C10 article in lastest issue of Hot Rod magazine

[bigblock73]

The latest issue of Hot Rod has a neat article on making your own "muscle truck", it features a 74 (IIRC) C10 stepside beater with an LS transplant. I got it in the mail today and haven't read it yet, but it looks pretty interesting...and it's cool to see one of ours in such a big non-truck magazine. I am sure it will get lots of hate mail from the "car" guys...but I don't care.

Check it out!

[N2TRUX]

I let my Hot Rod sub lapse. It's been the only mag I subscribe to lately because it's fairly neutral in coverage.

I'll have to get a copy now...

[bigblock73]

Here are a couple teaser pics. There will be additional articles on this truck in coming months.

[N2TRUX]

Looks like good reading...

[bigblock73]

Freiburger is nor back at Hot Rod, he wrote the article. My favorite line...

"There is an entire market for quaint, classic trucks and another for 22-inch-wheel-wearing customs sprinkled with the polished poop from the CNC mill. But where are the drag trucks? The handling trucks?....They are out there but overlooked and underpublicized."

I agree with most of that (not all), but a majority. You don't need to be on bags, 22" billit, and have shaved everything to be "cool" or put in a category above the rest of us running smaller diameter wheels and on a smaller budget.

[85Bowtie]

Looks pretty cool, I'll have to check it out.

Are these trucks finally catching on in the automotive hobby?

I don't see too many around here unless they're used for farming or beat all to hell.

[crawdadfox]

Originally Posted by bigblock73

Freiburger is nor back at Hot Rod, he wrote the article. My favorite line...

"There is an entire market for quaint, classic trucks and another for 22-inch-wheel-wearing customs sprinkled with the polished poop from the CNC mill. But where are the drag trucks? The handling trucks?....They are out there but overlooked and underpublicized."

I agree with most of that (not all), but a majority. You don't need to be on bags, 22" billit, and have shaved everything to be "cool" or put in a category above the rest of us running smaller diameter wheels and on a smaller budget.

I like polished "poop" from a CNC mill!!

[SBTork]

Originally Posted by bigblock73

Freiburger is nor back at Hot Rod, he wrote the article. My favorite line...

"There is an entire market for quaint, classic trucks and another for 22-inch-wheel-wearing customs sprinkled with the polished poop from the CNC mill. But where are the drag trucks? The handling trucks?....They are out there but overlooked and underpublicized."

I agree with most of that (not all), but a majority. You don't need to be on bags, 22" billit, and have shaved everything to be "cool" or put in a category above the rest of us running smaller diameter wheels and on a smaller budget.

All so very very true. I followed this build very closely a while back on Freiburger's old website carjunkietv.com. These guys threw this truck together in a little short of two weeks, amazing.

And the high dollar billet has it's place in the truck world, but spending $$ does not necessarily make a "ride"

[Driveway Dreams]

Looks like it might be an issue worth grabbin'.

[jdurant]

That's cool. I'm so glad that hotrod is building a squarebody. They chose a nice platform too. I'm still thinking about the turbo volvo powered duece in last month's issue (anybody else see that? wow.). I've been trying to decide what magazine to subscribe to since my Popular Hotrodding lapsed. I think hotrod just sealed the deal.

[smashingchuck]

I understand the mentality of the bolt on Billet crowd, but I don't think it's fair to group everybody into a "mini-trucking" category just cause the truck is shaved and bagged on big wheels. I've been to one big mini truck show (ITB), and I can tell you I do not want to be associated with anything I saw there. Just my $.02... it is cool that HRM is doing a build on one of these trucks.

[AceX]

Why is it that every time I have an idea that I think is original and cool, a magazine or major customizer/builder has the same dam idea?

I'm building one of those "underpublicized" trucks...

[strick9c10]

Well, I guess the cat's outta the bag... now everyone's going to realize just how cool, adaptable, and fairly inexpensively it is to own & build one of these rigs. In my neck of the woods, C-10's built from 73-80 are already going up in value... mainly because there just aren't that many left, especially ones in decent shape. And yeah... I'm also building one of these "under publicized" trucks!

I've always liked David Freiburger... because he can relate to gear-heads like no one else can. I've followed his magazine career for almost 20 years. He's never followed this politically correct, bucks up, generic magazine stuff. He's revived (and saved) Car Craft twice & Hot Rod in my opinion with his unique style.

Hot Rod also did another C10 build up quite a while ago, except in that article they used a beat up but well loved 67-72 era model. I'm unsure of the issue, but I think you can still find it on their website's tech or project car archives.

In the May 2009 issue, be sure to groove on the 390HP Vortec 350 build up that they did for $2600 bucks... which you could probably do even cheaper with some frugal shopping & networking.

You can be sure Hot Rod will probably get a mix of mail on this one... some hating it, but probably lots of readers diggin' it. Go Dave!!

[boatpuller]

thanks jeff.i'll have to get one.

[silvereagle07]

I let my subscription run out. I'll pick one up tomorrow. Thanks Jeff.

[bigblock73]

No sweat folks, I am always on the lookout for 73-87 stuff, and love sharing it...this really caught my eye.

[N2TRUX]

I got my issue today. It was a good read, but I was dissapointed on a couple of items.

They are trying to do a budget build, so they use a Ford 9" they had from a parts truck, and some Ford/Mopar wheels.

On the other hand they spend money to buy a carb, intake, and fuel system rather than running the injection system. Blah.

[bigblock73]

Yeah, I don't get why ppl run carbs on LS engines...seems like 1 step forward 2 steps back

I LOVE the budget build idea...but they need to stick with it.

[heavychevy79]

Did we need more people buying up all the trucks and jacking the prices up?
Thanks Freiburger.

[N2TRUX]

I have nothing against carbs, but what the heck? Why retrofit a carb AND an expensive GM accessory bracket when the stock LSx stuff works just fine for 500+ hp.

I didn't mind the steel wheels, but how much money did they save after they redrilled the hubs?

Regardless of my gripes, I am pleased to see them build a square body.

[heavychevy79]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

I have nothing against carbs, but what the heck? Why retrofit a carb AND an expensive GM accessory bracket when the stock LSx stuff works just fine for 500+ hp.

I didn't mind the steel wheels, but how much money did they save after they redrilled the hubs?

Regardless of my gripes, I am pleased to see them build a square body.

I think Car Craft would have gone all the way with the engine swap if they had done it, but I think they would have hopped up the pep boys engine first.
I know Car Craft wouldn't have used a ford rear or wasted time/money redrilling hubs.

They go all out (except chinese air cleaner) on the truck, but on the next page they have the "cheap" 350 lol, but that's Hot Rod for ya.

[AceX]

Hot Rod probably did the conversion to save time with electronics and the fuel system. I'm looking into a custom fuel system right now for my LS swap and it adds up dam quick.

This friggin swap is gonna be EXPENSIVE...

[Cherub]

Originally Posted by AceX

Hot Rod probably did the conversion to save time with electronics and the fuel system. I'm looking into a custom fuel system right now for my LS swap and it adds up dam quick.

This friggin swap is gonna be EXPENSIVE...

im 8 grand into mine lol

[SBTork]

Originally Posted by AceX

Hot Rod probably did the conversion to save time with electronics and the fuel system. I'm looking into a custom fuel system right now for my LS swap and it adds up dam quick.

This friggin swap is gonna be EXPENSIVE...

It depends on what you buy and where you buy it from. There's ways to get almost everything cheaper.

[trenchwarfare]

Originally Posted by SBTork

It depends on what you buy and where you buy it from. There's ways to get almost everything cheaper.

Yeah, steal 'em!