Seasoned motorheads can still determine how badass a car is by overlooking its badge. If there’s anything we’ve learned over the years, its car brands mean nothing on the track without good mods. Well, if you are on a track day and your contender is packing massive brakes, you should be ready for a spirited run.
When General Motors engineers and designers were developing the C/K line of trucks, never in their wildest dreams did they think these workhorses would end up on the drag strip. More than 60 years later, the C/K line of trucks is one of the most abused sleeper project cars and a favorite at auto shows like SEMA.
You can slam them down to the ground, lift them to monster jam truck proportions, or slap just about any powerplant that would fit (electric or gas-powered).
This 1970 Chevy C10 featured by AutotopiaLA isn’t any different. Besides running a built LS3 engine, it also features Corvette C5 bits.
The builder, Kurt, says he began the project in 1999 through to 2000. Looking at its exterior, you can quickly tell something is cooking under the hood. Its stance, racing decals, and massive brakes say a lot about the bunnies hiding under the black hat.
“It did not look like this long ago. It was multiple colors, different front end, cab, and bed. It’s got a stock frame underneath it, and then we put a new front end,” Kurt revealed about the mods on the C10 truck.
The 1970 Chevy C10 doesn’t just look gnarly for show. It’s an Auto Cross beast with a couple of accolades under its belt. It finished second place (truck class) in the 2022 DriveOptima event at Utah Motorsports Campus.
Under the hood, it packs a built LS3 engine good for 540 ponies to the wheels (671 hp/680 ps) and 540 lb-ft (732 Nm) of torque. To harness all that power, it runs on a 6-speed Tremec 6060 transmission with a McLeod RXT clutch.
Kurt installed coilovers (all around), JRi shocks, and C5 Corvette brakes, including a C5 master cylinder, brake booster, calipers, and rotors (front and rear).
“Dude, I’ve got to tell you. I can’t say I have driven a C10 that feels like that. Like almost no body roll whatsoever, slight input, it’s ready to go." Sean of AutotopiaLA said after the first pull behind the wheel. “This thing is just b**tching, dude. I can already tell in the couple of minutes of driving,” he added.
Kurt’s Chevy C10 build is a definite winner in the looks department and on the track. It’s made to kill and please. We recommend watching the video below If you are curious about how this classic work truck gets down when pushed to the limit.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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