1991 Chevy C1500 – Charles J.

I was just like most other young men growing up in the 1960’s – I watched the amazing muscle cars coming out of Detroit and the explosion of hot rods coming out of garages, back yards, and customizer shops across the country with a yearning to be a part of the fun. Surrounded by awesome cars but unable to participate, I decided that someday I would join in, but set those dreams aside while I married, raised a family, finished college, and built a successful career in the Kansas Air National Guard. But the desire for a fast, slick, hot rod never died. Over the years I followed trends by attending local car shows, reading car magazines, and helping buddies with their hot rod projects. I also got involved with my son and his friends when their interests turned to cars and motorcycles in the late 80’s.
In 1990 I took the first step to fulfilling the hot rod dreams of my youth when I bought a black Chevy Sport regular cab short bed with the 350 small block and 700R4 automatic combination, red bucket seats, and steel sport wheels. The truck looked so much like a 454 SS that most assumed it was a sleeper prowling the streets. As a nod to my military and family achievements, the truck was tagged as MAJRDAD, borrowed from a popular TV show of the time. It didn’t take long before my son and I added a modest 2”/4” drop with Bell Tech gear, a full Flowmaster exhaust, and a roll pan and hidden hitch so the truck could be a cool daily driver but still useful for DIY tasks while serving as a tow rig for the family boat. For the next 10 years I piled up 110,000 miles enjoying the truck as a daily driver, tow vehicle, deer hunting rig, and trips to the lumber yard. Over the years we worked in all the typical 90’s sport truck tricks – the factory moldings and badges were removed, the front end was converted to a GMC grill with a billet insert, a smoothed bumper was added, and the stake pocket holes were filled.
Sadly, this hot rod story took a tragic turn in April 2000 when a high-speed highway adventure resulted in catastrophic engine failure. No one was hurt but the tired small block had made its last trip. I decided to take MAJRDAD off the road while planning my next moves. Over the next few years some body and paint work was done and the firewall was painted. I bought a Mark VI big block to pursue the 454 SS clone theme but later decided an LS-engine from a new Firebird was a better fit for my vision. But the project stalled and sat in the shop for more than 20 years while family, career, and other hobbies took priority.
In 2021 at the urging of my wife and son I dusted off an old vision and developed a new plan for my faithful truck. I envisioned it prowling highways and racetracks with modern power, suspension, and brakes, but still being comfortable enough for long trips. My son told me this would make it a modern pro-touring ride. I also wanted street rod fit and finish wrapped in menacing, purpose-built black and titanium paint. The project would be renamed Black Knight, with a custom logo and license plate, BLKKNYT, to pull it all together.
Armed with a clear vision, some build guidelines, and a plan I worked with my son to spec out the hardware requirements. To get modern, reliable power we ordered up a 420 horse ZZ6/4L65E Connect and Cruise combo from GM Performance Parts, Schoenfeld headers, Aeromotive fuel system, and various other go-fast goodies. To handle highways and tracks with confidence and comfort we tapped QA1 for their Stage 2 coil-over front and rear suspension, lowering the former daily driver 6” and 8”. The rear axle was narrowed and rebuilt with a TruTrac diff spinning 3.73 gears. An AZ Pro Performance Big Brake kit using Vette and Mustang GT vented rotors and calipers bolted to a staggered set of RPM Booster Hyper Shot 20×8.5 and 20×10 wheels shod in Nitto 555G2 275/40 and 305/35 rubber brings the prodigious horsepower and corner carving to a sudden stop when the binders are applied. The days of towing trailers and running through fields are definitely over!
While sorting out the mechanicals we went to work on years of wear and tear on the rest of the truck. Surprisingly, after all the trips to the lake, across farm fields, and down deer trails the truck had no rust, so the frame was media blasted and coated in POR15, the small dings and scratches were smoothed out, and a fresh coat of PPG 2K Onyx Black and Clear Coat was shot. The inner fenders were replaced with Slosh Tubz to clear the wide tires, the firewall was cleaned up, and both were shot in PPG Light Argent, while the bed liner was refreshed and tidied. The maroon interior was pulled apart and reassembled using parts sourced from LMC Truck, and everything was dyed Light Argent and reassembled. A set of Escalade seats were sourced and recovered in two-tone Alcantara and bolted down over the new carpet. To wrap it up the factory wheel was carefully wrapped in matching Alcantara with the Black Knight logo embroidered on the horn button.
Combining goals, parts, and dreams into my vision for Black Knight took about 2 years, wrapping up in 2024. Most of the work was done in my home shop in the evenings with my son Kurtis helping on “Truck Tuesdays” after work, and other family members, neighbors, and friends pitching in too. Local shops RJ’s Kustom Workz, Cook and Sons Body Shop, and Style Craft contributed special skills to transform the truck project into the fast, slick hot rod I could only dream about almost 60 years earlier.
In 2024 Kurtis and I cruised highways and back roads in Black Knight for over 2,100 miles on the Hot Rod Power Tour Long Haul, fulfilling dreams we’d talked about for years along the way. A year later at the LMC Trucks Lone Star Nationals Good Guys show we blasted the truck around the Texas Speedway at over 110 mph, making my racetrack dreams reality. Black Knight won a Sponsor Award and two Best of Class trophies at local shows, and I really enjoy talking about the years of daily driver work the truck endured, the years it sat collecting dust, its rebirth into my vision. I especially enjoy all the memories and relationships from years ago that were built alongside the truck in the 90’s and again over the last few years. I never gave up on my hot rod dreams and Black Knight rewards my patience and commitment every time I turn the key.