When Chevy auto designers introduced the C/K line of trucks in 1960, all they had in mind was an automobile that would make the lives of the farmers of that era a little less difficult. Sixty years later, the C/K Chevy trucks no longer chase farm animals with hay stacks bundled at the back but numbers on the dragstrip. This classic 1967 Chevy truck went from a farm hand to a deadly truck weapon.
The fate of an old car boils down to three options. Face the crushers, get restored, or live the rest of their lives under a tarp in preservation. Those that get restored either relive their previous lives as street cars or jump into the wild side as race cars. The latter is our topic of discussion today.
Shawn of AutotopiaLA recently got the chance to shoot a video with Eric Curran of West Coast Exotics and his insane turbocharged 1,000-hp (1,014 ps) 1967 Chevrolet C10 pick-up truck.
Curran isn’t the regular classic car driver you’d meet at the strip every other weekend. He’s got a wealth of experience racing prototype cars in the highest levels of motorsports, with a couple of wins under his belt.
About 30 years ago, Curran and his dad started a car dealership business. On the side, they built performance cars and traveled around New England racing cars.
“Into the early 2000s, I got invited to go to Daytona. I won amateur championships, and then it just kept growing and growing. And then it went from this little hobby with my dad into this full professional career,” Curran revealed.
Curran made it to (LMP) Le Mans Prototype races and won championships. He had to choose between a career of running a dealership or racing cars. He chose the latter. This led to a 28-year racing career that ended at the end of 2019 after he won the 2019 12-hours of Sebring and 2019 Petit Le Mans.
Curran might have a glistening racing career, but his 1967 Chevy C10 truck was AutotopiaLA’s focus.
Under the hood, it runs a 5.3-liter Iron Block LS1 engine and a 4-speed transmission. The setup is good for 1,000 hp (1,014 ps). It’s a neat setup with fully built internal pistons and rods and a 76-millimeter turbo.
It runs on a custom frame with custom upper and lower control arms, rack and pinion steering, a box frame, and a four-link rear suspension. It sits low thanks to the raised-up frame and adjustable shocks. To handle all that power it’s fitted with upgraded brakes and lines.
Don’t let its neat exterior fool you. It’s not a sophisticated chrome finish but raw metal body. According to Curran, the entire truck is bare, uncoated steel (not even clear coated). He jokes that it’s the only car he can clean by using a Scotch Brite sponge.
To prevent it from rusting, they put a little coat of oil over the bare metal and added some chrome bits for a refined finish.
Curran's build is meticulous, unlike most classic trucks that pull up on the strip pushing huge numbers. His ’67 truck was developed for speed and comfort thanks to his professional racing career.
“I’m a C10 guy. I’ve had a couple of these. They’ve got to look badass, but they’ve got to work, right? Everything’s got to work. I want the steering wheel to be straight. I want the thing to drive right,” he confessed.
It might have a pretty exterior, but this bare metal ’67 Chevy C10 truck can rip. Catch some of that action in the video below.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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