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Itâs pretty safe to say that the vast majority of horsepower junkies donât have the same level of enthusiasm about real horses. Have you every thought about the correlation of the two before? Yeah, we havenât either. The topic really hasnât come up around here, honestly, and while there may very few of you out there that can appreciate both, the crossover between custom automobiles and equestrian sports hardly ever mix – but they will today. Â
Randy and Sydney Weaver of Weaver Customs in West Jordan, Utah, share a passion for building extraordinary custom vehicles of all kinds. Their track record speaks for itself, as they specialize in amazing bodywork, fabrication, design and engineering as well as custom paint. While this power couple also puts a big emphasis on performance and horsepower in their custom builds, they also enjoy spending time with real horses in their off time. It was this extracurricular activity that led them to the opportunity to link up with an unlikely individual for a project truck that has since turned out absolutely incredible. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, letâs introduce you all to another important player in this story.Â
Andrea Fappani, a big name in the highly competitive sport of reining horses, hails from Italy, but now calls Scottsdale, Arizona, home. We realize that most of our readers will not recognize his name, but if youâre interested, search his name on Google – the accomplishments this guy has under his belt is downright impressive. Well, it turns out that besides working with horses, Andrea really digs trucks. Maybe itâs because there werenât many around where he is from in Italy, but here in the States, theyâre everywhere, and he has found himself naturally drawn to them.Â
âKnowing Andrea from many horse events, our conversations began to gravitate away from horses and started revolving more about the types of cars and trucks we build at Weaver Customsâ, Sydney recalls. âAndrea once spent a lot of money on a â94 ½-ton Chevy truck that was super ugly (heâd even admit it now), but he still thought it was cool back then because it was a truck.â Well, even though that OBS Andrea once owned is now one of the hottest to customize right now, he set his sights on a truck with a little more age to it, but he wasnât looking to going the patina route. He was actually interested in something quite the opposite.Â
Wanting more, Andrea went on a hunt for the perfect 60âs C10 to start on. The â65 GMC he found in Arizona was a true farm truck. It was a long bed and had a dinosaur of a 305 V6 in it. While the truck sat around for a bit The Weavers were able to convince Andrea that it was time for them to transform it from farm hauler to street brawler. âObviously, the goal for us here, like with all of our projects, was high end results but with that âcool factorâ we consistently strive forâ, Sydney says about the jump-off point.
Believe us when we say that this truck was initially destined to be a daily driver, but things have a tendency to take a turn up the scale, especially for the Weaver Customs crew. âThe build just took off, and when it did, we made a vow to do it right the very first time aroundâ, Sydney says. That old 305 was torn out and would soon be replaced with a supercharged 2019 GM LT4 with plenty of get-up-and-go.Â
Andrea very much liked the lowered stance that the other Weaver Customsâ vehicles have featured, so to get his GMC down to a more respectable level, a front air ride setup from Choppinâ Block was utilized, as was a rear 4-link, Ridetech âbags and Fox shocks at all corners. To finish off the chassis overhaul, the Weaver crew was looking to run with a unique set of wheels, and decided whatâs more unique than a one-off set of specially machined 18âs and 20âs? Howâs that for going the extra mile?Â
Moving forward, Randy and his team quickly found themselves at the point of planning the body and paintwork. To get the body just right, a hefty amount of metal massage work was added to the agenda. From front to back, inside the engine bay and bed, to all sides and every angle, this GMC has been blessed with some of the slickest, smoothest modifications out there. âIt was the process of the whole thing that Andrea seemed to enjoy the mostâ, Sydney states. âThis is the first full build he has watched come together, and it was exciting to see his excitement as every phase progressed.â To capitalize on the smooth bodywork by Carlos Delgado of Weaver Customs, Randy cooked up a killer custom paint color, affectionately named âFappani Steel Blueâ, to finish off the look properly.Â
Even though the GMCâs exterior does feature some pretty wild mods, they were done tastefully and subtly, which is why the crew planned on letting loose inside of the cab. The Procar seats were modified slightly before being wrapped in eye-catching burgundy leather. In fact, the entire interior was wrapped in the same upholstery, from the dash to the door panels and areas behind the seats. Team Weaver even installed an entire flurry of audio goods so Andrea could blast his favorite tunes while he cruises.Â
Nothing was held back during the build of this â65 GMC. There is something custom at every corner, whether your eyes pick up on it or not – thatâs the caliber of vehicle Weaver Customs has been known for creating. âWeâve been asked lately if thereâs anything about the build that weâd like to see done differentlyâ, Sydney adds. âWe always strive to build our vehicles badass the first go-around to avoid any regrets later down the line. We love how the â65 turned out and Andrea seems just as happy with how it turned out.â
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Andrea Fappani â65 GMC C10
- 2019 GMC LT4 supercharged engine (650HP)Â
- Be Cool aluminum radiatorÂ
- Flowmaster 2.5-inch exhaust system & Hushpower mufflerÂ
- Tremec T56 6-speed transmission by GM PerformanceÂ
- Choppinâ Block front air ride systemÂ
- Rack and pinion steeringÂ
- Rear 4-link systemÂ
- Ridetech âbags all aroundÂ
- Fox shocks all aroundÂ
- Rear sway barÂ
- Ford 9â rear axleÂ
- Wilwood brakes and master cylinderÂ
- Aluminum 20-gallon fuel tankÂ
- 18×10 and 20×15 custom one-off specially machined 3-piece wheelsÂ
- Mickey Thompson SR Radial tiresÂ
- Bodywork by Carlos Delgado and paint by Randy of Weaver Customs, West Jordan, UTÂ
- Custom Fappani Steel Blue paint mixed with Axalta materials
- Channeled body
- Roofline modified, flush-mounted glass, hand-fabricated front and rear valances, custom rockers, sharpened body lines, modified fenders, fabricated steel hood and grille, custom roll panÂ
- Harley-Davidson LED headlightsÂ
- Custom one-off door handles and billet trim pieces by Mark Atkinson
- Custom steel dashÂ
- Dakota Digital gaugesÂ
- Ididit steering columnÂ
- Modified Procar seats by MCM Custom Interiors & Seams Impossible Interiors, West Jordan, UTÂ
- Hydes leather upholstery in burgundy color trimmed by Mason McMillian and Cody NebekerÂ
- Burgundy carpetÂ
- Pioneer head unit, Kicker amps, speakers and subwoofer installed by Weaver CustomsÂ
- RestoMod A/C systemÂ
- American Autowire wiring harness