A few weeks ago I bought a new old vehicle. For the past 16 years, I have been driving 1930s hot rods. First a 1931 Ford Model A and then a 1936 Chevy.
As much as I love these old 30-40s hot rods, I felt it was time for a change. Something new, more comfortable to drive long distances, easier to get parts when needed. I also wanted something fuel injected, had to have overdrive transmission, A/C needed to blow cold air.
So what did I do... I bought a 1985 Chevy C10 Silverado. It checked all the boxes and then some.
It is powered by a 6.0L LS engine and backed with a 4L80 transmission. The A/C and the heat work (I don't use the heat much). But there were some things that I needed to change to make it mine.
I started with the wheels and tires. They just hung out from under the fenders a little too much for my taste, so I narrowed things up just a bit and went with a 18x9 American Racing Torque Thrust. This changed the offset and pulled the tires under the fenders, where I think they should be. It also has been lowered 2" all the way around with 2" drop springs on the front, and 2" drop shackles and spring hangers on the rear.
Next up was a bed cover... I picked the Craftec cover made specifically for the C10. It was a pretty easy install, but did take a little bit of time. I like the way it sits fairly flush on top of the bed rails and it uses gas shocks to lift it similar to a hatch back.
While doing the bed cover, I also put a Bed Rug Universal Bed Mat in the back. This is a really nice addition to the bed. It does take some modification to make it fit, but an easy install.
One of the other requirements was bucket seats and console instead of the bench seat. At first, I was going to use aftermarket seats, but they were pretty expensive, but was willing to go that route until I was browsing FB Marketplace one night and a set of 88-94 lowback bucket seats and console popped up. I contacted the seller and worked out a time to go look at them and brought them home. They match the truck really well.
While I was working on the interior, I decided to do sound deadening, heat insulation, swap out the larger sub/amp box for a more compact unit. Also cleaned up the wiring for the audio system. A 3rd brake light was also added at the bottom center of the rear window.
Since I had the old carpet out, which was 40 years old, I went a ahead and ordered new carpet, back wall carpet, and the lower carpet panels on the doors. This really finished out the interior and in my opinion, made a huge difference to the truck.
I also added some USB charging ports in place of the ashtray.
I have been driving the truck since the day I bought it... every chance I get. I have probably put close to 500 miles on it in the first 6 weeks or so. I have a couple of other things I want to do to the truck, but will update on those later. In the meantime, here are some pics of the way it currently sits.
That's about it for now... So get out in the shop and work on your hot rod and if you don't have any work to do on it... Then drive it!
