Looks like new. That's one way to describe this truck, which wouldn't be very impressive except for one important fact - this is not a factory-fresh Chevy. This is a rebuilt '67 C10 with stock styling and upgraded performance. It's the first of six resurrected rides planned by Dan Krohn of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Krohn started this project with the intention of building a cool-looking daily driver, but the body was so rust-free that after he finished working on the chassis, he decided to take the truck a step further with a full rebuild. True Blue, as the pickup is called, lives up to its name. It's clad in PPG 570 Dark Blue paint inside and out, a color that resembles the hue of the sky at 80,000 feet. A cream line of 511 White paint runs along the bottom edge of the body and licks the back of the cab. Aside from the paintjob, the exterior of this pickup looks quite stock, as does the reupholstered and recarpeted black and blue interior and factory tach. Doug Mortensen, from Colorado Springs, reupholstered the seats with black factory vinyl and laid down the black carpet. Three-point retractable seatbelts came from Gem Street Rods.
True Blue stands lower to the ground thanks to a 2-inch drop in the front and a 4-inch drop in the rear on factory spindles and Chassis Tech springs damped by KYB nitrogen-charged shocks. The Cragar 17x8-inch 390 Street Pro wheels, bristling with Ben Hur spikiness, are wrapped in P265/60R17 Kumho ECSTA STX tires in front and P285/60R17s in the rear. The frame underwent total restoration. It was blasted clean, then coated with epoxy paint.
Under the hood slumbers a restless '72 350ci small-block V-8. Thanks to Napa Auto Machine, the cast block is ported, polished, and deburred. Other mods include 60-over pistons, Bow Tie aluminum Vortec heads, and a Roller drivetrain. A new cam from Comp has a duration of 230/238 at 50 degrees and a lift of 480/486. The 12-bolt truck rearend remains unaltered, and the ring-and-pinion is stock. Krohn rebuilt the stock Turbo 400 transmission. Driveline Service in Colorado Springs brought a modified 3-inch one-piece driveshaft to the table. Flowtech ceramic headers guide the exhaust to the Muffler Masters 2-1/2- to 2-1/4-inch muffler via a Turbo catalytic converter. Top speed is uncertain at this point, but you can imagine the engine's 375 horses are liable to propel the pickup at better-than-stock speeds.
Krohn did much of the work on this project but got some help from Terry Japhet, who painted the truck in his driveway, Dave McCain helped with assembly, and Al Wilcox contributed his mechanical skills. What's next for Krohn? The apparently highly motivated and possibly highly caffeinated Dan Krohn expects to build a '68, '69, '70, '71, and '72 Chevy truck, producing one a year for the next five years. Of course, this would be feasible only if his wife Sandy continues to exhibit the virtues of forbearance, or, as Dan says, "the patience of a saint." Pray that she does.