The LMC Truck C10 Nationals Week to Wicked—The Square-Body Episode: Before the Build

For every creampuff or cherry farm find C10 there are at least a hundred, um, curd puffs. You know the ones I’m talking about, the “ran when last parked” deals that look fairly decent from the outside but don’t truly reveal their spoiled-filling surprise(s) till after the deal’s been made and that beauty’s all yours.

I myself have experienced severe buyer’s remorse with that 1975 C10 Cheyenne some of you may recall seeing here many moons ago. My first warning sign, which obviously was clearly ignored, was the seller not permitting me to testdrive the truck on the street (the reason being “it’s not insured”), leaving me a 50-foot stretch of concrete my only means in which to run it through the gears—that being First and Reverse. So after paying the lady with the lawyer’s grin, my actual testdrive just a couple miles home divulged her real motives: a flat cam with a side of wasted valveguides. It only got worse when I discovered that the tailgate was the only sheetmetal component not infected with rust or smothered in Bondo or simply beat to death—and that’s because it was off a new C10. But, the title was lien-free and the framerails straight as could be, so all was not lost (just a good amount of my money).

Fortunately, LMC Truck was there to save the day when it came to each and every exterior panel the Cheyenne needed heavily repaired or outright replaced—from the cowl forward, not a single item remained (fenders, hood, grille, lights, and bumper). The sagging, rotted-out doors were swapped for a new set, and the bed received some new skins. LMC even had the complete cab and side trim set, which turned out to be a rather fun job, as I’d neglected to reference the original mounting holes before everything was painted. And the interior refurb—the only portion I had anticipated having to initially do based upon my thorough visual inspection—that too was as easy as picking up the phone and ordering pretty much everything besides the steering column and bench seat frame, as LMC was able to supply all the upholstery, instrumentation, and dash parts needed.

So, what’s all that have to do with our latest Week to Wicked project? Well, if you were to take the scenario above, copy and paste it into a new template, and title it, “The LMC Truck C10 Nationals Week to Wicked,” you’d have your answer, as the basis for our third frolic down that weeklong wicked road was no cream puff by any means. Matter of fact, I’d probably take my curd over that one if I had to choose between the two as a project starting point. That said, before any film began rolling or tools a throwing there was quite a bit of work involved getting the LMC Truck C10 Nationals 1985 square-body readied for its little screen debut.

As for the parts, it goes without saying: LMC didn’t need to go far to get every piece of exterior sheetmetal (and the nuts and bolts to hold ’em with if required) the “joke’s on you” fleetside needed … just someone to facilitate the actual work. Well, that able facilitator turned out to be Adam Holderman at AA Customs in Plain City, Ohio, where the C10 was fully rehabilitated externally—stripped from its chassis and blasted to bare metal, it was an extremely labor-intensive job just getting the truck to the point where rough bodywork could begin and, ultimately, receiving its signature square-body blue BASF paintjob. Only after that was cured and cut ’n’ buffed by AA Customs could it be shipped out west to our tech center in unseasonably warm Santa Ana, California, to begin its five-day transformation … this time, however, without the drive-in entrance to kick off the build as with the previous two.

The C10 didn’t come alone, though—along with the freshly painted short wide, LMC Truck provided all the additional bits and pieces they offer for the later-model square-body C10s. We were still receiving boxes from LMC during the week of the build—from miscellaneous trim fasteners to radiator core support brackets, weatherstripping to window regulators—even a set of the new LED headlight/taillight conversion kits, which definitely helped illuminate the parking lot through all the smoke the truck made after its obligatory Friday-night celebratory burnout.

Of course, there were some other folks involved on the square-body build, as the truck needed an aggressive stance and an even more aggressive drivetrain to properly complement the bumper-to-bumper assortment of LMC components. For the suspension, our friends from Heidts Hot Rod & Muscle Car Parts assisted with the install of their newest bolt-in IFS and beefy four-links designed for C10s, for which Classic Performance Products offered up not only their Big Brake kits front and rear, but also provided a HydroStop hydraulic-assist unit and direct-fit tilt column to power the Heidts steering rack. As for the burning of the Falken radial rubber—Gandrud Chevrolet shipped out a complete LS3 that became application-specific with a Holley Performance LS install kit, fuel supply upgrade for the LMC saddle tank, full Hooker Black Heart exhaust system, and an aluminum Frost Bite radiator complete with shrouded fans. The transmission was built specifically for the C10 as well—it’s a compact yet bulletproof four-speed hybrid from Gearstar Transmission, a special number they call the 4L75E (a heavily beefed-up 4L70E complete with a Yank Performance converter)—a perfect link between the LS and the Currie-prepped Heidts 9-inch rearend. Dakota Digital is once again on board to ensure our C10 was gauged adequately with their latest plug-and-play HDX digital-analog instrumentation, while American Autowire graciously provided the means to power those gauges as well as the entire truck with a Highway Series wiring harness. And alas, it appears Falken Tire doesn’t mind (at least not too much) the fact that we’ve managed to burn half the hides off all the rear tires they’ve supplied for the past two Week to Wicked projects because (along with American Legend Wheels) they’re making it possible for Jason to shoot for three in a row, this time by the seat of his pants glued to the factory-option-reminiscent (especially with the repop early C10 center console) ProCar bucket seats from Scat that replace the worn-out bench.

There is one huge difference between this Week to Wicked truck and the first two: this one could end up being yours. How so? Simple, just join our friends from LMC Truck, title sponsors of the 2018 C10 Nationals, the weekend of May 4-5 at the Texas Motor Speedway just outside the city limits of Fort Worth. If your name’s drawn out of the hat, ol’ Square-Body Blue’s yours for the taking! Better start making those plans now … time’s a wastin’.

