Built Low and Sweet

JOHNY GONZALEZ OF DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA, IS THE OWNER OF THIS SUPER CLEAN ’74 CHEVY C-10 RIGHT HERE. He picked it up in the middle of 2015 when it had a grand total of 66k original miles on the odometer. He bought it from a good friend, but he suspects that its original owner might have been a cute old lady who never put the truck to heavy use. The C-10 had to be more than a utilitarian must-have for her because you never realize just how much you need a pickup until the day you actually need one. “The truck used to have an original four-speed on the floor,” Johny says. “The little old lady had it swapped out to an automatic transmission though, probably to make it easier on her while driving around town. I’m thinking that a couple of trips to the market and a bingo night a week kept the mileage down …”

Whatever the actual story of its origin, the truck showed some signs of age, low mileage or not, and it needed a good going over to get it road worthy. “When I first picked up the truck, I crossed my fingers at every stoplight and prayed that it didn’t die before the light turned green.”

After playing catch-up on some much-needed maintenance issues, the truck was drivable once again, and Johny was finally able to decide what he was going to do with his new-to-him Chevy. The very next step was to lower it, but soon after, he set his sights on a full-blown teardown and build-up to get the truck to a place where he would ultimately be happy with it. “I’ve always loved the pro-touring ’60’s muscle cars like Camaros and Chevelles. To me, nothing beats that low, mean stance and the agility of a coil-over performance suspension. I planned to build the truck with these cars in mind along with all of the amenities of late-model autos.”

It’s funny how things snowball, but before Johny even realized it, his truck was slated to head to SEMA. He had contacted United Pacific Industries about including its lighting products in the build, and as conversations with the company progressed, he was offered booth space to display the truck at the big show. “After hearing that, it was game on. I placed an order for front to back suspension components from Porterbuilt and got everything on August 26, which didn’t leave me a whole lot of time to get the truck done with a full-time work schedule, but I had to plan everything just right to make it. This is when I really felt that the actual build started.”

If you didn’t quite catch the date when Johny got the majority of his parts in, he had just over two months to take the truck from stock to stunner. In order to make it in time for SEMA roll-in, you have to arrive days before the doors even open that first week of November, which meant that he needed to have the truck loaded and ready to hit the road to Vegas by Oct. 30. Obviously, he met that goal, but everything in between became a blur at times. “One thing that I wasn’t going to have time for, though, was paint. I had talked to Greg at GK Kustoms in Arizona about securing a spot in the paint booth, but with the time restraints I was faced with, it just wasn’t going to work out. In the end, I’m glad the truck stayed in its original paint. I don’t think I’ll change it now.”

Original, that’s just something you don’t see a whole lot of, especially with show-worthy paint jobs. It’s refreshing to see some history in a truck that has spent its entire life in the Golden State, though. “I did some digging around to see which plant this truck was originally built in, and it was put together at the GM assembly factory in Fremont,” Johny reports. This particular facility produced C/K pickups from 1962-81. It’s wild to think about just how many of those trucks might still be on West Coast roads. The number can’t be huge, but there has to be a fair amount of them still kicking. This one here would definitely be the talk of the class reunion. Not much has really changed on the truck’s exterior except maybe the headlights and one-off Johny G badges (which are cool as hell). The factory vibe is still holding strong, which offers a glimpse into the truck’s soul. A lot of trucks out there with fresh paint jobs or forced patina finishes may not be able to brag about that characteristic. Not to say that it’s better or worse than any other truck out there, but there’s certainly a cool factor in seeing all of the original bumps and bruises earned from spending 42 years on the streets.

As much as it’s a joy to build a custom truck for yourself, it’s quite another thing to pump it out in a 60- day span. When you factor in that this was a complete frame-off project, and that it received an engine swap and a freshly overhauled interior complete with a full audio system and a load of creature comforts, it’s even more of an impressive feat. “Although it might not look like it, every nut, bolt, wire and screw is new,” Johny says confidently. “It was a bit stressful at times, especially when I was waiting for special-order parts to arrive. It’s hard to move forward when waiting on key components, but it all worked out. I even started doubling up on ordering parts. If there’s something you’re unsure of, order both and hope one fits.”

Making it out to SEMA is a big deal for any auto junkie, but to be able to actually park in the halls and become part of the show is an experience unlike any other. “I’m just a little fish in a big pond, and I look up to so many builders. It was awesome to have the backing of some large companies that put their trust in me. But now that it’s all over, I plan on hitting as many shows and racking up as many miles on the truck as possible.” This ol’ Chevy might not be caught hauling any industrial building supplies anytime soon, but it’ll be driven, and driven often.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Johny Gonzalez
1974 Chevy C-10
Downey, CA
C-10 Club

ENGINE

• Shop: Johny’s Garage in Bell Gardens, CA
• 2011 Chevy Generation IV L96 6.0L
• 2011 6L90E six-speed transmission
• Cooks Machine Works steel driveshaft
• Griffin aluminum radiator
• Dual 16-inch Spal cooling fans
• Porterbuilt motor mounts
• LS3 intake manifold
• Spectre Performance air cleaner
• Holley valve covers
• Dirty Dingo accessory drive
• PSI conversion standalone wiring harness
• Motor painted Chevy orange
• LS3 headers black ceramic-coated
• Custom dual exhaust with Black Widow Widowmaker mufflers

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• Shop: Johny’s Garage in Bell Gardens, CA
• Porterbuilt Version 7 front Dropmember
• CPP rack-and-pinion steering
• CPP modular 2-inch drop spindles
• Porterbuilt 1-inch narrowed tubular arms
• Aldan American coil-over shocks all around
• Rear Porterbuilt 4-link
• Porterbuilt radius notches
• CPP braking system including HydraStop master cylinder

WHEELS & TIRES

• 22×9 ad 24×10 US Mags PT.1-U701 wheels, powder-coated gunmetal centers with polished lips
• 265/35R22 and 295/30R24 Toyo Proxes ST II

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Johny’s Garage in Bell Gardens, CA
• Original yellow Chevy paint
• Smoothed firewall
• Satin black engine bay painted by Martin Aguilar, Guero’s Paint
• Original grille
• Front and rear bumpers powder-coated gunmetal
• Precision replacement seals
• Munssey Speed & Design rear carbon fiber tubs
• Rhino bed lining of Orange County
• Bed floor raised 6 inches with GSI risers
• GSI billet door handles and Johny G badges
• United Pacific Industries sequential LED taillights and projector LED headlights

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Shop: Johny’s Garage in Bell Gardens, CA/Define Customs (audio)
• TMI Interiors sport bucket seats
• TMI Interiors console
• Black vinyl and suede upholstery
• Brothers Truck dash pad
• Dakota Digital HDX gauges
• Sparco steering wheel
• United Pacific Industries billet window cranks
• RJS Racing lap belts
• Vintage Air AC
• Bluetooth-equipped head unit
• Custom kick panels
• Image Dynamics 6.5-inch component speakers
• Two 10-inch Powerbass subwoofers
• Image Dynamics amps
• Dual Interstate batteries
• Silent Coat sound deadener

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Thanks to John Padilla; United Pacific Industries; Erik “Wolf” Rodriguez of Wolf Design Co.; John Oro; C/10 Club; my shop partner, Jose “Cougar” Velasco; Guero Paint; Martin Aguilar; Josh “LOLO” of Freeman Fabrication; my son, John “JJ” Gonzalez; and to all the sponsors and friends who helped out.”

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