CHEAP THRILLS

Time and money were both two things (Bill) William Petyak did not have to spare when he first started working on this ’68 Chevy truck but he believed in his friend Jeff Volker’s reassurance that there was indeed light on the far-off end of the tunnel. When asked about the process of his 10-year C10 build Bill said, “I really wanted to set this truck on fire and burn it to the ground. Fortunately, my friend Jeff was there to keep pushing me when making real progress seemed hopeless.”

It’s best to understand the dynamic of Bill and Jeff ‘s friendship throughout the years. While they do have other shared interests beyond those that revolve around custom autos, it seems as though trucks will prove to be the bond that will strongly tie them together for the long haul. “I sold Jeff my ’83 Chevy Squarebody truck, and I bought this ’68 from him years later”, Bill said. “I don’t really remember what I paid for it, but the suspension was already competed, although it pretty much needed everything else. Jeff agreed to help me build the truck, so I would give him more money from time to time for parts or whatever else he needed to make a slow but steady progress on it over time.”

The ’68 featured a decked-out chassis complete with a Porterbuilt front clip and a custom four-link in the rear when Bill took ownership of it, so he was good to go with his truck’s adjustable stance from the start. To make the most of the C10’s altered suspension setup, a 1.5-inch stock floor bodydrop was also performed to further drop its ride height. To prep the truck for stress-free road worthiness, Wilwood brake upgrades were made at each corner, and to up the ante on its’ overall style, a staggered set of 20×8 and 22×10 Intro billet wheels were ordered for future mounting. “I would’ve been happy with a set of smoothies and manual paddle valves”, Bill admits. “Jeff was always in my ear to aim higher and build a truck more over the top, so I tried to look at the bigger picture.”

Speaking of bigger, the truck was in dire need of a fresh engine transplant. Simply dropping in a rebuilt 350 just wasn’t going to be an option—especially with Jeff hanging around. Bill didn’t have an unlimited budget to work with either, but he lucked out and found a clean 2002 LS1 power plant that would do the trick nicely. The much newer and powerful engine was outfitted with a fresh BTR stage 3 camshaft, a Billet Specialties front accessory kit and a less restrictive exhaust system complete with a throaty Flowmaster muffler. A 4L60E transmission was also incorporated into the build to back the LS unit with smooth operation all throughout the RPM range. Even though Bill’s C10 now had a running engine, there was still a lot more in store for the engine bay.

While Jeff Volker was onboard to handle the bulk of the bodywork the truck needed, he had reached out to Josh Hart of Hart Fab to work his magic around the truck before any metal surfaces were finished off with paint. Some of Hart Fab’s notable handywork includes the inner fenders, smoothed firewall and the network of custom paneling surrounding the LS. Both bumpers were tucked and narrowed to give the truck a much tighter appearance while allowing its factory aesthetic to remain intact. “Honestly, I would’ve rocked the truck the way it was when I bought it, but Jeff is a professional body and paint guy, so he wasn’t going to let that happen”, Bill added. “Now looking back, I can fully understand everything he was telling me to spend the extra time and money on. Once they started, it was hard to say no to the work Jeff and Josh Hart were creating.”

When it finally came time to apply paint to the C10’s exterior, Bill had a couple simple guidelines for Jeff to stick to. “I had more of a poverty level build in mind for this project back when I first got it, but I have always had a thing for Porsches”, he says. “Once that Chalk color came out, I knew I had to have it for this truck. Also, I didn’t want chrome anywhere because I hate polishing. What we ended up doing is painting all the trim and powdercoating everything else to give the Chevy a European feel—more class.” To add a little more spice, a set of ’61 Impala reverse lights were worked into the grille, Fesler LED taillights were added to the rear, and VanNatta Fab side mirrors and GSI Machine door handles were mounted to both sides of the truck.

To match the smooth demeanor of the exterior, Bill then set out to spruce up the interior with top notch metal, paint and stitch work. Of course, Jeff and Josh did what they do best within the confines of the cab, and Joel Shusta of Shusta Interiors was trusted to handle the seating and panel work based on his respected portfolio. A custom center console was also fabricated to house the shifter, two beverages and the AccuAir controller and other buttons that operate the cab’s other amenities. A Billet Specialties steering wheel gives Bill a stylish grip on his C10, and a Vintage Air climate control system was added to give him all-season cruising comfort. Other noteworthy inclusions are JL Audio speakers and amplification, Dakota Digital gauges and dress-up hardware to place the finishing touches on a job well done.

“’You can’t build badass on a budget’ is something that my good friend Jeff would always tell me, and now that this truck is complete, I can’t believe I resisted understanding that for so long”, William states. “It took an entire decade to get to this point, and it’s crazy the amount of money I threw at the truck without me seeing a difference at times. The difference was there, it just took a while for it to become clear to me. I’m glad that Jeff pushed me as hard as he did for as long as he did—it was all 100% worth it in the end. Thank you for everything Jeff, and a big thanks to Josh Hart and everyone else who played a part in helping in this very important project for me.”