For every creampuff or cherry farm find C10 there are at least a hundred, um, curd puffs. You know the ones I’m talking about, the “ran when last parked” deals that look fairly decent from the outside but don’t truly reveal their spoiled-filling surprise(s) till after the deal’s been made and that beauty’s all yours.

I myself have experienced severe buyer’s remorse with that 1975 C10 Cheyenne some of you may recall seeing here many moons ago. My first warning sign, which obviously was clearly ignored, was the seller not permitting me to testdrive the truck on the street (the reason being “it’s not insured”), leaving me a 50-foot stretch of concrete my only means in which to run it through the gears—that being First and Reverse. So after paying the lady with the lawyer’s grin, my actual testdrive just a couple miles home divulged her real motives: a flat cam with a side of wasted valveguides. It only got worse when I discovered that the tailgate was the only sheetmetal component not infected with rust or smothered in Bondo or simply beat to death—and that’s because it was off a new C10. But, the title was lien-free and the framerails straight as could be, so all was not lost (just a good amount of my money).

Fortunately, LMC Truck was there to save the day when it came to each and every exterior panel the Cheyenne needed heavily repaired or outright replaced—from the cowl forward, not a single item remained (fenders, hood, grille, lights, and bumper). The sagging, rotted-out doors were swapped for a new set, and the bed received some new skins. LMC even had the complete cab and side trim set, which turned out to be a rather fun job, as I’d neglected to reference the original mounting holes before everything was painted. And the interior refurb—the only portion I had anticipated having to initially do based upon my thorough visual inspection—that too was as easy as picking up the phone and ordering pretty much everything besides the steering column and bench seat frame, as LMC was able to supply all the upholstery, instrumentation, and dash parts needed.

So, what’s all that have to do with our latest Week to Wicked project? Well, if you were to take the scenario above, copy and paste it into a new template, and title it, “The LMC Truck C10 Nationals Week to Wicked,” you’d have your answer, as the basis for our third frolic down that weeklong wicked road was no cream puff by any means. Matter of fact, I’d probably take my curd over that one if I had to choose between the two as a project starting point. That said, before any film began rolling or tools a throwing there was quite a bit of work involved getting the LMC Truck C10 Nationals 1985 square-body readied for its little screen debut.

As for the parts, it goes without saying: LMC didn’t need to go far to get every piece of exterior sheetmetal (and the nuts and bolts to hold ’em with if required) the “joke’s on you” fleetside needed … just someone to facilitate the actual work. Well, that able facilitator turned out to be Adam Holderman at AA Customs in Plain City, Ohio, where the C10 was fully rehabilitated externally—stripped from its chassis and blasted to bare metal, it was an extremely labor-intensive job just getting the truck to the point where rough bodywork could begin and, ultimately, receiving its signature square-body blue BASF paintjob. Only after that was cured and cut ’n’ buffed by AA Customs could it be shipped out west to our tech center in unseasonably warm Santa Ana, California, to begin its five-day transformation … this time, however, without the drive-in entrance to kick off the build as with the previous two.

The C10 didn’t come alone, though—along with the freshly painted short wide, LMC Truck provided all the additional bits and pieces they offer for the later-model square-body C10s. We were still receiving boxes from LMC during the week of the build—from miscellaneous trim fasteners to radiator core support brackets, weatherstripping to window regulators—even a set of the new LED headlight/taillight conversion kits, which definitely helped illuminate the parking lot through all the smoke the truck made after its obligatory Friday-night celebratory burnout.

Of course, there were some other folks involved on the square-body build, as the truck needed an aggressive stance and an even more aggressive drivetrain to properly complement the bumper-to-bumper assortment of LMC components. For the suspension, our friends from Heidts Hot Rod & Muscle Car Parts assisted with the install of their newest bolt-in IFS and beefy four-links designed for C10s, for which Classic Performance Products offered up not only their Big Brake kits front and rear, but also provided a HydroStop hydraulic-assist unit and direct-fit tilt column to power the Heidts steering rack. As for the burning of the Falken radial rubber—Gandrud Chevrolet shipped out a complete LS3 that became application-specific with a Holley Performance LS install kit, fuel supply upgrade for the LMC saddle tank, full Hooker Black Heart exhaust system, and an aluminum Frost Bite radiator complete with shrouded fans. The transmission was built specifically for the C10 as well—it’s a compact yet bulletproof four-speed hybrid from Gearstar Transmission, a special number they call the 4L75E (a heavily beefed-up 4L70E complete with a Yank Performance converter)—a perfect link between the LS and the Currie-prepped Heidts 9-inch rearend. Dakota Digital is once again on board to ensure our C10 was gauged adequately with their latest plug-and-play HDX digital-analog instrumentation, while American Autowire graciously provided the means to power those gauges as well as the entire truck with a Highway Series wiring harness. And alas, it appears Falken Tire doesn’t mind (at least not too much) the fact that we’ve managed to burn half the hides off all the rear tires they’ve supplied for the past two Week to Wicked projects because (along with American Legend Wheels) they’re making it possible for Jason to shoot for three in a row, this time by the seat of his pants glued to the factory-option-reminiscent (especially with the repop early C10 center console) ProCar bucket seats from Scat that replace the worn-out bench.

There is one huge difference between this Week to Wicked truck and the first two: this one could end up being yours. How so? Simple, just join our friends from LMC Truck, title sponsors of the 2018 C10 Nationals, the weekend of May 4-5 at the Texas Motor Speedway just outside the city limits of Fort Worth. If your name’s drawn out of the hat, ol’ Square-Body Blue’s yours for the taking! Better start making those plans now … time’s a wastin’.

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