truck from the ground up. Sure one could do it themselves over the timespan of a few years. But to do it in less than two days to make it in time for the classic Brothers Truck Show? Thats simply impossible without the right well oiled team and support from various companies and friends behind you. Feeling up to this task was Richard Ruiz of PPC Customs in Clovis, California. Having built dozens of C-10 trucks over the years, the shop felt they could start with a bare chassis and empty cab and by the end of the weekend, a running and driving pickup that had plenty of style and power would result. At times during the build, you had 8 people working simultaneously on 8 different aspects of the truck in 5 different locations of the shop. The mountain was high, see if the team climbed it, reached the summit and let out a big ol’ smoky burnout on top…

You can purchase parts used in this build at Summit Racing with the Auto Revolution C-10 Combos!

Day 1

The build kicked off with the livestream starting on Saturday morning at 8:00AM. This allowed viewers from around the world to see the build as it happens, the ups and downs in its entirety. The goal was to get the entire rolling chassis completed with engine dropped in, dressed and plumbed before the end of the day.

Suspension

While this truck was originally a 1962 Chevrolet; the early ’60s frames had torsion bar suspension, a design not desirable by those looking for increased handling and a lower stance. The decision was made to utilize a 1965 chassis that featured standard A-arm and trailing arm suspension. The frame was cleaned, notched and powder coated and would be upgraded with a drop kit, including spindles and disc brakes up front from Early Classic with Rare Parts bushings and steering components to ensure a brand new ride and better handling. Out back, an Early Classic crossmember for better ground clearance and trailing arms were installed to the rearend that was serviced by Fearless Gear and mated to a new driveshaft from Driveline Services. The new chassis was topped off with billet Circle Racing Wheels for a modern yet timeless look.

Motor

The new crate motor was prepped and dropped in. The engine is a 396 Small-Block-Chevrolet from Blueprint Engines. The large sized engine in small block configuration is unique as it features large crank and bore size in the small package pushing out over 430 horsepower. The motor was topped off with components from Summit Racing and a front accessory Pro Drive from Professional Products. Fueling the beast is a intank fuel pump from Aeromotive. Handling exhaust duties is a set of C-10 headers from Hedman Performance and a custom stainless steel exhaust featuring tubes from Summit Racing and mufflers from Black Widow Exhaust. The entire package was secured using hardware from ARP and a set of Maradyne electric fans and Summit Racing radiator help keep things cool in the heat of the Central Valley.

A battery was hooked up to the starter, the motor filled with fluids from Royal Purple and some fuel was dumped into the Aeromotive tank at the end of the day and the crate motor from Blueprint Engines fired right up!

Day 2

Day 2 was filled with optimism as the first day went off without a hitch and the motor was running on the rolling chassis. It was time to start putting everything together and getting it rolling as a complete truck. Would it be possible?

Patina’d Body

With classic patina covering the tan body of the truck, the character was left intact with minor dents pounded out and shop logos weathered on the sides thanks to stencils created by Method Media. The only issue was modifying the front bumper mounts to mate up to the 1965 front frame horns. Everything was wired up once the body hit the rolling chassis. The guys from Chad’s Auto Glass popped in new glass thanks to weatherstripping and seals from Precision Replacement Parts.

Interior

The inside of the cab was kept simple with carpeting from Brothers Truck Parts as well as a recovered bucket seat. Lokar Lakester door handles and pedals were installed and a billet panel featuring VDO Gauges were hooked up to the Blueprint Engine. Everything on the inside was topped off with a billet steering wheel from Summit Racing.

Final Assembly

The livestream ended at 6:00pm on the second day with the truck largely assembled save some details and a few body panels up front saved for the end to ensure everything from the engine to the brakes was functioning properly. Here is where a few snags were hit and the build ventured on late into the night save a few nap and burrito breaks. New wheel cylinders in the rear brakes needed to be replaced, thankfully an all night Auto Zone run cured this. The engine was dialed in with timing adjustments on the Professional Products Powerfire distributor and tweaks to the Holley carb from Summit Racing. All the lights were wired up, the hood was dropped back on and those resting were woken up at 11:30PM by Richard doing burnouts inside of the shop!

It was now decision time as roll in for the Brothers Truck Show in Anaheim, California started in a little over 5 hours…it was also a five hour drive towing down to the show from Clovis. The decision was made to get a few hours of sleep, and then hit the road making a fashionably late entrance into the show, landing in the Black Widow Exhaust booth.

When all was said an done, the truck was running, driving and stopping at midnight on the second day. Total work time for the weekend was just under 24 hours. The man hours? Well that was a lot more thanks to all of those that helped on the build. Richard Ruiz, Anthony “Mijo” Pedregon, Trenton Hatton, Marcel Venable, Jason Mulligan, Jordan Gomez, Stan Hammond, Shane McMullen, Parker Ervine, Snake, Justin “Pony” Carrillo and others stopping by throughout the weekend ensured that the build happened on time.

Special Thanks to the Sponsors

The build, accomplished in less than two days and shuffled off to the Brothers Truck Show on the third; couldn’t have been accomplished without the support of all the companies involved including: Auto Revolution, PPC Customs, Blueprint Engines, Summit Racing, Professional Products, Hedman Performance, Black Widow Exhaust, ARP, Early Classic, Brothers Truck Parts, Circle Racing Wheels, Fearless Gear, Driveline Service, Precision Replacement Parts, Rare Parts, Lokar, Inc., Aeromotive, Maradyne Fans, Royal Purple, VDO Gauges, Chad’s Auto Glass, Method Media, and Grossi’s Speed & Fab.