1968 C10 Restomod Build
The sea foam 1968 Chevrolet C10 is finally seeing pavement. This has been a labor of love and we're excited to finally see it come to completion.
When the truck first came to our shop, it was in pieces. It had come from another shop and it needed to be finished out.
There were two things this customer really wanted to get out of this build: a unique style with great attention to detail and a whole lot of power.
Satin Seafom Paint Job
The first thing you may notice when you look at the 1968 C10 is that it's not glossy or highly reflective in the sun. The reason is because we did a satin finish. Here's a closeup of the paint. It does have some shine to it, but is a bit muted compared to a high gloss finish. The photos truly don't do the paint justice. It's really eye-catching when you see it in person. It definitely makes you do a double take.
Believe it or not, this type of finish was much harder to achieve than you might think. When doing a traditional paint job finished with a glossy clear coat, often times it will mask any slight imperfections. That was not the case with this project.
The satin finish is not for the faint of heart. Preparation of the body before paint is absolutely imperative because once the paint is sprayed, it is what it is. That means you can't just buff one spot here and then until the imperfections are gone which is what makes a satin finish tricky. However, the payoff is well worth the time put in.
555 Cubic Inch Engine
The second item on the customer's wishlist is what makes takes this '68 C10 from a restoration to a restomod. Packed inside the engine bay of this classic truck is 555 cubic inches of American muscle. This truck originally came with a 383 so 555 cubic inches really makes a big difference!
A big motor means big headers. We ran into a snag when the headers available on the market for this engine didn't quite fit in the space they needed to be in. That tends to happen quite a bit when doing restoration and restomod builds so when we can't find the right part, we make it! We ended up fabricating a full exhaust system from the headers to the tips.
Custom Fabrication
Another piece of the truck that was custom fabricated was the front and rear bumpers.
We wanted to add custom but subtle touches to every corner of this truck. You can see how the bumper started above and how the final product turned out.
Another subtle yet eye-catching detail we added is the brushed metal finish on all of the hardware. Anything that would ordinarily be chrome, we turned into a brushed metal look.
Like many other aspects of this restomod project, converting all of the chrome emblems and door handles was also done by hand. We have a phenomenal body guy and he literally brushed the metal until he achieved that perfect brushed metal look.
One more unique touch this '68 C10 has is the flush-mounted side markers.
Flush mounting anything on the body of a classic vehicle is no easy feat. But it is especially challenging when you combine that with a satin finish paint job. As we mentioned before, the satin finish is not forgiving and it will show even the slightest imperfection. But our body guy is top notch and he managed to make it all come together seamlessly!
What makes these builds so special are the man hours that go into transforming these projects all by hand. Sometimes we get asked why a build takes a year or more to complete and this '68 C10 Restomod build is a prime example. As with any project, you run into bumps along the way like we did with having to fabricate the headers. Then there's all of the other handcrafted details that our guys pour their time, hearts, and hands into to make it exactly what the customer envisioned if not better. As you can tell, we have a passion for what we do and our hope is that our customer's can have a hot rod that puts their jaw on the floor. On to the next one!