Creating a cutting-edge frame-dragging classic to compete in today's neck-and-neck truck show scene is by no means an easy task. Most classic truckers tend to take the traditional approach when setting out to build a vintage iron hauler to spin a few heads on the asphalt of their hometown. It takes courage, a whole lot of coin, and some well-honed metalworking skills to smooth classic sheetmetal to a baby's backside quality. By this traditional approach, we mean taking an old-skool Bow Tie or Blue Oval and hammering it on the earth with modern-day billets and low-profile shoes.
The majority of classic hauler fans either decide to be satisfied with a clean drop and a conservative wheel and tire package or they simply can't find the spare change to take their ride to a whole new level. Some classic enthusiasts are addicted to the miles of chrome found on the exterior of vintage pickups and feel it is unnecessary to perform a bunch of time-consuming body work to make these custom platforms more aesthetically appealing. It takes patience and an incredible amount of perseverance to dig into the skin of a timeless piece of machinery, but nothing is more breathtaking than a slick and smoothed custom resting rail and tucking dubs.
John Laisure from Morgan Hill, California, is a classic truck owner who took his rockin' red ride to the extreme, using a combination of retro '50's-style body modifications, contemporary billet wheels with low-profile skins, and award-winning detail that carries through right down to the polished hardware used for assembly. One thing that is for sure is that this '69 Chevy shortbed is a number-one stunner when anyone's sight tools focus on its deep-red retina-burning exterior. Setting the stage for rail-grinding greatness is a wicked suspension stance made possible by an airbag suspension system installed and fabricated by Clint Petree at Sic Motorsports in San Jose, California.
John gave Clint free reign to get crazy on the Chevy; Clint took that green light straight to the finish line. Enabling the nose to take a mild dive toward the Northern California soil are Belltech 2-inch dropped spindles. Knowing he would not be satisfied with some run-of-the-mill bolt-on suspension drop, John elected to install a complete airbag suspension so the Chevy could be dumped to impress and raised up for convenience. When setting a truck up with air-ride suspension, the front is usually a drop in the bucket. However, moving out back, things tend to get a bit more complicated. Clint Petree at Sic Motorsports tore into the Chevy's rear framerails, like an eager child tears into his or her presents at Christmas time, to step notch and box in the rear framerails and re-configure the factory three-link rear suspension.
Armed with a bottle of nitrogen and 3/8-inch air line coupled with fast valves, this red rocket gets cozy with the asphalt in a matter of seconds. A shortened stainless steel Panhard bar and Belltech Nitro drop shocks keep the suspension in check over all sorts of straightaway and curvy terrain.
Sitting pretty and adding bright spice to the hammered stance are 20x8-inch Boyd Coddington Timeless billet wheels up front smothered in Michelin P245/40ZR20 rubber bands. The back is supported by 20x10-inch Timeless billets clad in P275/35ZR20 Michelin skins. Wheel Techniques of Campbell, California, took care of polishing and mounting up the bad Boyd billet rollers. Having owned a '69 Camaro prior to this bright-red ride, John wanted some performance muscle to supply cruising power for his eager right foot.
Supplying ample tire-shredding power to Sic Trick is a 427ci big-block Chevy fit with a wherehouse full of performance and detailing components. An Edelbrock intake manifold provides a smooth flow channel for air and fuel, while a Holley 750 carburetor invites the gas and air in for a performance party. A Competition Cams bumpstick pulls a few more rpm out of the rat while a Pete Jackson geardrive contributes an aggressive tone to the big-block's operating octaves. Driving the belts and accessories is a beltdrive system from Billet Racing Products. Sanderson Headers and a 2-1/2-inch CGS Motorsports exhaust system toss exhaust fumes out like bouncers throw irate alcoholics out of dive bars.
Backing up the radical rat is a TH400 transmission fit with a B&M Shift Improver Kit and a 1,200-rpm stall-speed converter linked up to a custom one-piece driveshaft and a 12-bolt positraction rearend. Ad Tech Transmissions in San Jose threw the old-skool 400 on their bench and prepped it for power. Sending the rear 20-inch hoops up in smoke is a 12-bolt posi-traction rearend stuffed with 3.55:1 gears.
When building a topnotch truck, the buck does not stop at the chassis, the suspension, and the powerplant. You have got to go deeper into sanitizing the body and hooking up the interior to garnish the undivided attention of show judges and spectators -- not to mention a feature-hungry magazine staff only wanting the cream of the custom truck crop. John knew he wanted all of the glory that comes with owning an award-winning ride, so he and his friend Jason Schmelebeck got busy smoothing the sheetmetal in preparation for the PPG Torch Red paint. Moving from back to front, the tailgate was filled and smoothed, and a custom Sir Michaels steel roll pan was molded seamlessly to the rear bed region. All of the factory trim and C10 badging was pulled free from the metal and their respective holes filled for glass-straight glory.
One of the most annoying features of a '67-to-'72 GM truck is the protruding gas filler cap stuck on the left side of the cab. John elected to ditch this factory gas filler location and had a stainless steel gas tank relocated underneath the bed floor out back. Closing in on the nose, the door handles were shaved and a phantom billet grille was used to mix in that important street rod touch. The factory front bumper was retained and sent to the local chrome shop for a fresh coat of polished perfection.
Additional body modifications include shaved stake pocket holes, front corner markers, and cab seams. Once John and Jason finished getting wacky with the welder, they rolled the old Chevy into the paint booth and proceeded to cover its arrow-straight panels in PPG Torch Red. Topping the bed is a Checkmate tonneau cover to protect the wild Malibu sand tweed bed kit creatively crafted by Clint Petree of Sic Motorsports. The little things that count on the exterior are billet windshield wiper arms from Zoops Products and 20-inch wheels accent plates from Air Ride Technologies.
John's '69 has come a long way from zero to hero of the custom truck culture, and all of the hard work has paid off with numerous awards and magazine coverage. The truck is so cool that Customatix even created some footwear designed after the truck. John ensured us that his classic cruiser is not only a Northern California act, but Sic Trick will be making several Southern California appearances throughout this and many future show seasons. So look for this shocking custom to turn a few heads and haul home a bunch of gold.