“After my wife, Lisa, and I sold the ’52 we began looking for a ’63-66 C10 in good enough shape to build our next hot rod truck with. We wanted to avoid a lengthy bodywork and paint exercise on the truck, so we were looking for a clean, painted pickup that was ready to use,” Mike states. The truck they found checked off all the boxes of what would make a good starting point for their latest build.

They purchased a ’65 C10 shortbed showing only 66,000 miles on the odometer. It was also sporting its original six-cylinder and three-speed setup. It did have some modern modifications added to it, including an air suspension setup, disc brakes, and drop spindles, but it still maintained an overall old-school look. The truck was skinned in an older repaint, which was luckily still in good shape, displaying some nice patina on its outer panels.

The game plan was simple: Fix the minor rust issues in the lower body while keeping the skin mostly intact. Next, add an upgraded suspension underneath it for driveability and then infuse the classic truck with a healthy dose of horsepower underhood. Though the truck would receive a little outside attention from local shops, the majority of the work on this particular C10 would be done in the Littles’ home garage.

During the first year of ownership, the family enjoyed the well-built truck just how they received it, driving it locally to car shows and on Sunday cruises. After that “new car feeling” started to wane, Mike decided to get the ball rolling and began the teardown of the C10. This would be the start of a complete frame-off rebuild into a more modern street truck that would take the Littles the better part of two years to complete.

The C10 had been sold to Mike straight out of Pattinato Hot Rods just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The shop installed the air suspension setup and upgrades on the pickup as well as performed some cleanup of the chassis and body before passing it onto the Littles. Mike wanted to keep some of the modifications made over the years by its past owners while adding his own “grocery list” of goodies to this new build.

First to go was the drivetrain. The original six-banger and trans were removed and laid aside, as a more potent mill was on Mike’s lengthy parts list. Once the body was separated from the chassis, the sleeves got rolled up and the heavy work began. The Littles started off by stripping, cleaning, and then selectively boxing the original frame for more rigidity. A Switch Suspension 8-inch C-notch kit was welded in to give the rear more travel space and to help make room for the big wheels and skins out back. The frame and suspension parts were then powdercoated by LPC Powder Coating, out of Hanover, Pennsylvania.

The suspension received plenty of love here. Mike intended on keeping the air ride basics while upgrading where he could. First off, Firestone 2600 airbags were sourced and added up front to the chassis to help get this “bedded” hot rod to rise and fall at a drop of a switch. McGaughy’s supplied 2 1/2-inch drop spindles along with a set of their gas-filled shocks (built on custom mounts) to help out with the ride up front. Out back was a similar scenario, but Mike chose Firestone 2500 airbags mounted on BC Fabrication brackets to levitate the back side of the truck. A Performance Online adjustable trailing arm crossmember was then installed after it was modified for additional driveshaft clearance. The stock trailing arms were reused, after being installed with fresh urethane bushings and a set of 2-inch lowering blocks.

While the chassis was coming together, Mike started to think about the motorvation for this hot rod pickup. “We decided on going with a modern drivetrain; and what’s better than a good, reliable LS?” Mike says. They found their mill in the form of a 6.0L LS2 that had been pulled from a wrecked Trailblazer SS with only a scant few miles showing on the odometer. A BP Automotive drive-by-wire EFI harness and ECM were installed to help the engine work in this vintage C10. Hedman 1 3/4-inch long-tube ceramic-coated headers help get rid of the spent gases in a hurry. To help punch through the gears, a 2WD 4L80E was sourced from a ’99 GMC 2500. From there the unit went to Joe Taylor in Vernon, New Jersey, where it received a TransGo 4L80E-HD2 kit and a complete overhaul so it could handle the power pushed by this nasty LS2. A ’65 C10 12-bolt rear axle, built with a Powertrax No-Slip Locker and 3.73 gears, was installed to get the power to the big meats out back.

With this truck near completion, Mike knew he couldn’t skimp on the interior. With the three-speed gone, the owner converted the column to an automatic column shift. To fit the 4L80E unit properly, a Shlosh Tubz high hump trans cover was added. Next a Classic Instruments electronic gauge cluster was installed to keep track of this truck’s vitals and an American Autowire Classic Update kit was spliced in to smooth out the electrical system. An Old Air Products heat/cool/defrost unit handles the HVAC system here to help keep Mike and Lisa chill on those hot Pennsylvania summer days. The original steering wheel was restored to keep this classic’s cockpit looking classic, and Mike even went as far as keeping the original seat and the 15-year-old refurbished upholstery.

Other highlights to this C10 include a Boyd’s 19-gallon aluminum fuel tank with an Aeromotive Stealth 340 electric fuel pump to dole out the go juice to this thirsty LS. A ViAir 380 compressor and 3-gallon tank mounted underbed helps this C10 rise and fall on Mike’s notice. In the engine bay, a set of modified LSX valve covers give a clean look to the LS2. The owner fabricated a cover to hide the TBSS intake as well. Hydro graphics were done by Dave Whisler at Pigeon Hill Designs right there in Spring Grove. The final tuning on the LS2 was done by Calvin Nelson out of York, Pennsylvania, using HP Tuner software. With 435 hp at the rear wheels, it has certainly got the power to scoot on down the highway.

Once the C10 was nearly complete, they rolled into their first show of the season at the 2021 NSRA Street Rod Nationals East in York, Pennsylvania. There the “near”-finished truck grabbed plenty of attention from the onlookers. At its second show it took home the Hot Hauler award at the Goodguys Great American Nationals. “We really like the fact that after driving it a few miles, just a wipe-down with a damp rag is all it takes to get it show ready,” Mike states.

As far as the build goes, there were ups and downs. “The first windshield didn’t fit right. Changing suppliers fixed that. Since we did basically zero bodywork, a lot of time was spent adjusting and shimming to get good gaps … and of course those typical startup and running issue gremlins,” Mike states.

As far as the future, the couple have plenty of plans that involve this stealthy C10. But there are some things that probably won’t happen in the next few years. “Our buzzword with this truck that was shared with many people was ‘restraint.’ Keep the patina, fabricate less, no body mods. The running joke with our friends and family was when are you gonna break down and paint it? Our inner circle thought we’d crack and get out the paint guns. We didn’t!”

As with any build, sometimes you need a little help from friends. Mike says, “I want to give a big thank you to my friend Chris Moscarell who trailered the C10 home from Pittsburgh. He also supplied plenty of specialty tools during the build and was my sounding board during the process. A shout-out also goes to Shannon Shimmel for the custom sheetmetal work, TIG welding, and machinework.”