KING OF THE HILLTOP

Imagine the buying opportunities you’d have if you owned your own used car dealership? Obviously, there is a vast sea of lemons out there to wade through, but there is lots of automotive treasure out there still to discover—just ask Jim Rezac of Glidden, Iowa. He has boiled the pre-owned vehicle business down to a science. Jim, along with his wife Amanda, have owned and operated Choice Auto in Carroll, Iowa since November 1997, and in those years, they have shown a great deal of restraint to not purchase every cool vintage truck that comes their way. In fact, Jim has been holding onto one very special pickup that he took ownership of long before he was even old enough to drive. The fact that he still has this truck well into adulthood is own special type of miracle. 

“I acquired this ’65 GMC C10 back when I was 10 years old”, Jim states. “One day it showed up at our house. My dad bought it secondhand, but it didn’t run, and it had been sitting for years. There was just something about it that I wanted for myself. I made a deal with my dad to work the summer at his welding shop/sandblasting business in exchange for the truck. At the end of the summer, my dad came to me and said he had an offer of $150 for the truck, which he considered a good deal at the time. I didn’t even have to think about it—I was not going to sell.” 

While this tale sounds too good to be true for a 10-year-old kid, Jim’s childhood windfall did come with its own unique set of issues. “When my dad and I went to put some work into my C10 to get it up and running again, it turned out that it needed a fuel pump”, Jim continues. “We soon found out that the truck also needed a clutch, so it sat around for another 40 years—with my best intentions of restoring it one day.” 

It wasn’t until July of 2019 when Jim made a vital decision for the future of his cherished yet neglected C10. “A 2011 Chevy Camaro SS with a LS3 engine and 6L80E transmission showed up at our dealership”, he says smirkingly. “It did have a lot of miles on it and was beat up from the feet up. At first, we weren’t sure what to do with it, but the light bulb finally flickered on to use it as a donor car for our GMC truck.” 

With some wind finally back in the old pickup’s sails, Jim began his search for a shop that could help with the restoration process. He called up many places, but he didn’t feel like any of the shops he reached out to were right for the project. The ideal spot did present itself to Jim in an unexpected flash of luck, and he recognized his good fortune right away. “After meeting and talking to Andrew Carlson and Phil Thomas with Hilltop Hotrods at a good friend’s wedding, they seemed excited to take on a project that most builders would have turned away.” 

Andrew and Phil assessed the condition of the GMC and considered the wish list that Jim presented them with. Their plan of action was clear—blow the entire truck apart and rebuild it from the ground up, starting with the chassis. The GMC’s old frame would no longer be of service and taking its place would be a Roadster Shop SPEC Slammed coil-over chassis outfitted with Wilwood Pro spindles and brake kits, Fox coil-overs, Mustang 2 rack and pinion steering, a 20-gallon fuel tank, and plenty of other top shelf components. 20×9 and 22×12 Kompression KCV-556 wheels and Pirelli P Zero high-performance rubber were soon mated to ensure the GMC would handle better than Jim could ever imagine. 

Upgrading the truck’s suspension system was just the beginning. While the chassis was being assembled at Hilltop, the LS3 was sent out to Demers Performance in Carroll, Iowa, for a much-needed round of refreshment. When the engine was introduced to the GMC, it featured upgrades in the way of a Bullet Racing cam, Trick Flow cylinder heads, 2.9L Whipple supercharger, Speedway radiator, custom valve covers from Swiftek Engineering, fresh headers and exhaust system, and so much more!  Farrer Out Transmission, in nearby Hinton, Iowa, handled the work on the 6L890E before it made its way onto the ’65. 

With the GMC’s new frame and drivetrain complete, Andrew and Phil carried out their plan to fabricate a custom firewall, radiator support and cover, installing Delmo Speed & Kustom front wheel tubs, raising the bed floor with bead rolled wheel tubs to match the front, before smoothing all seams on the bed, hood and wiper cowl. Aside from those panels, all-new sheetmetal from LMC Truck and AMD were required to make things right for the exterior. Once the C10’s body took form once again, Andrew expertly sprayed it with PPG Nassau Blue paint for a timeless appearance. 

That same timeless aesthetic was applied inside of the cab as well with a beautifully wrapped vinyl bench seat from Snowden and matching marshmallow-colored door panels. Jim wanted the interior to appear classy and classic, but he also wished it to have modern amenities as well. The Hilltop crew were happy to oblige with Dakota Digital gauges, Bluetooth stereo, Memphis Audio speakers, and a JL Audio amp and twin subs that have been planted in a slick Slosh Tubz enclosure behind the seat. Of course, Jim also has the convenience of a Vintage Air climate control system at his fingertips. 

The restoration process lasted just about 2 years on the dot, as it was dropped off at Hilltop Hotrods on October 26th, 2022 and finished just in time for C10 Nationals at the Nashville Superspeedway in October 2024. In the grand scheme of things, that must’ve still felt like the longest 24 months for Jim even though he has owned the GMC since he was a child. “I’ve known this truck since I got it back in 1982, and I’ve only ever wanted to be able to drive it”, Jim says. “I never imagined it would look and perform this good one day.”