1963 GMC RESTO-MOD 1-TON DUALLY SUICIDE DOOR QUAD-CAB “BLACK ICE” 4000

Comprehensive custom Arizona restoration started in June 2020, Completed in September 2024. -4-year build-
This is genuinely a one-of-a-kind truck. GMC did not make a 4000 Series 1-Ton Dually Quad-Cab model in 1963.
Initially a Colorado Barn find. This ¾ ton truck had a perfect cab floor (rarely found), but upon closer inspection had a rusted out front windshield roof-brow. Barn-rats had made nests gathered from the vintage cotton upholstery and found a comfortable home between the cab roof and metal headliner. After consulting with good friend and long-time Chrysler Pacifica automotive designer, John Sodano, Covington, (the guy behind Steed Trucks) & Sodano came up with a “Covid Challenge” plan of attack for this First-Generation GMC Long-bed truck. Sodano suggested the 4-door Quad-Cab stretch, since the truck roof was going to need replacement, and he had experience in the design of the Ram Quad Cab trucks, having been involved in the design of the doors and familiar with their engineering details.
The “Quad Cab Covid Challenge” grew as Sodano sketched out the first rendering of what he envisioned what a true 1963 GMC one-ton quad-cab could have been if there was one actually built by the GM designers back in the day. A 1996 Donor C-2500 Silverado Crew-Cab truck was purchased to update the chassis and drivetrain to modern components. This second basis for the truck happened to be equipped with a heavy duty 14-bolt dually rear end, so the sketches evolved into the concept truck that took over 4 years of constant fabrication, metalwork and exquisite paint execution to complete. Over 18-months were spent on the cab stretch metalwork and door engineering alone. This took two more vintage donor cabs and fresh metal for the roof and floor, along with 8 vintage knee-knocker doors which were cannibalized for their contoured metal. All this steel was combined to create the rear-swinging “suicide” doors with the absence of a B-pillar.
Staying true to the concept of “what would the GM designers do if they had all the modern accessories and technology of today”, the dash was re-worked to accommodate vintage reproduction air-conditioning vents in the A-pillars of the cab. The center of the dash face was redesigned by deleting the ashtray to also accommodate custom vintage-appearing AC vents by Cool C10 and a Vintage-Air digital climate controller. A large Boss touch screen media player complete with hands-free phone, both iPhone and Android compatible, for GPS Maps, along with a front and rear cameras display clearly on large touch-screen within view of the operator.
Late model GM seats with custom red/grey and black suede upholstery complete with shoulder harness seat belts and power in the captain’s chair, were complimented with an all-metal center console made from the sheet metal of a repurposed reversed truck hood and vintage metal truck bed sides. The custom fabricated metal console incorporates a B&M Rachet Shifter to control the performance-built 4L80e automatic transmission. The metal center console also sports stainless steel cup holders, a digital gauge displays the supplemental rear air-bag pressure for gooseneck towing, and a convenient trailer brake is ergonomically convenient to the driver as well.
This is the show-pony work-truck to haul your other show-cars to the events, or to pull your full-size gooseneck RV or Airstream (with the additional class-5 rear receiver-hitch) anywhere you so desire.
Power is supplied by a 454ci 7.4l big-block fuel injected Vortec engine that was freshly built from the crankshaft up by Engine House of Phoenix. While the accenting engine components were brightly powder-coated for durability in red. The 4L80e automatic transmission was completely rebuilt by Transmission Experts of Phoenix and includes heavy duty turbines for extra towing capacity. The entire chassis was fitted with custom cab mounts for the stretched 1963 cab body and bed, which was shortened from its original ‘Crew-Cab’ length with a Z-notch and powder-coated a durable gloss-black to accept the more compact and stylish proportions of the Quad-Cab cabin. The 1960 style GM long-bed fleet-side panels were custom modified to accept stock step-side fenders that are bolted on to the bedside, (not welded) for ease of maintenance. Modified streamlined GM bed-steps were added with accenting trim that also supports the ceramic coated exhaust system and dual rectangular exhaust ports.

MAKE General Motors Corp. GMC
MODEL 4000
YEAR 1963
BODY TYPE 1-Ton Dually Quad-Cab Long-Bed Truck.
DRIVETRAIN 454ci, 7.4l Big Block Fuel Injected Vortec
DIFFERENTIAL GM Heavy Duty 14-Bolt with Positraction
CHASSIS Modified 1-Ton C2500
SUSPENSION Front Custom Bell-Tech lowered coil, Detroit Suspension A-Arms, flipped lowered Leaf & Shock Rear with supplemental air-bags for towing
BRAKES Wilwood MC, Hydroboost Power Disc front, Hydraulic Drum Rear
EXTERIOR PAINT Black Ice, pearl black with Custom faux homage “custom trim” with red Pinstriping
INTERIOR PAINT Red/Grey & Black Suede with Black Suede Door Panels and Custom Red Accent striping
WHEEL SIZE 20″ Fuel Design Alloy Wheels, 8-lug, 285/50/R20 Toyo Tires
SEATING Capt’n Power Bucket Seating, Red/Grey & Swede Custom Upholstery by Chuck Harding
ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM Boss Media Center, Hands Free Phone, iPhone/Android, front and rear camera, Rockford-Fosgate Amps, Fosgate, JBL and Kicker Speakers

Before Gallery After Gallery
With powerful twin Rockford-Fosgate amps, two 8″ sub woofers, twin JBL speakers in the suicide doors, and 8″ mids in the kicker panels with separate tweeters mounted in the custom dash, the entertainment system truly rocks in this one of a kind truck as well.
The interior and exterior paint is finished off in a pearl black “Black Ice” urethane, with silver and red pinstriped graphic ‘trim’ executed as an homage to the “Custom Cabs” of the 1960’s. The graphics are buried under layers of clear urethane with a mirror gloss cut n’ buffed finish. One of the most spectacular details of this entire build is an all-metal painted headliner that is also fully sound deadened and insulated for noise and the elements. The doors all have sound deadening as well as the entire cab interior, and the underside of the cab, rear fenders and truck bed all have been coated with urethane bed-liner for durability, rust protection and additional sound deadening. The aged hickory bedwood was flame-charred prior to applying an ebony stain and sealed with gloss urethane for durability and beauty.
The details thought and craftsmanship in the design and execution of this specially built GMC quad-cab are world-class. Every component is new, from fasteners, glass, rubber, and extensive LED lighting, including extra interior cabin lighting and DOT one-ton marker lights on the cab roof, fenders and sequential custom LED turn signals, front and rear.
September 2024, the truck was featured at the Grand National Truck Show in Pomona, CA where it was awarded “Outstanding Engineering” award. It is to make a special appearance at the world’s largest custom truck show, Dino’s Git Down at AZ Cardinal’s Stadium in Glendale, AZ in November, in the “Top 100” corral. Magazine features and promotions that include this recently completed vehicle surely will follow.