Up next TRUCK OF THE MONTH – JANUARY 2022 Published on February 22, 2022 Author Grant Cox Tags c10, C10 Builder’s Guide, chevy, Lokar, street trucks, TMI, Share article Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Mail 0 1968 Chevrolet C10 | Chopped, Smoothed and Full-Blown Customized Like many of us, Dave Seeney dreamed of one day building his very own custom truck to share with his family and friends. While at a car show in Kansas City back in 2001, Dave noticed the growing popularity of custom 1967-’72 Chevy C10 pickups and knew instantly that he wanted one. A truck from the show that really piqued his interest was a “Chop-Top” C10, and it inspired him to build his own someday. Well, that “someday” came sooner than Dave had planned for. He got word about a project truck that had been sitting in a garage for some time, and the owner had lost interest in it. So, Dave contacted the trucks owner and set up a time to go see just what kind of a “project” truck it was.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Once in the gentleman’s garage, it turned out that the C10 project truck had already received a 3-inch chop, smoothed doors and a smoothed-out dash. The truck was clean with no rust, which is a rare find these days. Dave and the seller worked out a reasonable price and the deal was done. With the help from some of his friends, they loaded up all the parts and truck onto a trailer and hauled it home to Dave’s garage, where it took up residence for approximately 16 years. During that time, Dave accumulated all the finishing parts, from a fuel tank to custom tubular suspension components. Originally the truck came with a tuned port engine and engine package that was going out of date for performance parts. It was the perfect time to toss out the old powerplant and swap it out for the newer LS platforms. Approximately two years ago, while going through social media, Dave found Jason Vannatta at Vannatta Fabrications. He specializes in building custom C10 trucks. After setting up a meeting with Jason about finishing his project truck, an agreement was made. Jason took the mods that were already done to the cab and built on those to smooth out the look of the truck. What had started as a daily driver was now growing into a full-blown custom build. It was decided to discard the stock frame and opted for a custom chassis from ACME Chassis Shop, giving the truck more ground scraping attitude. A call to ACME Chassis in Houston, Texas, was made and soon the frame was shipped to Jason’s shop. The frame came complete with a fuel tank, air bag suspension, a 9-inch posi rear end, and all the steering components and shocks installed. The engine/transmission combination came as a “Connect and Cruise” combo from Scoggin Dickey Chevrolet with a 480 hp LS3 engine and a 4L80E transmission. The engine had accessories from Concept One and Scott’s Hotrods on it. With input from the builder, the choice was made to use TMI as an upholstery supplier for the interior components, as well as Dakota Digital for instrumentation. Lokar provided the shifter and engine management pedal components. Jason put in his own custom metal fabrication touches to the engine bay, bed and interior to give Dave’s truck its own unique style. Looking back at the finished product, Dave felt he had achieved what he had set out to accomplish with a custom C10 that showed off all the style cues he had dreamed of. Dave would like to thank his wife Beverly for all her support in this 15-year-long project, as well as Jason Vannatta and Dave’s son Sean with helping him complete his journey to completion. DAKOTA DIGITAL PROVIDED THE INSTRUMENTATION, WHILE LOKAR PROVIDED THE SHIFTER AND ENGINE MANAGEMENT PEDAL COMPONENTS. JASON VANNATTA FROM VANNATTA FABRICATIONS ADDED CUSTOM METALWORK TO DAVE’S TRUCK. Build Specs OWNER Dave Seeney Truck specs: 1968 Chevrolet C10 Truck name: Chebby Hometown: Lebo, KS Club: Genuine Chevy GMC Truck Club of KC Builder: Jason Vannatta, Sedalia, MO Chassis Frame: Body dropped ACME tube steel custom full frame by ACME Chassis in Houston, TX Rear End: Shortened Currie 9-inch w/ 3.73 gears Rear Suspension: Custom four-link bars, Slam Specialties bags, KYB shocks Front Suspension: CPP 2-inch drop spindles, Slam Specialties bags Air Management: Accuair E-Level CVT (compressor, valve, tank) Steering Column: Ididit Gas Tank: Custom Aluminum 22-gallon tank between rear frame rails Battery: ODYSSEY located in custom rear compartments Wheels Rims: Billet Specialties SLD89 20×8.5 inches (f), 20×10 inches(r) Tires: Nitto INVO 265/35/20 (f), 315/35/20 (r) Engine Make: 2012 GM LS-3 376 cu-in Cam: GM LS 480 hp camshaft Radiator: Entropy dual flow radiator, Entropy dual fans Alternator: 140-amp Powermaster Wires: Taylor Exhaust: 1-7/8-inch headers, 2.5-inch tube Jet coated Magna flow mufflers Engine Dress-up: Scott’s Finned valve covers, K&N air filter, Concept One brackets, American Auto wire Transmission Make: GM 2010 4L80E w/ 2800 stall Shifter: Lokar floor kit Drive Shaft: Custom made Body Make: 1968 C10 Chop: 3-inch chopped, custom hand cut glass Grille: 1968 factory shell w/ custom mesh screen Bumpers: Custom metal formed front and rear bumpers Hood: Cowl hood Door Handles: Kindigit smooth handles Mirrors: 2015 Ford Mustang Lights: LED headlights, LED taillights Paint Paint Color: GM “Perfect Blue” Engine Bay Modifications: Titanium painted hood color inset Interior Upholstery: Tan/beige two tone vinyl, tan carpet Seats: TMI bucket seats Dashboard: Custom TMI padded Gauges: Dakota Digital Steering wheel: LaCarra Power features: Cruise, E-brake, Vintage Air A/C Stereo Head unit: Kenwood Speakers: 6-1/2-inch Kicker components in custom kick panels and back wall enclosure Sub: Kicker 10-inch Amplifier: Kicker
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