FeatureInTheGarageMedia.com
Brett Haskin’s Semi-Homebuilt 1968 GMC
BY Rob Fortier 
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Tim Sutton
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Tim SuttonI
’d say that most of us car guys were born with the fueled gene—I think it’s somewhat of a rarity to acquire the taste for these old gas-guzzling fossils we love so, though it does happen. However, it all depends on family circumstances, among other things, as to when exactly that gene permeates our DNA to the point of becoming a full-fledged hobbyist.
For me, with just the NASCAR and NHRA drag racing influence I received from my dad taking me to the races (he was a car guy, just not into collecting anything specific), my fascination with hot rods and the like began at an early age when I started building plastic models in elementary school. It wasn’t till my freshman year in high school, the year before I was legally licensed to drive, that my dad bought me my first car, a 1969 Volkswagen Fastback—and that’s when the gene fully took over.
Seems like 44-year-old Brett Haskin shares a similar story, however, it wasn’t until quite a few years after he’d graduated that he was able to finally pursue his dream. “In 2016 I started looking for a 1967-1972 C10 to build my dream truck back in high school,” he recalls. “After searching for a few months, one came up for sale in the Sacramento area. As I proceeded to get a hold of the owner, I found it was traded out. One week later, however, it popped up on Craigslist near my area. I notified the new owner that evening and purchased it the very next day.”
And since he’d had all those years to construct his dream in his mind … “Three things I knew it was going to have: LS3 power, Wilwood brakes, and the desired color I’d had in my head. As time went on, things and ideas changed (not to mention the damn Internet will kill you when it comes to styling changes!), and before long, I’d say it snowballed quite a bit.”
To say Brett’s amazing GMC is completely homebuilt would be a lie; to say it’s a shop-built truck would not be true, either. Let’s just say it’s the perfect collaboration between friends old and new. “After getting some much-needed help from my friend Jeff Grass with installing the motor and doing the wiring, he led me to some top-notch fabricators: Brandon Myers [Myersworx] and Bink’s Fabrications. Alex Vargas from Garage Built Customs was just getting started on his own shop and he and I had been talking so we both decided that’s where [the GMC] got painted. I just want all the people involved to know just how much I appreciate the awesome talent and friendship. We are just getting our feet wet with all the shows opening back up, and I’m loving the response.”
We were part of that overwhelming response back at the 2020 C10 Intervention in Auburn, California, when we first laid eyes on this beauty, as did many, many others. What first drew us in was that particular color of choice (which Brett’s not revealing the actual name of!), but upon further inspection, despite the hoards of people also admiring the GMC at the time, it was the overall execution that kept us glued to the truck for quite a while. Under the hood is literally a work of art—like, the actual “underhood” structure! And from the core support to the firewall, nary a thing was left untouched or refined.
As Brett mentioned, he and Jeff Grass installed a 6.0L LS that was previously machined by MJ Motorsports and ported/polished by Brian Tooley. A modified-stock GM ECU controls a Holley Mid-Ram EFI; Doug Thorley headers feed a Myersworx-fabbed stainless exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers; a 6L80E six-speed OD spins a 12-bolt rear equipped with Dutchman axles and a Truetrac posi; and the stock chassis has been front- and back-halfed with GSI components—including the Wilwood disc brakes Brett desired from the get-go—and capped off with 22-inch Intro Twisted Vistas wearing Toyo rubber.
The underlying bodywork beneath that secret Sikkens color on Brett’s GMC was handled by Garage Built Customs (which is complemented by a beautifully finished and hydraulically actuated zebrawood bed floor); the interior is a combination of cleverly crafted fiberglass work by Marquez Design, distressed brown leather, tweed, and suede, Dakota Digital instrumentation, ididit/Budnik steering, Vintage Air, and a custom sound system.
