SICK SIERRA

Rick Jordan was into squarebody GM trucks before they were cool. Seriously, though. He purchased his first one back in 1991 when the ‘88-’98 OBS was the hot new ticket in the truck scene. In fact, Rick has owned 8 squarebody models in the last 33 years – 4 pickups, 2 Blazers (2WD), and a Suburban! While he seems to have a soft spot for square specimens, Rick has also owned a long list of many other types of vintage cars and modern pickups. Rick’s dad influenced what has become his lifelong passion for cool rides, and his current 1983 GMC 1500 project reinvigorated the obsession he once held for third-generation C/K trucks. 

“I felt the undeniable desire to build a cool square body”, Rick says. “I dealt with just as much luck as I did with misfortune along the way. I was given the opportunity to first purchase a custom modified rolling chassis from my friend Mike Lawson who had just purchased an ’84 square body SEMA build at auction. He wanted an aftermarket chassis for his truck, so to get his truck’s old chassis, I had to sell Mike my ’75 GMC Jimmy as part of the deal but it was worth it.” 

With his future project’s foundation ready to go, Rick still had to find an actual truck to attach to it. “I found what I was looking for while at the 2019 C10 Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas”, he states. “Shannon Rodriguez from Elk City, Oklahoma had just completed a restoration on an ’83 GMC Sierra. We struck a deal, and I took it home that same day. I then started hunting for an engine and transmission. My friend Bill Criss recommended I give Kevin Mueller a call since he was rumored to have a lead on a 6.2L LS3 / 6L80E combo, which ended up working out.” 

With all the major components gathered, Rick started stripping the truck he bought since all he wanted from it was the cab, front sheet metal and bed. “Once stripped, I dropped the truck and new frame off at Kevin’s shop, Concepts & Performance in Keller, Texas. He had agreed to check out and modify the engine, install the harness and computer, and mount it and the trans into the new frame. Kevin was also going to mount the cab, upgrade the rear end and rear brakes. Once he was done, the truck was sent to the body shop for mods and paint.” 

This is the point when Rick hit the one and only major speed bump during the build process. “I signed a four-month contract with the body shop to finish all that we had agreed on, but it ended up taking the better part of three years”, he admits. “Watching the truck sit for so long was defeating at times. I wish I did a better job selecting a shop to hire but I was ready to move onto the next phase as soon as I got it out of there.” 

While the truck did receive all the body modifications Rick anticipated seeing once the dust settled, the finish of the paint didn’t quite live up to his expectations. To remedy the situation, he contacted Wrangler and Ashton at Wranglers Art in Motion to handle paint correction and a thorough cut and buff job before applying a ceramic coating to finish it off. Ray Mitchell also stepped in to install the AccuAir e-Level system, modify the front tubs and create a custom air filter intake tube. Paul G Custom Interior was the next shop to see the truck. “Paul did the total interior build and install”, Rick says. “This was a wonderful experience with a short turnaround time and killer results. Paul then referred me to Shawn at Elite Mobile Solutions for the audio work. While all this was going on, my son-in-law Shawn Mayer and I were building the bed floor out of hickory planks. I was his novice helper as we made our way through making the patterns, sanding the boards, and applying the aluminum runners.” 

Rick’s latest square body build was ultimately completed in early 2023. To celebrate, he took it to the Goodguys show in Fort Worth in March of that year where it was awarded Builder Choice and Top 10 Truck honors. “My vision for a custom square body was finally a reality”, he says proudly. “Cruising the truck to shows with my brother Jeff has been big time fun. In fact, Jeff has his own square body Blazer that was featured in the March 2024 issue of CK Magazine. We both debuted our trucks at that same Goodguys 2023 show, which really was an unforgettable experience for us.”