THE FOREMAN | 1970 Chevy C10

Utilitarianism at Its Finest

UTILITARIANISM IS A FAMILY of consequentialist ethical theories that promotes actions that maximize happiness and well-being for the affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism have different defined characterizations, the basic idea behind all of them is to maximize utility while being useful or beneficial to a majority. In this case, the majority is the crew at Vintage Vendetta Garage, and the benefit is pretty obvious, in our opinion.

According to Ryan Lawson, this 1970 C10 came with a soul. Although now that it’s been fully converted to a K10, The Foreman almost seems like it knew this day would eventually come. Starting its life in Fredericksburg, Texas, this former two-wheel-drive hay hauler only had one owner—Mr. Keeter—before finding its way to the Vintage Vendetta workshop. Mr. Keeter put a little over 200,000 miles on this truck driving all across Texas while building his successful multi-million-dollar construction company. The truck was refurbished in the mid ’80s and stored in a purpose-built, air-conditioned garage. Mr. Keeter continued driving this truck he loved on special occasions until his passing approximately four years ago.

would happen by simply selling hats and shirts out of its utility boxes at shows, but little did he know the opportunities this old truck would bring that would extend far beyond just looking cool selling swag.

C10 guys know when their beloved relics are cared for with amazing detail, and the acknowledgment Ryan received on this truck has been incredible.

To restore and enhance this truck past its former glory days, the crew at Vintage Vendetta knew they needed to go all out, starting with the chassis. After procuring an all-original 1969 K10 frame, they cleaned and powdercoated it Gloss Black so it would look as good as it performed. A set of Dana 44 axles were beefed up with 4:56 gears and mounted to the frame rails with 10-inch leaf springs to keep it simple and classic. Next, they transferred the originalDuring the sale negotiations with Mr. Keeter’s nephew, he asked Ryan to promise that he would not just quickly flip and sell the truck, but instead find a way to let it be a part of building a company like it did in the past. At the time, Ryan thought that body panels onto the new 4WD chassis, along with the original motor. To transfer the power to both axles, a 700R4 transmission and a NP208 transfer case were installed into the drivetrain. The engine compartment was also painted the original exterior color during the swap. For rollers, a set of 20×14 Detroit Steel Delray Wheels were wrapped in 37×14 Interco Tires, which give it a look that’s unfamiliar to most C10 enthusiasts, but we love it!

With the truck complete and ready for use, Ryan and the crew had to decide where to unveil this amazing build. The first major national show was Lone Star Throwdown, which just happened to be in their backyard of Texas.

“It was amazing the response from the public,” Ryan says. “Although we did not win any awards, we were one of only a few trucks that got interviews from both C10 Talk and Truckshow Podcast.”

That’s impressive in its own right! C10 guys know when their beloved relics are cared for with amazing detail, and the acknowledgment Ryan received on this truck has been incredible. Guess it’s time to build another one!