We get excited when we see a well-constructed custom vintage truck. Our first thought is, "Would CCT's customers enjoy reading, seeing, and learning more about this pickup?" If the answer to that question is yes, it's time for us to start asking the current caretaker some questions.
Sometimes we see a pickup that may not jive with CCT's core readership, but we can't resist photographing it. Such was the case with Mary Jane and Tommie Glynn's '72 Chevy 4x4. The Glynn's Chevy is an exceptional 4x4, and therefore the exception to the rule of not featuring 4x4 custom classic trucks.
Tommie purchased the pickup in 1997. He drove it for a few years before cutting out all the cancerous sheetmetal panels and cab corners and welding in new metal, all before painting the truck.
Last year, Tommie set out to build a one-of-a-kind truck. He took the C10 apart and modified the front of the frame to accept front shock mounts for a Dana 60 frontend transfer case. With Superlift front shocks and springs, Tommie installed the '82 Dodge Dana 60 and added a dual steering stabilizer. An '80 GM 14-bolt Posi with a 4.10:1 final drive ratio replaced the original differential. Superlift shocks were also used for the rear.
When the time came to provide prodigious power for the 4x4, Tommie was the perfect person for the job. He's a mobile mechanic. Tommie bored the '80 Chevy 454ci cylinders 0.030-over, before stuffing the holes with flat-top 10:1 compression pistons. A COMP Cams solid lifter camshaft and double-roller-timing chain were two more components to the performance-oriented engine build. Tommie backed the big-block with a heavy-duty clutch and a '72 GM four-speed manual trans.
This time around for the 1/2-ton's exterior, the talented crew of C&N Auto Body in Nipomo, California, performed extensive metal surgery. C&N's owner, Nacho Cepeda, removed the panels, bed, and cab; sandblasted the lot; cut out some more rust; and brought the metal back to better than new. Colleague Ramon Garcia painted the exterior a stunning DuPont Blazing Copper. Once the paint had cured, Nacho put the panels and cab back on the frame and installed the Bruce Horkey oak and polished stainless stringer bed floor kit. He also replaced the greenhouse with all-new tinted glass.
To keep melodic pace with...
To keep melodic pace with the engine's symphonic eight-cylinder sounds, the owner installed a JVC CD-stereo system in the cab.
A 750-cfm Demon four-barrel...
A 750-cfm Demon four-barrel carb, bolted atop a Holley aluminum intake, keeps the fuel and air flowing freely for the 454ci Chevy mill. Hooker headers and mufflers assist in adroitly expelling the spent gases.
The Grant Signature Series...
The Grant Signature Series mahogany-rimmed steering wheel with polished aluminum spokes matches the maroon crushed velvet seating surfaces just fine. An Auto Meter monster 5-inch- diameter tachometer with shift light lets the driver know exactly when to shift.