1973 Chevy C30 Dually | MIDLIFE CRISIS

1973 Chevy C30 Dually, Cured with a Custom!

A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence, described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person’s growing age. This may produce feelings of intense depression and high levels of anxiety. The desire to achieve youthfulness or make drastic changes to one’s current lifestyle can be overwhelming and all-consuming. There are many options for helping this phase of life, including talks with doctors, testing out so-called miracle medicines, and even wasting money on things like traveling to places you’ve never been to try and “find yourself.” 

That may work for some folks, but probably not for anyone reading this article. We’re truck enthusiasts, and there’s only a handful of things that will get us through these rough times—good friends, tight family and a bagged truck that turns heads at every stoplight. That’s how we deal with our acceptance of aging, and if you don’t agree, you came to the wrong part of the playground.

His ’73 Chevy C30 Dually is proof that when you set a goal, drop about 30K on parts and labor, and eventually reach the finish line, a midlife crisis can be appreciated rather than feared. Performing most of the work himself was the goal with this unique squarebody.  

Brett Oakes is a self-proclaimed hustler based in Chino, California, who has a major addiction to the custom truck scene. His ’73 Chevy C30 Dually is proof that when you set a goal, drop about 30K on parts and labor, and eventually reach the finish line, a midlife crisis can be appreciated rather than feared. Performing most of the work himself was the goal with this unique squarebody.

Starting with the factory frame rails, Brett added a Lowrider Depot frame notch kit along with rear four-link suspension set up. Front control arms from Michigan Metal Works paired with Slam Specialties RE8 airbags and QA1 adjustable shocks set this dually as low as possible, which looks amazing, we might add. The 22-inch American Force Big Hole Semi wheels look sweet tucked in the fender wells, and the 265-35-22 Continental tires give the truck a smooth ride even with a thin tire.

A few additional mods to the drivetrain include a ’09 Chevy 6L80E transmission, a custom two-piece drive shaft from JE Reel and a corporate 14-bolt rear axle from a ¾-ton Chevy. As with most full builds, the brakes were also upgraded with a rear disc brake conversion from Lugnut 4×4. The last item to include was the Boyd Welding aluminum tank.

For a power plant on this ’73 Chevy, Brett went with a ’09 Chevy 6.2-liter LS V-8 with Hedman Headers and engine mounts. Before the engine was installed, some major modifications were made, including sending out the block to be balanced and blueprinted. With a new compression ratio of 10,2-1 and a set of ARP Fasteners to connect the bottom end, the next addition could be made. A CompCams Camshaft with 0.660 lift along with a set of new pushrods and valve springs were installed. The icing on the cake is a Whipple Supercharger paired with its intercooler and a Whipple intake manifold.  Brett added a 3-inch Mandrel bent stainless exhaust.

We’re truck enthusiasts, and there’s only a handful of things that will get us through these rough times—good friends, tight family and a bagged truck that turns heads at every stoplight. That’s how we deal with our acceptance of aging, and if you don’t agree, you came to the wrong part of the playground.

To wrap up this lowdown dually, Brett dropped the truck off with 714 Motorsports for a new Snowden custom bucket bench, Dakota Digital HDX gauges and a Severed Ties themed Colorado Customs steering wheel. Next was to manage the audio system, and Brett knew right where to turn. Gary Bell at Define Concepts build enclosures for dual Rockford Fosgate 16-inch power series subs and added six Rockford Fosgate T3 components along with five amplifiers, totaling 6,200 watts!

This truck premiered at SEMA in 2017 and has only gotten better and more detailed since then. “The only thing that I would change is the size of my garage,” Brett says. “It’s too nice to store outside and won’t fit in my current garage.” That’s not a bad problem to have!

TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Brett Oakes
1973 Chevy C30 Dually
Matrix Designer Red
Chino, CA
Severed Ties
Time to build: Nine months
Cost to build: $30,000

EXTERIOR MODS

• Shaved gas door
• Painted by Chivo

ENGINE

• 2009 Chevy 6.2-liter LS V-8
• Hedman Headers and engine mounts
• Balanced and blueprinted
• 10,2-1 compression ratio
• ARP Fasteners bottom-end bolts
• CompCams Camshaft with 0.660 lift
• Push rods, valve springs and trunion kit
• Whipple intake manifold
• 3-inch Mandrel bent stainless exhaust
• Whipple Supercharger
• Whipple Intercooler
• Ohio Generator 300-amp alternator
• Boyd Welding aluminum tank

DRIVETRAIN

• 2009 Chevy 6L80E transmission
• Custom two-piece drive shaft from JE Reel
• Corporate 14-bolt rear axle from a ¾-ton Chevy
• Rear disc brake conversion from Lugnut 4×4

CHASSIS

• Lowrider Depot fame notch and rear four-link
• Front control arms from Michigan Metal Works
• Slam Specialties air bags RE8
• QA1 adjustable shocks

WHEELS/TIRES

• 22-inch American Force Big Hole Semi wheels
• 265-35-22 Continental tires

INTERIOR/AUDIO

• Snowden custom bucket bench
• Dakota Digital HDX gauges
• Colorado Customs Severed Ties steering wheel
• Interior work by 714 Motorsports
• Dual Rockford Fosgate 16-inch power series subs
• Six Rockford Fosgate T3 components
• Five amplifiers totaling 6,200 watts
• Full Throttle batteries
• Gary Bell at Define Concepts