Anyone with a custom car project is likely familiar with “scope creep,” or at least the concept behind the term. Scope creep is when a project starts small but goes big, slowly growing in scope over time. Such is the case with this 1972 Chevy C10, which began as a simple chassis upgrade but gradually progressed into a complete rebuild. Now, we’re getting a closer look at this custom Chevy C10, courtesy of the following in-depth feature video.
Built by the folks at Level 7 Motorsports, a speed shop in Marion, Illinois, this custom Chevy C10 is nicknamed “Ol Yeller.” It combines classic pickup styling, complete with patina, with modern go-fast equipment and mechanical components. The heart of the build is an LS3 with Frankenstein Engine Dynamics CNC ported heads and a Brian Tooley camshaft, as well as a Holley Hi-Ram intake manifold. Spent gasses exit via Ultimate stainless long tube headers. Putting it all together, Level 7 estimates output at around 500 horsepower at the wheels, which is more than enough for daily driving duties and even an occasional weekend sprint at the drag strip.
Sending it all rearwards is a T-56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission, which feeds a floating nine-inch rear end. The truck is built on a No Limit Engineering Pro-Touring chassis, with drop spindles and a four-link rear suspension on board for handling. A set of Wilwood Superlite brakes help to shed the speed on tap with those 500 ponies, with six-piston calipers up front and four-pistons in the rear. A set of 19-inch Forgeline wheels (12 inches in width) roll in the corners, fitting beautifully under the wide wheel tubs. The bed was also shortened.
The folks at Level 7 sought to keep the original patina intact, so new components were painted to match the original yellow paint scheme. The interior, however, features custom upholstery and a custom center console, with a Momo steering wheel, Dakota Digital RTX gauges, and other modern amenities added to keep it comfy for the driver and passenger.
Check out the full feature video below:
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Comments
I get slamming is viewed as cool, I always thought it looked ghetto…
Other than that, this is a great build. If only it was a short bed, it would be much more chill
I get slamming is viewed as cool, I always thought it looked ghetto…
Other than that, this is a great build. If only it was a short bed, it would be much more chill.
Agreed, stupid sized wheels stuffed up in the wheel arches might look cool to some….
The rest of the build is nicely done, but realistically not affordable for most.
An orange (this truck is faded orange, not yellow) ’72 C-10 with a 350 is the same truck I drove as a kid. Gobs of low-end torque, but my favorite feature was the triangular vent windows, which were a godsend after long days of landscaping in the summer. You could angle them and take 55 mph of wind right in the face if you wanted to. And finding the truck in the mall parking lot was never an issue. It was like a bright beacon of sunshine in a sea of blue, black, and white. The color was why my grandfather bought it. It was on the lot (with a matching orange cap) and nobody would buy it because of the color, so he got it for a steal. The Great Pumpkin was real!
For sure, those 1/4 vent windows and the fresh air vent flaps in the kick panels made all the difference on hot days going down the highway!
The color is ochre. yellow. Not orange
Lowered worked on the Mini Cooper S I had in the ’60s since it was a streetable race car.
Wheel arches that fit the tires closely and still allow full lock on suspension deflection, without exposing a gaping opening look nice. Stuffing big wheels up inside the fender wells doesn’t look cool.
It’s similar to jacking up pickups and putting rims and tire on that stick out 6″ beyond the body look dumb. The huge wheel offsets affects scrub radius, causes bump steer and bearing wear.
For me, slamming trucks down that low looks stupid with huge wheels, but it’s the trend and in the eyes of the beholder. I get it, but it’s not my taste. Lowered a few inches can look great, but cartoon car sized wheels look silly.
The truck has some nice work and features at a premium cost.
My ex-son in law has a ’71 1/2 ton fleetside, on lowered springs with Cragar 5 spoke chromed rims that have a nice look and still has a decent ride. That is an affordable reality for those of us not having unlimited funds.
FWIW, the suspension on that truck in the video is way too stiff. On smooth highway the front end is “porpoising” noticeably and that shakes the fillings out of your teeth and gets old real fast.
Raise the truck up a few inches on the suspension to soften the ride and put smaller wheels on to get the overall height down again. That would stop the kidney beating ride.
It’s a nice enough truck with the sleeper patina, but the technology and money dumped into it, realistically only makes it affordable for the now old rich kids, to pose with at gatherings.
I keep thinking about tidying up my ’71 GMC C2500, without spending stupid money.
It’s easy enough to modify/modernize a bit for the real world and already has the patina, original brown (medium bronze) paint and rust! It still gets the “cool old truck” comments and cost me a whopping $1500 in 1983!
Nah, instead I’ll just fill the bed with dirt and it will become the coolest rolling raised garden bed ever!