Mike Self
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September 14, 2023
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C10 Builders Guide
There used to be certain unwritten rules when it came to what constituted a cool truck. For example, you couldn’t have anything less than a V-8 in a full-size, it had to have shiny paint, and long-beds were just a big no-no (unless, of course, the truck was also an extended or crew cab).
One thing that we just never thought of, though, was custom trucks with utility beds. And we didn’t think about them because they simply didn’t exist. Aside from custom lettering meant for advertising a business, they weren’t modified, and you pretty much just drove them, saving the cool stuff for whatever was in the garage at home. We’re not sure when things changed, but these days pretty much anything goes, and the only rule is that there are no rules.
For Don Greenman, his adventures began when he happened upon a ’66 C-20 on the side of the road, which was in pretty decent shape for its age. Although he was just window-shopping at the time (his new business had a firm grip on his available cash), he was able to work out a payment plan with the truck’s original owner, Sandy. He now had a proper work truck, and it paid for itself again and again through the years it was in service. In fact, Don was able to retire the truck eventually once he could afford a new one, and he gave it a semi-permanent parking spot on his lot.
“Since Travis is also a gifted artist, however, he came up with a couple of renderings, which gave him and Don a much clearer picture of where they should focus their efforts. ”
His plan was always to give the truck some love to repay it for its years of faithful service, and he was finally able to get started on it in 2013. He wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do, but he did know that he wanted it to be cooler than your everyday work truck. That was a tall order considering its slab-sided utility bed, but Don was determined to pull it off. He was going to need some help from someone with plenty of magical fabrication skills and artistic vision. Lucky for Don, he’s known someone like this practically his whole life, his cousin, Travis Pruis.
Travis is the guy behind CTP Concepts, which happens to specialize in all things C-10. His first ride was a ’70 C-10, and he still owns it a couple of decades later. He has built countless others for himself and clients, so he knows them inside and out. Still, Don’s C-20 was initially a bit of a challenge, since there were very few precedents from which to pull inspiration. Since Travis is also a gifted artist, however, he came up with a couple of renderings, which gave him and Don a much clearer picture of where they should focus their efforts.
As work progressed, Don’s truck built up quite a following, thanks to Travis’ continuous updates on Facebook and Instagram, and of course in its “Blood, Sweat, & Gears” feature in Street Trucks Magazine (“Ol’ Bluey,” pg. 70, ST, Jan. 2017).
In the end, Travis applied many of his favorite tricks, plus some new ones, to make Don’s truck unique. Things like an additional bodyline on the dash show just how much detail went into the build, and of course the slammed, AccuAir-powered suspension with 22-inch Delmo wheels are a big tell that this is no ordinary work truck. Travis was eventually ready to have his dad, Butch, step in to handle the painting duties, which really brought the truck back to life.
When it came time to address the power plant, most people these days would have gone the LS route, but Don had a special place in his heart for the original 327, which had served him well when the ’66 was the only truck he had. So, he had it rebuilt, but added fuel injection for more power and reliability. Apparently he didn’t care much for the original tranny, however, because he replaced it with a 700R4. We obviously can’t blame him, because the overdrive gear would certainly come in handy on the highway once the truck was back on the road.
Now completed, it’s even better than we could have imagined. Don and Travis have proved that you can indeed make any truck awesome with the proper vision. Don and Travis have dedicated the C-20 to Travis’ mom, Susie, who passed away before the truck was completed. We know she would be proud to see Don’s truck get the justice it deserves.
[divider] BUILD SPECS [/divider]
OWNER
Don Greenman
1966 Chevrolet C-20
Gardnerville, NV
ENGINE
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
WHEELS & TIRES
BODY & PAINT
INTERIOR & STEREO
Special Thanks
From the Owner:
“Butch Pruis, Travis Pruis, Amy Greenman, Gwen Greenman, Blake and Derek at AccuAir, Russ at Nevada Cerakote, “Brunch” at Golden State Parts, Don at Carson Valley Welding, Jared Hyatt, Roy at Vibro Solutions, Robbie at Atomic Upholstery, Steve at Performance Distributors, John at Powermaster, Mike at Goat Locker, Lane at Solo Signs, Juan “Kowaxle” Monrroy, Sandy Sanderson, Steve Loehr, Brad Clark, Bobby Everett, Jon Yefima, Bryan Landaburu, Jesse Collier, Lincoln Young and Hector Gordillo.”
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