By Rob Fortier – Images by Notstock Photography
Mobile Toys Inc. (MTI Automotive, College Station, Texas) owner/proprietor Chris Pate is no stranger whatsoever to full-custom pickups—especially 1967-72 C10s. Heck, we’ve run a number of MTI-affiliated builds, and if you’re a follower of our social media, then you’re that much the wiser when it comes to the top quality of MTI’s stunning interior/sound system ensembles. But what we haven’t shed light on is what it all started with, C10-wise that is: his.
Back in 2016, Chris embarked on his company’s “first custom-bagged XC10 as a way to show clients what MTI Automotive Designs could do; we wanted to build a truly unique version of this ‘classic’ truck.” It began with ideas tossed back and forth and ultimately notes written down on paper, though what you see today is, as Chris further explained, “… a bit different than what was debuted in 2018. The original crew who built the truck was our team at MTI and a local shop named MSB Performance. About a year later, Robert Mesa from Alamo Customs began working directly with us, and we changed the entire truck over the next few years.”
Once solid white, the now two-toned copper and pearl white, fully molded big-window Fleetside is still what it was originally built for, just more impactful and up to date: showcasing not only MTI’s top-shelf talents, but Alamo Customs as well—hence the “C10 Collab”!
Based on a stock second-gen C10 chassis, Chris’ ’68 now sits nice and low courtesy of Porterbuilt Fab Stage III bagged front and back halves complete with CPP spindles, Wilwood/CPP discs, all the good stuff—with polished Raceline Cheyennes in the 22-inch variety set up with Nitto low-pro radials. Drivetrain consists of a good-ol’ 2017 crate 350 SBC fed by FiTech Go EFI and dressed to the hilt with custom-machined aluminum accents by Timmy Johns, which is all literally encapsulated by a fully molded, one-piece frontend assembly! Behind the small-block is a tried and trusted, Texas Speed–converted Turbo 350.
Now, let’s dive into all that reworked exterior magic. Beyond the aforementioned “unibody” front sheetmetal group (cowl to bumper with cowl integrated into the hood) and bed (fully welded up from gate to wheeltubs and front panel, with exposed C-notch and one-off SeaDek bed floor assembly), the entire underbelly of the ’68 is as smoothed and detailed as the topside. Furthermore, glass is flush-fit and the Brothers Sport bumpers have been massaged to better fit the truck’s contours. Ultimately, Alamo refinished the Fleetside in the updated pearl white/copper combo, leaving the Mar-K trim, grille, Ringbrothers mirrors, and GSI door handles on proper accent duty.
Now we get to the C’est magnifique: the MTI custom-designed and custom handbuilt interior. Based on hides of Woodsmoke Relicate leather, pretty much everything between the sculpted door panels and beneath/above the leather flooring and headliner is one-off, from the rear sub encloser through the center console and onto the dash (that looks like no other ’67-72 C10!), with its center-mounted ’55 Chevy-ish Classic Instruments cluster. Sound system is all MTI custom design; climate control is Vintage Air; ride control is AccuAir e-Level; and everything else is, well, custom!
Throughout the process, Chris relied on the talents of Robert Mesa, of course, as well as Justin Kush, Jose Pena, and, as he put it, their friends at “The Right Shop.” Expect to see plenty more MTI Automotive works of ART in the near future pages of CTP!
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
