1986 Chevy C10 – John R.

I bought this truck in the Fall of 2016, and I remember saying to my wife that we would just use it as a cruiser since it was already in pretty good shape. The body and frame were very nice and rust free, unusual for Maine, where we live. The truck had a small block 350 with TH350 transmission when we bought it and my plan was to just fix a leaking rear main seal and put the same combo back in the truck.

Well, that ship sailed pretty quickly and instead of keeping the truck close to how it was when we bought it, now fast forward to 2024, and there is almost nothing left inside or out from the 2016 version of this truck. Currently, there is a 2008 LY6 6.0 engine with an LSA supercharger and some other mods, making 688rwhp and 661rwtq. The auto trans has been replaced with a manual 6 speed T56 Magnum, and the driveshaft and axles have been upgraded to handle the power. The suspension has been upgraded with tubular A-arms and coil overs up front, and there are Cal-Trac bars out back to help plant the power. We have completely replaced the interior, including seats, carpet, dash, and gauges (Dakota Digital VHX).

Our goal with the truck was to have a truck that still looked like a 1986 C10, but had all the advantages of a modern drivetrain while still making sure everything looked like it could have been there from the factory. I think we have succeeded in our goal, we now have a truck that will run low 11 second quarter miles, and also can sit in summer traffic all day with the engine never getting over 195 degrees.

Thanks to LMC for being a reliable source of information and parts. There certainly is a lot of LMC DNA in this build, both inside and out.