From the Ground Up

Feature

InTheGarageMedia.com

Ruben Villamar’s 1968 Big-Window Utility

by Eric Geisert

Images by THE AUTHOR

R

uben Villamar, who lives in Irvine, California, answers the question: If you owned a construction company, what would you really like to drive to work? For Ruben, that’d be a ’68 Chevy Utility truck. The problem with finding most any truck to build is that it has probably been used as a truck! And finding a 50-year-old work truck means it has probably seen its share of abuse; but, as it turns out, not every old truck has been thrashed.

Described by Ruben as a “barn find,” this particular C10 started life as a factory stake bed, but a previous owner had swapped the bed out for a utility box, which is the way Ruben first spied it. With running his What U Need construction company, he naturally felt connected to the utilitarian ride and worked a deal to trade a 1968 Cadillac he had for it.

open storage compartment on the side of the truck bed on a ’68 Chevy Utility truck

The 47-year-old has been fixing up cars since he was 16, plus he already owned a 1965 C10, so he was familiar with the breed. But tearing something down to the bare bones and building it over with a new design is what he does for a living so, after hooking up with Paul Bosserman at Old Anvil Speed Shop in Orange, California, the plan was made to blow his 1968 apart and start from there.

From the get-go Ruben was adamant about one thing: this was not going to be a show truck. He wanted to be able to drive it to various construction sites and not have to worry too much about it. It being his work truck, he expected to use it as such, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t have some style.

3/4 rear view of ’68 Chevy Utility truck

storage compartment filled with supplies on ’68 Chevy Utility truck truck bed

Old Anvil got to work addressing the fundamentals: stance and power. The chassis was stripped and a C-notch added out back because this truck was going to sit low. After powdercoating the chassis, a new frontend from CPP with upper and lower A-arms and disc brakes was installed along with a Ridetech bagged suspension. Most folks don’t notice what happened with the wheels at first glance, but the 20-inch steelies were powdercoated and clips added so Chevy S-10 hubcaps could be used.

Next, the original 327 and four-speed trans were swapped out in favor of a 5.3L LS backed to 4L60E running to a 14-bolt rearend. The motor’s spent gases exit through a set of Doug Thorley headers and a stainless steel exhaust system that empties out a small port just in front of each rear wheel. Old Anvil also specializes in Cerakoting, and used the finish on a pair of billet aluminum valve covers they designed and milled for Ruben’s V-8. Up in the engine compartment the ignition coils were moved to the back of the engine, and a Canton radiator overflow tank is also utilized (with a billet Old Anvil cap), as is a Fragola Performance Systems 100-psi fuel pressure gauge mounted to the firewall for quick reference. One of the boxes in the 8-foot STAHL utility bed houses the compressor for the truck’s Ridetech suspension.

steering wheel of ’68 Chevy Utility truck

full view of black front seats in ’68 Chevy Utility truck

The blue and white color combo is the same paint that was on the truck when Ruben got it—only recently touched up here and there to even it out. Inside the truck’s cab Old Anvil rewired everything and milled a billet center dash panel to house the Alpine stereo unit that is heard through Alpine R 6-inch speakers and a 10-inch subwoofer. Leather bucket seats from TMI are used in combination with a center console with two cup holders (ever see a construction worker without a cup of coffee in his hand?). Dakota Digital gauges were also installed as was a Restomod Air A/C unit to supply the cool air.

So, if you’re ever traveling around Southern California near some construction sites and you see a really nice-looking ’68 C10 parked out in the dirt, know that it’s not a show truck. It’s just Ruben and his work truck doin’ their thing.

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