On a side note, the truck did not make its Spring 2016 debut in Nashville so Rod had all of the reservations made, registrations paid and no truck to show! The hectic side of his life comes from the fact that he owns two large collision repair centers and a hot rod shop. The front and rear cab glass is flush mounted to the body while the side windows have been converted to a one piece eliminating the vent window. The final rolling chassis was set up using a Wilwood bake system that included 14 inch rotors and calipers. What a way to wrap up a very fast paced end of the year. The truck project was not a full time job at that point for Greg as he was still holding down a regular job at a collision repair center in Virginia. Along the way she picked up a Top 100 Street Rodder of the year finalist, a builders choice Goodguys, Fabulous 40's at the Hot Rod Reunion, Early Truck of the Year finalist at Goodguys. He has always been a hot rodder and has built several over the years before life got so hectic that he had to have others build them for him.
The rear of the chassis was set up with a No Limits Engineering 4-Link with a pan hard bar, and a Speedway Engineering Nascar style adjustable sway bar. Yes this truck was built to play not just for show! With the engine compartment wiring completed he started on the inside of the cab where he wired up the dash, stereo and other components. Looking over, under, inside and outside you will lose count of the number of the stainless steel fasteners from Totally Stainless that was used in this build, but attention to details even such as a fastener can make all the difference in the finished build. With the interior dressed out in red leather this truck was now officially ready to let the automotive world know there was a new player in town. . Lokar was also the supplier for the custom gas and brake pedals that match the rest of the interior so well. The custom accent lighting is just another of those touches that Steve brings to the table when he does a full on custom interior.
The location point for the motor was set back a total of 4 inches to improve handling and stability for when the truck was to run in Autocross events. By May of 2015 the truck build was moving along but at a slower pace than what Rod was hoping for. Steve and Rod talked about figuring out ways to bring the look of the B-Forged wheels into the interior and nailed it when you look at the custom door panels and other small touches. Cooke Enterprises who came up with the perfect blend of new and old that flowed with the rest of the trucks look. When it came time to finish out the interior of this unique truck it was taken to Steve Holcomb of Pro Auto Custom Interiors. After buying the truck and doing a little history checking on the old Chevy C10, Rod found out that his upcoming project had actually came from a salvage yard right in his home town! The hood also features some really cool exterior latches from Summit Racing Equipment that really compliment the custom look.
Greg had purchased the truck in 2011 with the intention of fixing it up for a quick resale to fund the build of his 1935 Chevy hot rod sedan. One of his employees told him about a guy named Greg Killen that could really lay out some slick paint jobs. While there Rod saw a cab and chassis of a 1967 Chevy C10 that Greg was building to resale. After this agreement came about, Greg was able to throw himself and all of his talents into creating all of the body modifications he and Rod had in mind for the truck. But through all of the craziness, Rod still found time to work with his employees on getting a 1967 Corvette that he had once restored over 27 years ago back on track. He then brought the wiring harness from the motor through the transmission tunnel to the console.
The first major change was to discard the original chassis and go with a custom frame from No Limits Engineering. These thoughts and ideas were turned over to C. Rod and Greg talked about the possibilities the old truck had for some time, then in April of 2014 Rod bought the truck. The gauges are a new style called Auto Cross from Classic Instruments that fit perfect into the billet dash panel from Summit Racing Equipment, which house the instrument cluster and glove box door that have been painted to match the body. A custom aluminum drive shaft from Dynotech handles the horsepower changeover from the transmission to a Moser 9-inch rear end equipped with 3. To complete the Autocross possibilities for the chassis, the truck was set up with 3-piece B-Forged Autocross wheels mounted with Michelin radials. Then he figured out where to run all the hoses and other ugly, but necessary, parts where they could be hidden.
After a few more discussions Rod asked Greg if he would build the truck for him, and the next thing you know the Corvette was pushed to the side and the truck project began. After some quick thinking, Rod asked his girlfriend for help. Article by Larry Crain Build photos supplied by Rod Parsons Finished photos supplied by Rod Parsons and Larry Crain Rod Parsons of Ripley, West Virginia is your typical hot rod owner meaning he lives and breathes cars and trucks. Well the project was really moving along at a much faster pace with Greg and Ralph working together, so much so that there was an opportunity for the need of a third person to tackle the areas the other two were not working on. The custom console and interior were all built by Steve, including reworking the seats that were out of a 2009 Pontiac G8.
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