5 SHADES OF GRAY

If you’ve ever spent a little time on Craigslist, you know how it goes. Most of what you find is either priced like it already belongs in a museum, or it’s so rough that even raccoons won’t live in it. But in 2009, Justin Hallman found the sweet spot. A 1977 Chevy C10 was sitting two miles from his house in Apache Junction, Arizona. It had a tired 350, a two-speed Powerglide, four flat tires, and some truly questionable DIY lowering mods. Naturally, he knew he had to have it.

He showed up the next day with $900, which also happened to be the exact amount in his savings account, and hauled it to his dad’s shop. The plan? Learn as he went. Justin didn’t have a big garage or a lift, but he had tools, time, and just enough stubbornness to see it through.

That weekend, he and his dad yanked the motor and started the long, slow climb toward what would eventually become one of the cleaner ‘77s rolling around Mesa. The 350 got a full rebuild first, followed by a full suspension overhaul using Porterbuilt’s V3.2 front dropmember and their rear four-link setup. Being local to Porterbuilt meant Justin was able to grab parts as he could afford them, which worked out well, especially since this build was strictly pay-as-you-go.

Somewhere along the way, the original plan to just make it cool and drivable turned into something more serious. The C10 got a 6.0L LS built by Bailey’s Machine Shop with a Texas Speed cam and long tube headers feeding into a Magnaflow exhaust system. A 4L60E with a Corvette servo backs it up, and the narrowed GM 12-bolt houses a Detroit TrueTrac and Moser axles.

Air ride comes courtesy of Firestone and Slam Specialties bags, with Ridetech shocks, while Wilwood brakes with slotted rotors bring it all to a halt. Detroit Steel D-Town wheels wrapped in DiamondBack Goldlines tuck up nicely under the fenders when the Accuair system brings it all down.

Inside, Justin kept things clean and functional. A pair of Procar VW-style buckets sits over an OG rubber floor mat, with re-dyed factory panels and console. The dash wears a factory-style pad from USA1, and the Ididit column came via Squarebody Syndicate. The sound system is all Rockford Fosgate, including a 10-inch sub and enough mids and highs to give the air ride compressors some competition.

The outside wears satin white paint laid down by Justin himself, with a 3M stripe kit from LowSierra and LED lighting throughout. Delmo’s handles clean up the doors, and a Wam Rods strut kit keeps the hood propped like it should be.

The most memorable moment? That first time the front end laid out in his dad’s shop after installing the dropmember and air system. Justin stood there staring at it for what felt like an hour, realizing he had actually pulled it off. No shop build, no blank checks, just a guy, some tools, and a whole lot of trial and error.

Fourteen years later, the truck still wears some of its journey. It’s not a trailer queen, and it wasn’t built to be. Justin set out to build something he and his wife could enjoy on weekends and take to shows without worrying about a little dust or road grime. Mission accomplished.

Sometimes it takes a shop full of tools and a big budget. Other times, it just takes a Craigslist ad, a trailer, and a dad willing to hand over his garage. Either way, the result is the same: a solid, well-built Squarebody with a story worth telling.