C10 ATTITUDE

Four years can either feel like an eternity or can pass in the blink of an eye, depending on the situation. For Bill Kilpatrick, owner of B&C Auto Restoration & Paint and of this particular ‘81 C-10, watching his project take the back seat to customer vehicles was a decidedly painful four years. Day after day, month after month, and year after year, Bill and his talented crew would toil over various classic rides, bringing them back to showroom condition or better.

But, in the short spans of time between those projects, Bill and the B&C crew would sneak in a few hours to work on his ‘81, which he picked up as a basket case for $2K a few years ago from his buddy Mark Young in North Carolina. Most of us would agree that pretty much any shortbed squarebody is a steal at that price, but according to Bill, “At the time I thought it was too much.” Now that the truck is done, however, a couple grand doesn’t seem like a big spend at all. Bill readily admits, “Needless to say, I was wrong!” 

Now, Bill knew from the get-go that this build would be more than just another ride. Since it was his personal vehicle, it would be one that his potential customers would be especially critical of. With plenty of skilled helping hands on deck, though, quality was never a concern, including the parts that would be used. For example, a QA1 tubular crossmember coil-over suspension system netted an 8-inch drop up front, with an axle flip, Cal Trac bars, and corresponding QA1 double-adjustable coil-overs at the rear to round things out. The Wilwood brakes and 20/22-inch Schott Mach V wheels all around are also an obvious tell that this C-10 isn’t your run-of-the-mill parts chaser. 

In the off chance that Bill does have to chase something, the Whipple-boosted 6.2L LSX376-B15 powerplant provides 689-horsepower worth of motivation to get the job done, with a Gearstar 4L80E backing it up and ready to take all the abuse that LSX can dish out! And don’t worry about the rear end – the 12-bolt has been upgraded with Moser 31-spline axles and a Yukon Dura Grip limited slip differential with 3.55:1 gears. 

When it came time for Bill and friends to handle the interior, a good portion of it was taken care of by simply calling TMI for one of its custom interior kits. The red leather seats, center console, and door panels are all TMI units and installed just like the factory pieces. The rest consists of a Vintage Air kit, a bangin’ Kicker and Kenwood stereo system, and a GT9 Retro Banjo leather steering wheel for a comfortable yet firm grip while keeping the skinny pedal mashed to the floor. 

When it gets right down to it, though, what’s really going to show off a shop’s attention to detail is the body and paint. Bill wasn’t afraid to put it all on the line by boldly going with a gloss black finish over the perfectly restored exterior, with subtle tricks such as smoothed bumpers, billet mirrors, and painted Pro’s Pick flush tonneau cover to really accentuate how flawless it really is. 

So, after four of the longest years Bill has ever experienced, his C-10 now holds a very special place in his heart and may be his best yet. Yeah, we neglected to mention that this is actually Bill’s sixth C-10, and with squarebodies being his favorite generation since the age of 14, you can bet that he’s going to be hanging on to this one for quite a while!