Everyone has made a mistake at some point in their life that they lived to regret. Oftentimes these mistakes can usually be traced back to poor judgment, peer pressure, or excess alcohol. These mistakes can range anywhere from that extensive collection of torn acid wash jeans and tank tops from your Van Halen days, to that good ol' fashion bar fight that landed you in the drunk tank with no recollection of how you got there. Yet we live and learn (hopefully) from our mistakes. For Jonathan Garcia, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, he learned the hard way that nothing turns heads like a classic Chevy.
Jonathan first tested the hot rod lifestyle in '95 when he built a fully customized Nissan Hardbody. After taking the truck to a few shows and cruising around town with his older brother, Steven, Jon came to a harsh realization that his older brother's '53 Chevy pickup was stealing all the attention. He quickly concluded that an import was a poor substitute for one of Detroit's finest masterpieces. He immediately hit the trails in search of a classic Chevy to restore and customize. After about a year of searching, Jon's Chevy came in the form of a '68 C-10. Unfortunately, Jon's new project was far from perfect. In fact, not only had the old girl suffered some impressive battle scars over the years, she was also missing several key components. After the initial damage report, Jon feared he may be in over his head and decided to bring in his older brother and father, Steve Sr., to help with the build.
They began by removing the body from the chassis and stripping the undercarriage to the bone. Originally they planned on spraying the frame gloss black, but later decided to have the frame powdercoated when Jon's neighbors Mitch and Sharon offered to foot the bill. (And they say there's no decency in this world.) Once coated, the boys installed 21/2-inch drop spindles and CPP control arms up front. In the rear are matching CPP trailing arms, and bringing the truck closer to the pavement are airbags at each corner. Allowing the rear of the truck to hug the ground that much more is a set of CPP C-notches. With the suspension intact, Jon turned to his old man, an experienced engine builder, to build an engine worthy of powering his Chevy. Steve Garcia Sr. elected to go with an '80 350 Chevy bored 0.030 over. He equipped the 350 with a Holley intake manifold and 750 carburetor. Adding more life to the 350 are Edelbrock heads and Doug's headers. He polished off the revamped engine with a set of billet valve covers and a K&N air cleaner. The ol' man showcased his talents by building a 420hp powerplant.