Building a 2wd Lifted Chevy C10 Squarebody – Part 1

Part 1: Core Strength and Conditioning

Relating a classic truck build to an iconic movie title is a great way to get people to remember your project and point it out at the local truck shows. The concept behind project Rocky was to find an old, retired workhorse of a truck, tear it all the way down to its core, and completely rebuild it into an all new, better version of its original self.

Rocky Balboa is a well-known character in classic cinema, and his story equally relates to the tale we are telling: retired, reborn and eventually re-reigning as the king with the crown, or in this case championship belt. That’s the plan for project Rocky, although I bet we’re going in a different direction than you would expect.

This truck came from the factory in 2WD and we plan to keep it that way since it’s a street truck only. We are not towing anything, and we’re not going off road. We’re simply ripping it around the streets and enjoying a cool, fun, modernized classic truck.

To clear our 22×12 American Force wheels, we will need a bit of a lift kit installed on this truck, but not too tall. We only need to clear a 33-inch-tall Toyo tire, but the width of the wheel will require a tad more height upfront. The best way to get some extra inches out of the front of a classic 2WD truck is to simply replace the spindles. Unfortunately, no one makes lift spindles for a ’73-’87 2WD Squarebody truck. So we had to improvise and use a Rough Country 4-inch lift spindle for an ’88-’98 C1500. The upper and lower control arm ball joints will also have to be swapped to match the spindles.

This is just the beginning of what is expected to be an exciting build. Keep up to date by following us online via social media, and subscribing to both Street Trucks and C10 Builder’s Guide. This will be one of those trucks you want to ride in, and if you see us at a truck show, hop in the passenger seat and let’s go!