Custom Chevy C10 Is Cancer Survivor’s Dream Come True: Video

Twenty-two-year-old Cody is a three-time cancer survivor. As a gift to him, the Make-A-Wish foundation helped Cody build a custom Chevy C10 pickup, and his rad ride is featured in a YouTube video from AutotopiaLA.

The video opens with a bit of twangy Blues, and shots of the Chevy C10 from different angles all around the truck, followed by a fly-by, and introduction to Cody from AutotopiaLA host Shawn. Shortly, Cody reaches under the front bumper of the C10 to pop the hood. The grille has been filled with narrow bar inserts, so the traditional in-grille release had to be relocated.

Under the hood resides a traditional Chevrolet Small Block stroked to 383 cubes. The engine is backed by a Turbo 400 automatic. The engine bay is clean, dressed in a bit of chrome and polished billet. Inner fenders, custom fabbed by Banana Fabrication, are painted the same brilliant House Of Kolor Strato Blue found on the exterior. The firewall is done in a matte black finish. The silver powder-coated tubular A-arm front suspension is visible.

The camera pans out to take in the rest of the Chevy C10. The truck has been righteously bagged and slammed. Twenty-inch Budnik Smoothies that look like steelies, powder coated in stark white with polished lips, are fitted at all four corners. NOS C10 dog dishes, with painted Bow Ties and polished to a fault, top the Budniks.

All the decorative trim has been stripped from the body, leaving a clean canvas on which to showcase the stunning Strato Blue. Pinstripe flourishes adorn the hood and tailgate in lieu of traditional emblems. The headlights and turn signals have been converted to LEDs.

The bed of the Chevy C10 is the traditional restorer’s oak-and-stainless affair, with one unmistakable exception: the center has a massive hole to accommodate the GSI Machine and Fabrication custom-modified frame finished in gloss black, and Airlift Performance air ride system in polished billet, protruding from below.

The rear fender wells are gone. Classic Performance Products’ Big Brake Kit rear discs and wheel inners are visible. The rear tires come through the bed, allowing full drop when the air ride heads south. The ceramic coated exhaust can be seen skirting the perimeter of the hole, en route to the Black Widow Neighbor Hater mufflers just aft. The rolled rear bumper displays the vanity tag “C10WISH.”

The back window of the Chevy C10 is awash in sponsor stickers, with an appropriate Make-A-Wish sticker high on the driver’s side.

The cab has a stock bench recovered in brilliant white leather. Crow Safety Gear lap belts lay are fitted. The door panels are covered in the same white leather. Custom billet door handles, window cranks, and door pulls add to the look. A polished billet and white leather-wrapped Budnik steering wheel tops the chrome tilt column. A billet ratchet shifter is located on the black carpeted transmission tunnel. In the dash, the original gauges are so clean, they appear to be aftermarket. The bezels just gleam.

As Cody and Shawn take the Chevy C10 for a cruise, Cody raises the pickup to “drive” height, or just a few angstroms off the pavement. The Neighbor Hater exhaust makes itself known. In traffic, shouts in praise of the beautiful build can be heard from other drivers.

After a bit of driving, the guys stop to do the traditional AutotopiaLA burnout. The Chevy C10 obliges, lighting up the rears and bellowing smoke with a snarl from the stroked 383.

The video wraps with Cody singing a song about surviving cancer to Shawn’s accompaniment on acoustic guitar.

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