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When Tim Childers was growing up, he had the opportunity to spend a fair amount of time around the older guys in his life who owned, restored, and hot rodded Tri-5 Chevy’s and Corvettes. Tim always had a love for trucks, but noticed these guys always kinda thumbed their nose at them. Call it a difference of opinion, call it a generation gap. “I always liked the way they looked. I built this truck because I like it.”
Mr. Childers gives us a little more insight on his 4-year build of his dream truck, “I bought this truck off of a body shop. When I went to get it they had a ‘65 C10, torn down, sitting in the back corner of the lot. I immediately walked over to it and asked why it was there. The guy gave me a story about how he just hadn’t gotten it to it yet. I asked if it was for sale and he shook his head. I replied, ‘Well it is today. If you want to sell that ‘68 I came for, then you will sell me that ‘65 with it.’ Long story short, I went home with both trucks. I wanted to build the ‘65 first, but things changed rather quickly.”
“My buddy, James Adams, had a C10 that sat for a while in the lot at Jason Mode’s shop, New Creations, waiting to be built. I tried to buy it numerous times with no luck. I drive past Jason’s place regularly, and noticed James’ truck had been moved inside. I made a u-turn back to the shop and went inside and to find Jason and his team hard at work on it. I watched that truck’s entire build process, and at that point I knew I had to get busy on my ‘68.”
When it came time to roll Tim’s ‘68 into the shop, Jason took the lead with his guidance. “We had a few things in mind that we wanted to capture on this build. It needed to be low, fast, and stand out in a crowd of C10’s.”
The “low” was accomplished with QA1 coilovers, tubular control arms, and a host of custom suspension pieces crafted by New Creations. The bed floor was raised 4” and wider tubs added for extra clearance. The 20/22” wheel and tire combo is not over the top and was chosen to enhance the handling and driveability. The big Wilwood brakes add to the confidence inspiring manners and compliment the rest of the chassis. The truck not only sits great, but handles a drives like a modern car.
The “fast” comes via a Corvette LS1 5.7L engine that’s been bored .030” and warmed up with an MTI X1 stage 3 camshaft. Stainless steel headers and custom exhaust allow it to breathe deeply while a 4L60E transmission sends that power to the Spraker Racing Ford 9” rear axle. Tim assures us, “It can get out of it’s own way when I get on it. That camshaft really woke this thing up.”
For Tim’s third wish, making a C10 stand out in a crowd of C10’s is not an easy move. With so many opportunities to take a wrong turn, Tim and Jason made decisions that simply work well together. From the wheel style, to the interior and upholstery, to the subtleties of the two-tone, everything jives to create a cohesive package. But one thing gets heaps of attention and starts more conversations than any other feature of the truck. The color. As Jason puts it, “If everyone who’s asked, ‘What is that color?’ had dropped a nickel in my retirement fund jar, I’d be living in Fiji right about now.” Fair enough. The paint mix is a custom color – Diamond Blue Pearl -that Jason came up with when he simply started mixing colors together. Could he replicate it if he had to? Not a chance. But he did mix up enough so he could stash some spare, rainy day touch-up paint in his underground vault.
Tim and his wife, Jessica, like to enjoy the truck as often as they can and spend time with the friends they’ve made in the community. “This is more than a truck – it represents a friendship that was gained. This truck has connected me to a lot of great people around the world. It is a blessing.”
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Tim Childers • ‘68 C10
- Corvette LS1 5.7L, bored .030” over
- MTI X1 camshaft, .591/.571” lift @ .050”, 230/227 duration, 112 LSA
- FAST intake manifold
- CVF front accessory drive kit
- 4L60E transmission
- 3500 RPM stall torque converter
- Modified stock frame
- Boyd Welding fuel tank
- QA1 coilovers
- Tubular control arms
- Spraker Racing Ford 9” rear axle
- Wilwood disc brakes, front and rear
- US Mag Outlaw wheels, 20×8.5 front, 22×12 rear
- Pirelli tires, 245/45R20 front, 325/35R22 rear
- Body and paint by New Creations, Lattimore, NC, with custom mixed colors – Blue Diamond Pearl
and Stone two-tone - Hart Fab front wheel tubs
- Eddie Motorsport door handles
- New Creations hidden gas filler/taillight
- Front and rear flush mount glass by Fesler
- One-piece side glass by New Creations
- Nu-Relics power windows
- Bed floor raised 4”
- Interior and upholstery by New Creations
- Hidden shifter in seat
- Dakota Digital HDX gauges
- Vintage Air climate control