When asked to picture a 650 horsepower corner carving autocross beast, I’m not sure there are many people that would think of a late ’60s pickup truck. Well, JB Junior Granger is not like most people, and his Finch Performance-built 1967 C10 is everything one could want in a vehicle that is a triple threat. It stands out at any show, is able to cruise thousands of miles going to events, and will chew up and spit out many modern sports cars on a track or autocross course. And drive it he does.
JB’s C10 has car-show quality looks and performance to match, and you’re more likely to see him on a race course than anywhere else.
I drive this truck all over. I’ve put about 7,000 miles on it. My wife and I just throw two little suitcases in the bed and hit the road. We actually drove up here to Bowling Green from Atlanta. – JB Granger
I came across JB’s gorgeous C10 while cruising the campgrounds last year at LS Fest East in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Coming around the corner and seeing this beautiful classic truck with the perfect stance, I had to stop and find out more. From the moment I introduced myself, it was easy to see that JB is the best kind of enthusiast in that he’s always happy to meet other enthusiasts, have conversations about builds and racing, and is willing to give ride-a-longs to show others the thrill of autocross. A better way of describing him would be to say JB is an ambassador for everything we love about cars and trucks. More specifically, he is a sort of brand ambassador for Finch Performance, along with several other customers that have all become very close friends with the man behind their builds, Brian Finch.
You see, once I stopped at JB’s campsite to take a closer look at his C10, I noticed there were several others, including Finch’s personal C10. All of the trucks were of the 1967-1972 variety, all had a similarly low stance, and all were adorned with “Apex Predator C10-Chassis” across the rear window. I could see a theme among all of the Finch-built C10s in attendance.
The foundation of JB’s truck, and all Finch-built C10s, is the Apex Predator Chassis which is the brainchild of Brian Finch. Each chassis is hand built by Finch and features Detroit Speed (DSE) components throughout. The front clip from DSE uses their tubular upper and lower control arms and upright assemblies. The uprights make use of Corvette hubs that allow the mounting of the 14-inch Baer 6P brake package.
Watching JB run his C10 hard all weekend was impressive. We love seeing classic trucks competing and being driven hard.
Out back, the rear of the chassis features a DSE Quadralink setup with an adjustable panhard bar. The rear of the chassis features raised rails to work with a three-inch bed floor-raising kit. With a Finch build you get several choices of coilover shocks, JB’s truck is running Afco double-adjustable shocks front and rear. Other than the handling performance of the Apex Predator Chassis, an impressive feature is that it allows for a 335-section-width tire in the front and rear. It’s somewhat common to see this steamroller-sized tire on the rear of high-performance vehicles, but not often do we see a matching tire on the front. This greatly increases the handling capabilities of JB’s C10.
The quickest and easiest way to spot a Finch-built C10 is this banner across the rear window.
The beauty of what Brian (Finch) has done with being able to run a square tire setup is that you can rotate your tires. I drive this truck a lot so it’s really nice to be able to rotate my tires. – JB
The second thing you will notice about all Finch-built C10s is the wheels. To tuck those massive 335x30x18 BFGoodrich tires inside the wheel wells, a set of properly-fitted Forgeline wheels are put to use. The wheels are 18×12 inches in the front and rear with the same offset and backspacing, again making it possible to rotate the tires if you choose to do so. In speaking with JB it became clear that Finch uses specific companies for all of his builds because he believes in the quality and performance of the components. It’s hard to question him, considering that Finch-built trucks are repeatedly at the top of the standings in almost every competition they enter.
“When you have Brian (Finch) build you a C10, he half-jokingly says you can pick any wheel you want as long as it’s a Forgeline. – JB
The same wide Forgeline wheels, BFG tires, and Baer brakes on the rear of JB’s C10 are also run on the front.
The powertrain of JB’s C10 is fairly simple, but it has proven itself to be a winner for driveability and competition. The heart of this truck is an LS7 from Scoggin-Dickey Performance Center that, according to JB, makes an easy 650 crank horsepower with only a camshaft and valve spring swap from Brian Tooley Racing. There’s a Tremec Magnum six-speed transmission prepped by Bowler Performance that sends power back to a Moser 9-inch floater rearend housing with the same Baer 6P brake package as the front. JB rows through the gears using a billet shifter handle and billet knob from Finch Performance. A Holley ECU controls everything while a Holley EFI 12.3-inch Pro Dash lets JB keep an eye on all the vitals from the driver’s seat.
The naturally aspirated Scoggin-Dickey Performance Center LS7 is a reliable power plant that provides more than enough muscle for this C10 to compete at the top.
The interior is all business but matches the exterior in the looks department. The Holley Pro Dash display looks like it was made for the ’67 gauge bezel area. A pair of Recaro seats and Corbeau harnesses keep occupants securely in place, although I can personally attest that if you should ever find yourself in the passenger seat doing a ride-along in this truck you should definitely brace yourself as it will pull serious lateral Gs with JB at the wheel. There is no radio but the sounds of the LS7 under hood are all you need when riding in this C10. A Vintage Air system keeps things cool on those long road trips around the country.
As mentioned, the truck is driven to and from events throughout the year. Trips down to Biloxi, Mississippi, for Cruisin’ The Coast as well as long drives out to Las Vegas for SEMA‘s Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational and attending LS Fest are common. If you’re at an event and see this beautiful truck be sure to say hi and introduce yourself to JB and his wife.
