SPEED FREAK

We’ve all been there: You show up to buy a truck from Facebook Marketplace / Craigslist / OfferUp and there’s another one right next to it. Maybe it’s cooler, or lower, or a different year, but now you have to make a call. Do you buy the one you came there for, buy the other vehicle, or just buy them both? 

In this case, Steve Merryman of Watertown, TN, went with option C: buy both. Now originally, he was shooting for a gold 1976 rust-free Arizona squarebody, but when he got to his buddy’s place, he saw the ’68 in the background. At first, it wasn’t for sale. But once the two started talking it through, a deal was struck. If Steve wanted the ’68, he had to buy the ’76 also. 

So, he did. Steve loaded up his ramp truck with both Chevys and headed home. He’d end up feeling too bad about tearing up the ’76 since it was all original, so that one was sold. But the ’68 was now ready to go. 

Steve has been into the automotive world for over 50 years now, and since both his father and grandfather were mechanics, he’s got a solid background in the industry. He’s even the proud owner of two pro-touring cars, a 1966 Chevelle and a 1970 Camaro. But recently he started paying a bit more attention to the custom truck side of the pro-touring world. They sure did look awesome, and if he could have one that could be daily driven and taken to competitions at the track, that might be pretty cool. So, with that in mind, he spent the next 13 months building one heck of a C10. 

Since the idea was to build a pro-touring truck, he needed the appropriate parts. At the time he still had a Tremec six-speed transmission out of his Camaro, but that was about it. So, he turned to Josh Wallace, owner of Reviving Relics and a good friend of his, who offered to do the build. But to start, they needed a solid foundation. Fortunately, they had a lead. 

Steve ended up purchasing a used chassis that was already equipped with great parts and a bunch of modifications. All of the No Limit Engineering goodies were in place, as was the 9-inch Moser rear end, Wilwood brakes, Viking shocks, and Forgeline wheels. Really, all they had to do was some boxing and a few other mods, and the chassis was disassembled, powdercoated, and then reassembled. Job done. 

You can’t build a truck like this without a good motor, and that led him to his friend Danny Griffin. Danny had an LS3 that had recent work done on the block, but he never put it back in a vehicle. Since it was just sitting there, Danny and Steve worked out a deal and now the ’68 had a drivetrain cranking out around 500 horsepower. 

With a great chassis on hand and the means to get it moving, it was time for some other details. The body itself was in OK shape, but it did have a paint-roller paint job, plus a few rust spots that were covered up with filler. To solve both issues, Josh and his crew tore the truck down, fixed some problematic areas, and then took the truck to his brother-in-law, Chris England (Chris England Concepts) for paint.

That brings up an interesting point. The truck has a paint code in the glove box like all C10s of the era, but 50-plus years of sun can play a role in changing the shade. The interior color on the truck was pretty much perfect for Steve, so instead of repainting everything a factory-spec color code, Chris England custom mixed a few gallons to match the dashboard. Then he sprayed the whole thing then finished with a matte clear, which gave it the perfect look for this kind of truck. 

What’s next for Steve and the C10? Well, his other pro-touring rides all have 700 horses under the hood, and he can feel the difference in the truck. It’s likely then he’ll upgrade the motor to pull out some more power, or maybe even just go with a whole new crate. Either way, it’ll be fun to see this thing tearing up the tracks and then driving home afterwards. It’s all any of us would want in a truck, and exactly what Steve needed.