Don't feel like a dummy if you're unfamiliar with the Cheyenne Super. The model made up only 2 percent of the Chevy pickups and panel trucks built in '71. Since we just mentioned panel trucks, it's interesting to note that '71 was the last year Chevrolet or GMC produced a C10-based panel truck. Ariel's '71 C10 is optioned with its fair share of desirable rare features. The scarcest is its tilt steering wheel fitted to only 1 percent of the pickups built that year.
When it came to the bodywork and repainting the C10, it really wasn't all that bad of a task thanks to its rust-free California body still sporting original paint. Javier "Jalisco" Torres is responsible for stripping the truck to bare metal, touching up a little bodywork, and then hosing on the paint. All the prep work was handled at Ariel's house. Once that was completed, Jalisco hauled the C10 to a local body shop and rented their spray booth. On top of a polyester primer substrate, Jalisco laid down Sherwin-Williams basecoat black, then buried it under a heavy dose of Sherwin-Williams clear urethane. A color sand and rub soon followed after the C10 Chevy was returned to Ariel's home shop.
The C10's interior was redone in cloth and vinyl alternating black and white colors. To silence the outside rumble, a heavy layer of insulation was spread across the cab floor and up the back wall behind the 20-gallon gas tank positioned in its original location. Black loop pile carpeting blankets the soundproofed floor and toeboards.
Since one of the most distinctive features of a Cheyenne Super is its wood exterior and interior trim, installing a custom varnished bed floor was a no-brainer. Antonio Ortiz cut the mahogany runners; Manuel Ortiz installed them between stainless steel bed strips.
As Custom Classic Trucks features go, Ariel's '71 Chevy C10 is pretty stock. But that's OK-since it's such a rare example, we figured CCT's valued readers would enjoy seeing and reading about it. In our last conversation with Ariel, he confessed he had the bug again to build another truck. This one's up for sale.
Black and brightwork go together...
Black and brightwork go together well.
A stray 12-volt red-colored...
A stray 12-volt red-colored lead leaving the battery is about all that looks out of place. Under the stock air cleaner lies an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold complete with a 650-cfm Edelbrock four-barrel carb.
Here's the left side with...
Here's the left side with a peek at the Cheyenne Super's wood-grained tailgate insert. Note the cargo light on the cab predating today's third brake light.
The '71's egg crate grille...
The '71's egg crate grille is reminiscent of '55 and '56 Chevrolet trucks.
Brothers Antonio and Manuel...
Brothers Antonio and Manuel Ortiz made the mahogany bed floor.
Foose wheels conform to the...
Foose wheels conform to the '71's rear wheel well. An Air Ride suspension would make 'em tuck.