Get Out Another Thousand

PATINA AND C-10S ARE TWO KEY CONCEPTS THAT ARE CREATING SOME BIG NOISE IN THE CUSTOM AUTOMOTIVE SCENE. One key player in the truck scene that may not seem familiar to new folks is Travis Pruis of CTP Concepts. For those who don’t know, Travis use to work at IF Customs, a shop that was big in the truck scene in the early ’00s. Back then IF Customs was popping out C-10s that were either body dropped or laying doors on the ground. Along the way a few other companies have developed newer products to replicate the style and IF Customs was left in the shadows. Travis opened up shop in Gardnerville, Nevada and has been cutting and grinding on trucks on his own since his time at IF.

THOUGH THE TRUCK HAD BEEN SITTING FOR 20 YEARS OR SO, THE ORIGINAL 305-CI V-6 ENGINE FIRED UP AFTER GETTING FRESH FUEL AND A BATTERY.”

Living in a rural area, he often comes across great finds. While cruising around town, Travis stumbled on this ’64 GMC in a field. Since the truck is a ½-ton in decent shape with a short bed, it had potential. Travis knocked on the door and found out that the owner got it from his dad who was the original owner. Not knowing what he had, the owner said he might sell it if Travis were to make an offer. Travis offered him $800 and the truck was his. Though the truck had been sitting for 20 years or so, the original 305-ci V-6 engine fired up after getting fresh fuel and a battery.

Aside from living the dream of building trucks on a regular basis, Travis is also in the club Down to Earth. If you’re not familiar with the club, we can tell you that members have an obsession with ground-scrapping trucks. Travis’ close friend and fellow club member Johnny Schickle liked the GMC that Travis bought and decided to go in half on a budget build. They agreed on the deal and began the mission to get the GMC on the ground while it seemed like they needed to “get out another thousand” more often than planned.

Since the drivetrain worked decently, the majority of the work on this truck revolved around suspension mods. Though there are kits available to lay out these trucks, Travis and Johnny opted to Z the frame on the front. Then it was upgraded with drop spindles, disc brakes, a master cylinder and brake booster from Classic Performance Products (CPP). The control arms were narrowed 1 inch, and a set of Firestone airbags was fitted to the suspension in lieu of the coil springs.

On the rear, the frame was step notched enough to let the original rearend travel up high enough to lay the truck over the 20-inch Detroit Steel Wheels. A custom 2-link with track bar and another set of Firestone ‘bags takes care of the suspension. Instead of cutting out the rotted wood bed floor, the whole thing was removed. Later, the two of them decided to add a raised wood bed floor and raise and section the factory wheel tubs. Under the hood, the stock inner fenders were removed, and a set of custom steel wheel tubs was fabricated to cover the wheels.

WHEN THE GMC IS TAKEN OUT ON THE TOWN, PEOPLE ARE MESMERIZED BY THE UNIQUE LOOK THAT HAS COME WITH YEARS OF NEGLECT. ”

On the inside, things were left relatively simple, and the truck was pretty bare from factory. Starting with the dash, the gauges were replaced with a set from New Vintage. Housing them is a bit difficult because there are only a few options on the market for classic GMCs of this era. Travis made his own gauge cluster and mounted it all in the dash. As for the rest of the interior, Tawni Pratt of Tweeds Upholstery recovered the factory bench seat in vinyl and cloth, while Travis installed black carpet from Golden State Parts.

For the body of the truck, the plan was to leave it alone since patina is hot in the scene right now. Travis and Johnny decided to see if the factory paint would buff to a shine. After testing out their method in one area, they buffed out the original paint to a high shine. To give the front end a little more shine, the bumper and grille were painted. When the GMC is taken out on the town, people are mesmerized by the unique look that has come with years of neglect. At least these two have extended the truck’s life for a whole new generation to appreciate.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNERS

Travis Pruis and Johnny Schickle

1964 GMC Pickup
Gardnerville, NV
Down to Earth

ENGINE

• Shop: Douglas Machine Shop
• 1964 305-ci V-6
• Factory exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers
• Three-speed manual transmission
• Factory rearend

SUSPENSION

• Shop: CTP Concepts
• Front clip of frame Z’d
• Control arms narrowed 1-inch
• CPP drop spindles, front disc brakes, master cylinder and brake booster
• Flaming River billet universal steering joints
• Rear step notch
• Custom 2-link with track bar
• Firestone airbags
• ½-inch GC valves
• Viair compressors

WHEELS & TIRES

• 20×8 and 20×9 Detroit Steel Wheels
• 245/35R20 and 275/35R20 Accelera PHI

BODY & PAINT

• Factory paint buffed out
• CTP Concepts steel wheel tubs
• Raised wood bed floor with wood from Brothers Trucks and strips from Golden State Parts
• Factory rear wheel tubs raised and sectioned
• Front bumper and grille repainted
• Porterbuilt hood hinges
• Hood pinstriped by Travis Pruis

INTERIOR

• Factory bench seat covered in vinyl and cloth by Tawni Pratt of Tweeds Upholstery
• Golden State Parts carpet kit
• CTP Concepts gauge bezel with New Vintage Woodward series gauges

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Brunch and Golden State Parts for making those last minute part orders happen; Randy Pratt for mounting the wheels and tires; James Herr and Nick Purdy for always taking care of us at Summit Racing; Brad Clark of Wreckshop; our always supportive parents Mr. and Mrs. Pruis and Mr. and Mrs. Schickle; one of our mentors throughout the years, Mark McCaw, sorry we ruined another perfectly good truck, and to the future Mrs. Pruis for always being there and giving us some great ideas throughout the build. We appreciate each and every one one of you.

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