Chevrolet originally advertised its second-generation pickups as “built to last.” More than half a century later, a 1970 Chevy C10 proves the manufacturer’s everlasting flex as a garage rebuild transforms into a Whipple-supercharged, 1,000-plus horsepower, track-ready street truck.
The high-horse hand-build was a no-expense-spared effort of Randy T. and his 16-year-old son Corbin of San Jose, California. The short-bed C10 was uncovered in a nearby NorCal city, Fremont, when it was sourced as a clean stock example. Even though this was his first C10, the project turned into Randy’s biggest build to date.
10This example is way more turned-out than the last C10 we featured. Just shows you how these trucks are the proverbial blank slates.
”We tore it down completely and rebuilt it from the chassis up,” said Randy. “About 95 percent of the truck was built by me, including fabrication, metal work, body work, roll cage, and exhaust.”
Powered-Up Engine and Drivetrain
A 6.2-liter Wegner LS3 was chosen as the heart of the ’70 C10. It was topped with a Gen5 3.0-liter twin-screw Whipple supercharger. It is 376 cubes and is filled with a proprietary Wegner cam and its own cylinder heads. Feeding the V8 is a Boyd 20-gallon fuel cell, through an all Aeromotive fuel system running PTFE (Teflon) lines and a 5.0 brushless pump.
“It has the Entropy radiator system throughout the whole thing with the condenser and heat exchanger,” said Randy explaining the fully-integrated cooling setup. “I do have dual electric fans. They’re 40 amp.”
The LS3 is paired to an American Powertrain Stage 3 TREMEC T-56 Magnum manual six-speed transmission with double overdrive, capable of handling 1,100 lb-ft of torque. A Centerforce DYAD XDS twin-disc clutch and QuickTime steel safety bellhousing round out the drivetrain.
“It has the Stage 3 kit and all the gears, and everything has been overly built to handle the horsepower,” Randy added. “The engine has been dyno’d, but the full truck hasn’t yet. It is a four-digit horsepower setup, and the torque is roughly in the same range as horsepower.”
A QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft was chosen for its efficient response and increased power. Ready to transfer power to the pavement, the C10’s back end was strengthened with a Quick Performance full-floater nine-inch rear housing, a Detroit Trutrac helical-gear diff, and Strange 31-spline axles.
“The gears in 1st to 4th are for autocross or track use, 5th and 6 th are for high-speed runs – like Bonneville — up to 200 mph,” said Randy.
It’s been super reliable. You can go to the grocery store or go 170 mph.”
The exhaust comes through 2-inch Ultimate headers running to custom 3-inch stainless collectors, and exiting out of a set of Neighbor Haters from Black Widow.
”I did full-custom TIG welding in-house using Stainless Brothers components,” Randy said. “It goes into a custom X-pipe. I made it into an oval X-pipe, then into the Neighbor Haters that dump out of the sides of the bed with 3.5-inch teardrops, left and right. There is no axle dump. I learned a long time ago that just makes a mess.”
Track-Ready Suspension and Braking
The Chevy rolls on a complete modular front and rear suspension kit from QA1.
”I run all QA1 components including MOD Series coilover shocks and sway bars,” Randy shared.
Big horsepower demands equally capable stopping power and that is provided by the Wilwood big brake kit. All four corners are equipped with Wilwood Superlites. The front 16-inch drilled and slotted rotors are followed by 14-inch in the back. The braking system upgraded the spindles and has six-piston forged-aluminum calipers on the fronts and four-piston on the rears.
“It has a manual braking system with balance bar and hydraulic rear lockup for drifting,” said Randy. “It’s stiff. It’s meant for racing, and the QA1 shocks are amazing.”
Custom Exterior and Fabrication
The C10 shows out in Fiat Passion Red. “It is a Dupont color – 176A,” he said. Randy’s hand-fab work adds the one-off touch to the iconic American truck. Most notable are the hood louvers, a kit from Trackspec Motorsports that he cut-in post-paint. The hand-modded hood is held with CVF hinges. While a pin latch kit from Amazon secures the lockdown.
“The latch kit was less than $100,” Randy recalled. “It was difficult to install, but once it was in, it was solid.”
The rear diffuser and aero splitter were also from Randy’s hand-craft work.
“A lot of parts like the grille and engine bay panels had to be heavy modified to fit right, but the hood was what was nerve-wracking,” he said. “The grill came from VanNatta, but it never fit, so I cut it in half, made my own tabs, TIG welded it back together, and reworked the center.”
The interior and exterior billet door handles came from Eddie Motorsports. Dapper Lighting’s LED Seven Series heads light the way.
The wheels are two-piece, stepped-lip barrel MLE72s from BC Forged in 19×10.5 and 20×12. They are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 295/35-19s and 345/30-20s to stagger the stance.
Driver-Centric Cockpit Comfort and Tech
Climbing inside the ’70 C10 has no throwback to its pre-mod version. The interior is modernized through and through. The OG bench seat has been replaced by fiberglass Sparco QRT-R race buckets. The aerospace-tech seat is matched to six-point harnesses track safety belts also from Sparco.
A 12.3-inch Pro Dash screen paired with the Holley Dominator ECU allows easy plug-and-play real-time monitoring and tuning.
“Everything is run from the customizable touchscreen — gauges, signals, boost, lights and all — even the background images,” Randy explained. “It has 30 inputs and outputs. It is a true HMI. You can even use a stylus or a mouse to run it.”
The simple street-racer aesthetic was complimented by the TMI interior door panels and dash pad. A Gen5 Vintage Air unit cools the cabin.
”It was wired with American Autowire combined with custom in-house wiring and a 300-amp solid-state relay from Racewire Solutions,” Randy said.
Road Test and Shakedown
Since finishing it last July, Randy has put roughly 700 miles on the build at both cruise speeds and well let’s say speeds that were in the higher range of its mph potential.
”It’s been super reliable,” he shared. “You can go to the grocery store or go 170 mph.”
From start to finish, the father/son duo put two-years into the resto racer. It was Corbin’s first full build with his dad, once again showing the irony in Chevrolet’s slogan choices. Not only did the guys prove Chevy trucks were “built to last,” they confirmed another of Chevy’s ’70s ad campaigns: “Chevy pickups become family affairs.”
”Corbin’s actually more into Euro cars — BMWs and stuff,” Randy ultimately said.
Although the legendary American pickup may not be Corbin’s jam, it’s his dad’s and Randy’s next plan again hinges on the Chevy truck.
”I’ve always loved C10s,” Randy said. “They’re iconic, especially a short-bed — they just look perfect.”
To this end, next on Randy’s list? A ’73 square body, pro touring style.
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